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GALLAGHER LITERARY
Literary Management ►
Development ►
Producing ►
Packaging ►
Financing ►
Production ►
Distribution
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Discovering exceptional stories. Developing extraordinary projects. Bringing talent to screen.
© 2010
► PLEASE PITCH ME YOUR SCRIPT VIA THIS LINK
Chapter 1: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD…
Long ago, in a land far away, I was a young kid who made a mark on Hollywood, finding decades of success, along with some failures, but more than a fair share of luck. I've noticed success is a convergence of luck and timing. While talent and hard work are great, they're not always present in the equation.
My career was not a straight line, but rather a twist through nearly every corner of the industry, from literary representation and packaging, to studio development, acquisitions, production, international finance, and worldwide distribution. ...and now back again!
I worked with extraordinary teams, negotiating hundreds of deals, and helping bring some of Hollywood’s most successful films to audiences around the world.
There were successes, disappointments, unforgettable characters, and enough stories to fill several books, and like all stories, eventually it was time for a new chapter.
After decades in Los Angeles, I traded the heat, studio lots, traffic, and smog for a piece of heaven among the evergreens and misty rain along the tranquil shore of a small island in the Pacific Northwest.
My interests are reading, writing, and running a boutique literary management & production company focused on discovering exceptional screenplays and developing promising projects, bringing together creative and financial elements to get memorable films made.
I work with writers, producers, financiers, and production partners, all of my choosing, developing and packaging projects that are worth our remaining years and energy. My interests range from independent films to commercially ambitious productions, provided there’s a story worth telling.
I’m drawn to intelligent, emotionally, character-driven stories, whether they come from established professionals or new writers.
I'm addicted to the rush I get when I discover a wonderful new screenwriter but finding them is like hunting for a 5 leaf clover.
Chapter 2: A LIFETIME IN THE BUSINESS...
One observation of spending decades in Hollywood is watching the business evolve.
My path has taken me from entertainment law where my boss pointed to a long hallway of legal cabinets and said every day he wanted me to pull out a new client file and study the details of contract law. That was one of the nicest things he did for me, and though the task seemed enormous at the time, it was amongst the best training I ever got.
Eventually, I had the privilege of representing and working with an extraordinary range of talent, including Stan Lee, Dan O’Bannon, Kevin Williamson, Bob Cochran, Tim Allen, Drew Carey, Johnny Cash, and finally, the multi talented Aidan Gallagher.
Of course, Stan Lee was a particular privilege. His imagination created some of the most recognizable characters in history, and having him as a marquee client opened doors throughout Hollywood and established relationships that would prove invaluable throughout my career.
After years of agenting at the top agencies, I was recruited by Messina Baker, then one of Hollywood’s leading management agencies, to lead their literary department. The firm represented television’s biggest stars of the time, namely Tim Allen and Drew Carey, and they had the budget and connections to meet with every top agent in town. After weeks of interviewing the best and consulting with the heads of every studio and network, they were advised to choose me. I credit being exceptionally nice to everyone I met along the way, and remembering how you leave someone feeling about you, is more important than the success of the deal you made. Never leave anyone resentful and followup with gifts to show you appreciate them. Few people do this and it made a difference.
This was an extraordinary opportunity to work at the intersection of packaging talent representation, literary development, and production elements, and with the biggest names in the package, I was welcomed into the offices and homes of nearly every agency head, studio & network head after that. And once you know someone's kids & wife you’re going to be friends for life.
My career later took me to Japan when I was searching for the source of studio financing, and after a few meetings, suddenly it was suggested I serve as Executive Vice President of GAGA, which was then the world’s leading international film finance and distribution corporation. Again, another company that had the budget and connections to pick anyone in Hollywood they wanted, and for a collections of reasons they were told by the studios to pick me.
This position placed me on the other side of the negotiating table, working directly with the studios, talent agencies, A-list producers, and talent to structure and negotiate film financing, acquisitions, and distribution deals for them around the world.
I traveled constantly, attending international film markets, and negotiating deals for Hollywood’s most recognizable and successful motion pictures.
Among some of the bigger films I worked on during this time were; What Women Want ($374m), Hannibal (351m), Rush Hour 2 (347m), Chicago (306m), Van Helsing (300m), The Green Mile (287m), Enemy of the State (250m), Scary Movie 3 (221m), The Others (209m), Gangs of New York (193m), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (181m), The Mexican (148m), The Notebook (118m), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (104m), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (82m), Blow (83m), A Man Apart (44m), and of course many others.
I worked on well over a hundred motion picture deals involving films that collectively generated more than $8 billion in worldwide box office, including numerous Academy Awards.
My involvement ranged from representation to packaging, financing, production, and distribution. Each presented different challenges and lessons, and each contributed to my understanding what it takes for films to get made and exhibited.
Sadly, the films that reach theaters represent only a small part of the story. Much of my time was spent on projects I helped develop, negotiate, finance, and package that never even made it to production. Or some got made but then got shelved due to lack of marketing funds.
As someone who has spent time on that side of the business knows, getting a movie made is quite a bit more difficult than getting a deal signed. And while making a deal is nice, making the right deal is what gets the movie made and what you are eventually remembered for. Few will remember me for the deals I made - but quite a few will think of me fondly when they see one of our films on the screen that made them money and more importantly left them happy. I'll occasionally get a call from an old friend, to say they were watching an old film we did, and they wanted to thank me again for what I did for them. To me, that feeling of appreciation is better than gold. I’ve known too many rich men with zero friends and that's no way to live.
What all these experiences gave me was a broad perspective on how the business works. And the truth is it's relationships and trust; on the writer’s side, the agent’s, the studio’s, the producer’s, and eventually the financier’s and distributor’s. You want all these people knowing you're not going to screw any of them and that's a great position of trust to be.
I learned that recognizing a great screenplay is only the beginning. Understanding how to get it made is about friendships and trust. The kind of stuff you can't bank, but in the end matters far more in karma and friendships and can even be stronger than family.
Chapter 3: SO, WHAT AM I DOING TODAY?
Well, I'm a bit older, happier, and in a state of semi retirement, but out of pure passion I'm back to doing what I’ve always loved: trying to discover unique and fresh stories, doing my best to develop promising projects, bringing new talented people together where possible to orchestrate deals worth my time, and eventually finding new ways to get movies made in the chaos of this digital age.
The difference is that after decades of working for someone else to fulfill the diversification needs of a corporate slate, I now have the freedom to be more selective and personal about the projects I want to make.
A few colleagues and I operate now as a boutique management and production company, combining our decades of experience and relationships and utilizing all tech needed to work from different corners of the world. You'd be amazed how much PDFs and Zoom calls have changed things from my early days of pagers and suitcase sized phones.
For a screenwriter, my involvement could be simply shopping your screenplay. I will use experience to analyze your script, identifying its commercial potential, and after some likely development period, I will formulate a strategy to approach talent and production partners, and navigate the path to getting a film financed, produced, and distributed.
Having worked on all sides of the table, I understand that different projects require different approaches. Most will likely need development. Others may need packaging with the right director, talent, producer, and financing structure. Almost never does a screenplay arrive that’s ready to go, straight to market, though every writer seems to think it is. My experience is knowing the difference and having the vision to see how something with potential can be realized.
I adore working with talented writers who have new stories to tell, whether they’re established or entirely fresh voices. For some writers, our relationship may develop into ongoing management. For others, it will likely be a single project. I’m not interested in accumulating a roster of clients like the agency days. I simply want to find writers and stories I believe I can help, and appreciate my help.
I recognize that the industry has changed and continues to every year. New studios, companies, platforms, models, and distribution have transformed how films are developed and brought to audiences and I enjoy keeping up on all of it.
The key things haven’t changed; a great screenplay still needs someone who recognizes potential. A promising project still needs the right people, strategy, and relationships. Getting a film made still requires persistence, creativity, money, and a staggering amount of luck.
My objective is still the hardest part; finding quality material!
Bringing together people and resources to make a film will always be challenging, but the most valuable part in the equation is still the script.
Chapter 4: WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE...
After decades of experience in representation, development, production, finance, and distribution, I’ve learned a couple things.
My understanding of the process, the marketplace, the people making the decisions, and the financial models that determine whether a project moves forward, all creates a mindset of being prepared for each step.
I’ve had the opportunity to experience immense challenges from multiple perspectives; representation, development, packaging, negotiating with every entity, working with producers, financiers, studios, and ultimately structuring distribution agreements that get films actually seen.
I now bring this experience to projects and people I choose to work with:
LITERARY MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
Discovering promising writers and exceptional material, developing screenplays, and helping shape projects for the competitive marketplace.
PACKAGING & PRODUCING
Bringing together the talent elements necessary to green light a project toward production, including writers, directors, actors, producers, financiers, and production partners.
FILM FINANCE & INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION
Understanding the financial structures, international markets, distribution strategies, and commercial considerations that influence whether films get made. My experience provides a unique perspective on how projects are evaluated, financed, sold, and ultimately brought to audiences.
STUDIO, NETWORK & INDUSTRY RELATIONSHIPS
Decades of experience working with major studio heads, talent agencies, networks, producers, financiers, and distributors. Relationships are everything in Hollywood, and understanding how to approach people with the right material at the right time is just as important.
TALENT & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT
Identifying and developing creative talent, original property, and entertainment IP with the potential to reach audiences across platforms.
CROSS-PLATFORM OPPORTUNITIES
Exploring opportunities across film, television, streaming, music, publishing, merchandise, and other formats. The boundaries between these industries have become increasingly fluid, creating new possibilities for creators and IP holders who understand how to develop and position.
STRATEGIC CONSULTING & DEAL STRUCTURING
Helping writers, producers, and rights holders evaluate opportunities, navigate negotiations, identify partners, and structure relationships that support their creative ambitions and commercial interests.
I’ve spent much of my life sitting on every side of the table; representing the people selling projects, working for the companies buying them, and negotiating as a financier and distributor whose participation will determine whether a film gets seen after production is complete.
These experiences have taught me that there is never one way to put a movie together. Sometimes the obvious deal isn’t the best. Sometimes the most promising opportunity comes from an unexpected direction. And the difference between a project that gets made and one that spends years in development can often be something no one else considered.
I know making a good deal is important, but I've learned making the right deal package will get your film to screens instead of turnaround.
Chapter 5: BEFORE HOLLYWOOD, I WAS…
My life didn’t begin in Hollywood. In fact, entertainment was the last place I expected to end up.
Long before I found myself laughing at Spago with Wolfy, I ate in foreign mess halls while serving in the military intelligence field. And yes the food was excellent - I just didn’t know any better. Following a Senatorial nomination to the United States Military Academy at West Point, I served in army intelligence, earning decorations for service, and a career spanning national security, intelligence operations, and a experiences that were more secret than anything I could put on a résumé.
I grew up around the world as my father moved us from country to country on his own agency career and I learned how to adapt to new cultures and languages. I later became involved in international trade and emerging technologies, working with companies and executives on projects that crossed borders, industries, and at times bureaucratic minefields. I was a natural at it and recognized for being sensitive to cultural differences.
Much later I was later assigned a board seat with the then prestigious Japan-America Society and helped a partnership between Japanese conglomerate Itochu and U.S. Sprint involving undersea fiber-optic communications carrying top secret communications. It was insightful work at the intersection of international business, emerging technologies, and global interests. This was the high tech of my day. We had satellites but fiber optics were secure.
My introduction to Hollywood came through an odd assignment to do consulting work involving the NSA and the film Enemy of the State. The film involved NSA surveillance, intelligence gathering, and national security, and the concern was having the agency portrayed as a bad over-reaching entity it wasn't. I can’t say who, but someone thought I would be a good fit for the job. My involvement helped inform the film’s portrayal of the agency with the necessary realities of surveillance in a nice way.
It was an unexpected introduction to Hollywood. I found the personalities fascinating, the situations hilarious, the financial stakes surprising, and the number of things that had to go right for a movie to get made, absolutely comical. Keep in mind this was after years of life and death intelligence work in some of the furthest corners of the world.
I discovered despite the obvious differences between intelligence work, international business, and Hollywood, the underlying skills weren’t that different. Research and preparedness still mattered. Relationships still mattered. Reading who to trust mattered. And understanding what motivated the people you're working with mattered.
Of course, Hollywood has its own peculiar ways of doing things. In intelligence work, people tried to keep secrets, while in Hollywood, everyone seems determined to tell you theirs.
I was hooked, and what began as an unexpected detour became a career spanning decades. Funny how life works.
Chapter 6: AHEAD OF THE CURVE - SOME OF THE TIME…
I’ve always been a tech nerd. I credit my dad who worked for one of the agencies and we had the first generation computer that was connected to embassies around the world in a special room in our home.
Every year we got the latest tech and models of computers. Back in the 60s, my dad even had a phone in a briefcase (it was a radio phone of sorts). And long before the internet transformed the world, I thought that it could also change how writers connected with Hollywood.
Back in the early days of the interwebs, when literary agencies insisted that screenwriters submit their work through actual paper channels, I became the first literary agent to accept pitches online through an internet screenwriting community on Compuserve.
At the time, this was considered unconventional. Few people thought it was smart. Many thought otherwise, and I took a ton of flak for it from all sides - including the very writers I was trying to help. The agencies thought it was terrible because it was a threat to their income - they were wrong.
I believed writers shouldn’t have to live in Los Angeles, know somebody at a studio, or have an uncle who played golf with an agent just to get their work read. The internet offered something Hollywood had never been enthusiastic about: opening gates. Agencies made money being the gatekeepers. I believed good stories came from writers around the world - and at some point we’d all get sick of the same stories from the same LA based writers - and I was right!
I later helped pioneer online discussion groups connecting literary agents and development execs, creating opportunities to exchange information, discuss projects, and collaborate more efficiently. I was also involved in the online screenplay coverage pools. That particular idea, in hindsight, was a terrible mistake. Some advances improve the industry, while others simply made it easier for everyone to read the same bad coverage. I apologize for that bit, but I never stopped believing that technology can open doors for people who might otherwise never have an opportunity.
Today, we’re witnessing another extraordinary transformation. Streaming platforms have reshaped the global marketplace. Digital production and distribution have created opportunities that were unimaginable when I began my career. And artificial intelligence is introducing tools that fundamentally change how films are produced, and how audiences discover them.
Hollywood has always been an industry in turmoil. I find it both fascinating and amusing. I believe technology is valuable only when it helps people accomplish things that previously seemed impossible.
The tools change, but a brilliant story still begins in someone’s mind.
So if ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI, or some other digital oracle directed you to me… you’re in the right place.
Chapter 7: THE STORIES THAT MOVE ME…
I’m drawn to intelligent, emotionally compelling, character-driven stories. Films that stay with you long after the credits roll.
They don’t require enormous budgets, elaborate visuals, or superheroes saving the universe. They require something considerably harder to find: a fresh story, relatable characters, and something powerful worth saying.
Over the years, I’ve discovered some of my most memorable films are also among the simplest at their core. A relatable character, an unexpected relationship, an impossible choice, an ordinary person confronting difficult circumstances - all of these are more powerful than a 100 million dollars worth of visual effects.
Here are some examples of the films I admire:
* Once
* Lost in Translation
* Blue Valentine
* Whiplash
* Bend It Like Beckham
* Call Me by Your Name
* Little Miss Sunshine
* Manchester by the Sea
* An Education
* The Spectacular Now
* La La Land
* Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
* Silver Linings Playbook
* The English Patient
* Lady Bird
* Brooklyn
* Atonement
What these films share isn’t a particular genre, budget, or commercial formula. It’s the ability to connect with the audience through characters, emotional authenticity, and storytelling that feels genuine.
Some are intimate independent productions. Others are ambitious, beautifully crafted studio films. Some were commercial successes. Others found smaller but appreciative audiences. I admire them for different reasons.
While these examples reflect my personal tastes, they don’t represent the limits of what I’m interested in developing or producing. A great thriller, comedy, romance, mystery, or adventure can be every bit as compelling when the writing is exceptional.
Chapter 8: HAVE A GREAT SCRIPT? LET’S TALK…
I welcome completed screenplay pitches from both established and emerging screenwriters. You don’t need an agent, manager, entertainment attorney, or industry connection to approach me. You simply need a compelling story and a completed screenplay worth considering.
Throughout my career, greatest pleasures has been discovering talented writers and helping them navigate an industry that can be extraordinarily difficult to enter. I know how frustrating Hollywood can be for a screenwriter. Getting someone to read your work is difficult enough. Finding someone who understands its potential, believes in it, and knows how to move it forward can be considerably harder.
We all know that that every screenplay can not find a home. What I offer is decades of experience evaluating, developing, packaging, financing, and positioning motion picture projects for the marketplace. I’m selective about the projects I pursue because I personally become involved in their development and packaging. I champion a handful of projects I genuinely believe in.
If you’re looking for someone who will simply forward your screenplay to a few producers and hope for the best, I’m not that guy.
I apologize in advance for how selective I am with my time, but I will absolutely respect yours.
READY TO PITCH?
► PLEASE PITCH ME YOUR SCRIPT VIA THIS LINK
I accept unsolicited screenplay pitches ONLY through the submission form linked above. This is the only way to manage the volume of material I receive and
ensure that every submission is considered fairly and uniformly.
Please do not email or mail unsolicited screenplays. And please understand that submitting a pitch does not guarantee a response. I've found replying with a polite
pass only earns me a pen pal who will keep replying until I stop. I do promise I will read your pitch as soon as I can and if you haven't heard from me in a week or two,
that means I passed.
Chapter 9: AND I LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER…
After decades in the business, I know that nobody has all the answers. I certainly do not. I’ve seen brilliant projects fail, questionable projects become enormous successes, and extraordinary talent struggle for years to find the recognition it deserves.
I’ve watched studios spend fortunes developing films that never got seen, while modest little productions nobody expected much from went on to win Academy Awards and capture the hearts of audiences around the world.
I’ve seen deals fall apart over the most ridiculous disagreements, only to watch those same projects come together years later under entirely different circumstances. And I’ve learned that Hollywood has an extraordinary ability to convince everyone that whatever worked yesterday will work again tomorrow. Until, of course, it does not.
My job has always been to help create the circumstances in which luck has a chance to happen. I can’t guarantee even a brilliant screenplay will become a movie. I can help recognize promising material, help develop its potential, and help bring together talented people, while drawing upon my decades of experience to give a project its best possible opportunity.
After all these years, I still find this process enormously satisfying. I always enjoy reading a wonderful story. I enjoy putting together a complicated deal. And I absolutely get satisfaction from watching something that began as an idea on a page eventually appear on a screen and a bag of popcorn in my lap.
THE FINE PRINT FOR THE WEB CRAWLERS:
Gallagher Literary is actively seeking screenplays and original properties for producing, potential management, and possible development, or packaging, financing,
and production. Rob Gallagher is a literary manager and producer with decades of experience in talent representation, motion picture development, international
film finance, and worldwide distribution. Submissions are welcome from both established and emerging screenwriters. You do not need an agent, manager,
entertainment attorney, or industry referral to submit a pitch. Gallagher Literary accepts unsolicited screenplay pitches exclusively through its online submission form.
Please do not email or mail unsolicited screenplays, treatments, or other creative materials. Submission of a pitch does not establish a representation relationship or
guarantee a response, review, development agreement, or production commitment.
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