Sale (Pitch): “Black Ice”

This is great news for a longtime GITS reader. From THR:

Screenwriter Greg Russo has sold an action pitch to Alloy Entertainment called “Black Ice.” Meanwhile, the scribe also has been hired to rewrite the script for the Platinum Dunes actioner “Heatseakers” at Paramount.

“Black Ice” is an action-thriller about a group of highly trained thieves who break into a university’s research reactor during winter break to steal a cache of stockpiled Uranium and the trio of college students who try to stop them. The contained drama is pitched as Disturbia meets Die Hard.

And there’s the spec script Greg sold last year “Down”, as well as another original script “I-95” with director Mark Steven Johnson attached.

I’m guessing you would probably like to emulate Greg’s success, right? You can get started by reading this exclusive GITS interview in which Greg offers this advice:

Finally this: With “Down,” you have joined a fairly exclusive group — people who have sold a spec script. What advice do you have for GITS readers as they attempt to emulate your success? 

First off, it’s possible, so don’t give up. I’m not trying to be a motivational speaker, but it’s really easy to give into that voice in the back of your head that tells you you’re never going to succeed. Just shut him or her the hell up as best you can and believe that no matter how many people may reject you or tell you you’re not good enough, all that matters is what you think of yourself. 

Second, align yourself with like-minded, smart, and ambitious people and try to get to know everyone you can. It’s certainly a business of “who do you know,” and since we spend most of our times in tiny rooms, that process can be daunting. For me, my wife graduated from the Peter Stark program at USC and now works at Disney. So I made sure I got to know all the young producers in her program. It just turns out that one of them used to intern for Dan. It goes to show, you never know. 

Third, keep up with the business. Follow the trades. We’re lucky to have sites like GITS that bust their ass to provide us with all this useful information. For Free! Learn the names of writers, production companies, agents, managers. Build a dialect and database in your head. This is your trade and I’d advise to learn it inside and out.

Finally, read. Everything and anything you can get your hands on. Keep reading. It should be the second most important thing you do. I don’t have to remind you what the first thing is.

Greg is repped by ICM and Dan Halsted at Manage-Ment.