Question: “What about InkTip?”

A question from the recent Open Forum:

Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist! said…

What do you think of screenwriting market websites like InkTip? Are they really effective as they claim to be?

Let me state upfront that I am familiar with InkTip, but only on a cursory level of bumping around the Web re all things screenwriting. I don’t know anybody in the outfit, nor do I feel at all knowledgeable enough to recommend them. Instead what I did was use this question as an opportunity to do some fact-finding, i.e., nosing around the InkTip website.

Basically InkTip acts as an intermediary between non-represented writers and “qualified producers, directors, agents, managers, and name actors.” It’s not surprising that an outfit like InkTip has come into existence for — as I’m sure each of you know — access to Hollywood insiders is a significant issue for writers outside the system.

There are two categories for registration: “Entertainment Professionals” and “Screenwriters & Authors.”

Re InkTip’s claims: On their Google page there is this description:

Every week, up to eight screenwriters sell or option their scripts on our site.

But then on their price information page, they state:

InkTip’s services yield 3–4 closed deals per week, with 1 feature film produced per month! These closed deals include writers picked up for representation, writers hired, scripts optioned and scripts sold.

So that’s feels a bit slippery right off the bat: 8 screenwriters on their Google come-on page, 3–4 “closed deals” when you drill down to their actual website.

There is a short video on the home page that provides a tutorial of what InkTip does. In it, they note two examples of “Entertainment Professionals”: One is producer Tim Estep. The video notes that after using InkTip, “Tim went on to produce the award-winning ‘Familiar Strangers.’” That is true: Tim did produce a movie called Familiar Strangers. Here’s the IMDB plot summary:

“Familiar Strangers” asks the question. “Is it really possible to relate to ones parents and siblings after being replaced by the family dog? . . . Perhaps as friends — weird friends?” An off beat — funny — heartfelt story of family negotiating the changing relationships between parents and children, especially as those children grow into adulthood.

As per award-winning, there’s this. Also note the movie, which had an estimated production budget of $1M, grossed $30, 341 at the box office in 3 screens at its peak. With cable and international deals along with DVD, it may make a profit — who knows.

Re Tim Estep: Familiar Strangers marked his producing debut as he has two previous credits as a location manager and one as a production assistant.

No knock on Mr. Estep who very well could be on his way to a stellar producing career, or Familiar Strangers which gets some nice compliments per IMDB reviewers, but it does make me wonder why InkTip would use them as examples in their tutorial if there are other bigger name producers and movies they’ve successfully provided “screenplay facilitation” for.

Or to put it cynically: Is this the best InkTip could do to promote their product?

Then there’s the agent to whom the tutorial refers Amy Wagner from Abrams Artists Agency. Ms. Wagner was busy with InkTip in 2008, signing three writers who used its services:

Scribe Jed Rigney has signed with Abrams Artists Agency, after Amy Wagner discovered him through InkTip. He is now working with Ron Gwiazda and Amy Wagner (out of the New York office of Abrams Artists Agency), who are representing all of his screenplays. — April 17, 2008

Amy Wagner and Ron Gwiazda of the New York office of Abrams Artists Agency have signed an agreement to represent wordsmith Douglas Rappaport’s script “One Day the Weatherman” (based on his novel of the same name) after discovering it through InkTip. — May 8, 2008

Amy Wagner and Ron Gwiazda of Abrams Artists Agency discovered yet another great script on InkTip! After Wagner saw Rosa Turner Boschen’s logline for the family comedy “All I Want for Christmas,” she read the script and signed the writer within 24 hours. — November 20, 2008

You can see more details on these InkTip deals as well as others here.

Abrams is a legitimate agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles. However a quick check of spec scripts sold during 2008 reveals none of them were repped by Abrams Artists Agency.

Re pricing for writers’ services: InkTip offers various platforms to promote your script: An “Executive Index Script Listing,” a magazine listing, a newsletter listing, and so on with pricing ranging form $40 per logline to $60 for 6 months. Go here for more information.

Bottom line, I don’t think you can reasonably assume that if you, as a writer, use InkTip’s services you will have access to CAA, ICM, UTA, WME or any other top-tier agencies as I doubt they would feel the need to register with InkTip. Rather you would be more likely to have your material read by hungry young agents from smaller, boutique agencies or start-up management companies. Nothing wrong with that, just go in with your eyes open.

Just to reiterate. I’m not recommending InkTip. And I’m not not recommending them. I will ask any GITS readers who have used InkTip to provide their feedback in comments.

UPDATE: Got an email from InkTip which included this clarification:

I read your blog post on InkTip — well researched. We do average between 6 and 8 options, sales, hires or reps per week (depending on the time of year), so thank you for pointing out the relic verbiage on our pricing page from yesteryear.

Hey, anybody who uses words like “relic verbiage” in an email is all right by me!

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