All screenplays on the simplyscripts.com and simplyscripts.net domain are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. This screenplaymay not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
A number of you have received emails from a "Michelle Jennifer Barrett" indicating that she has read your script on SimplyScripts and may have information that would help you.
To be clear, "Michelle Jennifer Barrett" is in no way associated with SimplyScripts. This is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation. I'm just making the relationship clear.
General cautionary information: Before handing over any of your hard earned money, please take the time to research the person or organization that approaches you.
Just remember the old saying... "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is". I would be interested in hearing more about folks' interactions with this person as I too have been contacted.
she messaged me clamoring over a script i wrote. then she said she had a friend who had all these connections and was basically handing me over all this "valuable" information like i'm God's gift to writing and telling me not to share it with anyone.
i know a scam when i see one and this chick is all sorts of fishy. I'm staying clear of her.
I responded to her the first time because I thought she was just a nice random reader. The 2nd e-mail she sends she talks a bit about her friend John with no last name. John with no last name apparently is a professional screenwriter and novelist and is willing to help you on your screenplay.
She provides a link to a list of production companies ( which is kinda handy to have, I guess) and another link for you to fill out a form for smartsheet.com
Quoted Text
Hi Andrew,
I was talking to my friend John about your work and he really liked what I had to say. We went to school together. He’s a professional screenwriter and novelist who also helps market manuscripts.
In any case, he said I could share you this big list of producers and financiers you can market your scripts to. They're always looking for new material. He just asks that you don't post it online or sell it:
Apparently there are multiple tabs in the sheet organized based on whether they accept from unproduced or unrepresented writers, etc. He can better explain the submission process to you so you can make the most of it. He stays pretty busy, but said he'd be willing to chat with you about your screenwriting goals if you'd like. I figured a bit of networking could help.
He created a form so the two of you can stay organized. If you fill it out, he said he'll contact you after he receives the information. He'll be happy to provide some free advice and information if that's all you're looking for.
I really don't know much more about how it all works so you'd be better off contacting him directly about that. I'm starting to feel like his volunteer secretary. Haha.
I was talking to my friend John about your work and he really liked what I had to say. We went to school together. He’s a professional screenwriter and novelist who also helps market manuscripts.
In any case, he said I could share you this big list of producers and financiers you can market your scripts to. They're always looking for new material. He just asks that you don't post it online or sell it:
Apparently there are multiple tabs in the sheet organized based on whether they accept from unproduced or unrepresented writers, etc. He can better explain the submission process to you so you can make the most of it. He stays pretty busy, but said he'd be willing to chat with you about your screenwriting goals if you'd like. I figured a bit of networking could help.
He created a form so the two of you can stay organized. If you fill it out, he said he'll contact you after he receives the information. He'll be happy to provide some free advice and information if that's all you're looking for.
I really don't know much more about how it all works so you'd be better off contacting him directly about that. I'm starting to feel like his volunteer secretary. Haha.
I got the same reply. My day job is in software development, so I did a little sleuthing. The "list" this person is sending you is contained in a macro-enabled Excel spreadsheet. These are notorious mechanisms for transporting computer Trojans & viruses. I did not chance opening it to investigate further. Seems super sketchy to me... classic social engineering/phishing...
I really liked the characters and plot. It'd be cool to see it expanded a bit and filmed! Or even adapted to a novel. In any case, thought I'd let you know. I hope to read more from you in the future!
Best wishes,
Michelle Jennifer Barrett
Jay and Les Thompson Sun 31/12/2017, 10:43 AM
Thank you, Michelle. It's already in paperback form on Amazon.
Happy New Year!
Les.
 MB

Michelle Barrett Sun 31/12/2017, 10:57 PM
I should be thanking you for writing it, Les! I'm not a writer. I'm also not the porn star who shares my name. That's just a very unfortunate coincidence and why I use my middle name.
I do have a voracious appetite for screenplays and novels though. I love the escape from reality they offer. My friends in the industry got me interested in reading scripts. Although I’m not on social media, between my research and their suggestions, I always have something to read.
I've read a lot of scripts where the dialogue isn’t anything like someone would actually speak. Among other things, I think you did a really good job with the dialogue. Characters are key. That much I know. It came off natural and with personality. That's awesome. I wish you continued success! I'll definitely check out any other works you're involved in. Have a wonderful week!
Best wishes,
Michelle Jennifer Barrett


Jay and Les Thompson Mon 1/01/2018, 1:46 PM
Hi, Michelle.....that's so nice of you to critique my script. It's based on a real life story but very hard to get such a script accepted. Not as sexy as the next Games of Thrones sequel or as appealing to a wide audience as yet another Romantic Comedy. LOL
BTW I had never heard of a porn star having the same name as yours....I guess that's not so funny when it happens. I'm mainly writing books now and I thought about sending you another movie script that I lodged with the Australian Writers' Guild but it's Australian style humour with very explicit descriptions of his exploits so I hesitate to send it to you.
It was lovely to hear from you. Paulette Conti is the woman who went through what has been a lifelong ordeal (due to flashbacks and emotional triggers) and I signed over all the royalties to her for the book that I wrote for her. I had hoped a director might pick up the movie script, but that seems unlikely. Paulette is amazing and so is her Italian-American husband, Tony. They live in New York State and, as you would have gleaned from the script, her husband and his Italian family really helped her to escape from that terrible past. She just wanted her story told in the hope that it would help other victims of childhood abuse. The book seems to have done that.
Anyway, keep reading those scripts and I hope one day you'll try one of your own.
Happy New Year!
Les.
 MB

Michelle Barrett Wed 3/01/2018, 10:58 PM
Hi Les,
I was talking to my friend John about your work and he really liked what I had to say. We went to school together. He’s a professional screenwriter and novelist who also helps market manuscripts.
In any case, he said I could share you this big list of producers and financiers you can market your scripts to. They're always looking for new material. He just asks that you don't post it online or sell it:
Apparently there are multiple tabs in the sheet organized based on whether they accept from unproduced or unrepresented writers, etc. He can better explain the submission process to you so you can make the most of your marketing efforts. He stays pretty busy, but said he'd be willing to chat with you about your screenwriting goals if you'd like. I figured a bit of networking could help.
He created a form so the two of you can stay organized. If you fill it out, he said he'll contact you after he receives the information. He'll be happy to provide some free advice and information if that's all you're looking for.
I really don't know much more about how it all works so you'd be better off contacting him directly about that. I'm starting to feel like his volunteer secretary. Haha.
Hope he can help!
Michelle Jennifer Barrett

    Jay and Les Thompson Thu 4/01/2018, 9:37 AM Michelle Barrett; 
Hey, Michelle. That's so kind of you. I will get in touch with John soon. Thank you for your secretarial role! LOL
Cheers, Les.
Soooo I contacted 'John' and got a predictable reply:
    John Halas Fri 5/01/2018, 1:09 PM You; 
Hello LES,
It's good to hear from you. Thank you for completing the form. Yes, Michelle told me about your script and said she really liked it. What I do is help screenwriters market their works and equally if not more important, make sure their work is marketable. There are a few major components to improving and marketing your script to consider -- coverage, rewriting, treatment writing, and query letter writing.
First, we'll need to make sure your script is the best it can be before marketing it. As you likely know, rewriting is crucial. And to know what to consider in the rewrite, it's important to receive professional feedback. With that feedback, you or the two of us can make any improvements.
I do offer those services, but if you're on a tight budget I would recommend swapping screenplays with another screenwriter. You provide him or her feedback and he or she will provide you feedback as a trade. I did that early on in my career, although some of the feedback was less than useful since most the people weren’t professional screenwriters.
When submitting a script to potential investors like those on that list, they'll expect you to submit a query letter. As you may know, it's essentially a cover letter and it's extremely important because it's their first impression of you. If you don't gain their interest in the query letter, they won't read any further.
For longer works such as TV shows and feature films, they'll expect a professionally-written treatment. Busy and successful directors and financiers won't read something that long without first reading what I consider the Cliff Notes summary version with a logline and description of characters. If they like the treatment, they'll request the screenplay. If you don't have one written, you will need to write one or have someone write one.
On my website, I have free samples of treatments, screenplays, coverage/feedback, and query letters I wrote, which may be helpful to you if you're not willing to invest any money in yourself:
Enjoy the very valuable free list of contacts, the free ebook, the free writing samples, and free advice about swapping your script with someone else's script, etc. Unfortunately, that's all I am available to do for free. I too need to make a living. I am, however, offering a 25% discount until the end of the month. Please let me know your thoughts and if you're able to take advantage of this deal. As my grandmother always used to say, 'If you're not willing to invest in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to?'
I used two anti-virus/malware programs across the entire thread. I received no alerts on the exchange but I told John I had no interest in pursuing the matter any further. I think the tandem team was touting for new business. I hope that helps this discussion.
It'd be cool to see how the plot and characters could be developed even further. Have you ever considered doing that? It'd probably make it a lot more marketable too. In any case, just thought I'd drop you a line.
I hope to read more from you in the future!
Best wishes,
Michelle Barrett
Michelle Barrett 12/8/17
to me
Hi Marcello,
By the way, I was talking to my screenwriter/novelist buddy John about your screenplay and he really liked what I had to say. He knows a lot about how to ensure scripts are marketable. He has a lot of industry connections. Anyways, I can have him email you some more info if you'd like. Would that be ok?
Best wishes,
Michelle Barrett
Michelle Barrett 12/9/17
to me
Hi Marcello,
My friend John wanted to share you this list of contacts you can market your script to. It's yours to use free of charge. He just asks that you don't post it online or sell it. To make the most of that list or any efforts to sell any script you write though, you really might want to consider his query letter, screenplay coverage / feedback, or rewriting services. It's pretty competitive out there!
You can contact directly at john@screenwritersforhire.com
I hope you find it useful!
Best wishes,
Michelle Barrett
Chell Dawgz 12/9/17
to Michelle
Sure send me info. But I'll let you know, I'm extremely skeptical about you now. I have had several people in the past contact me with similar intentions on different scripts. All but one, was bogus. The one i got paid for. If there's a payment or subscription in the near future, that I have to contribute...you can kindly lose my email now. But if not, send me info..I'll determine after some light research if this is spam or not.
Take care
Michelle Barrett 12/10/17
to me
Hi Marcello,
And feel free to check out his site for yourself too. He has a lot of experience and free info like articles, ebooks, writing samples, etc. you might find useful: https://screenwritersforhire.com/ Good luck to you!
Best wishes,
Michelle Barrett
On 2017-12-09 21:16:27 UTC, Michelle Barrett wrote: Hi Marcello,
My friend John wanted to share you this list of contacts you can market your script to. It's yours to use free of charge. He just asks that you don't post it online or sell it. To make the most of that list or any efforts to sell any script you write though, you really might want to consider his query letter, screenplay coverage / feedback, or rewriting services. It's pretty competitive out there!
You can contact directly at john@screenwritersforhire.com
I hope you find it useful!
Best wishes,
Michelle Barrett
On 2017-12-08 21:16:27 UTC, Michelle Barrett wrote: Hi Marcello,
By the way, I was talking to my screenwriter/novelist buddy John about your screenplay and he really liked what I had to say. He knows a lot about how to ensure scripts are marketable. He has a lot of industry connections. Anyways, I can have him email you some more info if you'd like. Would that be ok?
Best wishes,
Michelle Barrett
On 2017-12-02 21:16:27 UTC, Michelle Barrett wrote: Hi Marcello,
I'm just writing to let you I read your 28-page screenplay, Beyond Redemption, and really enjoyed it. I found it online:
It'd be cool to see how the plot and characters could be developed even further. Have you ever considered doing that? It'd probably make it a lot more marketable too. In any case, just thought I'd drop you a line.
I hope to read more from you in the future!
Best wishes,
Michelle Barrett
Michelle Barrett 12/10/17
to me
I'm sorry to hear about your previous bad experiences. Yes, that would be annoying! It seems it has made you too skeptical to accept potential opportunities. No he wasn't going to ask you for a dime but it seems your overt skepticism has scared him away anyways. In any case, I look forward to reading your next work. Take care and have a wonderful week.
Chell Dawgz 12/11/17
to Michelle
Since I now know this was a spam email, here's a bit of advice for you moving forward. Don't just refer to your contact as "John"...with no attached last name. Red flag number one...The fact that your contact was "scared off" because I was apprehensive about your inquires...Red flag number two. The fact that you shutdown this email correspondence shortly after I asked for information and said I was going to do some research...well that's red flag number three.
In the future, if you follow these simple guidelines, I'm sure you'll be able to swindle a desperate screenwriter into giving you money. If not, i suggest you switch professions.
Pages: 1
Author
Michelle Jennifer Barrett not with SimplyScripts
Logged
Locked Board