Everyone has a niche, and Nicolas Curcio’s is screenwriting.
Nicolas is an LA native who worked as a Hollywood assistant (duh!) before moving into screenwriting for the heavy hitters at Paramount, Universal, and Sony Pictures Animation.
The hot takes! The goss! The opportunities to say, “That’s showbiz, baby!”. Is Nic the perfect dinner party guest?! Let’s find out.
With advice like don’t diss your peers and watch lots of movies, here’s Nic’s take on That’s Niche.
That’s Niche: Screenwriting
Nicolas’ Expertise:
Ironically, I don’t know if anyone ever becomes an “expert” in any field of art, but what I can tell you is what I’ve learned by writing somewhere around thirty feature film scripts.
And while I don’t have decades of experience (yet!), I do have a really good idea of what it takes to break into the industry at this current moment in time.
Don’t worry too much about the “rules” of screenwriting!
The only thing screenwriters spend more time on than writing is arguing about the rules. What are you “allowed” to do in a screenplay? In my opinion: anything you want. Some think that you must already be “established” in order to break rules, but I honestly believe you have to break rules in order to get the attention of the industry. There’s a lot of noise out there. Firstly, you have to have a fantastic story, but you also have to figure out how to play the game and get yourself some attention.
Read the scripts that make the “Black List” every year!
While it is important to read the scripts behind classic Hollywood films, it behooves you to read what people are liking NOW. This will also give you an idea of the current trends, styles, formatting tricks, etc. that the newest up and coming crop of writers are utilizing. So read the scripts and get to know those writers!
Understand that artists aren’t critics. If you want to work in the industry, stop posting negative comments online about your peers’ work.
This advice is often met with: “Well, if someone can’t take criticism, I don’t want to work with them anyway.” But here’s the thing: it is a critic’s job to critique. It is an artist’s job to understand that making art is hard. Go through any A-list writer/director’s Twitter feed and you won’t find petty critiques of new films and TV shows. It’s because they know how the sausage is made. Not taking shots at your peers’ work is just common etiquette, not to mention you never know if some producer is going to read your negativity and not want to work with you.
Start getting comfortable performing!
Despite the fact that most writers are solitary and antisocial by definition, the unfortunate truth is that only half of the job is writing. The other half is pitching. So start pitching! Tell your friends about your movie idea. Or your parents. Or partner. Try to keep their attention during a sixty second elevator pitch. Now expand that out into two minutes, then five. A full length pitch for a feature film can run anywhere from ten to twenty minutes (yeesh!), so start getting comfortable yapping for long periods of time.
Your job is now to watch stuff!
Part of being a screenwriter is taking meetings, and part of taking meetings is talking about the stuff you’ve watched lately. This is not only quintessential industry small talk, but it’s also important to stay up to speed on the latest films that studios want to emulate. For example, everyone is looking for “a romcom in the vein of Anyone But You” right now due to its surprising theatrical success. So go watch Sydney and Glen do hot people stuff! It’s literally your job!
If you’re going to take away just one thing, have it be that if you want to be a screenwriter, you have to write an undeniably great script. Write the movie YOU want to see, and know that in the beginning, your script won’t be a movie, it’ll just be a sample of your work. But that’s good news! Because you don’t have to worry about budget, commerciality, or actors. Just good writing.
Misc Recs
Unrelated things Nicolas likes that you might, too
💗 Powerful Love by Field Medic
🤩 Famous People by Justin Kuritzkes
Famous People by Justin Kuritzkes
🥟 Trader Joe’s Soup Dumplings.
I’m addicted.
The animated film Nicolas worked on, GOAT, is out in February 2026, so keep your eyes peeled!
See you next week for more nicheness. BYE!