Today I interviewed screenwriter Rick Ramage (Stigmata) and his 25 year journey has been an interesting one. If I told you he optioned his first screenplay for only $5,000 you may not be impressed—until you learned that it was while he was still a student at AFI. And that it quickly led him to working on projects with Sydney Pollack and Steven Spielberg.
And if that doesn’t impress you, what if I told you he once sold a spec script for 2.5 million dollars? If none of the above impresses you I’ll have to result to playing my “unlikely places” card and tell you that he was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised—and mostly remained— in Denver, Colorado through all the highs and lows of working in the Hollywood film business.
I’ll unpack his journey more next month, but for now here’s a sample of our Q&A earlier today.
SWS Question: What encouragement do you have for a screenwriter who doesn’t want to uproot and move to L.A.—can they succeed from North Dakota or South Africa?
Rick Ramage: “I believe they can. From the bottom of my heart, I believe they can. Because it’s all about great stories. The one thing that’s worth a lot of money in Hollywood is a story. And if you have a good one they’ll find you. Agents will find you, because word will get out. I have this thing [I teach], ‘Don’t be afraid of rejection, be afraid of not being read.’ At least if it’s a rejection you’ll know. I still have a lot of phobias. One is after I start a script is, ‘Will I be able to do it again?’ And, ‘How will it be read. How will it be received? Will I be read?’ Those insecurities are normal. They’re indicative of our profession. I want other writers to know we all go through that.”
Related Quote:
“I believe as long as you have a compelling story and talent, you could be on a farm in Iowa and start your screenwriting career. Although I now live and work in New York City, I originally got my start in Orlando, Florida.”
Amanda Caswell
How I Started My Screenwriting Career From Outside LA
Related posts:
Blake Snyder Revisited “I have said often that geography is no longer an impediment to a career in screenwriting.”
Christopher Lockhart Q&A (Part 1) The WME Story Editor says you don’t need a great script, but the right script.
‘You can write from anywhere’
Why You Shouldn’t Move to L.A.
Why You Should Move to L.A.
‘Keep Your Head Down’
The 99% Focus Rule
Juno Has Another Baby (Emmy) Diablo Cody is the poster child for the “Screenwriting from Iowa” blog, and while she had no problem moving to L.A. after selling her first screenplay, the fact is she found her initial success writing in Minneapolis. (You know, in the state next door to North Dakota.)
P.S. Any produced screenwriters who are interesting in being interviewed and passing on their knowledge and insights to other writers send me an email at info@scottwsmith.com.