Saturday, October 12, 2013

#498 hidden treasure

In 2005, someone saw an opportunity to dig deeper.  Franklin Leonard surveyed 100 film industry experts about their favorite scripts that had not made into feature films.  He published the Black List and it took on a life of its own.  

Since its inception, over 200 Black List titles have been made into films, grossing over $16 billion worldwide.  Black List screenplays have won five of the last ten screenwriting Academy Awards.  They have won 25 Oscars, including two Best Pictures (The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire).  You may have heard of some of the other previously rejected works:  Juno, Life of Pi, the Blind Side, the Bucket List, the Kiterunner, Horrible Bosses, the Queen, the Proposal, Frost/Nixon, the Social Network.  Look at the list yourself at: www.blcklst.com

Today, Leonard surveys 500 film experts and receives an astonishing 60% return rate.  The list has become the go-to place for people to find great scripts and for scriptwriters to find producers.  Overall, it is a win-win for everyone, including the audiences.

Think about where you could look beyond the obvious and uncover a treasure trove of value for your organization.  There is a gallery in town that showcases art not selected for the primary venue.  Publishers could imitate the Black List for books.  The coach could recruit the second best guard or runner.  Schools could seek B students instead of only valedictorians.  Banks could take a chance on those not initially approved for credit.

Everyone wants the A-listers, but sometimes you have to create a list of your own to really find the treasures.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Thanks to Meg for sharing!

No comments:

Post a Comment