This past year, as I was going around asking other writers I know if they knew about any job openings, an opportunity arose. Not a paid opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless. And as it sometimes can help to “know someone,” I was able to land an internship working for Escape Artists Entertainment who have a first look deal with Sony Pictures. Escape Artists Entertainment is the company that made movies such as Sex Tape, The Equalizer, and most recently Southpaw.

It was all very exciting. My job description focused on the usual office duties such as checking and refilling printers with paper, making coffee, refilling the fridge, greeting clients, retrieving and passing out mail, etc.. but the best part was being assigned to do “Coverage.”

Being assigned to do Coverage was awesome! All you did was read over scripts – both screenplays and pilots and the occasional book that is looking to be developed into a movie or television series. And we all know, that I love to read! So, again, I say Awesome!! After the reading, I had to then write up a report that consisted of a summary and comments section, which gave my opinion about whether ultimately the script should be considered, passed on, considered with reservations, or sometimes the writing was great but not the story therefore only the writer should be considered and the project passed on. This way, when the script was handed over to the appropriate executive, they could read my report, get a sense of what the script was about and they could then question me if they were unclear with anything and from there make their own opinions and decisions about the project and whether they wanted to go ahead and possibly move forward with it.

I really enjoyed working there and learned a lot. I familiarized myself with what a bad script looks like and what a great script looks like. In one instance, I had to read a book, and it was awful. I hated every moment of it but it was a great learning experience and of course, you can bet that I passed on it. With each coverage report I got better and better. I had to learn how to sometimes construct my reports to fit a slimmer structure with less summary and more commentary or a heavy fully loaded report, it all depended on the project and the executive that ordered the report.

The team I worked with was amazing. Everyone who works their was very nice and helpful. I worked under the assistants to the executives and alongside other interns that came and went as school let out. I of course, was the oldest. It was a funny feeling but I got passed it and smiled.

Eventually I had to leave, not because my time was up but because I needed to find a another paying job. I still work as a nanny, but another job would be great. My experience with Escape Artists really opened up my eyes to a whole new world of writing. I initially was afraid and I admit that a small part of me didn’t want to intern with them because scripts are so different from the type of writing that I normally do (prose, poetry and memoir). It was all very terrifying because I had this nebulous idea about this world and I didn’t think I could hack it. Yet, in the end I made it out alive and INSPIRED to possibly write my own script one day, because script writers are just as creative and really do create wonderful fanastic art like the writing that I strive to create and like all those that I admire. Plus, I love TV and films, so why not write for them. It isn’t a promise but it is an idea that could happen one day. I just need to sit down and write it. So who knows, maybe. Until then, I’ll remember to be open to different styles of writing and to stay positive.

-AlessandraWrites

P.S. I’m still looking for another job, lol.