Hollywood Big Breaks and Writing Contests

The Tracking Board is taking a deeper look into the world of screenwriting contests throughout the month of February, and how these contests can be a booster to some unknown’s career. Screenwriters with no link to Hollywood have found their career path mostly through the help of writing contests sponsored by some of the country’s major production companies. But these contests, which seem to be everywhere now, are only a recent trend over the past twenty years. They have been a way for Hollywood to invite more talent and prospective into their living room without having to get up and directly answer the door. More importantly, they are proof that good writing doesn’t always come from New York or California, but also somewhere in between. Here is a place for the script in the Midwest, sitting on a desk, collecting dust in the mind of someone with no connections, money, or belief to obtain a chance at the “American Dream”.