Hayes Horror Workshop: Created by screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes, their workshop combines sought-after, intensive mentorship with events and guest talks from Hollywood horror power players. With Mighty Networks, The Hayes brothers capitalized on their cult following, which has coalesced into a diverse community with members worldwide who help each other create their best work yet.
Chances to meet, let alone, learn from a hero don’t happen often. Cooking alongside Thomas Keller or playing piano with Jon Batiste remain fantasy encounters for most of us. But for members of the Hayes Horror Workshop, the dream of studying screenwriting with two industry icons has become an everyday reality.
Best known as the minds behind The Conjuring franchise, the Workshop’s creators Chad and Carey Hayes have also written other hallowed horror titles like House of Wax and Whiteout. Originally, the twin brothers wanted to offer a year-long mentorship as the grand prize for a one-time-only screenplay competition. But after partnering with Kevin Lisowski’s agency, Copycat, they decided to expand their idea on Mighty Networks. They kept the contest, but with their new platform, they could keep the surrounding interest alive indefinitely and invite screenwriters around the world into a community-first space full of people magic, a rarity in this kind of show business.
“The idea of contests and expert interviews are very common in the screenwriting world, but this sort of community and long-term events are much less so,” Kevin says. “Chad and Carey have their experience they bring to the table, but this network shows what all these other people bring to the table, too. That is where we've started to flex the value of this community over the past few months.”
From publishing to contemporary art to fashion, creative professions have their hubs from New York City to Paris. In the past, those hoping to get their screenplay seen, packed their bags for Hollywood. But with the Workshop’s virtual community, writers from all walks of life and skill levels can come together to hone their craft and even sell their work — no U-Haul or plane tickets necessary.
“If you're not in the Hollywood scene or part of the Writers Guild, taking the next step seems impossible. It’s like, ‘Where do I go? How do I get to the next step?’” Kevin explains. “In this context, being surrounded by people who are in the struggle is valuable. Writers understand they don't get opportunities without other writers as a part of their journey.”
After an initial burst of trade advertising, Kevin says external marketing for the Workshop has become a low priority because members find the network primarily through word of mouth. He is still amazed at the global reach of the people who join.
“We've got people in Australia. One of the winners of the contest lives in Scotland. Then there’s the Hispanic-speaking horror market, which is almost as profitable as the English-speaking one. It’s a big deal,” Kevin says. “There are people who have a great idea and no clue how to format a script. And there are people who have sold or optioned 50 plus screenplays.”
Kevin says their ethos for not just drawing new members into the fold, but also incentivizing them to invest in the community, is simple: “I want it to be such a value proposition that they're like, ‘Why am I not subscribing?’” In addition to the competition and the opportunity to interact with the Hayes brothers, Kevin uses Mighty Networks’ Events feature to stage webinars on topics like pitching and monthly presentations from screenwriters, and producers like Chris Grillot and Emily Ng. Similar classes or Q&A discussions would cost far more for a one-time meeting than the Workshop’s monthly rate ($10). And according to Kevin, that pricing speaks to the larger mission behind the Workshop.
“If you start a community for the money, you're going to fail. There has to be a reason you’re bringing people together, and the money just has to be a natural consequence of that,” he says. “Seeing this network grow is almost like a parental feeling for me. We see people finding the success they hoped for. That’s the driving mentality. We only charge because we have to pay the rent. Then, we let everything else be squishy, happy, and feel-good.”