BSP 130: How to Avoid Career Pitfalls for Screenwriters with Felicity Wren (ISA)

I wanted to take a deep dive into the marketing side of
screenwriting today because it is in fact, a necessity in the
industry today. Unfortunately, not many writers bother themselves
as much about marketing their work. While I have some course
resources on the IFH Academy website to help writers pitch stories
or to get past the gatekeepers and so on, I thought it would be
favorable to have marketing and development exec, Felicity Wren on
the show to delve into the subject. 

Felicity started off in this business as an actor and now is a
producer and VP of Development at the International Screenwriters
Association (ISA). ISA (Est 2008), is a screenwriters community and
resource platform that allows branding, marketing screenplays to
producers and provide learning resources for seasoned and new
writers. 

To date, ISA subscribers include 5,104 Industry Pros, approximately
70000Screenwriters, and 8,039 resources for
screenwriters. Definitely, a goldmine!

Felicity trained academically across the performing arts sphere
(writing, directing, acting technique, and script analysis). She
pursued acting and appeared in films like Star Trek Into Darkness,
The Battle of Hogwarts, Tales of Uplift and Moral Improvement, and
more, but lost interest in the competitive reality and stress
of waiting for the callback.

So, she pivots. Alongside her partner, she launched a theater
company, Unrestricted View (1999) in London that worked primarily
with new professional creatives. A decade later, Felicity moved to
Hollywood to seek the bigger dream.

Some of Wren’s work includes short films like The Trap, Homeless
Realtor, Who’s Who, The Force, and several others. At the ISA, she
get’s to work directly with the Program Writers, and ISA Contest
Winners, ensuring their projects get in front of eminent producers,
managers, and agents in Hollywood.

For screenwriters trying to sell a script, you have to know your
voice and feel comfortable using it beyond your incredible writing.
Understanding what you bring to the table is key in every
profession. Of course. Coupling that with some marketing tools can
propel you for higher success. That’s why this conversation is
important.

Enjoy my very informative conversation with Felicity Wren.

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