Marvin V. Acuna

Rule #1: Never Give Up!

People come and go in this business. They have their own reasons; it’s not a judgment. But, if you stay you’ll discover that the opportunity you have been working towards will present itself. The KEY is you must be ready. You must continue to prepare yourself: a) always hone your craft; b) continue to immerse yourself in the business; and c) absolutely nurture and add value to ALL your relationships.

Rule #2: Believe in Yourself.

I think this quote by Theodore Roosevelt sums it up:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt, “Citizenship in a Republic,”
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Rule #3: Know Yourself.

Have a deep understanding of your strengths AND weakness. By doing so you’re able to better communicate who you are and what value you can contribute to other people.

Listen — we all have weaknesses. Recognizing your weakness affords you the opportunity for it to serve you versus hurt you.

A simple example:

You have the ability to craft great characters and dialogue, but struggle with developing original commercial ideas. In this instance it serves you to seek out source material such as books, articles, or to partner/collaborate with someone that is a great idea person, but struggles with really flushing out characters.

Rule #4: Personality IS Your Unique Selling Proposition

There’s a massive opportunity in putting yourself out there immediately. Your personality is what makes you STAND OUT. It cannot be copied. Don’t wait until you become comfortable to show people your true colors.

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of screenwriters vying for their shot. And you now know from being a member of the BOSI community that writing talent is necessary, but not enough. It just isn’t. There are many talented screenwriters that will go unrecognized because they simply blend into the herd like sheep.

If for some reason you are unclear as to what makes you unique, ask your trusted friends and family. Because in this business you are not solely selling screenplays, you are selling yourself too.

Rule #5: Be Consistent

Think about how to make all you do more consistent so people say “Oh that’s something ____ does.” The more people can identify you and associate you with something, the more your name will get out there through word-of-mouth.

This is essential. It’s important and financially beneficial that you become the go-to person for something. What can people expect from you on consistent basis? Do you make something that is familiarly different? Does your unique view of the world offer a fresh perspective to an old idea/theme?

In essence, what is your brand? In simple terms, are you Doritos or simply like everyone else… generic run-of-the-mill potato chips?

Rule #6: Passion, Expertise and Support are MUSTS.

They are essential ingredients to your success. A) passion fuels you when times get rough…and I promise you they will. This is a marathon business, not a sprint. Everyone and I do mean everyone has challenges in this business; B) you must become an expert in your business. Becoming an expert separates you from the pack. You may even become a pack leader; and C) you need an individual or a group of people who you can trust to serve as a support system, to lend a shoulder or an ear. But, to be clear, this does not mean they serve as your venting and whining group. It’s a group of people or individuals who simply remind you of your successes and the bigger picture, or may point you in a new direction. Remember, it takes a village to build a career.

Rule #7: Do More Than the Minimum

Doing the bare minimum creates minimum results. This business requires tenacity, perseverance, sacrifice, and simply put — hard work. I promise you will get what you put into it.

I understand that you may find yourself exhausted after a long day of work, but if you neglect the short term responsibilities (ie. creating fresh inventory, mining market intelligence, and networking) of your screenwriting business you simply won’t generate the long term results you desire.

In my humble opinion, aspiring screenwriters assume that an assistant doesn’t have the time, judgment, or influence to help them, and therefore simply see them as a barrier to their objective — connecting with the entertainment professional they desire to have read/buy their screenplay.

Huge mistake! After all, they’re controlling your access. Assistants are key and instrumental in any industry, but in Hollywood… a strategic alliance with an assistant has the potential to change your life.

LISTEN: Most assistants don’t aspire to be assistants forever.

There are numerous ways for you to build rapport with an assistant I’ll focus your attention here on just a few:

 Google their name. See if they blog or tweet. Try to identify something that they are genuinely interested in and may have in common with you.

 Always refer to an assistant by name, every time. Always be friendly, polite, and direct. Keep in mind that you are not their highest priority, and being impatient and/or self-righteous will not serve you.

 An assistant’s time is just as important as the person you are attempting to reach. Believe it or not, the assistant’s role is to determine potential value for their executive and/or their company. Be prepared to explain why you feel you can contribute and how you will add value.

 The more you can include the assistant in the process, the better. They have an ear to the ground about every aspect of the business and can offer unique insights that can help you refine your pitch.

 Assistants have the ear of everyone that will be involved in reading/buying your script. They know who you should be speaking to and can help clarify if you are even targeting the right person/company. Let the assistant paint the internal relationship dynamic for you so you may navigate it more effectively.

Effectively engaging an assistant affords you numerous benefits. For instance, they can serve as an internal champion of you, your work and they can make introductions on your behalf.

I encourage you to view every assistant with the level of respect you would afford their boss and observe the windows of opportunity that magically open for you.

Tu cuchara tien un hoyo en el asidero y la mia no Straightheads psp .

These were the first words I uttered to an unsuspecting and bilingually challenged pre-schooler. Welcome to Butler pre-school in Attleboro, Massachusetts circa 1976.

As an adult I may have been very self-conscious of the fact that I did not speak a lick of English, but as a kid it didn’t even phase me or the other kids. In many ways this is the beautiful magic and wonder of being a kid. No judgment, just kindness.

Each time I see a yellow, smiley face it elicits the experience of my last day of the first grade. The term was not over it was just over for me.

Apparently, my mother had been picked-up in an immigration raid at the factory where she worked that morning. Ealry morning I was a first grader at Bliss elementary by mid-day I was an illegal alien facing deportation. We packed what we could carry and fled in the middle of the night, never to return to Attleboro. Fugitives.

Twenty minutes later we arrived in Providence, Rhode Island. Yep, we fled just twenty minutes north. I guess this was far enough because here is where I spent my formative years.