Australian-based producer/director Steve Jaggi advises writers on how to connect with producers. He reveals an easy way to write exactly what producers want.
Steve discusses the need for writers to understand their target audience and align scripts with network/production companies’ values. He points out the growing market for Christmas movies in regions like Europe and Southeast Asia.
Chapters
0:00:00 Introduction to Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast
0:01:33 Understanding platforms for Christmas movie scripts
0:02:43 Meet Australian producer-director Steve Jaggi
0:06:05 Tailoring Christmas scripts for different audiences
0:11:40 Relationship between writers, producers, and networks
0:15:43 Standing out in formulaic Christmas movies
0:17:57 Hiring union vs non-union writers in Christmas movies
0:21:01 Union Contracts and Buyer Variations
0:28:11 The Joy of Making Christmas Movies
0:33:54 Connecting with Development Teams for Scripts
Transcript
[0:00] This is the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast, episode number 13.
Introduction:
[0:13] Hello and welcome to the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast. I’m your host, Caryn McCann. The Christmas Movie Screenwriter is a podcast about writing, producing, and selling Christmas movies. I publish a transcript with every episode in case you want to look at something or read it later. Just go to the website at www.christmasmoviescreenwriter.com and look for this episode, which is number 13.
What Producers Want: A Good Story
A quick few words about what I’m working on. Today, I will start contacting producers and acquisition execs regarding my newest script, which is called Merry Heistmas. I also created a newsletter where I’ll include links to my latest podcast and blog.
I’m also adding a new section called Caryn’s Corner. Here I’m going to write a mini journal about my journey of getting my Christmas scripts produced. If you’d like to be on my newsletter list, go ahead and sign up on my website’s sign-up page for our membership club.
I’ve already got the beats written for my next screenplay which is a faith-based screenplay told from a secular point of view I should have that script outlined in the first draft ready in about two weeks so I’m very excited to include news on that in my next newsletter since it’s completely outside my wheelhouse and it’s a brand new thing for me.
Understanding platforms for Christmas movie scripts
[1:34] In today’s interview, Australian-based producer-director Steve Jaggi discusses how writers need to understand each platform, such as Netflix, Hallmark, Lifetime, GAC, etc., their needs before they even begin to write their script.
He also discusses streaming’s impact on family Christmas movie viewing, which luckily translates into more opportunities for writers. Steve discusses the changing landscape for financing Christmas movies and an easy way for writers to figure out what producers want. Here is the main segment.
Host – Caryn: [2:07] Steve Jaggi, a Canadian-born Griffith Film School graduate, honed his talent in the UK before establishing his company in Brisbane, Australia.
As a multi-actor Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts AFI award-winning and Logie-nominated film and television producer, Jaggi Entertainment has produced content for major platforms like Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Hallmark, Great American Family, and Lifetime.
Recent successes include the Netflix series Dive Club and the global hit film Love is in the Air.
Meet Australian-based producer-director, Steve Jaggi
[2:44] Beyond his production company, Jaggi has showcased his creative prowess with acclaimed directorial works such as Chocolate Oyster, praised at the Sydney Film Festival, and the documentary, And the Beat Goes On, recognized by CNN’s The Screening Room for its authentic portrayal of the Ibiza music scene. Well, Steve, welcome to the podcast.
Guest – Steve: [3:07] Well, thank you for having me.
Host – Caryn: [3:09] Now, I told the audience a little bit about you, but why don’t you take a minute and tell us about yourself and your business?
Guest – Steve: [3:15] Oh, my goodness. Well, I don’t know if I’m that exciting.
Host – Caryn: [3:20] You’re very exciting. And your lifestyle, your photo, when the audience sees it, the lifestyle, the beaches, it looks fascinating.
Guest – Steve: [3:29] Well, you know, I’m one of those people that I love the mantra, you know, you work to live, you don’t live to work. So I enjoy making movies, but I also enjoy a good lifestyle. So I have kind of built a business out of making movies and far-flung parts of the world that are lovely and um uh as you said when you’re reading my bio you know.
I’ve moved to Australia from Canada originally where a lot of TV movies are made and took that skill set and moved to Australia um and I live I have a cottage on the beach my company is based uh 10 minutes from the beach and of course, we do a lot of Christmas movies which I think is what we’re talking about today.
What Producers Want: Doing What They Love
But for those of your audience who’ve seen our catalog of work. You know, we were very fortunate. We make a lot of tropical movies. We just did a very successful one for Netflix last year called Love is in the Air that was all shot up in the Great Barrier Reef. I sure ran a TV series for Netflix called Dive Club that was on the Great Barrier Reef as well.
So I get to shoot a lot on the reef and all the tropical areas and, you know, get to go diving, scuba diving and sailing and jet skiing and all the things I love doing.
Host – Caryn: [4:38] That sounds wonderful. Maybe we’ll see a Christmas surf movie from you.
Guest – Steve: [4:43] Oh, yeah. I mean, yeah, I’d love to. We’re trying to figure out how to mix Christmas movies with the tropics for sure.
Host – Caryn: [4:50] Very good. Now, speaking of Christmas movies, what are some key elements that you look for in a Christmas screenplay that would motivate you to produce it, especially Down Under?
Guest – Steve: [5:03] Yeah, look, that’s a great question. I think you know when we’re looking at putting together a movie really what we’re starting with is working backward from what the kind of what the platform is going to be you know who is the audience where are they going to watch the movie because at the moment there is a couple of kind of key broadcasters as you were that would air Christmas movies we all know Hallmark.
Great American Family is a big player in that space now as well. Netflix and Amazon are also in that space. Lifetime is in that space. So I think it behooves anyone to understand.
[5:42] Who the audience is and who is going to be broadcasting the movie, especially domestically in the U.S. And Canada, because they all have different positions in the marketplace and they all have different, slightly different audiences that they’re going for. And if the film isn’t the right fit for one of those buyers, you’re going to have a really hard time getting it off the ground.
Tailoring Christmas scripts for different audiences
[6:06] So what we do is we make movies for most that we’ve made movies uh recently we’ve done a lot for Great American Family done several movies for hallmark done several movies for a lifetime a lot for Netflix. We’ll start with a platform in mind and an audience in mind.
We know the audience that the different broadcasters or platforms are going for. That will influence the type of story that we’re looking for in terms of storytelling. In terms of where the film is set, in terms of the tone of the story. Some of those buyers I mentioned are looking for more progressive stories. Some of them are looking for more traditional Heartland value stories.
[6:50] And the marketplace is shifting as well. It’s very much every six months, it’s changing a lot, and particularly in America, and particularly now that we have an election coming up right now it really uh really makes a big difference because it’s a very polarized marketplace.
I’m speaking with my evil business head on now more so than kind of a writer or director. may but um yeah it is important to understand who’s going to watch the movie before embarking on making creative decisions now.
Host – Caryn: [7:24] Uh let me let me just follow up on something uh first of all I love the evil business. That’s hysterical. I understand the audience for GAC, Great American Family, is a little bit separate from Hallmark Lifetime and Netflix. But is this a trade secret to kind of tell the audience how the audiences differ for those three networks, Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix?
Guest – Steve: [7:56] I don’t think so. I think it’s pretty broadly published. I will also say if I mean I’m assuming that a lot of your audience is probably people who are either filmmakers or writers or aspiring writers and filmmakers as well as of course fans of the genre.
Right now, the platforms are changing, like the audience is evolving. The audience that they’re going after because we are, this is a business. Each platform is looking for a unique take on the genre for an audience to whom they can sell advertising slots. That’s what it all comes down to.
Host – Caryn: [8:31] Okay. Right.
Guest – Steve: [8:32] If it pulls, it does not have any pretense here. It’s down to, if there’s no money, there’s no business, and then nobody’s commissioning movies. So gone are the days because of the segregation of the, of the marketplace in terms of, um, That’s the wrong word to use, apologies. But because of the, I’m trying to think of the correct word here to use, because you’ve now got, the marketplace is fragmented.
Host – Caryn: [8:54] Right, yeah.
Guest – Steve: [8:56] Yeah, you now have several, like let’s call them the five players I just spoke about. They each are going for a slightly different take on an audience. So if we rewound 10 years, the major platform or broadcaster was Hallmark, and Hallmark caught everyone. It caught the grandmother, mother, and kids.
So it was almost a four-quadrant. You’d have most of the family sitting down, or maybe the whole family, enjoying a Hallmark movie for Christmas. I certainly remember when I was a kid, I would sit down with my mother, and sometimes my father, but my sister and I and my mother would sit down and we would enjoy Hallmark movies for Christmas. That was de facto growing up in the 90s. That’s what it was. And you would never question that in a million years.
What Producers Want: More Movies
[9:39] Obviously, streaming came along and broke that whole model. And now within a household, you might have mom, dad, and two kids, right? A traditional nuclear family is an example. And they’re now watching four different movies on four different platforms. Even though they’re all Christmas movies.
That’s the reality of what’s happening. So now what you see is more movies being made, usually at a lesser budget. Not always. Usually, you have more movies being made at a lesser budget because the demand is four times as much as it was before. Right. Because there’s now all these devices and all these channels. As a consequence, the broadcasters, the Hallmarks the GACs, and the Lifetimes, they’re chasing advertising dollars.
Netflix and Amazon, they’re chasing subscribers. So all of them need to speak to an audience that will come there to either pay a subscription or that will have enough audience numbers to convince somebody to buy an advertising slot.
[10:35] So that’s the state of play. And so as a consequence, each broadcaster has a slightly different spin on the genre because they’re going for that different audience type. So Great American Family, they’re the fastest-growing network in America right now. They have a very strong business model.
The CEO of that broadcaster used to be the CEO of Hallmark. So they’ve taken a lot of key learnings and are doing a lot of the kind of content that Hallmark used to do 10 years ago. Big audience for that. Hallmark has moved in a different direction, and they are making content that is now more socially conscious.
Netflix has a very different audience as well. Amazon is differentiating itself from Netflix. Lifetime has a very different USP as well. So they all have a different nuance in the commissioning editors, as it were. So the way each network works is they have a commissioning team that is looking to commission content or acquire content that comes from producers.
Relationship between writers, producers, and networks
Host – Caryn: [11:40] Okay. That makes sense.
Guest – Steve: [11:44] It does.
Host – Caryn: [11:45] It does. But I’m just wondering if you’re, for the writers out there, if they’re going to target, you know, I know with some of these companies, it’s like who is it, Netflix or whoever?
It’s like, good luck breaking in without a dozen credits to your name. But if a writer is out there and saying, well, I want to target Homework and Lifetime and Netflix, I have a Christmas movie, so I’m just going to reach out to all of them. Because they all make Christmas movies.
Guest – Steve: [12:21] No, absolutely not. That will just infuriate them all. Also, you got to remember, none of them. So here’s a trick that nobody ever tells anyone. Even though the networks, of them will brand it as an original, none of them make the content, right? It’s a production company that makes the content. So your best bet as a writer is to pitch and you need to get a producer to acquire the material or license it or option it.
What Producers Want: Know the Commissioners
And then the production company will then go and shop it to various networks because the production company or their intermediaries some work also with sales partners um that’s also a separate dynamic I don’t have to get into but we’ll just roll off into the producer the producer is the one with the contact with the network and again the network the bigger networks might have three or four or five commissioning a commissioning editors or you know commissioning positions.
They will have relationships with four or five production companies. So you’ll see if I won’t give the game away completely. If you look at my company and IMDB or some of the other companies. If your audience just thinks of who’s five of your favorite Christmas movies last year. Then go into IMDB and look at who made them look at the producers. Look at the production company. Even though it’ll have been billed as an original for that broadcaster, it will not be it’ll be a production company that made it.
Then you look at the production company, you’ll see that the production company won’t make films for everyone. Normally they will have a relationship and they’ll have a relationship with Hallmark and have done two dozen for Hallmark or a relationship with Netflix.
13:49] And so you get to, as a writer, you, you need to understand who the different producers and production companies are and who they’re targeting. Because very few production companies are targeting all five major broadcasters. It’s too difficult. They’ll have good relationships with a couple of the broadcasters.
And then they will, hopefully, if they’re a good, if they’re a good producer, they will have that relationship, they’ll know what the broadcaster is looking for. And they will make, you know, multiple movies a year for that particular platform.
Host – Caryn: [14:17] I’ve heard a quote a while ago. Last year, there was, it sounds unbelievable, 170 Christmas movies were made. Now, other statistics say 115, so I don’t know the real number.
Guest – Steve: [14:33] I would say it must be more than that. I would say to you that’s probably just one or two broadcasters. Because you’re also, we’re just talking domestic right now.
Host – Caryn: [14:40] That’s right.
Guest – Steve: [14:40] You’ve got to factor it. When we say domestic, for those who don’t know, domestic in the sense of the film business means America and Canada. They get bundled together so it doesn’t mean the rest of the world now Europe also we did film a Christmas movie that I loved a couple of years ago.
It’s called Mistletoe Ranch and it was a beautiful film but it was probably a bit too artistic. It would cross the line to being a bit more theatrical than a TV movie. So at first, it didn’t sell too well in America. But it did gangbusters in Europe. It taught me a valuable lesson. The European market can be as valuable as the American market.
So that’s great that 170 a year and I think it’s probably more than that. That’s just domestic. Then you’ve also got you’ve got Europe as well. And then you’ve got Australia, New Zealand, smaller territories. Then you also have a growing market in Southeast Asia with Korea and Japan. I would say it’s harder to get our Christmas movies over there because they have different sorts of traditions. But certainly the market for Christmas movies and post-Covid where you know people are looking for more and more uplifting content. Christmas movies just continue to grow.
Standing out in formulaic Christmas movies
Host – Caryn: [15:44] I’m happy to hear that. Now, about Christmas movies, some critics say that Christmas movies are formulaic. How can writers make their scripts stand out?
Guest – Steve: [15:57] Great question. So again, this comes down to why it’s so important from day one to understand who you’re writing the film for because there are certain platforms. And again, I’m not going to say which is which, because I have relationships with a number of them. I don’t want to offend anyone.
What Producers Want: Several Buyers
And I rely, my company relies on selling to a number of these different buyers, but there are some who we all know that are looking for Christmas movies that are going to represent a modern experience. So if we’re just talking domestic and we’re talking that your writers are going to come from the U.S. or Canada at the moment, and it’s for a domestic audience.
[16:30] The first question is, who is that film speaking to? Is it speaking to a modern family?
Or is it speaking to a more traditional audience that are looking for? Kind of a more value-led story versus a story that is maybe a bit more progressive?
It’s very important to know that from the very beginning because immediately you have to choose one or the other and you’re immediately cutting off half the buyers. And that’s not, by the way, plenty of writers, right? Almost all writers and directors write movies for both.
So I’ve seen, I’ve had plenty of feedback where we do movies for one certain buyer and people will mistakenly think that the writers and oh, the actors, in fact, fans often think, oh, actors will only work for one network.
What Producers Want: The Highest Paycheck
Not at all. They will go to the highest paycheck. It’s the same with directors and the same with writers. As a writer, you have to be able to write for any network because you need to make a living right? You need to understand before you start writing your script who the audience is. Because there’s no point submitting a progressive script to a network that is focusing on family values. Conversely, there’s no point in writing a script that is very family values orientated and then presenting it to Netflix because it will not get any traction.
Host – Caryn: [17:53] Right. Yeah. Good point.
Hiring union vs non-union writers in Christmas movies
Guest – Steve: [17:58] Hopefully that helps.
Host – Caryn: [17:59] No, no. It does. It does. It does. Now, how do you find scripts? Do you tend to hire WGA writers? I know you’re in Australia, but let me rephrase that. Do you tend to hire union writers or non-union writers?
Guest – Steve: [18:13] Yeah. So great question. It doesn’t make a huge… We do both. Both.
It is a larger challenge if you are a production company based within the United States or Canada.
We are not, although we do a lot of work there and we have produced movies in both countries, but we are legally registered in Australia. So it’s not as.
What Producers Want: Higher Budgets
[18:38] Bigger concern for us. It’s multi-tiered in that when writers are starting, it’s harder for them to get into the union. I’m not, by any chance of imagination, an expert on how one gets into the WGA or the, I think, the WGC, which is the same in Canada. But they’re basically when a network commissions a movie it’ll be at a certain price point and certain movies once they reach a certain price threshold will have union writers writing union scripts because they’re all union films.
[19:07] But there is a large portion of the marketplace where the films are below that threshold and those fees aren’t available. Different countries have different unions and in some countries’ union writers can go below the union fee if the film is an indie film or if the union agrees it can be low budget. I don’t think that’s the case in America. But I could stand corrected.
The different networks have different tiers of budgets so the standing of the writer and whether a writer is union or union or not will very much come down to the actual budget of the film.
I can tell you from a producer’s perspective we want to work with the most experienced writers we can find. Usually union writers. But it’s not our call in the sense. The writer’s fee is baked into the budget. We look to the broadcasters buying the film to give us the budget.
So the producer doesn’t make any more money if the writer’s union or not union. There’s often a misconception that the producer’s fee is kind of locked in so it’s entirely down to who the broadcaster is. And how much they want to spend on the movie.
Host – Caryn: [20:29] Now that in America the WGA there are different tiers of budgets that a union writer can work on there’s the micro budget there’s the low budget there and there there’s a number I think.
Guest – Steve: [20:44] Can’t remember.
Host – Caryn: [20:44] It’s like 2 million, 2.5 million for low budget. I forget what micro-budget is. Is there a rule of thumb that says okay anything over 2 million is union writers or is it sort of like it’s every case is different?
Union Contracts and Buyer Variations
Guest – Steve: [21:01] Yeah every case is different. It also depends on who the buyer is. So sometimes we will make a movie that doesn’t shoot in America but it has a WGA writer. And it’s specifically commissioned by an American broadcaster. In which case then it’s all a union contract.
Other times we’ll make a film that is sold to Germany or France so it’s not a union contract. But we’ll honor the union fees. It is quite convoluted yes. But I would say to you, hand and heart, If you’re a writer and you’re looking at a production company and that production company does at least, you know, they’ve done 10 plus movies for reputable broadcasters, it’s always above board.
And because it’s at the end of the day, it’s just too difficult if you cross anyone. So like I say, the producer doesn’t make any more money or any less money, no matter which way it goes. So the producer is always just trying to find the path of least resistance.
Host – Caryn: [22:03] That’s good to hear. I wasn’t aware of that. So thank you for enlightening me. Now, speaking of money, what is your ideal budget for a Christmas TV movie?
Guest – Steve: [22:15] As much as possible.
Host – Caryn: [22:16] Really? Great.
Guest – Steve: [22:19] Well, because just like a writer, our fees are based on a percentage. Again, there’s a misconception as to how producers work. Gone are the days of, you know, producers getting filthy rich and buying luxury yachts.
When a producer goes into a broadcaster or streaming service, the producer’s fee is capped. And it’s a percentage of the movie just like a director or a writer. So everyone wants the film to be as big as possible. Because everybody gets the biggest paycheck. Different buyers have different budgets. And I got to be careful what I say here. So I’m not going to talk about any particular buyer. But I will say right now the budgets are a lot smaller than the public think they are.
Host – Caryn: [22:58] Okay. Yep. I’ve heard that from different guests. Okay. So you have a budget in mind. That goes to my next question. How do you finance your Christmas movies or are these buyers financing them?
Guest – Steve: [23:14] Yeah. So in the olden days when I started, I’ve been doing this professionally now for, I don’t know, 12 or 13 years. I’m going to show my age. When I started, the first company I worked for, they would go and sell directly to one buyer, one broadcaster who would pay the entire fee for the movie, and make the movie. That was the way it was. That’s almost gone completely. If you’re fortunate, one or two buyers will still do that.
What Producers Want: Tax Credits
Do that but the buyers are very savvy. They know now about tax credits. So there’s an expectation that at least 30% but sometimes 50% of the movie should be paid for by tax credits and foreign sales. So as a producer, if we find a U.S. broadcaster that’s going to put up half of the money, then I think that is a good deal. Because all the broadcasters know that between tax credits and foreign sales, the rest of the money is there.
So they’re trying to put in as little as possible, and you’re trying to get as much as possible.
So really, a producer’s job is very different than what it used to be. Producing is not just finding a good script and finding a good director. The producer needs to weave together the finance for the movie, which will require a bank loan, and you’ll be borrowing against the sale to a broadcaster because broadcasters don’t pay you the money until you deliver the film. And you’ve got foreign sales, and you’ll have tax credits. And they all kind of link in together.
Host – Caryn: [24:41] You sort of almost answered my next question, but let me just rephrase it.
How do you market and monetize your Christmas movies? Do you utilize sales estimates to attract sales agents? And what strategies do you employ to recoup your investment? If you could expand on that.
Guest – Steve: [24:58] Yeah, so most companies, like we’re kind of a medium-sized company. So, for context, we did seven romances last year, not all Christmas. But I think we had three of the seven as Christmas movies. So we’re a medium-sized company some companies are doing 20 to 25 movies a year. And a lot of companies do say two movies a year. A company our size. we do work with a sales agent because there are so many buyers around the world. We could not possibly meet them all. I have personal relationships with several of the major buyers.
But we could never meet them all. So we have an excellent relationship with a U.S. sales company whom we have an output deal. That means that they have all of the TV movies we partner with them on. And we often co-finance together. And they will be out there selling the movies on behalf of our partnership.
My responsibility is to oversee the making of the movie. I also oversee the financing of the movie. Then their responsibility is to travel around the world, you know, 365 days a year, trying to sell said movies to the 52 territories around the world that will buy them.
Host – Caryn: [26:04] And you need sales estimates, obviously, or they, they provide those that your sales partner would do that.
Guest – Steve: [26:10] You don’t need sales estimates. It depends on how you’re financing a movie and sales estimates. I mean, all the different broadcasters normally pay a set amount for the movie.
So you pretty much know what it’s going to sell for unless you have a kind of very particular elements like it’s a theatrical title or you have a really big movie star in it. You pretty much know what it’s going to sell for. We don’t rely on sales estimates, but we do have the volume and we have the banks that we have key relationships with. They know from our track record what each film will make. I guess if you were starting, you would probably need to get sales estimates to then go off to a private investor to get them to lend you money against the sales estimates.
Host – Caryn: [26:54] Okay. Now, how important is originality in a Christmas TV movie script? And what advice would you give screenwriters looking to put a unique spin on a well-loved holiday theme or trope?
Guest – Steve: [27:06] My answer is going to be an evil producer’s answer. It depends on who the buyer is. So some networks love originality, and some networks don’t.
What Producers Want: Writers Who Do Their Research
And I will not say which network is which because I will shoot myself in the foot. I would recommend to aspiring writers to go and watch you know I’ve already told you who the five networks are by these movies in America. Go and watch five movies from each network from last Christmas.
You will learn very quickly the types of movies they’re after certain audiences want repetitively because they are looking for feelings. They want to feel safe and comfortable. Certain audience segments want to be challenged. Different platforms are looking for different types of stories okay.
Host – Caryn: [28:00] Now what advice would you give to your younger self about producing Christmas movies what would that be?
Guest – Steve: [28:08] I mean, I’d say don’t do it, but I wouldn’t do it myself.
The Joy of Making Christmas Movies
[28:12] I think I would say Christmas movies are amongst the most fun movies to make. So we, at my company, we all love making them.
[28:20] It’s great. We have snow machines and we’re using real snow. I’m sure you’ve already heard this from other guests. Christmas movies are always made out of season. They’re made six months in advance.
So when I lived in Canada, we were making Christmas movies in the summer. Now that I’m living in Australia and my company is here, um we make movies during the Australian winter and for those of you that don’t know I didn’t know this until I moved to Australia is a continent within it’s the size of the continental U.S.
What Producers Want: Shooting year-round
So Australia has mountains and snow and skiing but nobody realizes that because they just think about the tropical part which is the northern part. So when we’re shooting Christmas movies we can we can shoot a big competitive advantage we have is our Christmas movies that shoot in June, July, and August, shoot in the winter.
Whereas in North America they’re shooting in the summer. So for us, we have snow machines and all that stuff. But we inherently are, cold we are inherently not super cold it’s not as cold as it would be in you know Michigan or Saskatchewan or Vancouver. We’re probably about the same temperature as Vancouver. So it’s chilly and you can wear your thick coats um and then we just augment it with snow.
What Producers Want: More Christmas Movies
But Christmas movies are so much fun to make um from a purely a craft point of view in terms of art department and wardrobe and costume. The actors love working in them and the creatives so the writers and directors love making Christmas movies as well.
Host – Caryn: [29:45] What about a tropical Christmas movie?
Guest – Steve: [29:47] Oh look we’ve been trying yeah I mean that we’d love to make those I think it’s a little harder because again going back to who the audience is a lot of not all but a lot of the different audiences that want to watch Christmas movies in the Northern hemisphere want to see their own Christmas experience reflected on screen. And so for most people, Christmas, well, and we’re not even going to talk about climate change.
Host – Caryn: [30:11] But you know, put that to one side.
Guest – Steve: [30:12] Most people in their heads have a vision of Christmas being this thick blanket of snow and its romantic and cozy and cheesy jumpers and sweaters. Sorry. And, you know, being inside with a roaring fire, that is not the case if you’re tropical.
So we are acutely aware that most of our audience is looking for that feeling of safety and comfort that they get from revisiting the Christmas experiences that they’ve had in their childhood or youth.
Host – Caryn: [30:45] Okay. Well, I still think a Christmas surfer movie is.
Guest – Steve: [30:50] I promise we’ll do it.
Host – Caryn: [30:51] It’s going to, it’s going to happen.
Guest – Steve: [30:53] Yeah.
Host – Caryn: [30:53] Yeah. We’re just going to find the writers out there. You got to write that Christmas.
Guest – Steve: [30:57] I would say one thing I should touch on one of your previous questions I’d highly recommend writers to do is finding some movies that they enjoy and that they, they think, you know, looking at who makes those movies and, and if, if, as a writer, you feel that your voice is, because not, Now, even though I say you should be writing films for every broadcaster, every platform, I realize that’s not always possible because what makes writers special is their unique voice and life experience.
I would recommend to writers before they submit just write scripts and send them off, meet with producers, and ask the producers what they’re after. And the easy way to do that, I can promise you this right now, producers will almost always meet with writers. It’s very hard to get Hallmark to meet with you or Netflix to meet with you. They don’t want to.
What Producers Want: Don’t Pitch them – pick their brains
But that’s because they’re not the ones making the movie. but the producers will because nobody ever wants to talk to producers so find five of your favorite Christmas movies from last year. Reach out to those producers. Don’t pitch them anything. Just offer to take them for a coffee or you know in my case I’m addicted to bubble tea.
So somebody says to me hey I’m an emerging writer and I’ll take you for bubble tea you know what I will almost always say yes. and um the producer will just tell you the producer’s going to be honest with you and say hey, we make movies for X, Y, and Z, and this is what they’re looking for. And they will tell you what to write.
Host – Caryn: [32:14] Wow. That is great. Because I think the problem with writers, it is so much work to write a script. I mean, it could take you one month, it could take you a year, it could take you longer. And then it turns out, no one wants it. What a waste.
Guest – Steve: [32:31] Don’t even, I would highly recommend not, I mean, you might, but I’m not, I’m not a writer myself. And so I appreciate from a journey perspective, in terms of skill set, you may want to write some spec scripts to make sure that you’re at a skill set level. That your work is right. But in terms of when you’re going to go for the jugular and say, okay, I’m ready now to make money doing this. I want to write something that’s going to sell. I would highly recommend to you um apologies I’d highly recommend to you meeting with some producers. Ask them what they’re after because they’ll tell you they’ll tell you exactly what they’re after.
Host – Caryn: [33:09] I hope so I hope so because sometimes it seems like this is a black box and writers are like blind and sometimes I feel like you know talking to a couple of writers on the podcast it’s like oh this trade secret what the studio wants or what this network wants.
They’re not telling anyone. They obviously can’t. But you’re saying go to the producer/production company that has some agreement with these streamers or whoever. And take them to lunch or coffee or whatever. Just say hey what are you looking for?
Guest – Steve: I promise you they’ll tell you exactly.
Host – Caryn: Okay I am going to take you up on that I’m going to do that. So I’m thrilled to hear that.
What Producers Want: Development Teams
[33:54] Okay, so what is the best way for screenwriters to connect with you and submit their ideas or scripts?
Guest – Steve: [34:00] Great question. We have a development team. I own the company, but I am probably the worst person to contact because I have crippling anxiety over just keeping the company afloat and paying all my staff.
So all I’m focusing on, which is, again, evil producer talk, I’m just focused on making sure that we’re making enough to pay everyone is, unfortunately, the curse of being a producer. I have a development department. I’ve got two people in development.
[34:33] Sophie Tilson and Drishti Soni, and their job is to work with writers and source material. So every company has a development person or development team. Find out who’s doing development.
Don’t go for the CEO of the company. They’re gonna be too busy. They’ll never respond to your email. Look at a company. (That info is) usually listed on their website or it’s going to be on a kind of an industry site.
What Producers Want: Talk to the Development people
It’ll list all the different people who are there. Find the development person. Meet with the development person because they also they’ll talk your language the development person will talk about the script. They’ll talk about pathos. And they’ll talk about character all day long. A producer themselves unless they’re a very small outfit where it’s just one or two producers.
The producers themselves are just going to be stressing constantly about how I’ve got to feed the beast. I’ve got to do x number of movies. I have to make sure my staff are paid. And they’re dealing with casting like movie stars. Movie stars have a lot of challenges dealing with agents and this and that union. And they’re not paying a lot of attention to meeting new writers.
Host – Caryn: [35:37] Got it But that, well, that is good advice. Now, to wrap up, would you like to share any social media links or website details so our audience can keep track of your work?
Guest – Steve: [35:50] Oh, well, I mean, our website, jaggyentertainment.com, lists, I think, all of our movies. Otherwise, we’re always keen to hear from people who have watched our films.
What Producers Want: Success
We had a big success last year with a film called Love is in the Air on Netflix. That was a big kind of global success for us um we also had a great film on Hallmark called When Love Springs. I’ve done several films that we’re proud of with Great American Family. One Perfect Match stands out and probably is my favorite um from a Christmas movie perspective, I think um designing Christmas with Great American Family was one of two films we did for them last year.
Their own was Christmas Keepsake – both great films. I would highly recommend Mistletoe Ranch, which I think is now available in the U.S. on Hulu. That’s an example of a film that’s quite artsy and quite socially conscious in the Christmas movie space that went to a different set of buyers. But, you know, depending on where writers sit, the films I just mentioned are on all different parts of the spectrum, you know, from right-wing to left-wing.
Host – Caryn: [36:58] Great. Well, this is great. Steve, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your experience and all this, all this actionable advice. And I, it was great. I learned a lot. So thank you for coming on the podcast.
Guest – Steve: [37:11] Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Host – Caryn: [37:13] Okay. Thank you. We’ll see you soon. I hope. And maybe I’ll write that Christmas surf movie.
Guest – Steve: [37:19] Please do. Sounds great.
Host – Caryn: [37:21] Okay, thank you.
TAKEAWAYS
Understanding Platform Needs
[37:22] Key elements for producing a successful Christmas movie, according to Steve are the importance of understanding the platform and audience before making creative decisions. Additionally, Steve highlighted that the audiences for different broadcasters such as Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix are distinct. Each platform seeks a unique take on the genre for its audience. Additionally, Steve also noted that the marketplace is constantly evolving, with changes in audience preferences and the emergence of new platforms.
Streaming’s Impact on Family Christmas Movie Viewing
Steve also discussed the evolution of family Christmas movie viewing, noting the shift from a single, shared viewing experience to a more individualized one due to streaming services. Steve pointed out that this has led to an increase in the production of movies, often on smaller budgets, to cater to the demand.
Christmas Movie Scripts and Target Audience
Steve discussed the process of content creation and distribution in the film industry. He emphasized the importance of writers understanding the target audience and creating scripts that align with the values and preferences of the networks and production companies. He also noted that the market for Christmas movies is growing, with potential opportunities in Europe and Southeast Asia.
Production Company’s Writer Hiring Practices
[38:32] During the interview, Steve discussed the hiring of writers for productions. He clarified that the writer’s fee is fixed and included in the budget, and the decision to use union or non-union writers is not determined by the producer’s fee.
Christmas Movie Budgeting and Financing
Steve shared that the financing process for Christmas movies has evolved, with producers now needing to secure funding from various sources including tax credits, foreign sales, and bank loans.
Connect With Producers for Script Success
Steve advised writers to connect with producers to understand their needs before submitting scripts, suggesting they find producers of favorite movies from the previous year.
Well, that’s the show. To show your support – please give us a 5* rating on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
[39:26] Writers, Producers, and Sales execs – sign up to be notified of the launch of our future membership website. This is where writers will have the opportunity to pitch producers and sales execs their Christmas scripts. Members will also get access to my newsletter which as I mentioned will feature my mini-journal of my journey of getting my Christmas script produced.
Just go to www.christmasmoviescreenwriter.com and look for the signup button in the toolbar.
I’d like to take the opportunity for those writers, producers, and sales execs who recently signed up for our future membership service. [40:08]
- Hope
- Bev
- Lisa
- Suzanne
- Susan
- Rebecca
- Jennifer
- Peter
- Carol
- Julie
- Tracey
- Ruby
On the next episode of the podcast, I talk with Sapna Vyas who serves as Vice President, Scripted Content for Lifetime. So stay tuned for that interview.
That’s the show. I’m your host, Caryn McCann. Thanks for listening! And I’ll see you on the next Christmas Movie Screenwriter podcast. Bye!
The Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast – Episode 13
Steve Jaggi, Producer, Director
Show Notes
HOST: Caryn McCann
Website: https://christmasmoviescreenwriter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristmasMovieScreenwriter
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MerryScriptmas
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryn-mccann-5718058/
GUEST: Steve Jaggi
Website: https://www.jaggientertainment.com/
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1863720/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaggientertainment/
Instagram:: https://www.instagram.com/stevejaggi/