After being discovered during Coverfly Pitch Week, Daniel Woburn signed an option agreement for his project THE HOTEL BARBERS with the Australian production company Script to Screen.
What initially drew you to screenwriting?
I would say that like most screenwriters, it's impossible for me to watch movies and not be inspired to write my own! My imagination has been churning nonstop since I was a kid and in my late 20s I finally decided to get serious and purge some of these ideas from my brain and onto the page. What's the worst that could happen? Screenwriting is such an interesting fusion of craft, creativity and luck, there's nothing like it - all in the name of writing stories that resonate, with the dream of seeing it all played out on the big screen.
What has been the biggest obstacle you've encountered so far in your screenwriting career?
Putting the cart before the horse! There are so many opportunities out there, and competitions to enter, my biggest mistake has been submitting to things before I'm ready. As writers we're always so excited to share our work and see if what we've created lands in the way we want and need - personally, that's led to me pouring money into competitions that I wasn't ready for, or querying managers or producers with a draft that wasn't where it needed to be. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by rushing a first draft out into the world; take the time to get feedback, tinker appropriately, and share a version that's the best it can possibly be.
How has Coverfly helped you along your screenwriting journey?
This option came about thanks to Coverfly's Pitch Week! [The Coverfly team has] been of amazing help over the last few years, and I'm constantly astonished at how they make the time to show their support and provide help and guidance wherever possible, considering how insanely busy they must be. Tom and I have been talking about this project since 2019 when it placed as a Finalist in ScreenCraft's Action & Adventure competition, and without his and Coverfly's help, I'm not sure I would've been able to find as perfect a producer for the project otherwise. Thank you Coverfly!
If you could give a writer currently at where you were a year ago one bit of advice, what would it be?
Don't pin your career's success on signing with a manager or agent out of the gate, or even in your first few years. I'm currently unrepresented but thanks to platforms like Coverfly I've been lucky enough to secure two option agreements, with a third on the way (hopefully!); while having representation is obviously a massive help, it's not impossible to progress without it. I firmly believe that managers and agents and such like will come with time; as Tom from Coverfly advised me a long time ago, the goal isn't to get represented. The goal is to make movies!
