Re: Do NOT trust Debbie Durkin and Writerz World
I just got a call from Ms. Durkin on Monday...I was very excited to get her message because I'm looking to break into sitcom writing and have sent out many query letters.
There were a few red flags in her initial call...I wrote a spec which I was pitching in my queries, and she asked me if I wanted to write for the show I speced. I figured anyone I want on my side in Hollywood would know it's rare/impossible to actually get a job on the show you've speced, or to sell your spec to that show.
I also thought it was VERY strange that she wanted my spec to have analysis done...this seemed highly suspect. It's a 40-page script based on an existing show, not a 100-plus screenplay with its own characters and point of view. I'd never heard of that before.
Additionally, there was a lot of name dropping that sounded very awkward, and she'd repeat the same namedropping once or twice in the conversation.
I asked a couple writer friends what they thought, and they all cautioned against working with her, but I called this Writerz World company she recommended. (She also recommended some website which never actually checked out as a real website, no matter which combination of suffixes I tried.)
When I called Writerz World, I was actually prepared to consider paying a small amount for the analysis, which I guess shows what a good mark I am for any enterrprising scam artists.
After the call, though, it was clear that there was something nasty going on. This "Sara Gilmore" wanted $450 to offer analysis of a 40-page spec and a novella...and I swear, she sounded just like Debbie Durkin had, except with a southern accent. Her pattern of speech, her jokes...I can't ever confirm it but I'll go to my grave believing it.
It was only today that I managed to Google her name and get this amazing resource. I'm posting to offer any additional info I can to those who may be scammed by her in the future, and to thank everyone for sharing their info here.