Part 40: Near Misses, Big Lessons, and My Journey with The Only Way Out Screenplay
- Amy Giaquinto
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
November 2025
When the Film Industry Goes Quiet
It’s been a while since I updated my journey with The Only Way Out screenplay. In the film industry, months can pass with calls and emails but little forward momentum.
Yet, every setback has a lesson, and last month brought one of the most inspiring moments of my career: a near encounter with Gigi Pritzker, an incredible Producer known for films about badass women, the very kind of woman my screenplay celebrates.
Why Producer Gigi Pritzker Was the Perfect Fit
Last month, Stephanie Rogers, my manager, and I were talking about the incredible Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony-nominated producer Gigi Pritzker. Gigi loves—and often produces—films about badass women, so we thought it would be amazing to get the script to her. Diana, the main character in my award-winning script, THE ONLY WAY OUT, is the epitome of a badass woman.
A Promising Connection… With a Catch
As luck would have it, Stephanie’s late husband, Producer Phil Rogers, has a cousin named Larry Rogers, and Larry actually knows Gigi quite well.
Stephanie sent the script to Larry and he loved it, but—very common in this industry—he didn’t want to be the conduit to Gigi.
He also said that Gigi’s company, Madison Wells Media, isn’t accepting new material right now. They’re exclusively developing in-house IP, which is another growing industry trend.
Still, even though Larry couldn’t get THE ONLY WAY OUT to Gigi, he did pass the script to Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Noam Dromi, Managing Director and Executive Producer at Reboot Studios.
The “Almost” That Didn’t Quite Land
Noam thought the script was very powerful, but without financing, an A-list actress, or an A-list director attached, he couldn’t take it on.If we can attach an A-lister… Damn.
What really sucks is that even though we have Eric Schwab attached to direct, the industry doesn’t consider him an A-lister. The man is amazing, but because he’s primarily a Second Unit Director who’s only directed two independent films, he’s not “A-list”—despite having worked closely with Tom Cruise, JJ Abrams, and Brian De Palma.
One Bad Call, One Mug of Hot Chocolate, and Then…
When Stephanie called and told me that Larry couldn’t get the script to Gigi and Noam had turned it down, I grabbed a mug of hot chocolate and took a moment to sulk.
Why is this so hard? I wondered.
And then—out of nowhere—an email popped into my inbox from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Leadership. I nearly fell out of my chair. You’ll never believe who was coming to present. Gigi. Pritzker.
My heart skipped a beat. What were the odds? Was the universe finally lining up for THE ONLY WAY OUT?
A Serendipitous Night at CU Boulder
I bought a $20 ticket, drove to Boulder on a Monday night, and arrived first, even before the doors opened. Another woman arrived shortly after, and we struck up a conversation. Turns out her friend was the person in charge of arranging Gigi’s visit and would be meeting with her afterward. This felt like pure KISMET.
Not only that, but Gigi's presentation was incredible.
The Leadership Lessons That Hit Hard
Gigi’s advice was straightforward and powerful:
Make a decision—good or bad—just make one.
If someone on your team isn’t working out, fix the problem https://www.amygiaquinto.com/product-page/pitching-to-win-mastering-the-hollywood-pitchimmediately or move on. The industry moves too fast to carry dead weight.
“Perfect is the enemy of done.”
Trust your gut.
She also shared a philosophy close to her heart: the Jewish principle of repairing the world, and how storytelling has the power to do exactly that.
Then she talked about something her brother once told her after one of her films flopped, "when the shit hits the fan, put everything on the table and evaluate it." Gigi said she did what he said and suddenly her “failure” didn’t seem so big. And, even better, there were lessons to be learned for next time.
Another Almost-Moment (Two Seconds Too Slow)
After the presentation, I joined a group of people at the stage to introduce myself, but she was whisked away before I could say hi.
BUT—just then—the woman I’d spoken with earlier waved me over to meet her friend, the organizer responsible for bringing Gigi to CU. I met her, and just as I began to ask if I could tag along, she was pulled away. She waved to the woman I’d met and told her to follow.
I’d missed my shot by two seconds.
This has been the story of my screenwriting career: So close, yet so far away.
A Rejection, a Reset, and a Realistic Ask
I was disappointed, of course, but the presentation itself was worth the trip. It pushed me to rethink my vision for THE ONLY WAY OUT and my next steps.
At home, I wrote a thoughtful letter to Gigi and sent it to her and her assistants. I thanked her for her presentation and explained how her words helped me reevaluate my direction. I also asked—very gently—if I could send a pitch for the script.
I knew what the response would be. But "you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take."
An assistant at her company replied immediately. Madison Wells Media wasn’t accepting unsolicited submissions, which I already knew. I thanked them and asked if they would forward a non-pitchy note to Gigi. I didn't hear back, which is as expected.
They won't forward my thank you letter, and Gigi herself won't read it, despite sending it to her inbox. I won't hear back from anyone at Madison Wells Media, but the writing exercise felt worthwhile and I'm not sitting here kicking myself wondering, what if.
A Plan Forward (Finally)
Gigi’s words—none of which were new—were simply something I needed to hear from someone outside my tiny pocket of family and friends.
They forced me to solidify my plans to move forward with THE ONLY WAY OUT and other projects.
I have 3 scripts outlined and waiting to be written. I'm at the midpoint with the first.
The goal is to finish all three and send them out—to different companies—at the same time.
I’m also thinking about directing one of the features myself, a low-budget project I’ve outlined.
I'll continue to market THE ONLY WAY OUT as much as I can.
A Win for THE ONLY WAY OUT (And a Very 2025 Outcome)
And now for the moment you've all been waiting for. Good news!
THE ONLY WAY OUT just won Best Feature Screenplay in the Women’s Film Festival Screenplay Competition in Nashville, TN! YAY!!!
But of course—2025 being 2025—the festival had to be cancelled due to a series of unfortunate events.
I have to say I'd been really looking forward to traveling to Nashville to participate in the film festival, see the films, network, and, of course, receive my award, but oh well.
The organizers did put together an online presentation, which my family and I watched together. Feeling my daughter's joy and celebrating with her, my husband, and son was a great reminder that whatever happens in this business pales in comparison to the love I feel for my husband and kids and the love and support they give to me. And when I put it all on the table, I have to acknowledge that I am one bad ass woman! I've got this! Onwards I go!
Black Belt Training Round Two: A Rocky Story in the Making
In other news, I’m back in action at the dojo and officially beginning the grueling six-month stretch toward my black belt test. Take 2. This won't be easy as I'm still recovering from emergency ACDF (spinal fusion) surgery last December, so we’ll see if this underdog can pull off a ROCKY-style comeback during the 14-hour test in May 2026.
Curious, I’m documenting the entire journey on my YouTube Channel: MAMA FIX IT ACDF Recovery.
MAMA FIX IT™ Updates and New Channels Coming
I've released a lot of MAMA FIX IT™ videos since my last blog post, so feel free to head to my channel and check them out. My goal is to rebrand my MAMA FIX IT™ content into two channels to make sure my content's getting to the right audience:
MAMA FIX IT™: ACDF Recovery Channel
MAMA FIX IT™: How-To Channel
Speaking of Mama Fix It, if you're struggling with a stiff neck, muscle tension and headaches, feel free to watch the video below for tips on how to get relief!
Thanks so much for your love and support! It means the world to me! Please don't forget to check out my shop at: SHOP | Amy Giaquinto. I've got lots of great merch for sale that's perfect for the holiday season!!!
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