The Secret to Opening Doors in Hollywood is a practical guide to the one skill that determines whether your work gets read or ignored: how you introduce it.
Drawing on more than 30 years as a literary agent and producer at the William Morris Agency, Creative Artists Agency, and his own boutique agency, Marc Pariser explains how industry professionals evaluate ideas in seconds and why access begins long before a script is read.
This book is not about writing better scripts. It is about creating clarity, curiosity, and professional positioning through effective loglines and strategic pitching. Written for writers and filmmakers navigating today’s entertainment industry, it offers a clear, insider perspective on how careers actually move forward.
Backed by a veteran manager’s insider stories, this book is an essential guide for screenwriters and a brilliant roadmap for anyone looking to understand the entertainment industry. Get this now!
This book pulls back the curtain on Hollywood deal-making with incredible insider anecdotes from a seasoned manager and former agent. It’s not only a must-have resource for screenwriters, but just a fantastic blueprint for anyone determined to understand the real mechanics of the industry.
Too many people claim they know how Hollywood works, but I know from personal experience that Marc really delivers. He’s been ‘in the trenches’ his whole career and represented some of the top writers in Hollywood at the top agencies. While, sadly, he was never my agent, he was always willing to give me good advice and guidance anytime I ventured into that mysterious world. Listen to Marc — he knows what he’s talking about!
All of the years, months, weeks, days, and hours it takes for you to develop and create a great script comes down to 15 short seconds of pitching, Fifteen heart-pounding seconds. Fifteen seconds to convince someone to listen to more. What do you do with that time? It starts well before that by reading the best book ever on mastering the art of the fifteen second pitch. Top Hollywood agent/manager/producer Marc Pariser lays it all out, word for word for word, second by second, It’s all based on his decades of success in movies and TV. Whether you’re an aspiring writer, already on the way up, or you just need to reboot in our constantly changing business, this is the book for you because, it’s absolutely the book for me!
In his book, The Secret to Opening Doors in Hollywood: Mastering the 15 Second Pitch, Marc Pariser gives the reader the insight and instruction that is sorely missing in most other textbooks on craft. The book takes a deep dive into one of the most important and oft overlooked elements of breaking into the film industry as a writer. With wit and wisdom he lays out the steps for creating a logline (and how to use it to open doors). In a business where attention spans are notoriously short, Marc gives you the information and the tools you need to grab the audiences’ attention. I cannot overstate how important that is to anyone that dreams of being a professional screenwriter. If that’s you, buy this book and study it, keep it close, and refer to it often. It’s a master class in the 15 second pitch.
Are you a writer or a salesperson? If your answer is that you’re a writer, you are only half right. Though you don’t sell cars or home appliances, making movies or television shows begins with selling your script or idea. The basic elements of selling are similar in every area of sales, including the entertainment business.
Do you want to make your living as a film or television writer, producer, or director? Have you already written a spec script or pilot, or several? Now you need people in the industry to read your material, or hear your pitch. How do you make that happen?
By definition, being a “working professional” in film and television means selling projects and getting hired, so that you’re actually being paid for your work and you don’t have to work a non-industry job to pay your bills.
What’s the purpose of your 15 second pitch? When I ask writers this question, I get answers like, “to sell my script,” “to get an agent,” “to get my movie made,” and other similar answers. Of course, this is not the purpose of the 15 second pitch. Hopefully, I am changing your thinking about the purpose of the 15 second pitch.
Have you given any thought to what the buyer’s purpose is in listening to your logline?
You’ve managed to get a development executive or producer on the phone, and you would like them to read your script, or you’re at a party talking to a big-time Hollywood agent. You’ve introduced yourself and told them that you’ve just written a script (or you have a story for a movie that you’d like to pitch).
If they are polite or have any curiosity at all, they will ask you, “What’s it about?” This is your opportunity…
Marc offers private, one-on-one consultations focused on career strategy and industry navigation.
Evaluation Only
FreeGet Started*All sessions paid in advance*(3 sessions minimum)
$800Get Started*All sessions paid in advance*These articles will help you make better decisions, ask better questions, and navigate your career with clarity.
I’m fascinated, and often annoyed, when people are too brief in communicating with me. I do career coaching...
Read More
Greetings to all of you in showbiz and the worldwide web. The world of Hollywood, and show business...
Read More
When was the last time you were at a party, in a bar, at the grocery store, saw...
Read MoreHollywood producer, strategist, and former WMA/CAA agent.
View my interview with Nancy Fulton on pitching, career strategy, and navigating the entertainment industry.
