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Career "Upgrade" Makes Burch's Day
In its infancy, Project Greenlight was a forum of budding writers and filmmakers coming together to learn the lessons of Hollywood, and to one day get a chance to crack its elusive code. If anything has been learned from this contest, however, it is that you don't have to win the grand prize to get your lucky break. Very quietly, the Project Greenlight community is turning from a burgeoning stable of aspiring writers to one of inspiring success stories.
Out of 7,000 entrants who submitted scripts to Project Greenlight, Matt Burch, 27, finished in the Top 10, but did not win. But "not winning" seems to suit Burch just fine. On May 24th, 2001, Miramax Films purchased Burch's script "The Upgrade," for a mid-six figure price. Chris Moore, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon are attached to produce.
The script centers on two jewelry store security guards who become unknowing pawns in the storeowner's plot to rob his own shop for the insurance money. Although it was not the first time Burch was paid for his writing, it certainly signaled a marked change in his life and career.
After graduating from NYU film school, the Fredricksburg, VA native was working odd office jobs in New York while figuring out what to do next. What came next was a germ of an idea. "I talked to a couple of security guards," explained Burch, "and I started to think of an older security guard and a younger security guard, and what that dynamic would be like if they worked the night shift together. I put it in storage for about a year and whipped it out in about four weeks. This was the first screenplay I'd written, and it came out fast because I was full of pep."
Last year, Matt's sister-in-law sent him an article about a small script-writing contest called Project Greenlight, and Burch decided to submit "The Upgrade." "I don't usually enter these kinds of contests, but I figured why not?"
Burch was shocked by the outpouring of feedback he received from the PGL Community. "The [message] boards were terrific. I really appreciated all the constructive criticism that the community offered me. Someone wrote what looked like a college paper that literally deconstructed the themes in my film."
Since "The Upgrade," Matt has written eight screenplays, and has signed with a big Los Angeles-based literary agency, Broder Kurland Webb Uffner.
It has been three months since Burch's move to Los Angeles, and Matt no longer needs odd office jobs to pay the bills. His focus is his writing, and his new hobby, taking meetings around town. "As I expected," he warns, "out here, there is a huge emphasis on what is commercial."
Welcome to Hollywood, Burch.
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