Holiday Script finished? Now what? Screenwriter Jordan Imiola discusses how to go from ‘Fade Out’ to ‘Optioned’.
Unlock the secrets to selling your Christmas script with screenwriter Jordan Imiola. In this insightful podcast, Jordan shares invaluable strategies for navigating the competitive world of festive screenwriting. From crafting compelling scripts to closing lucrative deals, discover how to leverage connections, pitch effectively, and overcome industry challenges. Learn the art of instant messaging producers, crafting concise loglines, and maximizing your online presence. Jordan’s cautionary tales about paid screenwriting services and contests offer practical advice for aspiring writers. Delve into the importance of deadlines and accountability, and explore how writers’ groups can turbocharge your productivity. Whether you’re a seasoned screenwriter or just starting, this podcast offers actionable insights to help you succeed in the merry marketplace of Christmas scripts.
Chapters
0:00:00 Introducing the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast
0:00:11 Introduction to the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast
0:04:46 Breaking into the Industry as a Christmas Movie Screenwriter
0:07:44 Balancing audience expectations and staying fresh and unpredictable
0:09:08 Creating unique concepts and staying current in filmmaking
0:14:39 Exploring Different Services for Script Promotion
0:21:38 A Charming Christmas Proposal with a Twist
0:23:10 Maintaining Work-Life Balance and Writing-related Hobbies
0:24:29 Convincing Them to Act
0:24:54 Importance of Writing Every Day
0:27:00 Benefits of Deadline Junkies Writing Group
0:31:19 Standing Out in a Producer’s Inbox
Transcript
This is the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast, episode number 11. [0:11] Hello and welcome to the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast.
Introduction to the Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast
[0:15] 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 11.
A quick few words about what I’m working on. I am just about finished with a rewrite of a Christmas script I gave myself till the end of January, so it looks very good. And now before I do any rewrites on this one, I’m going to write another script.
That way, I think it’ll be easier to do rewrites on my current script because there’ll be a little more time between the first draft and subsequent rewrites.
I also plan to enter a European screenwriting contest. I’ve never entered one before, so a European one before, so this is a new approach. I’ll let you know in the fall if I have any luck. I’m also toying with the idea of rewriting a holiday script to be shot in China or Taiwan. As some of you know, I lived in Hong Kong and China, so always been attracted to Asian stories. So that’s an idea I need to decide on. So many ideas, so little time, as they say. And now here is the main segment.
Host: Caryn [1:29] Jordan Imiola is a comedy screenwriter from Buffalo, New York.
He has sold several screenplays and is the showrunner of many comedy series. During the pandemic lockdown in 2020, Jordan wrote and directed the award-winning feature film Zoom comedy, Christmas Staycation, now streaming on Tubi and DVD everywhere.
Jordan’s newest feature rom-com, Love at First Spite, is in post-production. Jordan’s newest Christmas movie, My Fiancé Still Believes in Santa, is in pre-production. Well, Jordan welcome to the podcast.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [2:00] thank you Caryn. thank you.
Host: Caryn [2:03] Can you just take a minute and I told the audience a little bit about you but let’s hear more let’s take a minute and tell us about yourself and your work.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [2:10] Yeah sure um so I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. I love it. Then I went to College Buffalo State. Actually, I kind of accidentally fell into writing there. Eventually I took a tv writing class and I fell in love with it.
The Road to Writing a Holiday Script
Then they had a new major called tv and film arts. I was in that first class. It’s like 15 people a year get accepted. And I was in that first class. Pretty much in that major they teach you how to you know write movies, tv shows and produce. We did a bunch of short films . We had to direct and produce um and then they help you get internships. And I got an internship with Fox in 2009.
And so pretty much I spent the summer before I graduated. I spent in LA, um, interned at Fox and then did one more semester, uh, at Buffalo State and then graduated. A week later I drove across the country and.
[3:12] Lived in LA for 12 years.
Host: Caryn [3:15] Wow.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [3:16] Yeah. And then, um, and then, yeah, and then the pandemic just changed everything but I got to I got to produce a Christmas movie which was awesome. Then my wife and I moved back to Buffalo last year . Got a house because we could afford a nice house over here. I’m still writing a ton. I feel like nothing’s compared to L.A.
I’m maybe writing more here because I love the seasons. I love the season change and that always helps me with deadlines. Every summer I have one dedicated screenplay I’m going to finish. When it comes in the fall, I want to write something Halloween. I can see the leaves out here. Then for the holiday time, I tend to write or rewrite a Christmas screenplay.
Unique Perspective Story for a Holiday Script
Right now I’m rewriting something I wrote last year. I guess I’ll talk about that. Trading Holidays is the film I’m writing right now. Three families. One celebrates Christmas, one celebrates Hanukkah, one celebrates Kwanzaa, and they trade holidays.
Host: Caryn [4:30] Oh, that’s neat.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [4:31] In December.
Host: Caryn [4:33] That’s great. Well, you sort of answered my first question, which was, how did you break into the, well, my first question is, can you share your journey of breaking into the industry as a Christmas movie screenwriter?
Breaking in with Your Holiday Script
[4:46] Was Staycation your first Christmas movie, or was there something else?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [4:51] Produced uh my first Christmas we produced but I probably wrote a few before that um wrote I wrote My fiancé Still Believes in Santa. I wrote that originally 2018 yeah I think 20 I wrote that it’s so much easier to write a Christmas movie around the holiday time. I always try to like I get whenever you know the day after thanksgiving hits. I’m like all right, I’m plugging in at this holiday movie, Christmas movie.
But then as soon as January 2nd comes like January 2nd, I’m like, I’m over it. I’m like, okay. I use the seasons to my advantage or use, the holidays in the air to my advantage to write. I probably wrote like three or four other Christmas movies. But Christmas Staycation, how that came about was 2020, you know, it was the worst year ever.
I was I lived in the middle of Hollywood and we were in lockdown for so much longer than like everywhere else. But I went back home to Buffalo for Christmas that year – everything was open. But here in LA everything was closed. I think I was depressed for like four or five months. And then I was like, I just like everything I wrote. I just did not like it in that year. The energy for that year was sad.
Host: Caryn [6:12] Too sad.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [6:14] But then I thought of the idea. No one can travel home for the holidays. They’re not supposed to travel home for the holidays this year.
His Holiday Script Origins
Cause of COVID and pandemic and all that. And I was like, well, what if I wrote a movie about a family who can’t see each other or can’t be with each other on Christmas, but they decided to throw a Christmas party on Zoom. I just worked, I had that idea and I kind of worked backward from that.
I got the main character and she has to convince her dad that this is going to be fun and convince her family to come along. Like make the best of it. I pretty much just recruited, um, a bunch of my actor friends. We would do table reads before we shot it. We just had a blast making it like it was, it was just something to do. Cause we, none of us could leave our houses at that point. It was so much faster than like life production because it’s all on Zoom.
Host: Caryn [7:09] And saves money.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [7:10] Yeah, it’s like there’s a ton of money and then um we made it and it turned out funny and I loved it I still love it. We got distribution. We finished it we finished it like December 10th. And just put it on YouTube. We had like a YouTube premiere just for like the cast and crew.
Then they shared it with all their friends and family on YouTube. Then I found distribution for it the following year. It kind of got, people were talking about it. And then, yeah, I got distribution 2021. And then it got on DVD and TV and a bunch of other streaming services.
Balance audience expectations with your holiday script
Host: Caryn [7:44] Oh, great. Congrats. So how do you balance meeting audience expectations and staying fresh and not predictable or cliché?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [7:55] Ooh, that’s a, that’s a loaded question. Um, I would say, um, well, for me, I write a lot of comedy. So I think, you know, in terms of like expectations, you want to make people laugh. Anything I write, I do multiple table reads of it. Every time I do a finished draft, I’ll do a table read of it. Then do another draft and then do a table read. If anyone’s who doesn’t know what that is it’s when you get a bunch of friends together or actors.
Table Read Your Holiday Script
A lot of my friends are actors. We do it mostly on Zoom now because again pandemic changed everything. We just we kind of read the whole thing out. I divvy up parts to all my friends. Then we read the whole thing. I kind of keep track of when there’s a big laugh or if a joke doesn’t work. Any jokes that don’t work, I will tweak to make them funnier. Or I just cut them all together.
You can like feel the rhythm of each scene too, to see if a scene’s too short or too long or not funny or funny or blah, blah. Then in terms of keeping it fresh, I just try to do things that have never been done before.
Creating unique concepts for your Holiday Script
[9:08] A Christmas movie on Zoom was never, never done, never been done before. So yeah.
Host: Caryn [9:13] That was smart.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [9:15] Yeah. And it was very current at the time. Cause that’s what everyone was, everyone was doing in there, in their meetings. They were, I mean, my job, you know, I had, I had a, I was working for a production company at the time, and come March 13th, they’re like, never go back to the office ever again.
So everything was on Zoom. So that was, it was very current to that year. If you watch the movie, this, I mean, it’s, the movie is still hilarious. There are jokes that I think.
Host: Caryn [9:39] I thought it was great.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [9:41] Thank you.
Host: Caryn [9:42] I loved the older woman character. They’re looking for whoopie. So audience, you have to watch it to figure that out.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [9:50] Right.
Host: Caryn [9:50] After you finish a script and it’s ready to go out, what’s your next step? And how do you move it towards getting into pre-production or production?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [10:00] So if it’s, if it’s something I’m trying to sell. So there’s, I feel like for me, sometimes I try to make, I write something and I’m like, okay, I want to make this myself.
I can kind of get people that like Christmas Staycation. I did that, you know, instead of trying to sell it out there, I made it myself.
After the Holiday Script first draft
When I write those scripts, I tend to like, think about that as I’m writing them. Like, okay, how is this going to keep it low budget? How is it going to be possible for me to do this? Who do I know who could play this part? But on the other side, if I’m trying to sell a script after I’m done with it. I’ll write a first draft and first draft is always just for me. I tend to write first drafts in like three or four months.
Writing Several Drafts of a Holiday Script
[10:39]. I try to do that just for me. I usually write them out of order and then I put them in order and have a terrible first draft, but I can understand it. And then I, I kind of cut things and change things. Make things funnier. On my second draft or third draft, I share with other people. and I just share that with friends. Or I’ll do a table read with friends that I know. That, that I trust
I never really tried to go outside my circle on those first few drafts. But then once I have a couple of table reads and I know the script is getting into good shape. Everything’s making sense and the rhythm’s good and the kind of jokes work. Once it’s in good shape, I will try to sell it or option it.
Methods to Sell a Holiday Script
[11:35] I teach a whole class about this. I pretty much find production companies – if it’s a Christmas script. I find production companies who make Christmas movies. So I try to find comedy production companies. You never really want to reach out to a production company that doesn’t work in your genre.
Cause you’re just kind of wasting time on both ends, but you want to make sure you find a production company that’s in your genre. Sa lot of times I’ll go into IMDB pro and find a production company or um if I have like you know some connections somehow I’ll reach out to those connections um sometimes if you know I find a producer who you know does the certain uh type of movies like certain genres or you know to say I wrote like a family comedy.
Finding a Producer for your Holiday Script
I’ll find a producer who does family comedies see if they’re on Instagram uh or see if they’re on Twitter. Many people don’t think about that but like especially it’s Instagram you can message anyone doesn’t mean they’re going to reply. It’s like a one in 10 chance, but still, if I send out a hundred messages on Instagram, 10 of them are going to get back to me usually.
Host: Caryn [12:38] Are you just trying to start a relationship on those Instagram messages or are you saying, hey, I’ve got the script. Would you like to look at a synopsis?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [12:47] It kind of depends. I would say sometimes because I do have my podcast too. And sometimes I just try to make relationships on Instagram or you know, I want to pick their brain.
[13:00] But if I’m trying to like, I mean, if I’m just trying to sell it, I just sometimes just send them a logline and a very short message. You want to send a log line. A logline is usually 30 words or less. Don’t go more than 30 words.
Holiday Scripts and Paid Services
But a message that’s not too long, because if it’s too long, no one’s going to read it. If you have like a short message and it’s like oh it kind of grabs their attention – that might be like oh okay. Send me a pdf of the script. There’s also like services you can use too like I do screen writing staffing and with screenwriting staffing and pretty much I mean I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a lot of scripts .
But with that you it’s like a monthly service you pay for and a lot of producers will say what they’re looking for. For example I sold a script on that. I was like a this actress was looking for some role she could play. So it had to be a female-led comedy.
I can’t remember what else she was looking for. I had a movie about a woman who hates kids and ends up adopting the worst kid imaginable. It’s kind of like they’re it’s like her journey of becoming a mom and like thinking how much she’s going to hate it. But then in the end she’s like, oh, my gosh, I actually love being a mom.
And it’s like, you know, the kids, it’s kind of the same thing where he doesn’t want parents, but then he ends up like trusting this person. But yeah, anyway, screenwriting staffing is how I found that.
[14:25] And sometimes they have like they have Christmas leads to the like we’re looking for a holiday movie that takes place in Canada or takes place. And like they do like someone like one location or they look for specific things.
Exploring Different Services for Holiday Script Promotion
[14:39] And I’ve tried, I mean, I’ve tried to also multiple different services. A lot of them you have to pay for and a lot of them aren’t worth it. But I’ll just try to like, yeah, I’ll try all, all things I can until someone, you know, wants the scripts. There’s also like virtual pitch fest and stuff like that. But a lot of it is also like, just, you have to keep asking, not keep asking, you have to, keep in contact with them constantly.
Host: Caryn [15:12] Constantly?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [15:14] Like every two or three weeks, you kind of reach out and be like, Hey, did you get a chance to read the scripts? or, you know, like, hey, happy Thanksgiving. Just to remind them, like, hey, I exist, you have my scripts.
Host: Caryn [15:23] That’s right.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [15:26] And for me, a lot of times, after like seven or eight times, they finally read the script. And they’re like, Oh, my gosh, I love the script. And I’m like, I’m glad I emailed you so much.
Host: Caryn [15:34] Well, persistence.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [15:36] Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. You need a lot of persistence in this.
Combining your Holiday Script with other genres
Host: Caryn [15:40] Now, how would you balance, you know, the Christmas elements with other genres? You’ve got the comedy genre, which you mentioned. But something maybe like a heist to create something unique and appealing. Would, would that be interesting? Or do you think buyers would be interested in that?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [15:59] If they’re, if they make those types of movies or if they have like an actor in mind for the type of movies, yeah, I would, I would say so. Or if you have like a log line, that’s so good. If someone’s trying to steal, I don’t know, the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Like how are you going to, how are you going to do that? But like, you got to go.
Host: Caryn [16:14] That’s your next script.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [16:17] A very expensive, expensive script. But yeah. But if you have something that’s going to like, if you’re going to interest a producer who has money, it’s that’s, that’s a good thing.
Like whatever’s going to make them be like, Oh, I got to read the script. I want to, I want to know what the story is. That’s how you do it. So yeah I think you can mix, you can mix genres. As long as it’s interesting enough to the person who wants to buy it or make it.
Finding Producers for your Holiday Script
Host: Caryn [16:39] Right now how would you suggest screenwriters expand their network of producers you did mention the virtual pitch fest and uh screenwriting staffing but do you recommend film markets if so which ones or competitions I mean you did mention online platforms like those two above.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [16:59] Um that is a good question uh I don’t know if I I do.
Host: Caryn [17:07] You go to film markets?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [17:08] No, I don’t go to film markets too much. I think I’d done it if I had before.
Host: Caryn [17:14] Wow. This is great. Sometimes walking around AFM where you are walking five miles a day down those halls. I mean, it adds up. But there’s a million ways in. Do you recommend competitions or any other ways for screenwriters to network with producers?
Paid Services are not cheap
Guest: Jordan Imiola [17:38] If your script is super, super good. Yes. I’ve, God, I’ve, I’ve entered, I feel like I entered a ton of competitions. For like the first five years I was in LA. A lot of them cost money, you know, so you’re spending $20 here, $40 bucks.
Host: Caryn [17:54] And it can add up to $60 or $80 probably.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [17:58] Your script has to be in top-notch shape. And I would have other people read it before you submit it. Don’t, don’t make the first person you’re submitting it to someone over there. Give it to a friend give it to have someone proofread it make sure the grammar is correct.
If it’s a comedy make sure it’s funny. If it’s a horror make sure it’s scary. I won a competition once. It didn’t affect the script at all because I sold that script. But it had nothing to do with kind of the competition which was like funny to me.
Host: Caryn [18:31] So you just never know.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [18:32] Yeah. You don’t. You never know. But I would, I would say if you’re going to, if you’re going to do some, like only do a handful, like choose the ones you think you have a shot at, um, or the prize is worth it.
Or like, cause like, yeah, if you keep, if you do all of them, the money will like to add up so much. And like, it might just be better for you to like, just, you know, take that money and make your movie.
Film Markets
Host: Caryn [18:55] There you go. I like that. I like that idea better. Better now or you sort of answered my next question which was do you attend film markets to pitch your projects the answer is no. So you’re pitching them yourself do you don’t do you try to find a representative or do you have a rep?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [19:13] I did and they didn’t do anything for me.
Host: Caryn [19:16] Okay that’s good to know.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [19:21] Yeah I mean, Yeah. I had an agent one time and like, she promised a bunch and then never, I saw it delivered. And then she like, she quit during the pandemic.
Host: Caryn [19:35] That answers that.
DIY your Holiday Script
Guest: Jordan Imiola [19:36] I pretty much like do a lot myself, but I think DIY. But the more I do, the more I kind of buildup that, that that like resume and like right people see as I’ve done and a lot of stuff I’ve done is like short stuff so people want to see these things I’ve done they can just like go out like I have a series called Monster Therapy and it’s about monsters and marriage therapy so it’s like that’s Jason Voorhees and his and his wife and or Freddie Krueger and his wife and like all those are like they’re like two and a half minutes long.
So people can watch that in like two and a half minutes kind of get an idea of like what I write. Then they like reach out. So I think I think it’s good to have some short stuff. If you have you know if you do a movie that’s the dedication that’s a whole two-hour block of someone’s time. But asking someone to watch something for two and a half minutes everyone does that pretty much every day on YouTube anyway.
Host: Caryn [20:32] What is your favorite script that you’ve written and why?
Favorite Holiday Script
Guest: Jordan Imiola [20:35] Oh it’s my favorite script I’ve ever written and why um that is a good question because a lot of times I’m like if I’m really into something it’s like my favorite thing at that time right but then when I look back years later or like because a lot of the scripts some scripts that are like the most successful for me aren’t necessarily my favorite thing and some of my favorite things had never gotten made but I would okay the one I’m thinking about though right now maybe it’s because of the holiday time and maybe because I’m on a Christmas podcast, but it’s probably, it’s probably My Fiancé Still Believes In Santa.
[21:13] That’s, that’s, yeah, it’s still one of my favorites. I wrote, I wrote the first draft in like a month and a half and then I punched it up here and there. Tt’s got everything I love when I watch a movie. It’s got a lot of good jokes. It’s got a lot of comedy. Got a lot of heart, relationship struggles, a lot of family stuff.
A Charming Holiday Script with a Twist
[21:38] Yeah, the logline for that is pretty much about a guy… Who wants to ask his girlfriend to marry, to marry him? But when he asked her family for their blessing, they told him, to listen, she had not stopped believing in Santa Claus for 35 years.
And if you’re going to ask her, you have to do this for the rest of your life. You have to find a Santa to come down the chimney every single year. And he wants to take her to see his family that Christmas.
So, and it’s like, it’s like it takes place in Buffalo and Cape Cod. He wants to take her to Cape Cod and he has to now convince his family that a she’s not crazy. And can you help me find someone to go down the chimney on Christmas Eve so she can see Santa?
Getting close on a Holiday Script
Then find the logistics of getting Santa back on the roof. I’ve optioned it a couple of times. I’ve gotten, super close to making it and then like things happen like the SAG strike or the pandemic.
So every time the script’s like not available or, you know, something happens and then it becomes available again. So if anyone’s listening and they have money and they want to make it, let me know. That script is available right now.
Host: Caryn [22:53] All right. Well, we’ll put that in the show notes. Now that leads in that perfectly, you kind of set this up leads, you know, having a script fall through or getting close with the pandemic or fall out is stressful. So getting a movie made can be stressful.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance When Writing a Holiday Script
[23:10] So how do you maintain a work-life balance? Do you have any hobbies?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [23:15] Uh, besides writing, I mean, right. I guess writing isn’t, my wife always tells me, she’s like, she’s like, you need to get more hobbies. Cause like all you do is write.
Host: Caryn [23:26] You’ve got podcasts.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [23:28] Yeah. I got a podcast, which is also about screenwriting. That’s the Deadline Junkies Screenwriting Podcast. We’ve interviewed, TV showrunners and TV writers and some movie writers as well.
What else, what else do I do? I mean it’s weird like all my hobbies somehow have to do with writing. If I watch tv I’m kind of thinking in the background oh that joke was so good. Or I think about the ending or how it’s going to end or whatever. What else do I do?
Host: Caryn You’re dedicated.
Short films
Guest: Jordan Imiola: I would say make you’re making your stuff too. If I can do a short film and like I have a small amount of time. Then I will do that. Like I went camping a month ago and my friends. We were all drinking. My friend was like, we should make, you know – a short film.
And I was like, yeah, man, let’s do it. And then, and then the next day when they were all sober, I’m like, okay, guys, I got the script. Let’s do this. And they were like.
Host: Caryn [24:25] What?
Convincing Them to Act
Guest: Jordan Imiola [24:29] So I kind of had to force them to like, do it. But like, I was like, you guys are so gung ho about this at 3AM. Why not now?
Host: Caryn [24:39] When the sun rises. So what advice would you give to your younger self?
Importance of Writing Every Day
Guest: Jordan Imiola [24:54] I don’t know. That is a good question. Cause I mean, I feel like we don’t, as you get older, you don’t realize how, how hard it is to like break in or, or just like make a movie or sell.
And, but I don’t, I don’t know if I would tell myself that cause I might discourage myself. But I would say, Ooh, that, what advice would I give to my younger self? You know what? Write every day.
[25:19] I think that’s something I’m better at now. And I’ve done, I mean, I’ve been pretty good with it, but I think, um, if you’re serious about screenwriting, you have to write every day, or at least like I do the five-minute a-day rule where it’s like before I go to bed, I wrote for at least five minutes or like, I opened the script on my computer and I like punched up some jokes or whatever.
Just write your Holiday Script for five minutes
But like, usually if you do five minutes, sometimes your brain wants to go into gear and do a lot more. Sometimes it’s just like, nah. I don’t want to. But at least it stays in your subconscious. So the next day it’s going to be easier for you to think about what you wrote or the script itself self or whatever.
I would say write every day. If you’re just getting into screenwriting just get into the habit of looking at your script for five minutes a day or more.
Host: Caryn [26:06] That’s doable. That’s good. It’s good advice.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [26:08] Yeah.
Host: Caryn [26:09] So to wrap up, would you like to share any social media details, website links, or audience to keep track of your work?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [26:15] Yeah, sure. Um, yeah, I’m on Instagram and I’m on Twitter. I don’t really post on either one too much though honestly uh but it’s just my name it’s Jordan Imiola so j-o-r-d-a-n-i-m-i-o-l-a um and that’s it yeah I’m on Instagram, Twitter. That’s about it.
Host: Caryn [26:35] And your podcast is called Deadline Junkies?
Guest: Jordan Imiola [26:37] Yeah the Deadline Junkies Screenwriting Podcast. It’s a writing group that I was a part of for like 12 years. and I ran the Wednesday group. Some other advice to you is to have deadlines because it’s great about Deadline Junkies. It’s a writing group where every five weeks you have to present 25 new pages.
Host: Caryn [26:59] That’s great.
Benefits of Deadline Junkies Writing Group
Guest: Jordan Imiola [27:00] Every five, yeah. So I wrote, I mean, I’ve written, God, I’ve written like, I don’t know, 20, 30 movies. 15 TV shows.
Host: Caryn That’s impressive.
Guest: Jordan Imiola But it’s because I had that deadline for so long. Every five weeks I have that deadline. deadline um and if people couldn’t make their deadline I would I would be like hey I can take your spot if you want. When you have that deadline and you have a table read with like actors and other people watching – it kind of puts pressure on yourself yeah that’s.
Host: Caryn [27:28] A great idea.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [27:28] You want to make it good so how?
Host: Caryn[27:31] Many people were in the writing group.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [27:33] Oh wow so when I started um when I started in 2010 it was only it was what it was Tuesday nights. Every Tuesday night we meet at a theater. And back then it was probably like, I want to, it was on 15 writers in the group and then actors, there was always like 10 actors there.
Actors who would come up. You kind of choose the actors yourself. So there’s probably 30 or 40 actors and then 15 writers in that Tuesday group. But then over the years, it expanded to other nights. So now it’s Monday.
[28:11] Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. And every night, Wednesday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are the comedy nights. Mondays, more drama. Thursday and Sunday are like a mix.
And they’re on Zoom too now. I think on Mondays it still goes in the theater. But like when the pandemic happened, they all went on Zoom. So, I mean, also doing it on Zoom though saved us money. Because when you did it in the theater, you had to print the scripts out and then highlight all the scripts and print all the scripts out.
Host: Caryn [28:43] No, no, no, no.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [28:44] Yeah.
Host: Caryn [28:47] Well, maybe we can talk offline. I want to start my own little writer’s group, maybe a Christmas writers’ group. And I’m not sure how to go about it or how many people I need, but I never even thought, that is a great idea is have actors.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [29:01] Oh yeah.
Host: Caryn [29:02] Do the table read.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [29:03] Yeah.
Host: Caryn [29:04] Okay.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [29:04] They make it better. Cause like a lot of times you could, a lot of times for me, when I question a joke and then I hear an actor do it out loud and they make it funny, then I’m like, oh yeah, okay. That joke was funny.
The longer you have a joke, the less funny it is to you. But like sometimes when it’s fresh with someone else or you hear someone say it out loud, it helps so much. Sometimes actors say a word wrong. But it’s funnier the way they said it. And I’m like, Oh, I’m going to put it in the script. Like the way they said it. So yeah. Yeah.
Host: Caryn [29:31] Yeah.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [29:32] I always love to have actors.
Host: Caryn [29:33] You have encouraged and inspired me. S thank you Jordan. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. This is very informative and very useful and I am going to start a writer’s group.
So hello Christmas writers out there. You can write you could comment on the blog and let me know if you’re interested. But Jordan thank you so much for coming on the Christmas movie screenwriter podcast.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [30:01] So welcome thank you for having me.
Host: Caryn [30:02] Okay we’ll see you later.
Guest: Jordan Imiola [30:04] Happy holidays.
Host: Caryn [30:06] Happy holidays.
Takeaways [30:08]
Selling a Holiday Script
First, share your with friends. After some rewriters, do a table read with actors. Once in good shape try to option it. Find production companies that specialize in Christmas movies. Look on IMDB Pro. Talk to your connections. See if the producers you want to contact are on Instagram or twitter. It’s probably a better hit rate than a cold email.
Instant Messaging Producers
Jordan mentioned there two scenarios to message a producer. One is to start a dialogue, pick their brain and hopefully develop a rapport. The second is to pitch your log line. If you send a logline – keep it to under 30 words. All instant messages needs to be short.
Paid Screenwriting Services
Jordan although had success with one service, he cautions that a lot of them are a waste of time. Contests are another tricky service. Do your due diligence. Are the prizes worth it? Is there feedback. Know your budget. Would using that money instead for a short film be better spend. These are things to consider.
Getting Your Holiday Script Read
[31:19] Producers get tons of emails every day. It’s hard for writers to stay at the top of a producer’s mind. On the other hand -if you send a script to a producer – don’t sit back and wait for a reply. Jordan says sometimes he email a producer (over several months) 7-8 times asking if they read the script. Only after the 8th time does he get a yes.
Deadlines
[31:43] Jordan credits the deadlines set by his writers group has enabled him to complete dozens of scripts. It helps being in writers group or having an accountability buddy. But regardless – you need to set deadlines and review them. Chunk down your writing goals into small increments. It will be easier to tackle that way.
Well that’s the show. Thank you for listening. To show your support – please give us a 5* rating on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts. And sign up to be notified of the launch of our membership website. This is where writers will have the opportunity to pitch producers their Christmas scripts. Just go to www.christmasmoviescreenwriter.com and look for the signup button in the toolbar.
I’m your host, Caryn McCann. Thanks for listening! And I’ll see you on the next Christmas Movie Screenwriter podcast. Bye!
Watch the YouTube interview here!
The Christmas Movie Screenwriter Podcast – Episode 11
Jordan Imiola – Writer, Produce and 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: Jordan Imiola
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4817743/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanimiola/?hl=en
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/JordanImiola
Podcast: Deadline Screenwriting Junkies