Rena Ronson
Partner / Head, UTA
“Typically coming into the agency asking just for help packaging is really a dead end; you need to be thinking about who in that agency you are interested in working with and use us for what you need us to do”
“When you are selling to Netflix the production and finance team are looking from a financial perspective, and its beneficial to them because they are going to buy out your upside; this is very attractive and rare; from creative point of view you believe in a films potential in the theatrical marketplace, and sometimes it’s more of a struggle to decide to go with a Netflix or Amazon, but sometimes it is a really easy decision”
“Documentary financing is usually done outside agencies; we usually see them when they are beginning or halfway through production; they aren’t usually the big splash sell, you are doing it for the passion of the project”
Maren Olson
Agent, CAA
“We do expect producers to really hustle on their end as well and to be fighting for the project with everyone we are speaking with from inside the agency; if we don’t have all the information it makes it hard for us to bring a lot to the project”
“You may fall madly in love with a project and meet a filmmaker that is confident he/she can bring it to fruition but you can’t take for granted that everyone else in the world will feel the same way about the project; you need to make quantifiable elements that can convince someone else that this will be a great film and that the filmmaker can direct this film”
Mark Ankner
Partner, Global Finance & Distribution, WME
“Typically if we meet you at a marketplace, take your project and help finance it there would be a packaging fee involved; we like to look at this like an executive producer fee; there is no general format for deals they are all very specific to the filmmaker and film”
“Finding a project is one of the biggest thrills; a great film is all about the producer, if you have a great script you need a great producer to see it through”
“If you are a producer you are probably an entrepreneur at heart; if you are an entrepreneur at heart it is probably hard to give up control; but it is very important to collaborate with the agents and be open minded”
“It’s all about a relationship; we can only read a certain amount of scripts per week; I really stress working through established people (managers, executives) who have established relationships with agents to help you work through the process and navigate the process and determine which project is right for you now”
“Everyone is talking about pre-buying right now because the market is changing (a lot of films that would have typically been sold at TIFF were pre-buys); I do think this is just a trend; it ebbs and flows as the market continues to fluctuate”
Working With Talent Agents – QUOTES:
Rena Ronson
Partner / Head, UTA
“Typically coming into the agency asking just for help packaging is really a dead end; you need to be thinking about who in that agency you are interested in working with and use us for what you need us to do”
“When you are selling to Netflix the production and finance team are looking from a financial perspective, and its beneficial to them because they are going to buy out your upside; this is very attractive and rare; from creative point of view you believe in a films potential in the theatrical marketplace, and sometimes it’s more of a struggle to decide to go with a Netflix or Amazon, but sometimes it is a really easy decision”
“Documentary financing is usually done outside agencies; we usually see them when they are beginning or halfway through production; they aren’t usually the big splash sell, you are doing it for the passion of the project”
Maren Olson
Agent, CAA
“We do expect producers to really hustle on their end as well and to be fighting for the project with everyone we are speaking with from inside the agency; if we don’t have all the information it makes it hard for us to bring a lot to the project”
“You may fall madly in love with a project and meet a filmmaker that is confident he/she can bring it to fruition but you can’t take for granted that everyone else in the world will feel the same way about the project; you need to make quantifiable elements that can convince someone else that this will be a great film and that the filmmaker can direct this film”
Mark Ankner
Partner, Global Finance & Distribution, WME
“Typically if we meet you at a marketplace, take your project and help finance it there would be a packaging fee involved; we like to look at this like an executive producer fee; there is no general format for deals they are all very specific to the filmmaker and film”
“Finding a project is one of the biggest thrills; a great film is all about the producer, if you have a great script you need a great producer to see it through”
“If you are a producer you are probably an entrepreneur at heart; if you are an entrepreneur at heart it is probably hard to give up control; but it is very important to collaborate with the agents and be open minded”
“It’s all about a relationship; we can only read a certain amount of scripts per week; I really stress working through established people (managers, executives) who have established relationships with agents to help you work through the process and navigate the process and determine which project is right for you now”
“Everyone is talking about pre-buying right now because the market is changing (a lot of films that would have typically been sold at TIFF were pre-buys); I do think this is just a trend; it ebbs and flows as the market continues to fluctuate”
