Original Article Date: July 2009
Author: Jennifer Wood
View article on filmmaking.net
*The
following
article originally appeared in a July 2009 article.
Interview: Script Pimp's Chadwick Clough on Producing 'Rogues Gallery'
With
a passion for independent voices, Chadwick Clough recently produced
"The Living Wake," a dark comedy about a man who, expecting to die
soon, invites others to his wake where he plans to give a short
performance before dropping dead on the spot. Scripted by and starring
Mike O'Connell and directed by Sol Tryon, "Living" found smashing
critical success winning awards at the Austin Film, Woodstock,
CineVegas International and Big Apple Film Festivals. Currently, Clough
is producing "Rogues Gallery," an action-comedy about a battle that
ensues among groups of government spy teams in an underground facility
after their boss is assassinated. Penned by Brian Watanabe and directed
by Fouad Mikati, the movie features Rob Cordrry, Ving Rhames and Ellen
Barkin.
Clough didn't break into the movie industry through a typical avenue. His story began with a vision for a matchmaking service between writers and Hollywood executives that became Script Pimp,
a company owned and operated by Clough. Since its 2000 inception,
Script Pimp has expanded to include writer workshops, writing contests
and a movie production arm,
becoming a portal through which some writers have garnered options,
representation and sales. Clough then launched a live comedy show, now
in its sixth year of monthly performances at the prestigious Hollywood
Improv. Aptly titled "Circus of Joy," the hilarious event offers a mix
of standup, skits and musical comedy, peppered with upbeat audience
involvement. Drawing on talent, networking, and personal experience
from the first two endeavors, Clough moved into filmmaking. Building
one success upon another, Clough recently spoke with us about these
ventures and how they came together in the business of making movies.
Q: How did you get involved in so many different aspects of entertainment?
A: I studied screenwriting and film at Santa Clara
University, then moved to Los Angeles after graduating and began
working in production. A friend got me a job as a reader for two
production companies and for an independent producer who had a deal
with Showtime. Making my introductions around town, I was taken aback
at the number of unreviewed scripts, literally piling
up having not been read. So a friend and I had the idea of creating a
"matchmaking" service to assist unproduced and/or aspiring
writers--essentially, a filter between writers and executives which
became Script Pimp.
In 2003, I started a monthly comedy show at the Hollywood Improv,
"Circus of Joy," with the intent of having our writers interact in a
community, as well as to build rapport with top comedians in the hopes
of casting them in a project.
While our Script Pimp Writers Workshop was gaining momentum, we decided
to launch a competition to bring further exposure for these talented
writers. Soon after our first competition in 2003, the grand prize
winner sold his script, "Slammin'," to Warner Brothers for six figures.
Around this time, producer/director David Ocañus contacted me looking
for a writer to turn his thriller concept into a feature film. So I
introduced Robert Nelms, one of Script Pimp's recommend writers from
the Workshop, to David, and the project, "Between," was ultimately
completed, premiered at Sundance,
and aired on Lifetime. Toward the end of 2005, Script Pimp opened a
production arm and raised half a million dollars for the independent
comedy "The Living Wake." Script Pimp served as a story consultant and
I went on to produce and line produce. The experience of these projects
in particular helped prepare me for a larger budget film such as
"Rogues Gallery."
Q: What made you want to produce "Rogues Gallery"?
A: You know, I remember exactly where I was and how I
felt after the first read. I couldn't put it down and ended up driving
to Sean McKittrick's house right after I read it to say, "Stop whatever
you're doing and read this." (I had met Sean, producer of "Donnie
Darko," years earlier. Our mutual interest in unique independent spec
scripts led to him coming on board as a consultant for Script Pimp.) I
just remember thinking, "I'd go see this movie in a second and it could
be really cool. The way it crosses genres was intriguing--it's a
whodunit, comedy, and action packed together.
Q: Was Brian, the original writer, involved?
A: Definitely, yes, from early on we all worked well
to get the script industry-ready. It's important to have a writer that
understands collaboration with multiple producers and companies and is
able to work in that environment.
Our main hurdle was the fact that "Rogues" is an ensemble cast and that
can make financiers nervous (based on box office history). "Rogues" was
such an original premise, we wanted to wait until a director was
attached before making any substantial changes to the script. From
2004, we had Creative Artists Agency backing the project. We did
present the script to numerous actors, as our first approach was to get
name talent attached. At certain points, there were stars attached, but
we were unable to secure proper financing, even with great talent. The casting ended up happening long after the director and financing were in place.
In 2007, we presented the script to Kevin Turen at Infinity Media
("Capote"). At that stage, he and Michael Ohoven came on board as
producers. Infinity was instrumental in raising the necessary capital
for a feasible budget.
Q: When did the director come onboard?
A: Infinity was looking for a project for Fouad to
direct in late 2007, early 2008 I believe. Infinity had presented Fouad
with over a hundred scripts before he was handed "Rogues." Fouad, now a
close friend, recalls having the same initial experience as I'd had
after the first read. His words in our first meeting were, "I can bring
the story to life. This is the one. I love it." And from there, we
haven't looked back.
Q: What's up next?
A: I recently presented Script Pimp recommend
"Totaled" by Andy Demsky to Darko Entertainment. They optioned the spec
and the project is now in development. We are again out to actors and
directors.
Q: What percent of scripts get a recommend from Script Pimp
A: We end up giving about 2 to 3 recommends per month.
Or, about 3 to 5 percent of the total submissions. We also have a
consider category that makes up another 3 to 5 percent.
Q: What has changed with Script Pimp over the years?
A: Our submissions to the Workshop have continued to
grow, as well as the competition. In 2008, we received almost 2,000
entries, with more expected for this year. We're in the second year of
our TV writing competition, which we hope to gradually expand, since
there are far more opportunities in television writing, and the
competition could be an excellent way for young writers to launch their
careers. We're also in the process of adding a great deal of additional
content and functionality to our Writers Database. An entire new
back-end will be launched in the summer of 2009 and all the current
subscribers will of course enjoy these major upgrades at no additional
cost.
After the 2008 competition, I introduced Evan Daugherty and his grand
prize-winning script "Shrapnel" to Jake Wagner at Energy Entertainment.
The script made it on to "The Blacklist," and just recently, Evan
secured a major writing assignment, the "He-Man" script for Warner
Bros. We've been instrumental in aiding other writers in smaller option
agreements and with gaining literary representation. In addition,
former Script Pimp Workshop writer Mark Mahon had his recommend
screenplay "Strength and Honour" produced, where he also served as
director. The film has won numerous awards and accolades in festivals
worldwide. [Produced by Maron Pictures and starring Michael Madsen, a
sequel is in progress.] We also did numerous free sets of notes on
Alyssa Lobit's recommend script "The Things They Carry" which wrapped
production at the end of 2008.
In efforts to accommodate the various needs of our writers, Script Pimp
continues to diversify. In the last year alone we have made huge
in-roads helping writers break into the studio system, as well as
setting upfinancing
for our own indie projects. With our reputation for finding and
nurturing talent, along with our great industry relationships, Script
Pimp is poised to assist an even larger pool of aspiring writers in the
coming years. Although we have never collected a percentage from our
writer clients, nor do we plan to in the near future, for us, success
stories are not just an important thing, they're the only thing.
