INDUSTRY 101: GETTING REP’D
With your script in one hand and all its accolades in the other, you’re sure now is the time to look for representation. You’re feeling great, awesome, super stoked. Just one problem: Where do you start? You’ve heard about query letters. Do they still work? You know you should network, but how and where do you do that? Before sending that thousand-word query letter or applying to be Steven Spielberg’s pool guy so you can slip him a script, join us for a discussion on how you should write a query letter, what reps look for, when the best time to reach out is, and much more.
Humanitas's Industry 101 event series has been made possible with support from our series sponsor Sony Pictures Entertainment.
American Sign Language interpretation services will be provided by Pro Bono ASL.
THE PANELISTS
Matt Baldovsky
Matt Baldovsky graduated from Ithaca College with a BA in Television/Radio Production in 2011. During his time at Ithaca, Matt had several internships including with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, and with NBC at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. A week after graduation, he joined the mailroom at APA and quickly moved to ICM Partners where he worked as the TV Literary Coordinator. Matt then joined UTA as a Television Literary Agent in 2016 and currently represents writers, directors and producers for television and film including Harlan Coben (Stay Close), Lauren Oliver (Panic), Michelle Paradise (Star Trek: Discovery), Beau DeMayo (X-Men '97), Radio Silence (Scream), Ti West (X), Temple Hill (Dave) and Rideback (Walker).
Anna Berthold-Zuk
Anna Berthold-Zuk is an agent in the Motion Picture Literary division at United Talent Agency representing writers, directors and producers in film and television. She leads UTA Animation, a cross-departmental division for kids & family and adult animation. Anna and Partner Gregory McKnight established HappyNest Entertainment, a kids and family animation production company that is a co-venture between UTA and Stampede Ventures. Anna is a veteran of the nonprofit industry and before joining UTA, worked with organizations around the world on issues of digital media and community engagement. Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Anna graduated from University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and later received her Master’s of Public Diplomacy, also from USC.
Dean Fluker
Dean Fluker is a Talent Agent at the leading global talent and entertainment company, United Talent Agency (UTA). He represents a large cross-section of artists including Jessica Alba, Victoria Justice, Nick Kroll, Charlie Cox, Jay Ellis, and Alfie Allen. He began his career in entertainment as a concert talent buyer for the Student Commission on Programming Entertainment at the University of Iowa. He was also a trainee at ICM Partners and an agent at Jeff Berg’s Resolution before joining UTA. Prior to entertainment, Fluker started his professional career in politics as a Field Organizer and Youth Vote Director on the 2008 presidential campaign for then-Senator Barack Obama. In 2009, he joined the Obama Administration as a political appointee, where he served for 3 years, working on President Obama’s healthcare bill and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative against childhood obesity. Since working at UTA he has served as the Co-Chair for UTA Unity, the Agency’s BIPOC employee inclusion group and currently serves on the Leadership Council, a group that was formed to make progress on UTA’s inclusion priorities.
Gina M. Reyes
Gina M. Reyes started her Hollywood career at International Creative Management talent agency in Motion Picture Production and transitioned to Film Development in her post with Ms. Salma Hayek’s production company, Ventanazul, which had an overall deal with MGM. Following her time at Ventanazul, Gina landed at 20th Century Fox Film as a Creative Executive in feature film development and then made the move to 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Broadcasting Company where she developed and oversaw the first all-female director initiative, the Fox TV Directors Lab, where she transitioned feature directors into the episodic space. Furthermore, she oversaw the Fox Writers Lab where she staffed female and diverse voices on 20th/Fox scripted series.
As an advocate for diverse and female talent, Gina naturally transitioned to representation in her role as a TV literary agent at Verve Talent and Literary agency where she spent the last 3 ½ years building her roster consisting of Writer & Director Aitch Alberto (Duster, Little America, Aristotle and Dante); Showrunner and Director Tanuj Chopra (Delhi Crime/Netflix); Showrunner and Director Marvin Lemus (Gentefied/Netflix); Director Eif Rivera (Wu-Tang, Power Ghost, Raising Kanan, Force, BMF, For Life); Executive Producer, Writer, Director Rebecca Rodriguez (Zorro, Breathe, Debris, Snowpiercer, Mayans); and Executive Producer and Writer Santa Sierra (Raising Kanan, Vida, Mayans, Narcos).
Originally from Chicago, Gina attended Columbia College Chicago where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Television.
THE HOST
Aadip Desai
Aadip Desai is an Indian American television writer, speaker, comedian, multi-instrumentalist, and Air Force Brat. He was honored as a BAFTA Breakthrough for his work as a Staff Writer on The Goldbergs (ABC). He’s written for Mira, Royal Detective (Disney Jr.), Sharkdog (Nickelodeon/Netflix), Dew Drop Diaries (DreamWorks/Netflix), and more. Aadip dropped out of AFI’s MFA Screenwriting program after getting into the ABC/Disney TV Writing Program.
Aadip is also an Advisor/Instructor at the Sundance Institute, runs the 17k-member LA TV Writers Facebook Group, and sits on the BAFTA North American Learning, Inclusion, and Talent Committee. Aadip was a longtime co-host/producer of the On The Page Screenwriting Podcast and former President of the NWSG. He has gabbed, in some capacity, at AFI, NYU, UCLA, USC, AFF, BAFTA, WGA, CAPE, Film2Future, Roadmap Writers, Final Draft, Screenwriters Rant Room, and many more.
Aadip’s reps are Varun Monga at Kaplan Stahler Agency and Matt Rosen at Rain Management Group. He’s murdered seven sideburn trimmers in the last two years.
