Query Letters: Multiple Agents per Company?

[fedorable1]

Hey.

I'm curious. Do you all feel that it's a wise or foolish idea to send query letters to many agents within the same company? Would it be better to diversify?

~Dale

[Joe Calabrese]

I wouldn't. They talk around the water cooler. You don't want a rep as a query letter spammer.

I would pick the best agent at company Z who best represents your type of work and give him/her your best shot.

Good luck.

[Optimus]

There's nothing wrong with it, IMO.

But, don't send them all at once. Space it out over a couple of weeks.

[Maryn]

I think that if your script is unremarkable it might not matter, because nobody's going to be talking about it at the water cooler or anywhere else. Of course, you shouldn't even be sending a query on a script anything less then remarkable.

If you have a good script, you're going to write a good query, and the people in any agency will tell each other about it and find out you've contacted many of them. What this tells them is that you have not done your homework about determining which one would represent you best. I don't think we're wise to help people in the business reach that kind of conclusion when it's so preventable. I want to be regarded as a professional.

Maryn

[JustinoXXV]

I think that if your script is unremarkable it might not matter, because nobody's going to be talking about it at the water cooler or anywhere else. Of course, you shouldn't even be sending a query on a script anything less then remarkable.

If you have a good script, you're going to write a good query, and the people in any agency will tell each other about it and find out you've contacted many of them. What this tells them is that you have not done your homework about determining which one would represent you best. I don't think we're wise to help people in the business reach that kind of conclusion when it's so preventable. I want to be regarded as a professional.

Maryn

According to Christopher Lockhart, aka Createxec (he often posts on Done Deal), you can and should query different agents at agencies. As for who he is, he is the story editor at ICM, so I assume he has first hand knowledge of this.

http://p068.ezboard.com/fdonedealagentsandmanagers.showMessage?topicID=342 1.topic

Follow that link.

If you've different scripts, and different agents at an agency have a record of making selling different scripts, then it makes perfect sense to query different agents. You wouldn't be pitching them the same project.

[maestrowork]

I wouldn't. Find the right rep within the same company and query him/her. Otherwise, I'm sure someone in the company would direct the query to the right person. Don't query multiple reps in the same company -- that might make you look unprofessional ("hey, look, I got one from Mr. Big Screenwriter, too") especially if you're query on the same script.

[Optimus]

Do you guys honestly believe that agents at big companies like ICM, CAA, UTA, WMA, Endeavor, or even smaller companies like Industry Entertainment, Anonymous Content, etc. actually sit around the water cooler and talk about the query letters they got that day and compare names to see if they got the same ones?

You're kidding, right?

[Joe Calabrese]

The water cooler was just an expression.

Having been a reader for a large NY agency, I can safely say that when agent "A" gets a query, it is his assistant that really gets it. Chances are that assistant is also the assistant for up to four other agents (unless your a agent "God" with a lot of clients). He/she will know you just blanketed the whole agency with your unsolicited queries.

If you really feel that you must, do so for multiple scripts as someone suggested. If all you have is one great wonder, then wait six weeks in between queries.

Chances are that for any agency there is only one agent (or few for a really big agency) for a particular genre/budget/etc... So if you do send out five queries to the same agency your shooting at four of the wrong people who could care less.

Do your homework, find out what agent represents what. Send only to the agents who cater to that.

And for Justino, there are exceptions to every rule but why take chances that the agency you blanket isn't one of those "sure we take em all" companies.

[Optimus]

The water cooler was just an expression.

Really?!

[Joe Calabrese]

Really. You want to make something of it? Come on. Meet me outside...

[JustinoXXV]

"And for Justino, there are exceptions to every rule but why take chances that the agency you blanket isn't one of those "sure we take em all" companies."

Someone who works at a big agency (christopher lockhart) says that it's okay to query multiple agents. He's a story editor no less. ICM is one of the major agencies making script sales. As the story editor he is in the middle of a very big agency, and therefore knows more about that than any of us.

Why do you and Maestro dismiss that?

I was not speaking of smaller agencies. I was speaking of William Morris, ICM, CAA, Endeavor, etc. The agencies that make most of the sales, (especially to studios). They do have different agents who specialize with different genres, so can query the agency on different scripts.

I'm not trying to offend either Maestro or Joe. But a story editor at ICM says it's okay not only okay for screenwriters to query multiple agents, but he recommends it? And you dismiss this?

[maestrowork]

I didn't dismiss it. Go ahead if you think it's a good thing to do. I'm just telling you what I know. Maybe your source meant "query multiple agents with *multiple* projects -- not the same one." Or maybe he really meant "query as many agents with the same project as you'd like." I don't know. I didn't talk to him personally. And just to clarify, your sample size is one -- so by definition, it could be an exception.

What I did know is that I queried a specific agent at a big agency. He wrote back to express interest. I sent him more stuff. Then he directed my stuff to another agent within the company because she handled that type of material. I'm still talking to her (no contract yet *sigh*). So yes, agents do talk among themselves and yes, they will find out if the same person has queried them with the same project, especially if they are interested (if your stuff goes directly to the reject pile then it doesn't make any difference anyway). How they react to it is ENTIRELY UP TO the agents. They may think, cool, this guy has dedication. Or they may think, he's wasting our time. You don't know.

(But I think I'm safe to say: do your research first. Always. It shows the agents you mean business, and not just blindly send a romantic comedy script to a thriller agent...)


So do it at your own risk. I'm not an agent, so don't listen to me. It's your career at risk here, so do what you think is right for YOU.

[Optimus]

Really. You want to make something of it? Come on. Meet me outside...


You. Me. Recess. Behind the swings.


Be there.

[JustinoXXV]

"Maybe your source meant "query multiple agents with *multiple* projects -- not the same one." Or maybe he really meant "query as many agents with the same project as you'd like."


Maestro, I'm not sure I understood what you're saying. At no point did I ever suggest querying every agent at an agency with the same script. That's a waste of time, because first you'd ideally want to find out what types of scripts each agent had a record of selling.

I did say, since at big agencies there is a tendency for different agents to deal with different genres, that it is okay to query with with different scripts/multiple projects. From what Mr. Lockhart said, it's even recommended.

And honestly, it's LA. People in Hollywood, so short of stalking an agent (or something equally horrific), there isn't much you can do to put your career at risk. At any point, if you come to them with a project that makes sense, they'll deal with you. No one is going to put you a blacklist just because one month you sent off too many queries.

[maestrowork]

I did say, since at big agencies there is a tendency for different agents to deal with different genres, that it is okay to query with with different scripts/multiple projects. From what Mr. Lockhart said, it's even recommended.

That I agree.

But from what I gathered from the original poster's question, I thought he meant "same script, same agency, different agents." My bad.

[Joe Calabrese]

I didn't dismiss either.

I just want the poster to know that some agencies, including William Morris which I worked for in NY (except ICM thanks to Justin's link) may frown on such practices.

To just give a blanket statement of "sure go ahead" would be amiss if the pitfalls of doing so were not addressed. I did say do your research. I did say don't send a query to an agent who isn't hot on your type of work. I didn't say don't listen to Justin.

Remember the golden rule-- there are none. Whatever works for you is the right way.

[Optimus]

So, you admit you're yella?

[Joe Calabrese]

Don't make me give you a time out.

[William Haskins]

ahh, young love.

[maestrowork]

Ah. This is better than Pootie Tang.


:popcorn:

[fedorable1]

Dude, ANYTHING is better than Pootie Tang. :P

And thank you all for your replies, it helped a lot. And yet, I did mean query multiple agents in the same company for the SAME script.

See, I've written a total of 3 scripts (well, 5 - but the first 2 don't count). And I have about 300 query letters written up for 2 of the 3 - about 200 for one alone. These include roughly 20-30 agents per "big company" and just a couple per small one. I just wasn't sure if I should send them, or if it would appear amateur. I read in a screenwriting book to just send out as many as possible, no matter what. Sort of a buckshot effect. It's like when fish lay a billion eggs to that maybe a hundred will survive.

Thanks again, I'll change what needs to be changed.

[JustinoXXV]

Dude, ANYTHING is better than Pootie Tang. :P

And thank you all for your replies, it helped a lot. And yet, I did mean query multiple agents in the same company for the SAME script.

See, I've written a total of 3 scripts (well, 5 - but the first 2 don't count). And I have about 300 query letters written up for 2 of the 3 - about 200 for one alone. These include roughly 20-30 agents per "big company" and just a couple per small one. I just wasn't sure if I should send them, or if it would appear amateur. I read in a screenwriting book to just send out as many as possible, no matter what. Sort of a buckshot effect. It's like when fish lay a billion eggs to that maybe a hundred will survive.

Thanks again, I'll change what needs to be changed.


After awhile, postage becomes very expensive. Querying every agent at the same company about the same project will likely just waste your money, and if you continue to repeat it, may result in the mailroom staff or assistances simply ignoring your queries.

Go to www.scriptsales.com Check out the sales archive. Research what agents sold scripts in what genres. And query appropriately.

[Optimus]

You'd probably be much better off using the 20-30 for the mid-sized and smaller agencies and management companies and only sending a few for the large companies.

The boutique companies are usually more receptive to new writers than the larger agencies.

That isn't saying that querying the big agencies is a waste of time. But focusing the bulkload of your querying to the large agencies rather than the smaller ones IS.