The key to doing anything in the Hollywood screenwriting business, whether it’s selling the script, financing a movie, or getting the cast in a role if you’re an actor, is networking. And here’s the funny thing about networking: people tend to move in circles with people who have a similar social status to theirs, which means if you’re not connected yet and you’re trying to communicate with A-list actors.

Find friends who are on the same level

And this has nothing to do with the amount of talent you have as a writer, but with human psychology. People, by nature, have an aversion to being used, which makes them reluctant to date people who do not belong to the same social stratum as them. In other words, if you meet a famous person, it will take you longer than usual to earn their trust and form a lasting relationship because they believe that you will use them to try to get into business. And let’s be honest, if you had the connection, wouldn’t you use it to try and sell your script?

What does all this mean in the long run? It means that if you are going to build your social network of industry actors to try and sell your script, you need to get people who are rising stars, not those who are already famous, to help you build your social network. If you spend all your time trying to reach people who have already made it, you have nothing to offer them, and as much as this sucks, almost all the interactions that people have with each other, and have had since the beginning of the times, it comes down to this: one guy has something the other wants. It’s as simple as that: the friendship would be one-sided, and the hypothetical celebrity in question is more than aware of this and probably won’t help you sell your script.

So how do you start this process of selling your script? Well, if you have the time, money or the desire, this is where I will recommend that you move to New York or Los Angeles. A small town, no matter how much you love it, will not have the kind of entertainment infrastructure you need to meet actors, directors, producers, and other writers who can help you launch your career. For better or for worse, who you know is going to trump what you know in this business every time, and this is something you should always keep in mind.