How do I sell my script to Netflix?
If you have an idea, game, script, screenplay, or production already in development that you'd like to pitch to Netflix, you must work through a licensed agent, producer, attorney, manager, or industry executive, as appropriate, who already has a relationship with Netflix.
You can sell a play script for between $60 to $1000. The exact amount depends on the experience level of the playwright, what they value in their work, and the size of the theatre. While you might not make much money for your scripts, the good news is that you can buy dinner with your sale.
- Sell/Option to a Producer or Production Company. ...
- Get Management Representation. ...
- Attend a Film Market. ...
- Get into a Development Program. ...
- Connect with an Up-and-Coming Director or Producer to Get the Film Made. ...
- Create Your Own IP. ...
- Use a Pitch Platform.
As Netflix is a WGA signatory, they have to abide by the guidelines set forth by the Writer's Guild Schedule of Minimums. That means, for a single draft of an original screenplay, Netflix pays $42,138 for a script, with compensation only going up from there.
...
Screen Compensation Guide for Streaming Services.
| Streamer | Median | Maximum Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $105,000 | $300,000 |
| Netflix | $150,000 | $1,600,000 |
Does Amazon still accept scripts? No, Amazon stopped excepting unsolicited scripts on April 13, 2018.
How do most screenwriters sell their first script? Major studios don't usually buy original scripts from unknown writers. Sure, it can happen, but you shouldn't plan on it. The majority of original script sales actually occur directly through production companies.
| Screenplay Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Freelance feature script | $1,000 – $15,000 |
| Freelance TV script | $2,000 – $4,000 |
| Freelance short film script | $100 – $1,000 |
| Freelance script rewrites | $600 – $3,500 |
"Netflix only accepts submissions through a licensed literary agent or from a producer, attorney, manager, or entertainment executive with whom we have a preexisting relationship. Any idea that is submitted by other means is considered an unsolicited submission...
Like I mentioned in the intro, Disney does not accept scripts from writers outside of their studio. That goes for all the properties Disney owns, by the way, including Walt Disney Animation Studios, Touchstone, Pixar, and Marvel.
Can you sell a script to HBO?
HBO Licensing & Retail does not accept unsolicited product ideas or samples.
Based on WGA rates, a spec script should sell for between $72,600 and $136,000, with the average screenwriter's salary being around $110,000.
Can You Sell a Screenplay Idea? No, generally producers don't listen and buy movie ideas because of legal reasons and you cannot copywrite an idea. But if your idea has some type of influence such as a famous actor, producer or intellectual property attached with a film treatment then yes.
If you don't have an agent, you can contact an agency and pay them to read your script. If an agent is interested in representing you, ask them to set up a video conference pitch. Your agent may ask you to do a video pitch to help sell your script to a Hollywood executive.
How hard is it to sell a screenplay, anyway? According to writers, managers, and agents involved in greenlighting screenplays, there's a five to 20 percent chance of a screenplay being accepted and sold, says Script Magazine. Admittedly, those acceptance rates are pretty low, but that doesn't mean you should give up!
Amazon Studios' prior policy, until today, stated it had the exclusive right to buy a movie script for $200,000 or TV script for $55,000 from the day it's uploaded up to 45 days out. It can then pay $10,000 to extend that option for 18 months, which it can do up to two times, according to its FAQ.
Is it easier to sell a screenplay or a novel? Novels. Stands more of a chance, even if it's mediocre. Someone has to be wanting to produce your script into a movie for it to sell (even if it doesn't happen).
In fact, most working screenwriters sell scripts on spec less often than the past and instead get paid for OWAs, which means “Open Writing Assignment.” That means they're hired liked a freelancer to write an idea the production company already has. Still, yes — you can actually sell a screenplay without an agent.
- Optioning scripts.
- Selling screenplays.
- Adaptation of IP.
- Writing a treatment.
- Assignment work.
- Distributors income.
- Writers Room.
That's why Netflix started producing original content. Netflix has shaken up the movie industry because of its pay structure. They pay producers the full cost of production. Actors, writers and everyone else associated with the making of films are also paid upfront.
Does HBO buy scripts?
They're much more willing to take scripts for original movies and television shows than Disney, which increases your chances by a good degree. That said, on HBO's official website, their FAQs state that you must have an agent send your work on your behalf, not you directly.
Yes, spec script sales still happen. Yes, they are bought and produced every year. Yes, screenwriters can still make six to seven figures on a spec sale.
- Step 1: Get Clear on Requirements for Captions and Subtitles. ...
- Step 2: Create Closed Captions. ...
- Step 3: Approach Hulu by Email. ...
- Step 4: Team up with a Video Distributor (if necessary)
Since screenplay agents only get 10 percent of whatever deals they put in place, they will only make any money if the deal is big enough. Screenwriting agents only make enough money to have a career on mid to high level deals. Doing a deal on a script sale of $100,000 is lucrative as long as they do a lot of them.
Though 150 sounds like a lot of films, when compared to how many scripts get written each year, it is not. Some figures suggest that only 0.3% of scripts get offered a chance of production. This chance may fall through for a whole number of reasons.
Highest Paid Screenwriters, Number One: David Koepp… David Koepp is undoubtedly one of the planet's screenwriting kings. David has had countless Hollywood success, which has left him ranking as one of the most successful and highest paid screenwriters in the industry.
They will sign a contract with a certain agreed-upon payment, which will be stretched into various drafts and deadlines. Any writer can be fired after one draft. If that happens — whether you are the original writer or were assigned to rewrite a screenplay — you'll get paid a fraction of the final payment agreement.
To sell your screenplay to Lifetime, you can send it via a screenwriting agent DIRECTLY producer within Lifetime. Or you can also approach a production company associated with making Lifetime films without an agent.
Netflix also partners with content and studio providers to license rights for other titles. These titles may only be available in certain countries or for a limited time. If you can't find a title on Netflix, there may be a few different reasons it's not available.
Data included in the company's 2019 10-K, filed this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission, shows that Netflix (ticker: NFLX) spent $14.7 billion on licensed content in 2019, up just 4% from 2018.
How do I get an agent for Netflix?
Netflix doesn't have literary agents. They only have a team of executives and buyers.
- BBC Studios. Read → They accept unsolicited scripts via BBC Writersroom. ...
- Century Films. Read → “We welcome innovative ideas for singles and series, factual and drama programmes. ...
- Genlock Films. ...
- The Hampstead Theatre. ...
- Hurricane Films. ...
- LA Productions. ...
- LLeju Productions and Films. ...
- Omnifilm Entertainment.
It is the long-standing policy of The Walt Disney Company not to accept unsolicited submissions of creative material.
Do screenwriters get royalties? No, royalties are given to owners of intellectual properties. Since screenwriters don't publish screenplays they get residuals. With that said they do receive 0.65% of the revenue of a purchase.
The only way I have found to get a producer to read your script is to call the production company and ask if they are looking for new scripts. If you have already have had a film produced, be it short or full length, then you will know what a producer will expect.
- 1 – Write An Interesting, Original Script. ...
- 2 – Win (Or Be A Finalist) In TV Pilot/Screenplay Competitions. ...
- 3 – Make A Web Series Or Proof Of Concept Short. ...
- 4 – Network, Network, Network! ...
- 5 – Get Repped By An Agent Or Manager. ...
- 6 – Set It Up With An Established Production Company.
- Déjà Vu (2006) “Déjà Vu,” a science fiction action film, written by Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii, sold for $5 million.
- Talladega Nights (2004) ...
- Eurotrip (2004) ...
- The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) ...
- Basic Instinct (1992) ...
- Bright (2017) ...
- Medicine Man (1992) ...
- Mozart and the Whale (2005)
Sci-Fi, Comedy and Drama
Four horror scripts were sold last year as well as four thriller scripts. Three action scripts and one family genre script also sold in 2018. The takeaway from Myers is that the film genres of sci-fi, comedy and drama are the biggest draws in the Hollywood marketplace.
Screenwriting is in high demand, as it has been for decades, and will likely continue to be for decades to come. However, many find it difficult to get steady work and maintain a lucrative career. Still, plenty of opportunities are available for screenwriters who write marketable screenplays.
If you sell an idea or a storyline, you can expect to get $5,000 on the front-end and about $20,000 on the back-end if the movie gets produced. If you sell a treatment, you should expect around $15,000 on the front end and $30,000 on the back-end.
Can you get paid for a movie idea?
It's All About the Pitch!
Its purpose is to entice the listener or reader into wanting to learn more about the story. If the production company likes the movie idea, it pays the agency, which subtracts its commission – up to 15 percent – and remits the rest to the writer.
No one can agree on whether or not directors buy scripts. Some say that a director's job is to find the right script and make it work, while others believe that a director's job is to develop their own material.
- Write something worth buying: Invest time in your screenplay.
- Create marketing material.
- Compile a list of potential buyers.
- Network, network, network.
- Keep writing.
Those looking to audition for Netflix should be aware that the platform doesn't conduct auditions in-house. That's the job of the various production companies hired by the streamer to create their shows, whose casting directors are then sent out to find talent.
The estimated total pay for a Executive Producer at Netflix is $279,689 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $169,962 per year.
