United Talent Agency
Support to Literary Agent: Sales & Development
I didn't join UTA to become an agent. I joined to learn the game.
I left with the playbook–and started writing plays of my own.
I started in the mailroom–Hollywood's unofficial bootcamp–and moved quickly into the literary department, supporting one of UTA's top agents. From day one, I was in deep: on every call, tracking submissions, reading scripts, and mapping who was buying what–and why.
This was Hollywood at its most strategic. It wasn't just about the writing. It was about positioning. Packaging. Timing. I read every script, flagged rising talent, wrote development notes for marquee clients, and crafted loglines built to sell.
I didn't just learn how to pitch. I learned how to move stories into the right hands–at the right time, in the right room.
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Learning the system was step one.
Owning my place inside it came next.
Inside the Literary Department
Submissions, Sales, and Strategy
Every script, pilot, and manuscript crossed my desk first. I read it. Evaluated it. Flagged the ones that could actually sell.
If my agent was going to land the deal, I made sure she had what she needed–tight synopses tailored to land with the right exec. I tracked every submission, joined every call, and took notes on everything: who passed, who bit, and what made the difference.
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It wasn't just about finding talent. It was about shaping it–then steering it toward the right buyer, at the right time, with the right pitch.
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Strategy wasn't the side job.
It was the job.
Great scripts don't just surface.
They get found.
Client-Facing Development Work
Development Notes. Big-Name Clients. Trusted Insight.
I didn't just read scripts–I helped shape them. When clients needed development notes, I delivered feedback that worked: clear, actionable, and built to sell.
Sometimes that meant sharpening the tone. Sometimes it meant shifting the structure. But always, it came down to two things: thinking like a buyer and seeing it like a writer.
I worked with heavy-hitters like Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer (Seinfeld), Mike Ferris and John Brancato (The Game, Terminator 3), and Dan Palladino (Gilmore Girls). And when other agents needed backup on client notes, I was the one they would call.
Plenty of people could read a script.
I was the one who could see its potential.
Market Trends & Cross-Team Strategy
Exec Preferences. Smart Pairings. Gut-Level Read
Knowing the story wasn't enough. I tracked who was buying what–and what they were circling next. Which execs loved a gritty thriller. Which networks passed when the tone was "too last season." Which scripts had heat–and which were dead before coverage.
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Smart packaging meant looking beyond our own roster. I linked writers, producers, and talent across teams. Before the buzz, I flagged the creative pairings that would create it.
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I sat in on agent and partner strategy meetings to take notes. But even when I was just there to listen, I was absorbing what mattered: the signals behind every decision, the timing behind every yes.
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In a business that moves fast, the edge goes to the one already watching.
It wasn't just about reading scripts.
It was reading the execs, too.
Great stories don't write themselves. Let's talk.​
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Tara McCann