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Gallagher Literary (Rob Gallagher)

padnar

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Hi,
I am Padma and I want to develop my script . I want an genuine
agency which will help me to develop and sell. In one site I found about this agency Rob Gallager Literary Manager .Is it a genuine one?

I have developed my script , but my English is not like a native writer and So I want someone to help .
padma
 

padnar

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Sorry I could not get the answer .
padma
 

RobGallagher

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I find it impressive that in nearly 20 years of working on blockbuster films not a single writer has ever come forward and said Rob Gallagher stole my script or did something illegal or violated our contract or can say anything specifically bad about me at all. On the other hand there are hundreds who have said I've worked with Rob and he's a great guy and a pleasure to work with.

So why do I see online writers who post here anonymously saying don't sign with Rob because he's a bad guy, and then when someone asks why specifically is he bad, there is no reply, except to say they read something bad about me on some other site. And then when you go to the other site it's the same story, no one can point to anything specific that I've done wrong in 20 years.

The film industry is the most litigious industry in the world, with everyone suing everyone before even a dime is made -- don't you think in 20 years of working with thousands of writers, actors, directors, producers, studios, and banks, that at least one person would have sued me for something?

I don't know a single successful person in this business who has not been sued for something and most get sued with every film by someone, so clearly I must be one of the good guys or at least better than most.

What is happening in actuality is there is one writer whose script I passed on ages ago who is obsessive about me and has made it his life mission to post on every writing website anonymously using several aliases to dissuade writers from pitching their scripts to me. And no matter how many times you ask for a specific reason of what I did wrong to him you will never get a specific answer.

Now, I don't hang out on screenwriting websites because I'm not a screenwriter, and I'm busy with my work and my life, and I have more business than I can handle, so I'm not really concerned about this one writer's smear campaign that I couldn't stop even if I wanted to. You can't stop someone who posts anonymously online. It just comes with the territory of being successful, so I don't worry about it.

I was actually the first film executive to go online looking for scripts back in my early Orion days and I learned long ago that there is always someone posting anonymously who will say anything to get a reaction, and reacting is always a mistake. When you stand in front of a large crowd there will always be someone heckling you from the shadows.

So I stopped going online and I stopped getting frustrated about anonymous posts that have nothing specific to charge me with and as much truth to them as a tabloid about aliens. A famous writer encouraged me to return to the online forum (Compuserve was the first) and told me as the first exec online I was a pioneer and should be commended. He said "you can always tell a pioneer by the arrows in his back" -- as if that was a badge of honor.

My reply was that I don't like the arrows, don’t need the aggravation, and don't want to pioneer anymore, so I left, all because of one writer posting anonymously.

Okay that is the back story so now let's talk about what is real:

If you want to read about me you can go to my website and read all about my expertise and my entire team in many different aspects of the film industry at: www.GallagherLiterary.com

We've provided a rare open door to screenwriters around the world by accepting pitches via our site. I know there are a bunch of managers and agents who do that today but I was one of the first and found a lot of great material because of it early in my career.

We get about 300 pitches a day and they all go through the development team first. Our execs read through them looking for unique interesting pitches -- maybe 1 in 300 is forwarded to me and a few of those I might agree is worth a look and gets requested.

That means that most of the scripts being written and pitched to us are all the same boring concepts and if you want to succeed as a writer then you need to find fresh ideas. Stop writing about the ex cia agent turned school teacher called in for one last assignment. It's been done.

If we request your script it's because you've accomplished coming up with something special!

Now, most writers are sending their scripts out to anyone with an email address. Before email was invented writers had to be more selective about who they were going to mail their scripts to because of the costs involved, but now with electronic files like PDFs you can send your script to hundreds or thousands of email addresses with zero cost or effort -- and because of this fact we ask for an exclusivity agreement in our release form before we will even read your script.

This agreement is what has caused a lot of chatter on writing sites in the past, as it is not a simple release form.

The reason for requiring exclusivity is that we don't want to invest a day reading your script and writing up notes on it and then discussing it at length amongst the development team only to find you've since signed with someone else while we were investing all this careful effort -- that would be a huge waste of our time.

We are already busy with so many projects that we don't need to do this, and we get so many pitches that enough people will agree our exclusivity clause is reasonable and agree to it, that we don't need to worry about those who won't.

If you agree to our terms then we are willing to take a chance on an unknown writer with no credits -- and honestly most of the time it's still a waste of our time, so the risk is more ours than yours.

And if you don't like our terms then don't sign the agreement -- it's as simple as that. No offense meant.

Our process is when we get your script it gets added to the list of new scripts and will take a week or two depending on our workload to get assigned to our execs to read. Most agencies will have 1 reader cover your script and if there is anything wrong with your script the reader will PASS on it because he has no incentive to do otherwise.

A reader is paid to read scripts, not to recommend them. As long as he keeps passing on scripts he will keep getting paid. As soon as he recommends a script, his boss then has to take the time to read the script and if the boss disagrees with the recommendation and thinks it was a waste of his precious time reading the script, he will be angry and think the reader has poor taste.

So the reader risks losing his job with even a single recommendation. Too many recommendations and for sure the reader will get fired. That is how Hollywood works. Readers are a dime a dozen and mostly burnt-out failed writers who are angry at the industry and have to read an enormous amount of bad scripts every day to pay their rent -- and writing a recommend is a huge risk to them.

At best they'll get a pat on the back and at worst they'll get fired. It's not a fun job.

Our process at Gallagher Literary is different.

Your script will get assigned to TWO of our experienced development executives who are financially incented to find new projects to develop. The reason for this is because we are not an agency that reads your script and decides if they want to go out with it as-is.

When I was a young agent that's all we did at the big agencies; a script would come in, a reader would cover it, then the agent would read it and decide if they wanted to send it out as-is. Agents have a weekly quota of scripts they have to go out with so they end up going out with a lot of junk. Agents will not offer you notes or suggest rewrites -- they have hundreds of clients and no time -- for the agency it's just a numbers game.

Gallagher Literary has two executives read your script instead of just one because we are looking for potential in every script and realize it's not going to be perfect on the first draft. Not every reader is going to like the same material so we have two readers cover it instead of one -- and if you can't get at least 50% of your audience to find interest in your script then you've failed on this script.

100% is too much to ask on the first draft and that's what you ask when only one reader covers it.

Next, our executives are looking for potential in your script, not just a perfect script as-is to recommend or pass on. The reason for this is we employ a large development team, the largest of any management company we know of, and our team is going to help get your script as perfect as possible before it goes out to market.

Every draft will get two readers giving you extensive development notes -- not coverage. Coverage only says if the script is good or bad and is generally a page or two -- development notes go extensively into every aspect of the script and offers SOLUTIONS for any perceived flaws and is generally about ten pages.

You'll get two execs giving you two separate notes in the same format so that you can compare them side by side to see what the execs agreed on or disagreed on. Obviously what they agreed on you should change because they are assigned your script separately and blindly, so there is no collusion. If two execs are saying the same thing then you should fix it, if only one of them is identifying a problem then you should consider if you think it's a weakness worth addressing or not.

Your script might go through several drafts and each time will be assigned to two fresh new readers who know nothing about your script going into it. The entire process will be guided by our Head of Development, Terri Zinner, so you'll always have someone to call or email with any questions along the way.

Your goal is to complete a script that readers love!

If you are not able to do that, and honestly most writers are not, then you will not be able to sell your script to a studio, because studio readers are so completely jaded that you have to have a brilliant script to get passed them and something extremely special for the studio to spend 300k on.

We will stand by you and help you draft after draft to get your script as perfect as it can be within your writing abilities. Certainly you will become a better writer along the way. At no time will you ever be charged anything for our services. This is our investment in you and we can afford to do this, but are only willing to do so with writers who are committed to us in exchange.

We know this is a fair offer, and we have more than enough writers who agree, so we don't worry about those who don't.

Simply put; if you think we are the right company for you then commit to partnering with us exclusively. If you don't feel comfortable being exclusive to us then why are you pitching your script to us to begin with?

By sending your script to every agent with an email address, all you are doing is making a lot of agents angry with you and only one happy who you sign with. And where will you be when that relationship sours and you're back out looking for another agent again? Be careful and selective about whom you send your script to, and know why you want to do business with them -- be professional.

Now most of the scripts obviously never get to the point where our readers love it and we can take it to market because very few writers have that skill. Many can come up with a good idea and pitch it, but executing a screenplay brilliant enough to sell to a studio is an entirely different thing.

So most of the time your script will be returned to you and the exclusivity agreement dissolved and you'll be thanked for letting us have a look at it.

There is a huge industry making money off kidding everyone with a keyboard into thinking they can make millions as a screenwriter with only a few lessons. That's just not the case. Very few people are gifted and skilled enough to sell a script to a studio. It's not the same as your school paper, sorry.

We will help you as much as we can and you'll be a better writer because of it, but that's all we can do, and if we reach a point where two readers are both passing on your script then your property will kindly be returned and you'll be thanked for it.

If you are one of the very few writers with the skills to execute a marketable screenplay then your script will move up to the next stage.

The next stage is a comprehensive and strategic marketing campaign to position your script for a simultaneous release industry wide to every A-lister with a studio deal or enough pull to get a film made -- from stars to directors to producers to studio presidents, everyone will know about your script well in advance so that on the day of the release they will all be racing each other to get to it first.

We do it this way because it's your best chance of setting up a bidding war for your script.

Most agents will take your script as-is without suggesting any changes and send it to a few of their buddies and that's all you'll ever get. As soon as any one of them passes the pass is logged on a universal online tracking board all studios have access to and your script will never have another shot again.

The first thing studio execs do before taking the time to read a script is to check that board and see if anyone else has ever read it, and the moment they see a pass they will move on to the next project. A studio exec might have 20 or more scripts to read every night and they can't possibly do that, so they use online tracking to weed out anything that has been covered before and concentrate on fresh material.

That is why we send your script to everyone at the same time so there are no passes to be found online and they have to read your script themselves -- and this is why you need to be extremely careful about the exposure your script gets and to make sure you don't send it out to production companies yourself. Frankly we ask our writers to even stay away from contests.

The only way your script has a shot is with a wide simultaneous release of a script no one has passed on.

Setting up a release properly takes at least two weeks of very hard work and hundreds of phone calls. It's a big operation and not something we take lightly as it's a great deal of work.

Most agencies will just send your script over to three producer buddies and that's it, so they can afford to send out a few scripts every day and very little goes into it.

That's not what you want done with your script.

Depending on how fast a writer you are, or how much time you have available to write at night after your day job, going through rewrites can take quite a bit of time. From first draft to market can take three months if you're a full time dedicated writer, or it can take a year or two if this is something you do in your spare time after the kids are put to bed.

Now after all that work goes into your screenplay it's our goal to be attached as producers to your script.

Frankly it's also our goal to attach the writer as a producer to his own script -- and if we can get a bidding war started that might be possible and then you'll have a much bigger jump on a film career then just a writer who sold a single script. You'll be a writer and a producer!

The reason we want to produce is because we want to be involved in the making of the film. If you sell off your script to a studio then you have no say in what happens after that and no ability to try to save it if things start to go bad. It's a huge advantage to have your manager as one of the producers on the film.

As your representative and a producer on the project we will involve you in every aspect of the filmmaking that normally a writer would never be involved in. Most of the time a writer will sell his script and that's the last involvement he'll have. The director and stars and producers and studio execs will all likely rewrite your script at-will and you'll never even be invited to set -- but if your manager is one of the producers all that will be different.

As a producer we will not commission the sale of your script to the studio so you will save ten percent of your income. Instead the studio will pay us a producing fee and a percentage of the gross --this is what we're interested in and the reason for our large development operation.

We're not interested in commissioning script sales. A script typically sells for about 300k -- and 30k commission is not a figure that is worth all this effort to our company.

Our goal is to have an equity stake in the script and eventual film we've invested so much of our company time in, and that is the reason why in our contract we ask for a ten percent stake in your script up front so there is no confusion about it later. It's simply giving us the right to produce it before we get started.

Ten percent is what you'd be giving to an agent anyway, and after all the work we put into developing your script, which goes so far beyond what other companies do, and really a great deal of your script and writing will be improved as a result of our work -- so we think this is a very fair and reasonable thing to ask for.

Anyone else that contributed this much writing to your script would ask for a writer credit. All we want is the option to produce it if all our hard work pays off, and again, rarely it does.

It's just asking for the right to produce before we get started -- if you're not comfortable with it then at least we know in advance and we don't have to worry about this being a problem down the road after we've put all the work into it.

Really we have more than enough writers who know who we are and why they want to work with us so we don't worry about those who don't.

A few online forums have had writers say they think asking for a percentage in your script is too much to ask for, and yes, if it's just an agency who sends out your script immediately as-is to a few of their buddies then I fully agree, but with the extraordinary amount of work we invest in every project we think it's more than fair.

If an agent is what you want and all you need to make a few quick submissions for you, then find one and see how that goes for you -- but if you want a full team approach and an A list producing partner then ten percent is very little to ask, and remember you're not paying our fee, the studio is.

I hope that clears up some of the questions and anything else please email me about directly as I don't have time to hang out online in writing forums. Whatever question you have someone in my office will get back to you with an answer.

Unfortunately word spread like wildfire that anyone with a keyboard could make millions in fortune and fame and date movie stars as a screenwriter. That just isn't so. Very few writers ever sell a script and far fewer will ever make a living at it -- the dream of screenwriters actually getting rich off writing is even more remote. Your odds at the lottery are far better really than selling a script and seeing it get made. Stop believing and paying people who make a living off kidding you that a year from now you'll be rich.

Not everyone is meant to be a writer, and if it's not happening for you then stop fooling yourself and being frustrated about it and find something that you can be successful and happy with. It's a big beautiful world with thousands of fun things to do and see.

I wish you all success and above all happiness.

www.GallagherLiterary.com
 

Terie

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So why do I see online writers who post here anonymously saying don't sign with Rob because he's a bad guy, and then when someone asks why specifically is he bad, there is no reply, except to say they read something bad about me on some other site.

Um, where exactly in this thread did someone say, 'Rob is a bad guy'? Also, where in this thread did some ask, 'Why specifically is he bad?'?
 

dpaterso

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Alas that's the thing about the internet, old conversations linger even though info may be out of date and/or not proven. Bumping a year-old thread probably doesn't help, but everyone's entitled to refute their critics. Post #2 above already gives a link to the company's site.

-Derek
 

Phyllo

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Um, where exactly in this thread did someone say, 'Rob is a bad guy'? Also, where in this thread did some ask, 'Why specifically is he bad?'?

I think the post was referring to this earlier exchange:

"Is this a good agency or not?
Would you use them, Cao?"

"From what I hear, no. E.g., the folks over at Done Deal have dealt with him: http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/...ad.php?t=19452"

I agree with Derek: people ought to be able to refute criticism (I'd want to, if I were in Gallagher's shoes). And besides, the post by Rob was really informative about how at least some of the industry operates. So thanks, Rob, for posting.
 

Terie

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Um, where exactly in this thread did someone say, 'Rob is a bad guy'? Also, where in this thread did some ask, 'Why specifically is he bad?'?

I think the post was referring to this earlier exchange:

"Is this a good agency or not?
Would you use them, Cao?"

"From what I hear, no. E.g., the folks over at Done Deal have dealt with him: http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/...ad.php?t=19452"

I agree with Derek: people ought to be able to refute criticism (I'd want to, if I were in Gallagher's shoes). And besides, the post by Rob was really informative about how at least some of the industry operates. So thanks, Rob, for posting.

There is a long way between, 'I wouldn't [use this agency],' and, 'Rob is a bad guy'. No one in this thread said, 'Rob is a bad guy,' or anything remotely close to that.

A person has every right to refute criticism, but it generally sits better when it refutes actual criticism that was made. It's unfortunate that Rob didn't come here and simply post actual facts about his agency, which would've been helpful, but instead chose to start out by lashing out defensively at things no one here actually said.
 

IceCreamEmpress

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Mr. Gallagher's choice to post the same lengthy, defensive screed here and at DoneDealPro.com (in response to a five-year-old thread over there!) is certainly indicative of something. I leave it up to everyone to make their own decision as to what.
 

serita

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Rob Gallagher Lit AGency

He wants to rep one of my stories, but doesn't want to manage. Anyone heard anything about him? I know he advertises on the web site for pitches, but I don't think that's bad. He says he helps writers develop their stories.
Any feedback? Serita Stevens
 

Theo81

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There's an existing thread <snipped>

If not red flag, certainly a downer - the website address. It's not hard to buy your own domain.

I don't know anything about scripts and selling them, but I'd be doing a lot of digging based on it before I took anything anywhere. That's not the website of a company whose done what they say they've done. Then again, maybe they just don't see the value in investing in their online presence.
 
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