To say the film and television industries have been through a tumultuous time over the past few years is an understatement. The WGA strike of 2023 may seem like an event shrinking into the horizon, but that’s not so. It’s the Death of the Spec Screenplay Industrial Complex — and ot a moment too soon.
For more than a decade, an entire cottage industry sprouted up around spec screenwriting. Not the actual production of films or TV shows, but the hopeful, grinding, often disillusioning pursuit of breaking in. That industry came with a promise: If you just pay for the right notes, win the right contest, or make the right list, you might just land that agent, manager, or elusive general meeting. But now, many of those services are quietly vanishing.
Tracking Board? Ceasing operation September 1, 2025.
ScreenCraft? Closed, along with sister platforms WeScreenplay and The Script Lab.
Coverfly? Shutting down officially on August 1, 2025.
Stage 32? Chatter says dwindling in relevance, plagued by inconsistent mentorship, expensive contests and pay-to-pitch fatigue.
The Spec Screenplay industry consolidation was inevitable. Coverfly’s parent company (Backstage/Cast & Crew) had already begun pruning its offerings earlier in the year. What was once a broad ecosystem of services competing with each other is now folding inward. The platforms that once served as gateways to Hollywood are being quietly dismantled.
For the writers who spent thousands on these platforms, often with little to show beyond boilerplate coverage and semi-finalist laurels, this collapse feels like both a reckoning and a relief. The script competition industrial complex is folding. And it begs the question: What now?
The Rise and Fall of the Script Services Boom
Adding to the squeeze on screenwriters is the broader shift in content priorities at networks and streamers. With scripted development contracts drying up, many buyers are leaning more heavily into unscripted programming, live events, and sports. These formats are cheaper to produce, easier to scale globally, and pose fewer headaches when labor negotiations arise. The result? Fewer original series orders and an even more competitive field for narrative writers trying to break in.
These companies thrived in a specific moment. The 2000s saw a surge of screenwriters emboldened by accessible screenwriting software, a proliferation of online writing courses, and a social media-driven mythos that “anyone can break in” if they just write the next great spec. This was brought on by the spec sales boom of the 1990s.
Services like The Tracking Board’s Launch Pad competitions, Coverfly’s Red List, and ScreenCraft’s genre-specific contests filled the gap between unknown writers and Hollywood gatekeepers. They promised exposure, coverage, and a stamp of legitimacy. The business model? Monetize hope.
But when the WGA strikes of 2023-2024 upended the industry and streaming services slashed development slates, the reality became clear: the pipeline from contest to career was more of a leaky hose. AI-generated feedback, tightened studio budgets, and growing writer cynicism accelerated the downfall.
Writers Are Waking Up
Many screenwriters are rethinking what value these services truly offered. Was it really about craft and connection — or about creating an endless loop of paid submissions and “almosts”?
Some writers are now turning back to local workshops, trusted peer groups, or affordable script coverage from working professionals. Others are bypassing the middlemen entirely, focusing instead on networking via Twitter/X, festivals like Austin or Sundance, or even going DIY with shorts and web series.
“I spent $4,000 over four years on contests and got nothing but cookie-cutter feedback,” one writer shared anonymously. “Then I joined a writers group and ended up getting repped through someone I met there.”
Where Can Writers Go Now?
With Coverfly and other major platforms disappearing, screenwriters are actively discussing alternatives:
- GL Coverage: A growing favorite among emerging writers, GL offers affordable, honest feedback from Artificial Intelligence and a simple submission interface. While it doesn’t host contests, its reputation for clear, development-focused notes is making it a go-to for rewrites and polishing scripts.
- The Black List: Still seen as credible thanks to its Academy ties and strong industry relationships. Costs $30/month per script.
- FilmFreeway: A broad platform for submitting to festivals and competitions; $14.99/month.
- ISA (International Screenwriters’ Association): Offers profile building, vetted contests, script downloads, and in-person events. $10/month for ISAConnect.
- InkTip, Script Revolution, and VPF: Offer listings, logline pitching, or direct producer outreach, with varying costs and reputations.
Writers are diversifying across platforms based on goals: exposure, competitions, networking, or simply maintaining a searchable online presence.
What Survives (and What Might Thrive)
Some platforms may weather the storm. The Nicholl Fellowship remains respected as a pure, non-commercial competition backed by the Academy. The Black List, while expensive, continues to carry industry clout.
Others, like Roadmap Writers or Pipeline Media, are now under scrutiny. Will they adapt, or follow the path of WeScreenplay and Launch Pad?
Meanwhile, new communities are forming. Discord servers. Reddit threads. Self-run coverage exchanges. And more writers are producing their own work — understanding that a short film, proof-of-concept, or microbudget feature may carry more weight than a “Top 50” badge from an online contest.
Is This Good News?
Maybe.
This may mark the end of the “submission economy,” where the path to success felt like an endless paywall. With the collapse of these platforms, perhaps there will be fewer false promises and more focus on what actually builds careers: strong writing, smart relationships, and relentless initiative.
As the empire of notes crumbles, screenwriters are left not with despair, but with something more valuable: clarity.
Moving Forward
Rather than mourning the end of an era, screenwriters have reasons to celebrate and recalibrate. There is no single path to breaking in. Maybe there never was. Maybe this was all smoke and mirrors.
So what should screenwriters do now?
- Build your own website. Use Squarespace, Wix, Canva — it’s your resume now.
- Learn how to direct. Take a short script of yours and make it. DIY that sh*t!
- Grow your audience. Start a Substack, post your process, join conversations.
- Find your tribe. Collaborators and community matter more than contests. When I joined (and eventually ran) The Chicago Screenwriters Network it was a joy to get out once a month and be with your writers.
- Make something. Shorts, pilots, proof-of-concepts — anything finished speaks louder than badges.
- Be relentless. Query. Pitch. Network. Follow up. Be professional. Keep going.
The truth is, getting rich is just as hard as getting produced. It actually might be a little easier! So you might as well chase the dream.
This isn’t the end of the road for screenwriters. It’s just the start of a new one.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360 News. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
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