0:00:00.754,0:00:02.365
This weekend,

0:00:02.389,0:00:04.976
tens of millions of people[br]in the United States

0:00:05.000,0:00:07.278
and tens of millions more[br]around the world,

0:00:07.302,0:00:10.231
in Columbus, Georgia, in Cardiff, Wales,

0:00:10.255,0:00:13.212
in Chongqing, China, in Chennai, India

0:00:13.236,0:00:15.141
will leave their homes,

0:00:15.165,0:00:18.363
they'll get in their cars[br]or they'll take public transportation

0:00:18.387,0:00:21.022
or they will carry themselves by foot,

0:00:21.046,0:00:22.799
and they'll step into a room

0:00:22.823,0:00:25.490
and sit down next to someone[br]they don't know

0:00:25.514,0:00:27.213
or maybe someone they do,

0:00:27.982,0:00:30.799
and the lights will go down[br]and they'll watch a movie.

0:00:32.228,0:00:35.506
They'll watch movies[br]about aliens or robots,

0:00:35.530,0:00:38.887
or robot aliens or regular people.

0:00:38.911,0:00:42.416
But they will all be movies[br]about what it means to be human.

0:00:43.831,0:00:46.958
Millions will feel awe or fear,

0:00:46.982,0:00:49.782
millions will laugh and millions will cry.

0:00:50.625,0:00:52.482
And then the lights will come back on,

0:00:52.506,0:00:55.688
and they'll reemerge into the world[br]they knew several hours prior.

0:00:56.014,0:00:58.188
And millions of people[br]will look at the world

0:00:58.212,0:01:01.189
a little bit differently[br]than they did when they went in.

0:01:02.530,0:01:06.260
Like going to temple[br]or a mosque or a church,

0:01:06.284,0:01:08.307
or any other religious institution,

0:01:08.331,0:01:11.604
movie-going is, in many ways,[br]a sacred ritual.

0:01:11.950,0:01:15.286
Repeated week after week after week.

0:01:16.318,0:01:18.080
I'll be there this weekend,

0:01:18.104,0:01:22.532
just like I was on most weekends[br]between the years of 1996 and 1990,

0:01:22.556,0:01:24.506
at the multiplex, near the shopping mall

0:01:24.530,0:01:27.632
about five miles from my childhood home[br]in Columbus, Georgia.

0:01:28.038,0:01:31.614
The funny thing is[br]that somewhere between then and now,

0:01:31.638,0:01:34.085
I accidentally changed[br]part of the conversation

0:01:34.109,0:01:36.236
about which of those movies get made.

0:01:37.003,0:01:41.331
So, the story actually begins in 2005,[br]in an office high above Sunset Boulevard,

0:01:41.355,0:01:42.792
where I was a junior executive

0:01:42.816,0:01:45.760
at Leonardo DiCaprio's[br]production company Appian Way.

0:01:45.784,0:01:49.267
And for those of you who aren't familiar[br]with how the film industry works,

0:01:49.291,0:01:52.626
it basically means that I was[br]one of a few people behind the person

0:01:52.650,0:01:56.080
who produces the movie for the people[br]behind and in front of the camera,

0:01:56.104,0:01:58.839
whose names you will better[br]recognize than mine.

0:01:58.863,0:02:02.578
Essentially, you're an assistant movie[br]producer who does the unglamorous work

0:02:02.602,0:02:05.363
that goes into the creative aspect[br]of producing a movie.

0:02:05.760,0:02:08.149
You make lists of writers[br]and directors and actors

0:02:08.173,0:02:11.363
who might be right for movies[br]that you want to will into existence;

0:02:11.387,0:02:13.910
you meet with many of them[br]and their representatives,

0:02:13.934,0:02:15.994
hoping to curry favor[br]for some future date.

0:02:16.474,0:02:18.386
And you read, a lot.

0:02:19.108,0:02:21.164
You read novels that might become movies,

0:02:21.188,0:02:23.363
you read comic books[br]that might become movies,

0:02:23.387,0:02:25.434
you read articles[br]that might become movies,

0:02:25.458,0:02:27.498
you read scripts that might become movies.

0:02:27.522,0:02:30.656
And you read scripts from writers[br]that might write the adaptations

0:02:30.680,0:02:33.260
of the novels, of the comic books,[br]of the articles,

0:02:33.284,0:02:36.162
and might rewrite the scripts[br]that you're already working on.

0:02:36.186,0:02:38.587
All this in the hope of finding[br]the next big thing

0:02:38.611,0:02:40.860
or the next big writer[br]who can deliver something

0:02:40.884,0:02:44.079
that can make you and your company[br]the next big thing.

0:02:44.561,0:02:49.650
So in 2005, I was a development executive[br]at Leonardo's production company.

0:02:49.963,0:02:53.137
I got a phone call[br]from the representative of a screenwriter

0:02:53.161,0:02:57.248
that began pretty much the way[br]all of those conversations did:

0:02:57.272,0:02:59.139
"I've got Leo's next movie."

0:02:59.761,0:03:02.545
Now in this movie,[br]that his client had written,

0:03:02.569,0:03:05.125
Leo would play an oil industry lobbyist

0:03:05.149,0:03:08.122
whose girlfriend, a local meteorologist,[br]threatens to leave him

0:03:08.146,0:03:10.376
because his work contributes[br]to global warming.

0:03:10.784,0:03:13.291
And this is a situation[br]that's been brought to a head

0:03:13.315,0:03:16.196
by the fact that there's a hurricane[br]forming in the Atlantic

0:03:16.220,0:03:19.585
that's threatening to do Maria-like damage[br]from Maine to Myrtle Beach.

0:03:19.609,0:03:21.664
Leo, very sad about[br]this impending break up,

0:03:21.688,0:03:23.887
does a little more research[br]about the hurricane

0:03:23.911,0:03:26.355
and discovers that in its path[br]across the Atlantic,

0:03:26.379,0:03:29.635
it will pass over a long-dormant,[br]though now active volcano

0:03:29.659,0:03:31.842
that will spew toxic ash into its eye

0:03:31.866,0:03:34.931
that will presumably be whipped[br]into some sort of chemical weapon

0:03:34.955,0:03:36.295
that will destroy the world.

0:03:36.319,0:03:37.495
(Laughter)

0:03:37.519,0:03:41.670
It was at that point that I asked him,

0:03:41.694,0:03:44.847
"So are you basically pitching me[br]'Leo versus the toxic superstorm

0:03:44.871,0:03:46.408
that will destroy humanity?'"

0:03:46.877,0:03:48.646
And he responded by saying,

0:03:48.670,0:03:51.321
"Well, when you say it like that,[br]it sounds ridiculous."

0:03:51.910,0:03:55.082
And I'm embarrassed to admit[br]that I had the guy send me the script,

0:03:55.096,0:03:58.958
and I read 30 pages before I was sure[br]that it was as bad as I thought it was.

0:03:58.982,0:04:01.958
Now, "Superstorm"[br]is certainly an extreme example,

0:04:01.982,0:04:04.125
but it's also not an unusual one.

0:04:04.149,0:04:07.718
And unfortunately, most scripts[br]aren't as easy to dismiss as that one.

0:04:07.742,0:04:11.187
For example, a comedy[br]about a high school senior,

0:04:11.211,0:04:13.349
who, when faced[br]with an unplanned pregnancy,

0:04:13.373,0:04:16.503
makes an unusual decision[br]regarding her unborn child.

0:04:16.527,0:04:18.053
That's obviously "Juno."

0:04:18.077,0:04:20.860
Two hundred and thirty million[br]at the worldwide box office,

0:04:20.884,0:04:23.017
four Oscar nominations, one win.

0:04:23.402,0:04:25.799
How about a Mumbai teen[br]who grew up in the slums

0:04:25.823,0:04:28.157
wants to become a contestant[br]on the Indian version

0:04:28.181,0:04:30.014
of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"?

0:04:30.038,0:04:32.522
That's an easy one --[br]"Slumdog Millionaire."

0:04:32.546,0:04:34.696
Three hundred seventy-seven[br]million worldwide,

0:04:34.720,0:04:36.813
10 Oscar nominations and eight wins.

0:04:37.323,0:04:39.007
A chimpanzee tells his story

0:04:39.031,0:04:41.738
of living with the legendary pop star[br]Michael Jackson.

0:04:42.585,0:04:43.735
Anyone?

0:04:43.759,0:04:44.762
(Laughter)

0:04:44.786,0:04:45.958
It's a trick question.

0:04:45.982,0:04:47.817
But it is a script called "Bubbles,"

0:04:47.841,0:04:50.014
that is going to be directed[br]by Taika Waititi,

0:04:50.038,0:04:51.942
the director of "Thor: Ragnarok."

0:04:52.483,0:04:55.070
So, a large part of your job[br]as a development executive

0:04:55.094,0:04:58.291
is to separate the "Superstorms"[br]from the "Slumdog Millionaires,"

0:04:58.315,0:05:01.591
and slightly more generally,[br]the writers who write "Superstorm"

0:05:01.615,0:05:04.231
from the writers who can write[br]"Slumdog Millionaire."

0:05:04.886,0:05:08.332
And the easiest way to do this, obviously,[br]is to read all of the scripts,

0:05:08.356,0:05:10.356
but that's, frankly, impossible.

0:05:10.800,0:05:13.522
A good rule of thumb[br]is that the Writers Guild of America

0:05:13.546,0:05:16.347
registers about 50,000 new pieces[br]of material every year,

0:05:16.371,0:05:18.125
and most of them are screenplays.

0:05:18.442,0:05:21.537
Of those, a reasonable estimate[br]is about 5,000 of them

0:05:21.561,0:05:24.693
make it through various filters,[br]agencies, management companies,

0:05:24.717,0:05:26.641
screenplay compositions and the like,

0:05:26.665,0:05:28.959
and are read by someone[br]at the production company

0:05:28.983,0:05:30.633
or major studio level.

0:05:30.657,0:05:33.125
And they're trying to decide[br]whether they can become

0:05:33.149,0:05:36.672
one of the 300-and-dropping movies[br]that are released by the major studios

0:05:36.696,0:05:38.387
or their sub-brands each year.

0:05:38.411,0:05:39.583
I've described it before

0:05:39.607,0:05:43.110
as being a little bit like walking[br]into a members-only bookstore

0:05:43.134,0:05:46.094
where the entire inventory[br]is just organized haphazardly,

0:05:46.118,0:05:48.776
and every book has the same,[br]nondescript cover.

0:05:48.800,0:05:51.411
Your job is to enter that bookstore

0:05:51.435,0:05:55.355
and not come back until you've found[br]the best and most profitable books there.

0:05:55.379,0:05:57.712
It's anarchic and gleefully opaque.

0:05:58.982,0:06:01.895
And everyone has their method[br]to address these problems.

0:06:01.919,0:06:03.879
You know, most rely on the major agencies

0:06:03.903,0:06:06.903
and they just assume[br]that if there's great talent in the world,

0:06:06.927,0:06:09.172
they've already found[br]their way to the agencies,

0:06:09.196,0:06:11.879
regardless of the structural barriers[br]that actually exist

0:06:11.903,0:06:13.991
to get into the agencies[br]in the first place.

0:06:14.015,0:06:16.545
Others also constantly compare[br]notes among themselves

0:06:16.569,0:06:18.559
about what they've read and what's good,

0:06:18.583,0:06:21.730
and they just hope that their cohort group[br]is the best, most wired

0:06:21.754,0:06:23.982
and has the best taste in town.

0:06:24.006,0:06:27.073
And others try to read everything,[br]but that's, again, impossible.

0:06:27.553,0:06:29.667
If you're reading[br]500 screenplays in a year,

0:06:29.691,0:06:31.418
you are reading a lot.

0:06:31.442,0:06:34.577
And it's still only a small percentage[br]of what's out there.

0:06:34.601,0:06:36.529
Fundamentally, it's triage.

0:06:37.046,0:06:40.331
And when you're in triage,[br]you tend to default to conventional wisdom

0:06:40.355,0:06:42.624
about what works and what doesn't.

0:06:43.427,0:06:47.323
That a comedy about a young woman[br]dealing with reproductive reality

0:06:47.347,0:06:48.497
can't sell.

0:06:48.895,0:06:52.602
That the story of an Indian teenager[br]isn't viable in the domestic marketplace

0:06:52.626,0:06:54.879
or anywhere else in the world[br]outside of India.

0:06:54.903,0:06:58.799
That the only source of viable movies[br]is a very narrow groups of writers

0:06:58.823,0:07:02.028
who have already found their way[br]to living and working in Hollywood,

0:07:02.052,0:07:04.743
who already have the best[br]representation in the business,

0:07:04.767,0:07:07.606
and are writing a very narrow[br]band of stories.

0:07:07.630,0:07:11.581
And I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit,[br]that that's where I found myself in 2005.

0:07:12.634,0:07:14.864
Sitting in that office[br]above Sunset Boulevard,

0:07:14.888,0:07:17.896
staring down that metaphorical[br]anonymized bookstore,

0:07:17.920,0:07:21.206
and having read nothing[br]but bad scripts for months.

0:07:22.095,0:07:24.119
And I took this to mean one of two things:

0:07:24.143,0:07:26.547
either A: I was not very good at my job,

0:07:26.571,0:07:29.214
which was, ostensibly,[br]finding good scripts,

0:07:29.238,0:07:33.179
or B: reading bad scripts was the job.

0:07:33.203,0:07:35.377
In which case, my mother's[br]weekly phone calls,

0:07:35.401,0:07:38.451
asking me if my law school[br]entrance exam scores were still valid

0:07:38.475,0:07:41.020
was something I should probably[br]pay more attention to.

0:07:41.044,0:07:42.225
What I also knew

0:07:42.249,0:07:44.735
was that I was about to go[br]on vacation for two weeks,

0:07:44.759,0:07:47.500
and as bad as reading bad scripts is[br]when it is your job,

0:07:47.524,0:07:49.246
it's even more painful on vacation.

0:07:49.270,0:07:51.022
So I had to do something.

0:07:51.046,0:07:53.237
So late one night[br]at my office, I made a list

0:07:53.261,0:07:56.493
of everyone that I had had breakfast,[br]lunch, dinner or drinks with

0:07:56.517,0:07:59.883
that had jobs similar to mine,[br]and I sent them an anonymous email.

0:07:59.907,0:08:02.107
And I made a very simple request.

0:08:02.479,0:08:05.133
Send me a list of up to 10[br]of your favorite screenplays

0:08:05.157,0:08:06.506
that meet three criteria.

0:08:06.530,0:08:08.585
One: you love the screenplay,

0:08:08.609,0:08:11.744
two: the filmed version of that screenplay[br]will not be in theaters

0:08:11.768,0:08:13.403
by the end of that calendar year,

0:08:13.427,0:08:16.374
and three: you found out[br]about the screenplay this year.

0:08:17.604,0:08:21.366
This was not an appeal for the scripts[br]that would be the next great blockbuster,

0:08:21.390,0:08:24.323
not an appeal for the scripts[br]that will win the Academy Award,

0:08:24.347,0:08:26.884
they didn't need to be scripts[br]that their bosses loved

0:08:26.884,0:08:28.601
or that their studio wanted to make.

0:08:28.625,0:08:31.687
It was very simply an opportunity[br]for people to speak their minds

0:08:31.711,0:08:33.155
about what they loved,

0:08:33.179,0:08:36.172
which, in this world,[br]is increasingly rare.

0:08:36.196,0:08:40.032
Now, almost all of the 75 people[br]I emailed anonymously responded.

0:08:40.056,0:08:43.149
And then two dozen other people[br]actually emailed to participate

0:08:43.173,0:08:44.735
to this anonymous email address,

0:08:44.759,0:08:48.307
but I confirmed that they did in fact[br]have the jobs they claimed to have.

0:08:48.331,0:08:50.656
And I then compiled the votes[br]into a spreadsheet,

0:08:50.680,0:08:52.704
ran a pivot table,[br]output it to PowerPoint,

0:08:52.728,0:08:54.688
and the night before I left for vacation,

0:08:54.712,0:08:56.617
I slapped a quasi subversive name on it

0:08:56.641,0:08:59.133
and emailed it back[br]from that anonymous email address

0:08:59.157,0:09:00.474
to everyone who voted.

0:09:00.498,0:09:01.728
The Black List.

0:09:01.752,0:09:05.371
A tribute to those who lost their careers[br]during the anti-communist hysteria

0:09:05.395,0:09:06.926
of the 1940s and 50s,

0:09:06.950,0:09:08.839
and a conscious inversion of the notion

0:09:08.863,0:09:11.863
that black somehow[br]had a negative connotation.

0:09:12.546,0:09:15.332
After arriving in Mexico,[br]I pulled out a chair by the pool,

0:09:15.356,0:09:18.268
started reading these scripts[br]and found, to my shock and joy,

0:09:18.292,0:09:20.308
that most of them[br]were actually quite good.

0:09:20.332,0:09:21.732
Mission accomplished.

0:09:22.048,0:09:24.349
What I didn't and couldn't have expected

0:09:24.373,0:09:25.907
was what happened next.

0:09:26.834,0:09:28.914
About a week into my time on vacation,

0:09:28.938,0:09:31.744
I stopped by the hotel's[br]business center to check my email.

0:09:31.768,0:09:33.894
This was a pre-iPhone world, after all.

0:09:34.458,0:09:37.641
And found that this list[br]that I had created anonymously

0:09:37.665,0:09:40.117
had been forwarded back to me[br]several dozen times,

0:09:40.141,0:09:41.642
at my personal email address.

0:09:41.666,0:09:45.515
Everyone was sharing this list of scripts[br]that everyone had said that they loved,

0:09:45.539,0:09:47.777
reading them and then[br]loving them themselves.

0:09:48.110,0:09:51.474
And my first reaction,[br]that I can't actually say here,

0:09:51.498,0:09:53.879
but will describe it as fear,

0:09:53.903,0:09:56.157
the idea of surveying people[br]about their scripts

0:09:56.181,0:09:58.615
was certainly not a novel or a genius one.

0:09:58.639,0:10:01.982
Surely, there was some unwritten[br]Hollywood rule of omertà

0:10:02.006,0:10:04.418
that had guided people[br]away from doing that before

0:10:04.442,0:10:08.182
that I was simply too naive to understand,[br]it being so early in my career.

0:10:08.939,0:10:10.693
I was sure I was going to get fired,

0:10:10.717,0:10:13.907
and so I decided that day[br]that A: I would never tell anybody

0:10:13.931,0:10:15.227
that I had done this,

0:10:15.251,0:10:17.395
and B: I would never do it again.

0:10:18.919,0:10:21.777
Then, six months later,[br]something even more bizarre happened.

0:10:22.133,0:10:24.434
I was in my office, on Sunset,

0:10:24.458,0:10:27.242
and got a phone call[br]from another writer's agent.

0:10:27.266,0:10:30.799
The call began very similarly[br]to the call about "Superstorm":

0:10:30.823,0:10:32.855
"I've got Leo's next movie."

0:10:32.879,0:10:34.895
Now, that's not the interesting part.

0:10:34.919,0:10:37.339
The interesting part[br]was the way the call ended.

0:10:37.363,0:10:41.128
Because this agent[br]then told me, and I quote,

0:10:42.188,0:10:45.045
"Don't tell anybody, but I have it[br]on really good authority

0:10:45.069,0:10:48.649
this is going to be the number one script[br]on next year's Black List."

0:10:48.673,0:10:51.053
(Laughter)

0:10:51.077,0:10:52.227
Yeah.

0:10:52.807,0:10:54.910
Suffice it to say, I was dumbfounded.

0:10:55.284,0:10:59.051
Here was an agent, using the Black List,[br]this thing that I had made anonymously

0:10:59.075,0:11:00.925
and decided to never make again,

0:11:00.949,0:11:02.615
to sell his client to me.

0:11:02.933,0:11:04.782
To suggest that the script had merit,

0:11:04.806,0:11:08.778
based solely on the possibility of being[br]included on a list of beloved screenplays.

0:11:09.541,0:11:13.046
After the call ended, I sat in my office,[br]sort of staring out the window,

0:11:13.070,0:11:15.986
alternating between shock[br]and general giddiness.

0:11:16.010,0:11:18.593
And then I realized that this thing[br]that I had created

0:11:18.617,0:11:19.791
had a lot more value

0:11:19.815,0:11:22.840
than just me finding good screenplays[br]to read over the holidays.

0:11:22.864,0:11:25.069
And so I did it again the next year --

0:11:25.093,0:11:28.268
and the "LA Times" had outed me[br]as the person who had created it --

0:11:28.292,0:11:29.561
and the year after that,

0:11:29.585,0:11:33.052
and the year after that --[br]I've done it every year since 2005.

0:11:33.076,0:11:34.974
And the results have been fascinating,

0:11:34.998,0:11:38.884
because, unapologetic lying aside,[br]this agent was exactly right.

0:11:39.411,0:11:42.737
This list was evidence, to many people,[br]of a script's value,

0:11:42.761,0:11:44.785
and that a great script had greater value

0:11:44.809,0:11:47.634
that, I think, a lot of people[br]had previously anticipated.

0:11:47.658,0:11:50.349
Very quickly, the writers[br]whose scripts were on that list

0:11:50.373,0:11:51.910
started getting jobs,

0:11:51.934,0:11:53.967
those scripts started getting made,

0:11:53.991,0:11:55.406
and the scripts that got made

0:11:55.430,0:11:57.797
were often the ones[br]that violated the assumptions

0:11:57.821,0:11:59.720
about what worked and what didn't.

0:11:59.744,0:12:03.069
They were scripts like "Juno"[br]and "Little Miss Sunshine"

0:12:03.093,0:12:05.641
and "The Queen" and "The King's Speech"

0:12:05.665,0:12:06.815
and "Spotlight."

0:12:07.212,0:12:09.037
And yes, "Slumdog Millionaire."

0:12:09.061,0:12:12.189
And even an upcoming movie[br]about Michael Jackson's chimpanzee.

0:12:13.522,0:12:16.625
Now, I think it's really important[br]that I pause here for a second

0:12:16.649,0:12:20.094
and say that I can't take credit[br]for the success of any of those movies.

0:12:20.118,0:12:24.118
I didn't write them, I didn't direct them,[br]I didn't produce them, I didn't gaff them,

0:12:24.142,0:12:26.426
I didn't make food and craft service --

0:12:26.450,0:12:28.252
we all know how important that is.

0:12:28.276,0:12:30.967
The credit for those movies,[br]the credit for that success,

0:12:30.991,0:12:33.180
goes to the people who made the films.

0:12:33.204,0:12:35.863
What I did was change[br]the way people looked at them.

0:12:35.887,0:12:39.753
Accidentally, I asked[br]if the conventional wisdom was correct.

0:12:40.657,0:12:44.045
And certainly, there are movies[br]on that list that would have gotten made

0:12:44.069,0:12:45.237
without the Black List,

0:12:45.261,0:12:47.649
but there are many[br]that definitely would not have.

0:12:47.673,0:12:50.716
And at a minimum, we've catalyzed[br]a lot of them into production,

0:12:50.730,0:12:52.339
and I think that's worth noting.

0:12:52.363,0:12:55.036
There have been about 1,000[br]screenplays on the Black List

0:12:55.060,0:12:56.926
since its inception in 2005.

0:12:56.950,0:12:59.418
About 325 have been produced.

0:12:59.950,0:13:02.958
They've been nominated[br]for 300 Academy Awards,

0:13:02.982,0:13:04.132
they've won 50.

0:13:04.934,0:13:08.688
Four of the last nine Best Pictures[br]have gone to scripts from the Black List,

0:13:08.712,0:13:12.513
and 10 of the last 20 screenplay Oscars[br]have gone to scripts from the Black List.

0:13:12.839,0:13:15.141
All told, they've made[br]about 25 billion dollars

0:13:15.165,0:13:16.750
in worldwide box office,

0:13:16.774,0:13:19.473
which means that hundreds[br]of millions of people

0:13:19.497,0:13:21.925
have seen these films[br]when they leave their homes,

0:13:21.949,0:13:25.194
and sit next to someone they don't know[br]and the lights go down.

0:13:25.871,0:13:28.643
And that's to say nothing[br]of post-theatrical environments

0:13:28.667,0:13:31.516
like DVD, streaming and,[br]let's be honest, illegal downloads.

0:13:32.482,0:13:36.418
Five years ago today, October 15,

0:13:36.442,0:13:39.061
my business partner and I[br]doubled down on this notion

0:13:39.085,0:13:43.482
that screenwriting talent[br]was not where we expected to find it,

0:13:43.506,0:13:46.537
and we launched a website[br]that would allow anybody on earth

0:13:46.561,0:13:48.743
who had written[br]an English-language screenplay

0:13:48.767,0:13:50.783
to upload their script, have it evaluated,

0:13:50.807,0:13:54.108
and make it available to thousands[br]of film-industry professionals.

0:13:54.132,0:13:56.910
And I'm pleased to say,[br]in the five years since its launch,

0:13:56.934,0:13:58.529
we've largely proved that thesis.

0:13:58.553,0:14:01.799
Hundreds of writers from across the world[br]have found representation,

0:14:01.823,0:14:03.633
have had their work optioned or sold.

0:14:03.657,0:14:06.585
Seven have even seen their films made[br]in the last three years,

0:14:06.609,0:14:08.252
including the film "Nightingale,"

0:14:08.276,0:14:10.688
the story of a war veteran's[br]psychological decline,

0:14:10.712,0:14:13.379
in which David Oyelowo's face[br]is the only one on screen

0:14:13.403,0:14:15.101
for the film's 90-minute duration.

0:14:15.125,0:14:18.407
It was nominated for a Golden Globe[br]and two Emmy Awards.

0:14:18.431,0:14:20.923
It's also kind of cool[br]that more than a dozen writers

0:14:20.947,0:14:22.661
who were discovered on the website

0:14:22.685,0:14:24.867
have ended up[br]on this end-of-year annual list,

0:14:24.891,0:14:27.327
including two of the last three[br]number one writers.

0:14:27.351,0:14:31.373
Simply put, the conventional wisdom[br]about screenwriting merit --

0:14:31.397,0:14:34.960
where it was and where it could be found,

0:14:34.984,0:14:36.349
was wrong.

0:14:36.373,0:14:39.278
And this is notable,[br]because as I mentioned before,

0:14:39.302,0:14:42.577
in the triage of finding[br]movies to make and making them,

0:14:42.601,0:14:45.450
there's a lot of relying[br]on conventional wisdom.

0:14:46.220,0:14:48.141
And that conventional wisdom,

0:14:48.165,0:14:50.347
maybe, just maybe,

0:14:50.371,0:14:52.632
might be wrong[br]to even greater consequence.

0:14:53.688,0:14:56.220
Films about black people[br]don't sell overseas.

0:14:57.117,0:14:59.014
Female-driven action movies don't work,

0:14:59.038,0:15:02.966
because women will see themselves in men,[br]but men won't see themselves in women.

0:15:04.188,0:15:07.355
That no one wants to see movies[br]about women over 40.

0:15:07.379,0:15:11.474
That our onscreen heroes have to conform[br]to a very narrow idea about beauty

0:15:11.498,0:15:13.236
that we consider conventional.

0:15:14.291,0:15:17.307
What does that mean when those images[br]are projected 30 feet high

0:15:17.331,0:15:18.578
and the lights go down,

0:15:18.602,0:15:21.307
for a kid that looks like me[br]in Columbus, Georgia?

0:15:21.331,0:15:23.731
Or a Muslim girl in Cardiff, Wales?

0:15:24.117,0:15:25.717
Or a gay kid in Chennai?

0:15:26.482,0:15:29.181
What does it mean for how we see ourselves

0:15:29.205,0:15:32.450
and how we see the world[br]and for how the world sees us?

0:15:35.308,0:15:37.807
We live in very strange times.

0:15:38.413,0:15:42.200
And I think for the most part,[br]we all live in a state of constant triage.

0:15:42.224,0:15:44.574
There's just too much information,

0:15:44.598,0:15:46.664
too much stuff to contend with.

0:15:46.996,0:15:50.495
And so as a rule, we tend[br]to default to conventional wisdom.

0:15:51.292,0:15:54.811
And I think it's important[br]that we ask ourselves, constantly,

0:15:54.835,0:15:59.582
how much of that conventional wisdom[br]is all convention and no wisdom?

0:16:00.441,0:16:01.591
And at what cost?

0:16:02.079,0:16:03.231
Thank you.

0:16:03.255,0:16:06.992
(Applause)