Of all the questions an entertainment reporter is asked, the most frequent one is, “I wrote this screenplay. How can I get it to . . .?”
There is no good answer to that query, except to say, “Find an agent and, if they like it, they’ll do all the work.” Unfortunately, it’s much easier to write a script than to have your talent recognized by an agent . . . let alone a producer.
Manager-producer Warren Zide, whose “American Pie” opened Friday, is one of the few executives in this town whose company — Zide/Perry Films — will take an honest look at an unsolicited script. In fact, later this month, he’ll even solicit them on a new Internet venture, InZide.com, specially designed to instruct and encourage first-time writers.
The native of Southfield, Mich., is recognized as one of the leading literary managers in the business, having sold more than 60 spec scripts in the last 60 months.
“A spec script is a screenplay that essentially is written for free in the hope of selling it for money to a studio,” he explained. “At our company, we try to stay ahead of the marketplace with what we think will work at the studio level, and we feel we’re really good at developing screenplays with these writers. About 95 percent of those 60 screenplays are from first-timers.”
Seven people in the company read about 3,300 scripts a year, Zide estimates. The only word of warning he offers is that the writers must sign a release, and not expect to have their work returned in the mail.
“If the screenplay comes in and we sign the writer, that person has the option of having Craig and I come on board as producers,” said Zide, whose first picture was “The Big Hit.” “They don’t have to, but if it adds value and makes sense.”
Zide/Perry’s upcoming projects include “Flight 180,” a supernatural thriller; “Gigantic,” a spoof on James Cameron’s blockbuster “Titanic”; and “Providence,” a teen romance. “The Big Hit” — which “was passed on by every major studio” — only cost $12 million to make, but it grossed $30 million and got good reviews.
“There are a lot of suit-and-tie people in Hollywood, but Craig and I and everyone in this company do things our own way,” Zide stressed.
“We try to have a fun time and create an environment where writers can hang out and feel comfortable. I love their energy.”
