Enter many screenwriting contests with the hopes of winning at least one. Several notable competitions include The Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, The Disney Fellowship and Chesterfield Film Company Writers Fellowship. Winning one of these contests will encourage powerful individuals to pay attention to your work and will increase your chances of being discovered.
Develop relationships with individuals in the entertainment business. Try to make friends with people who work in TV or film, depending on which outlet you wrote your script for. Do not approach a reader until you have established a firm relationship with her, as a 10-minute phone conversation is not enough to persuade someone to do you such a large favor as promoting your script.
Ask connections you have developed whether they know anyone who might be interested in producing your script. However, don’t ask them if they are currently extremely busy or seem overwhelmed. Make it possible for them to decline politely in case they don’t like your script or just don’t have time to help you, by, for example, acknowledging that you understand they are inundated with material and requests for favors on a daily basis.
Send a letter of inquiry before you submit the script itself. This step will save you resources and time and will improve your chances since inquiry letters are short and easier to read than a long script. Use the letter to explain why the reader should be interested in your script, summarizing it and illustrating the ways in which it is unique and well written.
Submit your material to Internet hubs such as InkTip.com. These sites are designed to connect writers with producers. Although your chances of being spotted among the many submitters are slim, if you write a stunning script, it may eventually catch the eye of someone who has the power to make it come to fruition as a film.