Rob Gallagher Interview

Interview with Rob Gallagher

Former Literary Feature, Television, Packaging Agent, and Development VP, who is now a manager and head of the literary department at Cyd Levin and Associates. Rob recently set up an action script at Witt/Thomas Films and is open to reading submissions. Contact info can be found at the bottom of the page.

SSSD: Spec Screenplay Sales Directory
GALLAGHER: Rob Gallagher

SSSD: As head of the literary department, what are your responsibilities at Cyd LeVin and Associates?
GALLAGHER:I represent writers for features and television, and I look for projects for our clients to star in. Occasionally I will also produce projects.

SSSD: If you make a deal for a client, what is your cut?
GALLAGHER: We commission 10%.

SSSD: Do you always try and get an agent for a client if they don't have one?
GALLAGHER: It depends on the client and where they are career-wise. Agents are great at covering the marketplace, but not so great at concentrating on the client's career. I think anyone starting out needs both.

SSSD: Once you find material that you like, what is the next step?
GALLAGHER: In a spec situation, I help get the script in the best possible shape and then spend about a month pitching it to my friends in the industry before I release it.

SSSD: Once the production company or studio options the material from your client, what is the next step?
GALLAGHER: : First of all, I want the material to be purchased -- not optioned. If the option money is good and the company is capable of making the film, I may consider it if all other possibilities are exhausted. An option is a pretty weak commitment and just ties up the material.

SSSD: Do you try and get writing assignments for new writers or just try and sell spec scripts?
GALLAGHER: New writers can't get writing assignments -- these are for seasoned, produced writers who are proven entities in their genre. I cover the Open Writing Assignment marketplace for my produced writers.

SSSD: How do you find most of your clients?
GALLAGHER: Referrals and email pitches via writing groups.

SSSD: What are the advantages of having a manager and an agent as opposed to having just an agent?
GALLAGHER: I used to be an agent so I know that world very well. Agents don't spend enough time on a client to really make a difference. Agents will send your script out to a handful of companies they think may be appropriate. In contrast, I spend weeks pitching your script to every major buyer in the industry (about seventy companies) and then release the spec simultaneously to on average 40 of them. Agents sending specs out to only a couple at a time kills the property as soon as one person dislikes it. Production companies all talk to each other every day -- the executives share information and are friends. If one exec dislikes your spec he'll tell everyone and your spec will then be dead because no one else will read it (even if they say they will). Specs have to go wide to everyone at the same exact time so that execs actually read it and form their own opinions and then are racing against each other to bid. Agents rarely do this -- they have far too many clients and far too much material to service.

SSSD: You recently sold a script, "Smuggler's Moon," about ex Navy pilots who are hired as military aircraft repo men to Witt/Thomas Films, which you found online at a Compuserve Forum. Can you tell us what prompted you to ask for the screenplay?
GALLAGHER: That's a great story. The writer actually pitched another action spec to me which I loved. I met with him at the agency (I was an agent then) and we discussed a plan for his spec. I was so impressed with his detail and knowledge of the military (which I also have a background in) that I asked him about his past. When he told me about his days repossessing aircraft in South America, I literally jumped out of my chair and said "That's a movie -- you need to write that immediately!"

SSSD: Prior to you finding it, the writer sent out a query to 120 agents. Eighteen wanted to see it. Two wanted to sign the writer. But the writer didn't want them. Once you came into the picture, you got interest from many production companies. If there was so much interest from these companies, why do you think more agents weren't interested in reading the script from the beginning?
GALLAGHER: Over seventy companies wanted the spec based on my pitch, but you have to understand that these are all friends of mine -- people I have relationships with. A writer sending a script to an agent blindly is treated horribly and most of the time just thrown out by the assistant. When an agent or manager with a good reputation calls his friend at a production company and recommends a spec, that's an entirely different situation.

SSSD: Why did you approach William Morris to handle the deal for the writer of Smuggler's Moon? Once the deal was closed didn't you fear that he would get lost in the crowd there?
GALLAGHER: That's a great question. I'm a manager and technically can't negotiate deals. Only agents and attorneys can negotiate. So once I get an offer I will call my friends at the agencies and set meetings for the writer. Based on my recommendation and who the writer feels most comfortable with, I then will place the client with that agency. When I'm launching a new writer who just sold a spec, I want a full court press to be pushing the client for every rewrite opportunity in town -- I'm always looking ahead to the next deal for my clients. To that end, it's important to have as many players on the team as possible, including a good entertainment attorney. Many people will ask "well what about the extra commission?" and I explain to them that they should focus on their long term career and not the money they make off their first deal. The additional deals you get from your full team will more than make up for the extra commissions and you will be that much more of a hot property in town.

SSSD: You're quoted as saying that you read pitches from writers via email. How is this working for you?
GALLAGHER: I love it! I can quickly determine from the emails that are pitched in the format I requested whether I would be interested or not. I have to love the story concept first. This process gives access to writers who are not otherwise connected and gives me access to material that Hollywood hasn't seen yet. I like to work smart, and in a town where they say it's all about the material, executives sure make it difficult for writers to get their work to them. If email didn't exist I would do it through the mail, but email is so much faster and I can correspond quickly if I need to know more about the material.

SSSD: When you request a screenplay do you ask the writer to sign a release form?
GALLAGHER: Yes. This protects me from legal problems.

SSSD: Have you found other scripts that way which you've set up?
GALLAGHER: Definitely! It works, or I wouldn't be doing it.

SSSD: What advice do you have for writers trying to sell their first screenplay?
GALLAGHER: Find someone who will represent you for the long term and someone who really believes in your writing enough to go wide with it. Very few agents will do this, and few managers know how -- but we're out there and very worth finding.

CONTACT INFO:
Rob Gallagher
Cyd LeVin & Associates, Inc.
606 N. Larchmont Blvd., Ste. 309
Los Angeles, CA 90004

E-Mail: DealmakerX@AOL.COM

Screenplays Wanted:
I'm open to all genres! Please pitch your COMPLETED SPECS to me in the following format via my email address ONLY:
Title, Genre,
Author, Phone number,
Log line,
50 word synopsis,
similar films (USUAL SUSPECTS meets RESERVOIR DOGS).

I'll reply to all pitches and move very quickly if I like your spec. Having been a development VP, literary agent, and head of two literary departments, I'm confident that no one represents writers as smart or as thoroughly. If I like your writing, I'll show you why very quickly.

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