Interview: Pitching & Selling Your Screenplays to Film & Television with Attorney Dinah Perez

02/06/18 • 84 min

Dinah Perez graduated from Loyola Law School and has been in the practice of entertainment law since 1996. As a full service entertainment attorney she supports screenwriters, producers, talent management companies, production companies, publishers, recording artists, and creators of new media content.

Her work has been published in Story Board Magazine, Release Print, Surfview.com, Legalserviceindia.com, Mecfilms.com, and Findlaw.com, and she's been quoted in Entertainment Weekly, Wired Magazine, Wired.Com. She was interviewed by John Scott Lewinski for his books, Alone In A Room and The Screenwriters Guide to Agents and Managers. She's spoken at the Screenwriters World Conference, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Scriptwriters Network, Writers Digest Conference West, and Cinewomen. Ms. Perez is fully bi-lingual in Spanish and services clients from Spain, South America, and Mexico.

She is publisher of

In this podcast Dinah Perez addresses:

How Writers Sell Screenplays
Submitting Your Work to Agents, Managers & Producers
Understanding Submission Releases & Shopping Agreements
How Entertainment Lawyers Work with Writers to Close Deals
5 Mistakes Most Writers Make When They Negotiate Their Own Deals

If you have questions, please email [email protected]. I look forward to being of service to you.

Music in this Episode was licensed for commercial use from Pond5.com.

She is publisher of

In this podcast Dinah Perez addresses:

How Writers Sell Screenplays
Submitting Your Work to Agents, Managers & Producers
Understanding Submission Releases & Shopping Agreements
How Entertainment Lawyers Work with Writers to Close Deals
5 Mistakes Most Writers Make When They Negotiate Their Own Deals

If you have questions, please email [email protected]. I look forward to being of service to you.

Music in this Episode was licensed for commercial use from Pond5.com.

Previous Episode

Interview Writers Block Causes and Cures with Dr. Rebecca Roy the "Industry Therapist"

Dr. Rebecca Roy has built a successful practice helping entertainment industry professionals reach their goals, manage their stress, and deal with the natural ebb and flow of creative careers. She is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY 28773) with both a Ph.D. and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology (MFT 45901) and she has 12 years experience as a psychotherapist licensed to treat both individuals and couples. She uses evidence-based treatment approaches which are both solution-focused and long-lasting which help her patients reach their goals while remaining grounded, sane, and creative.

She is a former coach of Olympic athletes and has over 20 years of experience helping people reach their goals, including many writers. She has been featured in the New York Times, LA Times, Reuters, CNN and many other major media.

Topics addressed include:

Frequent Causes of Writers Block and other forms of Severe Creative Inhibition
How these Inhibitions Creep into the Lives of Creative Professionals
How External Forces Can Exacerbate Creative Inhibition
Entertainment Industry Specific Challenges for Creative People including Drugs, Alcohol, Untreated Organic Mental Illness, etc.
The Impact of Creative Inhibitions on the Work and Well Being of Creative People
Self Help Solutions that Don’t Help at All for Those “Blocked” in Creative Pursuits
How Psychologists Understand and Treating Creative Impairments
The Unexpected Benefits of Working Through Creative Blocks
Carl Jung, CBT, and Other Therapeutic Lenses through which Creative Blocks can be understood and treated.

If you are a creative professional working to write, produce, act, etc, you can find the support and active community you need at www.NancyFultonMeetups.com.

Next Episode

Interview: Setting Up Product Placement & Brand Integration with Producer Patti Pelton

Producer Patti Pelton has worked with CBS, Paramount, Walt Disney Studios among many others to arrange deals which make projects easier to produce and more profitable. You can learn about Patti's background and work here: www.PattiPelton.com

Product placement and brand integration deals can significantly reduce your costs and increase your revenues. They can also make your project more attractive to investors.

Tip: Reach out to Patti, or anyone else you want to work with to do product placement, brand integration, and/or sponsorship before funding and production if you want to maximize the value of your production. Minor tweaks to the script may have a huge impact on who you can work with and what you can earn.

Topics addressed in this recorded interview include

Acquiring filming locations, props, and other elements required for production through product placement.
Brand integration deals and how they can generate revenue for a film.
Why companies sponsor projects or invest in product placement
How business use their involvement in a project to promote their products and services to customers and their company to investors.
Necessary Clearances and Standards & Practices Compliance

If you have questions about this interview please send me an email at [email protected]. I look forward to being of service to you. Patti can be reached at [email protected]