Screenwriter Coffee Talk Helps Writers Build Bonds

Once a month, Sujata Day knew where she could find a community of her fellow screenwriters gathered together in one place to share experiences, casually network and pick up tips from panelists who are tackling topics that are specific to screenwriters.

Screenwriter Sujata Dayhas. Photo by Gregory Wallace.

For a writer like Day, finding that community at the Screenwriter Coffee Talk—which has been held at 10 a.m. the third Thursday of the month at the Guild since April—has been a boon. Attending all six sessions, she has both brought writer friends and made new ones.

“I’ve been to a couple events through the Asian American Writers Committee and the South Asian Writers Committee. During the strike, I participated in the picket lines and the theme pickets and that was great,” said Day who joined the Guild in early 2023. “I do feel like something was missing from us being on the picket lines and hanging out with other writers. Screenwriter Coffee Talk brought it back—that similar kind of energy of us bonding.”

The meetups were launched by WGAW President Michele Mulroney and screenwriter board members Chris Hazzard and Maggie Levin. Following an introductory session in April during which attendees threw out ideas for topics, Screenwriter Coffee Talk has held panels on OWAs, entrepreneurship, “Writing for Yourself to Direct,” and pitching, as well as a conversation on career longevity with Billy Ray. 

WGAW Board member Chris Hazzard leads a group discussion at a recent Screenwriter Coffee Talk. Photo by Moises Marquez.

“This is very much for screenwriters and focusing on screenwriter-specific issues and questions,” Mulroney explained. “The whole point of this is for the screenwriter community to have a chance to gather in the way that TV writers gather when they’re working in writers’ rooms. We want to get screenwriters out of the house once month at least, out of our pajamas and into the Guild.”

The meetings typically begin with casual mingling over coffee and pastries, followed by a discussion of the month’s selected topic. During the session on open writing assignments (OWAs), attendees broke off into three groups to discuss their experiences, horror stories, and bits of advice, eventually reconvening to share some of their ideas. To keep things loose, they also compiled a list sharing the stupidest notes they had ever received. 

By the end of the session, attendees had amassed a solid list of factors to consider when they went out for OWAs.

Among the take-aways:

• Get as much information as you can about a project’s history whether through your reps or on your own using the WGAW Project Page. Ask about the time frame and how long the project has been in development. Even a Google search of the movie title might yield some intel.
• Determine whether the producer actually owns the rights to the material they’re asking you to pitch for.
• If you are asked to leave any pages, notes, or content related to your pitch, remember the “no writing left behind” rule, and refuse. Blame Guild rules if you like, but the answer is no. That goes for Zoom pitches as well. Do not allow the meeting to be recorded.
• If you are asked to sign a contract—no matter how short or innocuous it might seem—and you need a second pair of eyes on it, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Contracts Department at the Guild.

WGAW members react to a panelist's horror story at a recent Screenwriter Coffee Talk. Photo by Moises Marquez.

Noting both the robust attendance and the feedback she has received, Levin is pleased that Screenwriter Coffee Talks appear to be filling a need.

“We’ve been very fortunate that both attendees and the panelists we’ve been getting and the topics we’ve been moving through have managed to strike that zone of being educational, action-driven and uplifting,” Levin said. “In a time where there’s so much strain and so much difficulty for anybody working in the film industry, having glimmers of hope is really fundamental to our mental survival, and the Coffee Talks have wound up being this sweet space for that to happen.”

For more information about Screenwriter Coffee Talk, contact Rahul Neuman in Member Organizing.