Aaron Sorkin and a Contest
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Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
A Sorkin Draft, House of the Jedi, John Leguizamo leads a series, Amy Adams is a dog and Macedonian shoes.
Let’s go!
AARON SORKIN AND A CONTEST
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In 1990, a pair of aspiring screenwriters realized they could write software that would automatically format screenplays, and the industry was changed forever.
Final Draft transformed the industry, quickly getting adopted by the lion's share of writers and directors in the film and TV industry, including Aaron Sorkin, James Cameron, and Sofia Coppola.
But what some of you may not realize is that Final Draft has also dedicated its resources to providing opportunities to launch writer’s careers. Their Big Break Contest, now running for over 25 years, made a big impact on last year’s Grand Prize TV winner, Alix Reeves.
Reeves discussed why she submitted to Big Break:
“What really moved me was when winners described the exposure they received during Big Break Week and afterward. It was all the impetus I needed, knowing that if I was fortunate enough to win, I would meet with key executives in my genre.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
After she won the 2023 TV Grand Prize, Alix got to go on her own ‘Big Break Week’ when Final Draft and Coverfly set up meetings with development executives and linked her with a writing coach who helped her prep for those meetings.
She met with execs from:
Netflix
Paramount TV
CW TV
Shudder + more.
Another perk of winning the contest was getting help navigating the precarious path to finding management.
Reeves explained: