In this screenwriter interview, we talk to Marc Gomez who just sold his screenplay High School Hustle after using our service.
SCRIPT MAILER: So Marc please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Marc: Let’s see. I was born and raised in the Bronx. When I was a kid I always loved movies and reading comic books, so after high school I went to college at Rutgers where I majored in English. I always wanted to be a writer or a storyteller of some kind, so I thought that was the best subject for me to major in. In reality I just ended up working as a substitute teacher in New York, which was a lot of fun but a far cry from my dream job.
SCRIPT MAILER: Did you have any success as an author?
Marc: I tried writing poetry and short stories for a couple of years but didn’t have much success. But the experience was great and I really enjoyed the writing process. In the end though I realized that I was writing just to feel productive, like I was moving forward without actually going anywhere.
SCRIPT MAILER: I hear a lot of professional writers say the same thing, that they were writing a lot but not moving forward in their careers. Because when it comes to marketing and selling your work that’s not something that a lot of writers do naturally.
Marc: Exactly. I’m a shy, introverted person by nature and I always resisted putting myself out there. Something I’m trying to get over because the more I put myself out there the more successful I become, that’s been my experience. However, when it came to my job as a teacher, I was teaching these kids at an inner-city school and they wouldn’t listen to a word I said. These kids were really disruptive and were physically abusive and violent to each other and also to me.
SCRIPT MAILER: That sounds like a scary situation.
Marc: It was, but I’d taught a lot of disruptive kids before and knew how to handle myself. These kids would swear at me and throw things at me, but once I knew to expect it it wasn’t that bad. The thing that bothered me the most was that I couldn’t connect with these kids on any level.
SCRIPT MAILER: I know how you turned these kids around and how you formed a strong bond and connection with them later on. And that’s the basis for your script. Can you tell us about that?
Marc: I had a breakthrough one day when I was researching how to change these kids lives and came across a teacher who managed to inspire his whole class and get them on his side, so he could really connect with them.
SCRIPT MAILER: Interesting. Can you tell us more about that?
Marc: This teacher had been in a similar situation to me. He was teaching at an inner city school and had kids spit at him and tell him that they hated him.
Then he found that the only way that he could connect with these kids was when he told them about his shoe importing business. How he imported shoes from Hong Kong to America and made a profit. These kids who used to terrorize him suddenly stopped and actually listened to him.
SCRIPT MAILER: These kids suddenly saw value in school then and found a reason to be there.
Marc: Exactly. The kids suddenly had a reason to respect him. That’s when I had my own lightbulb moment. I started doing the same thing in my classes. I started teaching kids how to do business and connecting that with their school work. Suddenly they started paying attention.
SCRIPT MAILER: Was it difficult to suddenly start teaching kids about business and money?
Marc: I had literally zero business experience so what I did was to teach the kids about other successful business people they could relate to. Then a miracle happened. Two of the kids from my class setup their own businesses on the side and were successful.
I couldn’t believe it. High school hustle is the story of how they accomplished that.
SCRIPT MAILER: That’s really inspiring. What was their businesses about?
Marc: One was a food stand, selling weird ice cream flavors. One of a kind flavors that you would never find anywhere else in the world. The second kid started selling video games online. Both were successful and to see the impact this had on their lives and their confidence was incredible.
SCRIPT MAILER: It’s truly amazing what industry and entrepreneurship can do for people.
Marc: It’s a life changer. I’d personally never felt so motivated in my life before. That’s when, inspired by other movies like Pursuit of Happiness and the Dead Poet’s Society, I started writing High School Hustle.
SCRIPT MAILER: Was writing the screenplay difficult?
Marc: It flowed out of my mind and onto the page. I couldn’t stop writing. I just wrote and wrote. In the end my screenplay was over 300 pages.
SCRIPT MAILER: Wow. That’s long! How did you cut it down to industry length.
Marc: I just focused on telling the most important part of the story. I wanted this story to be as inspiring to the people watching it as it was for me to experience first hand.
SCRIPT MAILER: I love your passion and energy. It sounds like your success with this script was almost inevitable. Congratulations also on finding an agent to represent you. I think this story sounds really great and something that will motivate and inspire thousands of people, especially people who want to go their own way and start their own business in the future.
Marc: That’s what I love about the movies. They have the power to transform lives and inspire us in so many ways.
SCRIPT MAILER: Thanks for sharing your story with us today. We wish you good luck and can’t wait to see the movie.
Marc: Thanks for everything too. Your help was really invaluable and this interview was a lot of fun.