I first became aware of David Boxerbaum after realizing how many times his clients were popping up on Deadline and Variety articles. A clear pattern emerged that this dude was somehow always selling for his clients. In a world where so many talent vent and rant about how little reps are seemingly doing for them, I was intrigued and impressed. Naturally, I threw on my trench coat, grabbed my magnifying glass, and began investigating.
When poking my network, many reported back that: “He’s one of the best.” That kind of quiet endorsement from people I respect means more than any trade mention. So, I promptly invited him to record an episode. While we attempted to make our schedules align, we snuck in an off mic coffee meeting and I was delighted.
He was genuine, engaging, and dare I say stubbornly optimistic? Not in a performative, everything-is-fine kind of way, but as someone who has withstood with undulations of this business and still chooses to believe. We bonded over many things, including parenthood, and when I asked him how often he pumps himself up by telling himself I’m a bad bitch, he didn’t hesitate to humor me.
A few times a week, he said.
No Connections, No Problem
David started making films at eight years old in the Bay Area. After NYU film school, he realized the real power in Hollywood wasn’t just in making movies — it was in understanding the business behind them.So he mailed his resume across town. He landed an internship at Jerry Bruckheimer Films during the height of blockbusters like Bad Boys, Armageddon, and Pirates of the Caribbean. He then worked his way through some of the most iconic agencies in the business, and eventually became one of the most prolific spec script sellers in the industry.
Now a partner at Verve Talent & Literary Agency representing top writers, directors, and showrunners, he was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation 35 Under 35, one of the youngest agents to earn that recognition. He built all of it from nothing. No connections. A rejection from UTA’s mailroom that he now calls the best no he ever got.
What makes David’s perspective particularly valuable right now is that he hasn’t just witnessed the market shift. He helped reshape it. When the traditional spec world started contracting, he and producer-manager Scott Glassgold excavated the internet for interesting voices where you least expected them. They found them on Reddit. That short story-to-Hollywood pipeline is now a legitimate and fast-growing market, with stories landing in heated bidding wars.
Chasing Waterfalls
In our conversation, he describes an electric, magical moment that every producer, writer, and creative chases. I mean, TLC did a terrible job convincing us NOT to chase them, don’t you agree? Around year three or four of being an agent, a client handed him a script right before he boarded a flight, the same client who had given him good-but-not-quite-great scripts before. Almost apologetically, the client said: I don’t think this one’s going to be the one either. But take a read.
Ten pages in, David looked around the cabin and thought: Does anyone else know what I’m holding right now?
As we all know, it just takes one. One script, one idea, one win…to make all the doubts and fears melt away. (temporarily, of course. Perpetual happiness? In this economy?) That script was Safe House by David Guggenheim. It landed on the 2010 Black List, sold to Universal in a heated bidding war, and became the 2012 action-thriller starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds.
Guggenheim is still David’s client to this day.
The Market is Alive
Last fall, we experienced a headline-grabbing resuscitation of spec sales. So many deals got everyone out here feeling like the spec-mania days of the 1990s and early 2000s. Studios and streamers purchased a total of 23 feature original spec scripts and pitches; with nine of those sales happening in August alone, the greatest monthly volume since March 2017.
These numbers tell a story the trade headlines don’t always lead with. For example, in late 2024, Natan Dotan, an unknown writer with almost no Hollywood connections, sold a spec script called Alignment to Fifth Season and Makeready for $1.25 million against $3 million if the film gets made, after a feeding frenzy that saw over 20 producers chasing the project within days of it going out.
Amazon won a separate bidding war for Love of Your Life by Julia Cox for around $2 million, with Ryan Gosling attached to produce. Another spec, Renegotiate, sold to Lionsgate out of a three-way bidding war. Though, I would love some data sharing that maybe one or two of these sales were from writers of color?
Sigh. A gal can dream, City of Stars.
It’s a market that rewards people who know how to move the chess pieces effectively.
People like David.
Dive in and I can’t wait to hear your takeaways from this episode!
Keep creating, keep hustling. And as always, thanks for doing this life thing with me!
The 5 Biggest Takeaways (For Paid Subscribers)
The full episode is worth your time, but if you need the highlights, here’s what you can’t miss:
How he creates heat for bidding wars.
How he built the short story market.
What exceptional representation looks like.
How to stop being paralyzed by what you can’t control.
Why it’s the most exciting time to be in the business.
Upgrade your subscription today!
Angle on Producers is a podcast demystifying the role of producers and spotlighting the magic makers in Hollywood. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re a producer (or aspiring to be one), join our community for exclusive resources, networking opportunities, and more insights like this!
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.