CARNIVAL SHOWMAN

Creative Screenwriting publisher Erik Bauer talks about his upcoming annual Screenwriting Expo, why he started the event five years ago, some of the new and exciting additions this year, the spec script market and his debut as an actor.

CCF: For those that have never attended a Screenwriting Expo, why don’t you explain it a little bit?

EB: Esquire called the Screenwriting Expo “a carnival for the screenwriter” and I guess there is a little truth in that. At any one time there are between 20 and 25 different events going on, from a guest of honor like William Goldman or Oliver Stone to two different panel discussions, to the CS Open (an on-site writing tournament), to pitching to 60 different companies, to up to 20 seminars on different aspects of writing and marketing your screenplay. There is no other event for screenwriters like the Screenwriting Expo.

CCF: What is it you hope people that attend are able to come away with?

EB: Contacts in the industry, recharged batteries, and new ideas on how to move their careers forward.

CCF: What are some of the things you are excited about with this year’s event?

EB: Wow. This year we are doing some amazing things. First of all, Pixar Animation Studios is coming to present seminars and panels on their storytelling process. Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”) and Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) will each be presenting a 90-minute seminar on their storytelling process, and the rest of the creative staff at Pixar will be appearing on two panel discussions. I believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the most successful company in the History of Hollywood. We have also added a fourth day this year on “Taking Back Your Career.” These special sessions will introduce aspiring and Guild screenwriters to some really excellent speakers on how they can break out of the rut they are in and move their career forward. For those writers planning on pitching their scripts at the Expo, there is a special track on pitching from some of the most successful screenwriters (Simon Kinberg) and producers (Robert Kosberg) in the business. Plus, there are master class tracks this year and a lot of other new events.

CCF: The master track classes sound really cool. I especially like the fact you have the sessions on horror, as well as directing and producing. It seems with the cost of making movies going down in the past several years there’s been a new breed of independent up-and-coming filmmakers, especially in horror, that are essentially, writing, producing and directing. Many are even doing it with no training at all. Are classes like these a response to such a trend or was it just you trying to take Expo to another level?

EB: It’s about empowerment. As the market for spec scripts has dried up, to some extent, in Hollywood, writers need to seek new avenues towards realizing their visions. Luckily, the cost of production has come down so far that anyone with the proper drive can transform themselves into an auteur. That’s what we’re trying to foster with these tracks.

CCF: So has the market for spec scripts dried up completely? Are the days of a “nobody” selling a screenplay for a nice chunk of change completely over? And if so, do you think the market will come back around once Hollywood realizes people are sick of sequels, remakes and copycat films?

EB: I don’t believe the market has completely dried up, plus a good spec can get you meetings for assignments, where the real money is. I do think that a lot more emphasis is being made on producing films based on pre-existing properties - comic books, films, novels.

CCF: How are you able to get such great screenplay writers like William Goldman and Shane Salerno to not just participate once at the Expo, but actually be repeat speakers?

EB: From what he has told me, William Goldman pretty much does one event a year, and that is the Expo. Shane Salerno has been really supportive over the years, and is a great mentor for a number of writers that I know. I think the reason they come back is that the Screenwriting Expo has it’s heart in the right place. We’ve always worked to keep the admission price as reasonable as possible, so no writer who wants to attend is priced out.

CCF: I attended Expo 3 and Robert Evans was supposed to be a guest of honor and for whatever reason he wasn’t there. With someone like Oliver Stone I am guessing there we be a number of people coming just to see him. How often has the Expo had to deal with no shows and how definite is it Stone will be there?

EB: Oliver Stone’s appearance is as definite as any appearance can be. We always schedule our guests “subject to availability” because they are so high-profile, and live such busy lives. But we rarely have anyone drop out.

CCF: Do you have any good success stories in regard to the Expo? Any individuals who have won the screenplay contest and later sold that script or somebody that pitched and ended up signing or writers that have attended and a few years later been back as speakers or teachers?

EB: A large number of writers who have placed in the Expo Competition have gone on to option their screenplays and gain representation. The winner from two years ago optioned her screenplay and Mike Medavoy (Phoenix Pictures) came on board as executive producer. They are still working on getting that movie made. Another sold their reality show pitch at the Expo Pitch Meetings on the spot. Another writer optioned their screenplay to New Line. So writers are using the contacts they are making at the Expo to advance their careers.

CCF: As far as writing do you believe anyone is capable of writing a good script? In other words, can someone that isn’t necessarily creative, learn the skills and be successful in the field or does the creativity far outweigh the technical side?

EB: I believe it is a mixture. Anyone can learn the format and structure of a screenplay, but it takes real time and dedication to transform these basics into something worthy of reading, let alone producing.

CCF: How did the Expo originally come about?

EB: I had always been a little disgusted with the conferences that were offered for screenwriters. They were very expensive and didn’t, in my opinion, offer a lot. So I started the Screenwriting Expo, where anyone who wanted to come could afford to attend.

CCF: How many attended the debut Expo and what kind of numbers are you expecting this year?

EB: 2,700. We’re hoping for 5,000 this year.

CCF: Was the change of venues because the event is getting bigger or what exactly?

EB: The first four years were held at the L.A. Convention Center, but that location had a lot of limitations for people who will be attending a four-day event. The Marriott and Renaissance Hotels have solved these problems for us, and should present a much more pleasing atmosphere for all the Expo sessions.

CCF: What does it take to pull this event off? Is it a year-round job with all the scheduling involved?

EB: It’s a part-time job for about six months, then a full-time job for six months.

CCF: Do you yourself pick up little helpful hints at the Expo and when are we going to get a movie written by Erik Bauer?

EB: I’ve learned a lot, primarily, from the Expo DVD series. During the Expo I don’t have time to attend many of the events, but I’m heavily involved in the DVD series and some of those are amazing. I have learned quite a bit, and they have reenergized me in going back in on my own work. Nothing that I have written, as of yet, has been worthy of production, but I did serve as one of the producers of the independent drama “Hard Scrambled.” We are very proud with how it has turned out.

CCF: There are a lot of really good speakers and teachers at the Expo, many back from the last time I was there. I’ve got some favorites like UCLA’s Karl Iglesias, but who are some of yours?

EB: I can only speak about the speakers in the DVD series, but I would say Jim Mercurio, Michael Hauge, Karl Iglesias, and Paul Gulino.

CCF: Tell me a bit more about “Hard Scrambled.” What was your involvement? How did that come about? And will you be doing any more acting in the future?

EB: I think my acting career is probably less promising than my producing and writing, but it was fun sharing a couple of scenes with Kurtwood Smith (“That 70’s Show”). “Hard Scrambled” came from a free contest run through Creative Screenwriting magazine looking for one-location scripts. We found a great screenplay, based on the play of the same name by Chicago playwright David Scott Hay. Part of the goal of the contest was to empower the writer to direct, so David directed the film, which is now playing on the festival circuit. “Hard Scrambled” received Best Dramatic Feature at the Garden State Film Festival.

CCF: Well, that will about do it. Thanks for your time.

- CCF, August 2006