INTERVIEW WITH MIKE BLUTSTEIN - FROM SCRIPT TO SALE TO SCREEN

 

Mike Blutstein is the Vice President Film and Television for the heavy hitting John Goldwyn Productions. Under the prolific producer, John Goldwyn, the company has been responsible for successes such as "DEXTER", THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, BABY MAMA and HOT ROD. Mike’s position and taste have afforded him an expansive network including Hollywood’s top agents, writers, directors and studios. Presently, he is an executive on content such as Lionsgate’s "MANHUNT", Hulu’s "DOPESICK" and Peacock’s MACGRUBER. He is also currently adapting the story of Mandy Harvey, the world’s most famous fully-deaf musician. Mike enjoys championing stories with poignant themes and interesting characters, ranging in genre from Sci-Fi to Romance and Dramas. In his prior position, Mike worked on the production side at "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE", where he also continued to build a love for Comedies and Dramedies. I hope you enjoy our conversation and learn a little about navigating  Hollywood to sell a script, and get it to the screen. 

MIKE BLUTSTEIN 

Mike specializes in all genres of film and television, especially Comedy, inspirational stories, Rom Coms, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thrillers, Horrors, anything cerebral and high concept. Please no War features or Westerns. 

I am so excited to tell you about the brand new, incredibly thorough six-hour class I’ve created & will be teaching called: IDEA to SCRIPT to SALE: A HOLLYWOOD GUIDE.

 

CLICK HERE FOR EVENT

CLICK HERE FOR EVENT

As the Vice President of a high-level production company, as well as a previous agent at Abrams Artists Agency, I have advised countless new writers. And in many of them, I've seen the same thing: no one really understands how the system works. And if you don't know how a system functions, how can you succeed within it?

So, thanks to years of active experience in development, as well as a penchant for guiding others, I wanted to put together this class to help writers answer some of their questions.

Questions like:

“What do I do after I’ve written the script?”

“Is this something buyers are looking for?”

“How do I get my work seen by agents, managers, producers or executives?”

“How do I know the right director or actor for this project?”

Through this two-part, six hour seminar (broken into 3-hour classes) we’ll look at building an idea from the ground up; starting with a hook that grabs an audience, a theme that resonates with readers, and a game plan for positioning your work in the congested Hollywood marketplace.

More specifically, in this class I’m going to be addressing:

FINDING YOUR IDEA

- Tips to come up with an idea that sells

- Using Intellectual Property, including Creative Commons to amplify your project.

- Injecting your own life into a work.

- Putting pen to paper; what is important to highlight in your script/bible/pitch deck.

- We'll be discussing some of your own ideas out loud.

STRATEGIES TO SELL

- Ways to position your project in the congested market.

- Tips to have your work seen by a manager, producer, or executive.

- What studios are looking for.

- How packaging works, including tips to package your project with directors, producers, or talent.

- Tips on networking.

- A question-and-answer period where we talk about your own ideas.

- And more!!!

The class is scheduled to run with Part I on August 28^th (9 am PT – 12 pm PT) and Part II on August 29^th (9 am PT – 12 pm PT). If you cannot make either of those dates, or if you can only make one session, please purchase a ticket and let me know so I can schedule you for a different day (there is a September session for makeups).

Here is the link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/idea-script-sale-a-hollywood-guide-w-industry-executive-mike-blutstein-tickets-164793318251 (August Session)

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/idea-script-sale-a-hollywood-guide-w-industry-executive-mike-blutstein-tickets-164866477071 (September Session)

This class will not promise to sell your tv show, nor will it promise to get you the dream meetings you desire, but what it does offer is an insightful, educational journey as we work together to distill years of experience into a fun, thought-provoking module.

I can't wait to see you there.

Mike Blutstein & Dr. Melissa Caudle