There's one amazing fact that I can almost guarantee: if every single producer in the world read your screenplay, your screenplay would get produced. 

I'm not kidding.  If you knew how to market your script to get every producer to not just listen to a pitch, but to actually read your script, that same script would get produced.  Knowing this, your job as a screenwriter is not just writing, but also marketing.

You can sit there with your tablet, desktop, or laptop and naysay, but I stand by that statement; I've seen way too may statistics to justify my opinion (far more statistics than even most studio execs).  By no means am I saying that John Doe can throw some words on a page, and call it script, but provided you have a coherent story, following the rules of screenwriting, there is someone out there waiting for you, and waiting to produce what you've written.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure
2. [Shameless plug] InkTip.com People!
3. Film Festivals
4. Contests
5. Pitching Events
6. Emails
7. Conclusion

1. One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure

This topic reminds me of a story that InkTip's CEO, JerrolLeBaron, has regurgitated to me on numerous occasions [and with good reason].  Some time circa 2003, there was a producer, who was not only an active member of InkTip, but also a friend and consultant to Mr. LeBaron.  He logged into InkTip one day and read an entire script that precipitated an ironic email.  The email went something like this:

"Jerrol, I just read [THIS SCRIPT], and it was the worst thing I've ever read.  Not just as a producer, but as a friend, you should remove this script and start to vet future scripts if you want your company to survive."  (I'm paraphrasing for dramatic effect... producer's aren't this dramatic or entertaining)

Jerrol knew that the InkTip he built was a marketplace, not a coverage service, so he politely ignored the producer's email.  I like Jerrol's style.

The Punchline: Less than one week later, a manager signed the writer after reading that same script on InkTip.com, and only a couple days after that, a producer optioned the screenplay.

It would be really easy, and very predictable, for us to wag our fingers at the first producer, but that would be ignoring a basic logical truth that can save or start a screenwriting career: one man's trash truly is another man's treasure.

Why More Exposure Is Good Exposure

Here's the math to prove more exposure is good:
(a) If you give your script to zero people, you have zero chance of someone producing it.
(b) If you give your script to one person, you have at least a chance ofsomeone producing it.
(c) If you give your script to multiple people, you have the same chance of someone producing it as in the above scenario "(b)" multiplied by the number of people you gave it to.

Don't take my word for it.  Study Boolean mathematics here to prove it for yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_algebra.  I would love to explain the details via years of upper-level mathematics and Calculus, but suffice to say, my math is sound for this rudimentary purpose.

OK, so assuming we're all in agreement that getting more exposure will increase your chances of getting produced; let's get you some more exposure!

2. [Shameless plug] InkTip.com People!

Actually, I take back the shameless part.  One of the tasks I do at InkTip, in which I take great pride, is researching other companies actually getting movies produced. Needless to say, my Google searches always end quickly.  The bottom line is that InkTip helps to get movies produced, and I am unable to find another company that gets writers produced with anywhere near the same frequency as us (please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).  There are other companies, websites, and services that might get you in front of some decision makers, but ultimately InkTip's writer-marketplace-oriented structure fulfills those decision makers' needs so much better than any other, that our nearest competition responds to our 28 films produced per year with 1 (ONE) film produced per year.  InkTip averages 28 feature films produced per year, and hundreds of options and writers hired (see InkTip's IMDb:http://www.imdb.com/company/co0251773/).  I should note that InkTip is already ahead of its average mid-year stats, so we are likely to break that number "28" in 2013!

Back to getting you exposure: InkTip boasts an active producer/agent/manager/director (Exec) membership of an estimated 2,000, with a total Exec subscribership of roughly 23,000.

Every active Exec has been vetted via resume and references, and has exhibited to InkTip an ability to get a movie produced within 365 days.  Furthermore, no Execs are paid by InkTip to review scripts, which means every Exec searching for scripts and writers through InkTip is actually searching for scripts and writers.

Listing your screenplay on InkTip.com makes your script available to 2,000 right off the bat, and the other 21,000 receive updates on our writers and their scripts via email.

Writers who understand the importance of getting exposure list their scripts on our site, take advantage of InkTip Magazine, and InkTip's Preferred e-Newsletter.

Listing your title and logline in InkTip Magazine is a solid way of getting exposure to our Exec subscribers.  It's an easy and inexpensive way to draw more attention, and more exposure.

Subscribing to the Preferred e-Newsletter is the only way I know of to get first-dibs access to producers who are looking for specific and non-specific screenplays and writers.

The best part about using InkTip for exposure is that it's an inexpensive way to keep  your proverbial lines in the water.  Listing a script on InkTip.com comes out to less than $12 per month.  Even if I were a dirt-poor writer, I'd just cut out a couple Starbucks trips every month to finance that expense... without a doubt.

OK, that's enough InkTip for now.

3. Film Festivals

Film festivals are a great place to meet producers, filmmakers, agents, managers, directors, actors, and other writers just like you. There are thousands of film festivals around the world, and the likelihood of there being one close to you is very high.

Going to festivals is a vital part everyone's career who works in the industry, and to prove this point, the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 admitted less than 200 films, but attracted an estimated 12,617 entertainment industry attendees.  That means that thousands of attendees are there with "networking" as a primary focus.  But I didn't need those numbers to prove it to myself-in the past, I've attended for the strict purpose of networking.

So, who should you be talking to when you attend festivals?  The short answer: everyone.  The long answer: make sure you're attending the festival's screenings, events, and parties-treat the trip like a work trip (and talk to your personal CPA, but you can likely write off the expense).  Know that at many festivals, the percentage of entertainment industry attendees can be anywhere from 15-25%.,so when striking up conversations with fellow attendees, feel free to ask them early on if they work in the industry.  Perhaps relate it to a screening you both attended, and ask if they were involved in the production.  If they do work in the industry, spend some time establishing a rapport (make friends!), exchange work and personal stories, and of course exchange contact information. 

Once you have real relationships in the industry, you should slowly warm up to getting these contacts to check out your screenplays.  Getting your screenplay to people in the industry is valuable exposure, but getting your screenplay to industry friends is priceless.  For specifics on establishing work friends, refer to "Your Screenwriting Career, Part II - Control your career through friendships" (http://www.inktip.com/sa_article_page.php?cat=sa&scat=resources&pg=72).

You're going to meet a lot of people, and they're not all going to be producers or agents, but heed this advice: "do not disregard anyone!" You may meet the director of photography of a movie you just watched, or maybe only a young production assistant, but guess what: they're working in the business.  Every person working in every industry always wants to achieve more, and a production assistant is no different.  They may be in a position right now to help get your screenplays into the right hands, or maybe a year from now they will be the right hands.  What's more, these lower level career people are likely to be much more responsive to a complimentary screenwriter holding a similar rank on the totem pole, as opposed to an Academy award-winning director who's bombarded by crowds.  Not to say the award-winner won't be responsive, but people lower down don't get hit up as much, and will therefore be much more open, and have more time to spare.

4. Contests

Entering screenplays into script competitions is a controversial subject.  I've heard all the questions hundreds of times over: what contests are worth it?  What contests actually get you industry exposure?  What contests do producers pay attention to? ...etc.  This list goes on and on.

There are a good number of contests that I personally think are worth it (and these thoughts are not necessarily endorsed or opposed by InkTip).  Obviously the Academy Nicholl Fellowship competition is highly regarded, along with Sundance's Screenwriter Lab competition, Austin Film Festival's competition, and PAGE Awards.

In most cases, even the winners are not necessarily flown anywhere to meet with industry professionals, so you may be somewhat confined to email and telephone relationships.  For tips on taking the most advantage of these situations, refer to "Your Screenwriting Career, Part IV: Learning to write... emails for success" (http://www.inktip.com/sa_article_page.php?cat=sa&scat=resources&pg=74).

Contests can absolutely provide more exposure, though I feel the biggest value in contests is the credibility that can be given to screenplays that place well or garner positive results.  For the purpose of this article, and my desire to point out the power you already have in controlling your career, it's worth pointing out that your exposure to industry executives through contests is largely based on the contest's relationships with those execs... not your relationship with those execs. 

Finally, you don't need to place in a contest to get exposure.  Almost all screenplay contests have readers and executives who read the entries and judge them; the people who run the contests are not the only people who read the scripts.  Sometimes a producer, executive, or reader will love a screenplay that hasn't won or even become a finalist in the contest.  That individual will remember you, and sometimes they will make contact with you after the contest to see what else you have written, or to produce your script or get it into the right hands.

Contests can be very valuable, and can earn you some major bragging rights.  Still, direct relationships are always the best way to control your career.  So, let's look at one more.

5. Pitching Events

Nothing beats face time!  (Shamless plug time :-) ) The Pitch & Networking Summit is by far the best use of time and money compared to these other events.  Not only do attending screenwriters average pitching more than 30 companies in a single day, not including the wrap party where everybody co-mingles.  The entire day is the best opportunity to meet actual industry decision makers who are currently looking for scripts.  Take for example, Lemar Knight (pictured right) who pitched 39 companies in one day (31 of which requested screenplays from him)!  That means that in one day, not only did Mr. Knight get exposure for his screenplays to 39 companies, but he now has the ability to keep in touch with 31 one of them, and keep them posted on future scripts in the future.

So, unlike attending even the top tier film festivals with 25%+ industry attendance, at the Summit [including all the writers attending] there is as much as a 47% industry attendance!  It's important to note, that unlike any other pitching event, the Pitch & Networking Summit sells out at 350 screenwriter attendees, and can draw as many as 310 industry executive attendees!

We already know, the more exposure, the better, so for every contact you meet at the Pitch & Networking Summit, you can multiply that by the number of scripts you have to accurately calculate your exposure.  Ryan Dearth (pictured left) pitched 74 companies at the Pitch & Networking Summit, -, and if he has three scripts in his library, then he's actually getting 222 exposures!  This dramatically increases his chances of getting optioned, hired, repped, and produced!  This is taking your career into your own hands.

6. Emails

Finally, even though face-to-face introductions are the best, there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn't be tracking down email information for companies and executives you'd like to work with, and getting in touch on your own!  You should definitely know that there are business email Do's and Don'ts (refer again to "Your Screenwriting Career, Part IV: Learning to write... emails for success"), but this is a great, proactive way to do something to further your exposure and your career every single day.

7. Conclusion

It's the person who gets the most exposure for their product, whether it's hamburgers or screenplays, that ultimately gets the consumer's attention.  You should know that getting a little or a lot of exposure is almost completely in your hands, so don't waste time just waiting, be proactive every chance you get.  Find new people to contact every day (follow the rules in Part IV), meet industry people at festivals and events, and build credibility and exposure through screenplay competitions!  Keep writing, and never stop marketing.

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About the Author:
Gato Scatena is a producer with Scatena & Rosner Films, and vice president at InkTip.  His most recent productions include the upcoming theatrical film, "Filth," starring James McAvoy, upcoming comedy, "Mantevention," starring Mario Van Peebles, and Lifetime's "Imaginary Friend," starring Paul Sorvino.
Questions for Gato can be tweeted to @GatoScatena on Twitter.