Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽

TV Writer @trueliescbs, @theequalizercbs. Also a short fiction author, former popstar, true crime producer and scripted podcast writer. Rep: Ellie Klein at TFC

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

Enjoying my red carpet moment repping my pilot The Secret Life of Samira Sen at #IFFLA.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

Well I guess it needs to be said again: Please don’t send writers and producers unsolicited scripts or materials. We cannot legally accept these from you! I guess someone added me to database of ProdCos. Now I’m getting unsolicited scripts weekly. They get trashed unread. Sorry.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

All true. I’ll add that film & tv aren’t the only mediums anymore. YouTube is blowing up for both live action and animation. Scripted podcasts in romance, true crime and fantasy have a huge audience to create for. Short fiction is an avenue in. Endless possibilities.

[Jeremiah Lewis @fringeblog]

Last year, TV writing jobs dropped 42%. Studios slashed entry points that used to launch careers.

Yet specs are selling again and indies are finding audiences without gatekeepers.

The game has split in two. A thread ⬇️

[luca @waynesfury]

actually incredible how studios almost always learn the wrong lessons. backrooms was so successful cause kane parsons is passionate about the material. getting a cashgrab off a random story on reddit isnt gonna have that same success

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@MisterFabulist 💯

[Callum Mullin @cmbgraphicdsn]

Possibly unpopular opinion? Being a "Youtuber" and a creative who uploads to YouTube are not the same thing. Both Parsons and Barker used YouTube as a platform to post their work - their goals were to be filmmakers not YouTubers. Just young creatives using the platforms they can.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

C. Backrooms is an anomaly. For every Backrooms there’s a million “social proof” concepts that tank in development. Finding projects like this isn’t a financially sound or viable business strategy in the long run. You have to go to YouTube AND read scripts to find the best stuff.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

This is studios retaliating against writers for the strike. Because there’s thousands of great scripts being submitted to them. They have the next Backrooms in their inbox somewhere. But they won’t read. They will do this shit instead. Which isn’t serving the industry well.

[The Hollywood Reporter @THR]

'Backrooms' Sends Hollywood Running to Reddit for New Ideas https://t.co/eLMvyQCMpI

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

For everyone saying studios want “social proof”:

A. Reddit is not YouTube. It’s anonymous and has no real social proof.
B. An idea is nothing without execution. A script (or YouTube short) shows vision and how an idea can actually work in practice.
And C… (1/2).

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@frxnkmarco The fresh voices are also in their inbox, “discovered” by big agents. They don’t care.

[𝕾𝖊𝖙𝖍 𝕸 𝕾𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖜𝖔𝖔𝖉 @SethMSherwood]

This is the most on the money take on the state of the industry and "breaking in" I've seen. I'd add to it that there are scores of mid-level people, like me, who broke in under the old ways and are now permanently stuck at that level unless they pivot to making their own stuff.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@Jamie_Nash Lol. My theater applauded too and was also made up of mostly 55+ audience members!

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@den_ster No one asked for your opinion and no one asked you to come comment on my post. Go away.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

I dunno guys. I liked Disclosure Day!

Is it the best movie ever made? No.

Is the plot ridiculous? Yes.

Was it a fun movie going experience and wildly entertaining? Yes.

And Emily Blunt can do a killer American accent!

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@den_ster https://t.co/yJsWBVbwjc

[John Macgowan @john_macgowan]

The reason Disclosure Day isn't resonating is the whole plot revolves around using broadcast television to change the world, a concept that anyone under the age of 55 finds completely unbelievable. The movie starts with a weather woman sperging out and making weird sounds live on air and that's meant to go viral? In Australian television that's any given broadcast. In real life the network would bombard youtube with copyright take down notices, no one would ever know it happened. Then they broadcast the government secrets to the whole world on one station's rig? Why didn't they just post it online? That's never explained! It probably would have been a cool movie in 1999.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@LukeBarnett Picketed with him during the strike. Saw Disclosure Day today and was like this when he popped up.

[Sue♡ @bookslattes]

The worst thing streaming services did was convince people that 8 episodes is a full season.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@redheadfilm So then we’re back to the question — what is the solution if back end can’t be in the conversation?

You commented on this post as if I shouldn’t have an opinion as ATL. But you don’t seem to have a solution. So we’re all just trying to figure it out no?

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

My 2 cents on the Obsession Art Director pay discourse:

1. It’s not 2019 anymore. Rates now are lower not higher. Sucks, but true. Agreeing to a rate means that’s all you’ll get.

2. Everyone should always negotiate backend pay in their deals on everything they do.

That’s it.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@redheadfilm So basically you’re saying what I’m saying. There should be backend points negotiated. That’s literally what I said. The difference is more crew need to ask for that in their deals because most producers now are not gonna offer it without the ask.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@redheadfilm I have worked BTL too.

What is the solution? She would have been paid more on her next movie if she hadn’t made the post. Everyone is complaining but what is the solution?! Studios are never gonna roll over and just give more money. And strikes don’t work. So what’s the answer?

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

@BrianMcquery Holy crap! But yup. That’s why reading your deal and being clear on terms is so important. Good on you for catching it!

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

I helped develop the concept for a movie that was in theaters earlier this year. I got NO credit. You know whose fault that was? Mine! Because five years ago I didn’t negotiate my deal well.

This industry is a gamble. Studios will screw you over. Deal negotiation is key.

[Minoti Vaishnav 💅🏽 @minotimusic]

My 2 cents on the Obsession Art Director pay discourse:

1. It’s not 2019 anymore. Rates now are lower not higher. Sucks, but true. Agreeing to a rate means that’s all you’ll get.

2. Everyone should always negotiate backend pay in their deals on everything they do.

That’s it.