Part 32: My TrackingB Win, Hollywood Meetings, and Remembering Hollywood Producer, Phil Rogers
- Amy Giaquinto
- Mar 11
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 1
Subscribe and I'll email you a coupon for 20% off any of my merchandise.
March 2025
Ever since THE ONLY WAY OUT won TrackingB's Screenwriting Contest, I've been crazy busy with Hollywood meetings and my inbox has been flooded with requests from various management and production companies wanting to read my script.
And because I'm curious, I reached out to the other Finalists and Honorable Mention winners from the competition, congratulating them for their achievement. It's been great.
Most of us have connected and exchanged scripts and I'm hoping we continue to stay connected as our projects move through the industry. My fingers and toes are crossed to see some, if not all, of these scripts go into production. The talent in this group is incredible!
This competition, the win, the networking, it's been a real breath of fresh air, that's for sure, considering we still haven't heard back from Utopia Distribution and Marty still hasn't been able to connect with his guy at Netflix. In other words, the script has felt stuck in quicksand for months.
My fingers are crossed the additional exposure will help us get the necessary momentum to pull together the financing and distribution required to attract A-list talent, or vice versa. Something's gotta give, right?
Until it does, I've been taking meetings knowing that I'm in a place where I have the opportunity to make some very specific decisions about my career moving forward, about the kind of material I'd like to write and who I'd like to represent my work moving forward. Although Stephanie will continue to represent me for THE ONLY WAY OUT, she's decided to take a step back and not take on any new projects. And so, with an incredibly heavy heart I've come to accept that it's time to move forward.
The problem is that each manager with whom I've met, has been amazing. They're all wonderful people with fabulous access to the industry, and great track records, but very different management styles and approaches. I know what I want, I just need to figure out which road I'm going to take to get there.
It's a lot to think about. A LOT, especially since in my heart and soul, I don't want to move on from Stephanie. She's done more for me than anyone in the industry. I've learned so much from her that it blows my mind. She has always inspired me to dig deeper and continually challenges me to write better material. Her feedback has been beyond anything I ever could have imagined and it's why I've grown into the writer I am today! Not only that, but she's the best proof-reader I've ever met! Not a single missing comma gets past her.
Stephanie has believed in me when I haven't believed in myself. She's sent my scripts out all over town and has busted her tail trying to sell my scripts for something like 17 years. She's the reason THE ONLY WAY OUT is where it is today. There's a long story (for another day) about how I lost my mind and almost walked away from this script, but thanks to her grace, I didn't and now look where it is.
I trust Stephanie with my heart and soul, too, and trust is not something that comes easily for me, especially in an industry where writers are so often screwed over. And, from an astrological standpoint, like me, Staphanie is a Leo and we Leos are known for being loyal, sometimes to a fault.
And so, while I'm wrestling with all the emotions that come with moving on, my brain has decided to obsess over another matter, a much more spiritual or metaphysical one. Because I think ALL THE TIME, my brain has been obsessing over my TrackingB win. In fact, I'm still amazed that THE ONLY WAY OUT finished in first place.
Was my win due to the combination of 5 years of hard work, rewriting (thank you Stephanie, Phil, Marty, Steve, and all the other producers, friends, and family members who offered feedback any of my 8,000 drafts), and luck? Or was there a little spiritual intervention in the mix? I think it's a little bit of both.
Let me explain. In mid-February, my manager, Stephanie Rogers, called to let me know that her wonderful husband, Philip Rogers, an old-school Hollywood Producer, an incredibly kind and generous man who happened to be my biggest fan (apart from my husband), was in home hospice and didn't have much longer to live. My heart shattered.
Phil was so supportive of my writing and even though he didn't have any obligation to read my scripts, he chose to read everything I sent to Stephanie simply because he loved my writing. This was coming from the man who Executive Produced the film, SHOOT TO KILL, starring THE Sidney Poitier, Tom Berenger and Kirstie Alley, which if you haven't seen it, is a masterpiece of a thriller!
Phil also Executive Produced several TV movies and worked at Universal Studios. (In fact, Phil and Stephanie met and fell in love at Universal while he was working as a producer, and she was working in development.) I often wonder what my writing future would have looked like if we'd met while he and Stephanie were in their prime in Hollywood. I imagine it would have been spectacular!
Anyway, a couple years back, I took a road trip with my husband and kids to California, and we stopped in to visit Stephanie and Phil at their beautiful home in Las Vegas. You can read about our hilariously awkward visit in my post: THE ONLY WAY OUT, Part 7: Road Trip to California, Camping, and Meeting Stephanie and Phil Rogers.
Suffice it to say that Phil was a gem, an absolute gem. He and Stephanie were true Hollywood royalty.
I lugged my family to their gorgeous house and the minute we met Phil; it was like we'd known him forever. We instantly clicked and we had the most wonderful conversations about movies, work, kids and everything in-between. It was a dream!
But what was so great about Phil was how amused he was at our kids' quirks during our visit. When my son was
picking apart his sandwich and eating it like a caveman, it was mortifying for my husband and I, but it seemed to crack Phil up. My son noticed Phil's amusement and found it equally amusing. Something unspoken passed between the two of them that day, a deep understanding of sorts, that led my son to feel uniquely connected to Phil.
Something similar happened with my daughter. She was poking around Phil's turtle figurines, and Phil, once again amused, launched into a story about where he'd gotten them and how much he loved turtles, and then he simply gave her two of his treasured figurines.
My daughter was so incredibly touched by his kindness and generosity. She couldn't believe it. Even now, years later, she randomly brings him up while playing with her turtle figurines. That was such a special day. Phil was such a special man.
And so, when I learned that he had passed away on February 27th, I was heartbroken. Absolutely heartbroken. But, as I am apt to do, I started thinking about how maybe Phil's spirit had something to do with me winning the TrackingB competition (because, of course, my win couldn't have been due to blood, sweat, tears, 5 years of rewrites, and luck alone...).
See, on the 26th of Feb. I received word that I was a finalist in the competition. Phil passed away on the 27th. The following day, I learned I had won. Call me superstitious, but I couldn't help myself from spending the day thanking Phil for making this win happen and for all the opportunities that are coming with it.
Maybe it's nothing more than grief and my desire not to let go or maybe his spirit really is out there somewhere, doing what he can to help get this script made. I prefer to believe the later. At this point, selfish as it sounds, I'm so sad that Phil never got to see any of my scripts become films.
But maybe, just maybe, THE ONLY WAY OUT will find its way to the big screen and maybe, just maybe Phil will get a chance to see it... from up above.
Rest in peace, Phil Rogers, you are missed, and you'll always be remembered and appreciated by our family.
Click here to read Phil's obituary.
Need a laugh, check out my short films and my MAMA FIX IT™ series at: www.YouTube.com/@GiaquintoProductionsLLC.