Original Article Date: April 2006
Author: Peter Clines
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*The following article originally appeared in the April 2006 issue of Creative Screenwriting. Please note that some information (contact info, etc.) may be out-of-date.
SCRIPT P.I.M.P. SCREENWRITING COMPETITION
Now heading into its third year, the Script P.I.M.P. (Pipeline Into
Motion Pictures) Screenwriting Competition sprung out of a recurring
complaint Chadwick Clough was hearing in his online community. "Our
writer clients continued to express their frustration with smaller
screenplay competitions and we set out to do it right," says Clough,
who also writes CS's "Production Co. Spotlight" column (see page 12).
Clough's experience with script consulting and production companies,
along with his management position at Script P.I.M.P., convinced him he
could also be a contest director.
"Before launching the Script P.I.M.P. Screenwriting Competition, I
entered dozens of 'screenwriting contests' as a test of the entire
process," he explains. "We approached A-level production companies and
agencies to not only consider the finalists but become involved in the
judging process of the competition. Each of the last three years,
Script P.I.M.P. has had over twenty A-level companies reviewing
submissions. Few other contest provide this much exposure to this many
writers."
Recognized as a cutting-edge competition, Script P.I.M.P. allows for
online submissions and guarantees that each script will receive at
least two reads from a judging panel of agents, development directors,
and managers. All finalists become part of the extensive Script
P.I.M.P. online community and get a free, five-year membership to their
Writers Database (a massive collection of contact information,
production company listings, and general industry facts). A Writers
Workshop is also available to help develop scripts even further.
Script P.I.M.P. winners have been doing as well as the contest itself.
One of 2003's winning scripts, Slammin', by Aaron Metchik and Joseph
Garner, was purchased less than six months later by Warner Bros. for
six figures. Over the past two years, another half-dozen finalist
scripts have been optioned. "If you look at our winners over the past
three years, the material has been diverse, eclectic, and, in our eyes,
fresh and original. We are not simply looking for the big commercial
movie script that we can peddle to the studios," says Clough. "In a
nutshell, good writing is good writing."
