The holidays are fast approaching. Everyone in the industry will be clocking out this week or at least starting to wind down for the year. So, with that, it seems like a good time to share an update on ScriptHop's Gauntlet!
A better approach was needed for screenwriters. That's why both established screenwriters and industry readers came together to help us create the Gauntlet. We saw the painful and fruitless cycle of writers entering one competition after the next, just to see their careers going nowhere and receiving little to no feedback on how to improve. The majority not even aware that their work is mostly being judged by interns, low-level staffers, and underpaid readers that may end up only reading 4 pages of a script.
Then there's the existential, seemingly unstoppable encroachment of A.I. into this space. It starts as a helpful tool for the writers choosing to use it... until suddenly the human element is no longer needed at all. It's already replacing the industry readers. Their contributions have always been under-appreciated and underpaid — an expense that was even being eliminated before the rise of ChatGPT.
It's not unstoppable, though. This course CAN BE CHANGED. We know that A.I. cannot harvest deep meaning from context or find the emotional significance in a moment the same as a human can. We simply need to show the industry that there is a solution with better outcomes! That's why we chose to take up the "gauntlet," and make this important stand (maybe the last). By harnessing qualified industry readers as an intelligently sourced collective to validate great writing talent, we're offering something that A.I. cannot beat.
Side note: check out our F* A.I. shirt.
Several months were spent honing our processes and improving the platform. There's a lot of software in place that routes scripts to the right readers and optimizes their reading experience such that many now wish they could read all their scripts using the Gauntlet. Because of this, our most notable complaint was that it took longer than expected to get early entrants their reports. BUT, we made it through the tunnel and current times are much improved. By December, we expect most scripts to take only 1-2 weeks to complete each level.
STATS: With a large amount of scripts now having gone through, we now know the climb rates:
And, at Level 3, those scripts are getting in front of established writers, producers, and reps! Compare those odds to script competitions where maybe one out of a hundred even get seen by one of their advertised judges. 8% in the Gauntlet versus <1% for competitions. Winning a competition?? That's more like under 0.05%.
Incredible testimonials have been coming in. Some of the best responses are even from writers who never made it past the first level of the Gauntlet. They told us it was the first time they'd gotten feedback that truly helped them and were surprised and impressed how our interactive report highlighted the overlap of opinion and provided clear guidance on how to improve. Other testimonials show the success of the platform with finding both deals and representation (more on that to be announced soon).
While we've heard the criticism on the price, we got it as low as we could. The $380 we charge buys writers a lot, though, even for those who don't pass Level 1. Where else can you get your script in front of 7 people ACTUALLY working in the industry?? If the script climbs to Level 3, that's 17 people! No other service offers this level of access.
Last month we opened the platform up to accepting TV pilots. We wanted to get feature scripts under our belt first, perfecting the system and process before adding more. TV is also different. Projects are rarely moved forward by just a pilot script, so we wanted to properly reflect that while not overburdening every writer to provide a bunch of additional material. What the team came up with seems to be working out quite well. Writers can climb to Level 2 based on their pilot and a short series synopsis. At that point, we see there's something there and ask the writer to provide more detail on the characters, world, and a more in-depth dive into the season arc before those Level 2 readers dive in.
We've gotten a lot of requests from people wanting to get their scripts in for a second run through the Gauntlet. This will be available in the next couple of weeks. 30 days after a script's first run, it will be possible to do a "re-entry" that offers a discount and the option to choose the same or different set of readers.
Ah, yes! That's our favorite part. The Gauntlet does work! We strongly believed this platform should lend outcomes better than anything out there, but you never really know until you see it in action. My co-founder, Scott Foster (former head of UTA's Story Department), has never been so excited to see the results of something. Years of working in the story department, he knows the quality of scripts that typically go through a top agency, and what he is seeing is wildly encouraging. These scripts have exceeded all of our expectations, and we can't wait to get them out there and to make Hollywood feel again!
Let's take a step back, though. These success stories start with the writers beating the Gauntlet. They get time to address the notes of 17 opinions, guided by our interactive report that targets the most resonant overlap. Writers are also assisted by our team, people like Scott, who personally work with them to make sure the script is in top shape following the guidance of the story analysts and development execs in the group. Going through this process, these writers are seeing their scripts in ways they never have before and taking them to new heights.
Once writers revise their scripts, they come back into the platform where ALL of our readers then get a chance to read and officially endorse the new revision. These respected industry people are putting their names, signatures, and even an endorsement blurb behind the project. This all culminates into the Seal of Consensus — a collective endorsement with teeth, validation, and peer pressure to get Hollywood to pay attention. Imagine going out with your script where people can see major writers and decision-makers for places like Amazon, Netflix, HBO, Sony, Disney, Lucasfilm, Lionsgate, and many more championing your project. These names give agents and managers confidence when going out with the project that it will be well received.
Our plan is to start announcing these projects early 2025. The industry has been going through a lot, but we see a real potential for change in the new year, and with the repeat failures of tentpoles, a chance for getting back to genuine storytelling. These announcements will highlight a small focussed collection of scripts at a time that compliment each other in such a manner — because of the thoughtful curation — that make the individuals stand out even more. These announcements will be accompanied by plenty of fanfare. A special event is coming together for the first announcement that will give attendees a chance to meet the writers of these amazing scripts along with some pretty great screenwriters.
The future is bright. Thanks to those who have entered, and I encourage those who have not to read our testimonials and take this important step when you're ready. While the script competition circuit has been default path for the last several years, the Gauntlet lets you really find out how your script will perform in the industry. You owe it to yourself to see where you truly stand and how to improve.
Best,
Brian Austin
ScriptHop CEO
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