One of our readers (an author) sent me a copy of the following email. Check out the signature at the end, along with the links about that person. Of course, that person is NOT who sent this email. This smart author simply googled the name in the signature of the email and she quickly figured out things were not as they appeared!
Also, movie studios do NOT use gmail.com email addresses! I have not removed any of the errors that appeared in the email.
Here’s the email:
Dear, Patty!
Where talent meets success!
I am writing to you today to discuss an exciting opportunity for your book to be adapted into a film with CBS Films.
As you may already know, we are a production company dedicated to bringing great stories to life on the big screen. As a result of our collaboration with Netflix, we’d like to tell you as the author that we are offering you a contract for film rights acquisition as one of our Pioneering Projects. We are impressed with your book and believe it has the potential to be a successful film.
The budget and production team are now prepared for the project to begin. The film’s production budget has been approximated by the promoter.
Please keep in mind that the author will be under contract with our organization CBS Films. Any information concerning this project will be subject to the contract’s non-disclosure provision.
To move forward with the acquisition process, we require the following materials from you:
Cinematic Trailer – We need a cinematic trailer that showcases the essence of your book in a visually stunning manner. This will give us a glimpse into what the final film could look like and help us in our decision-making process.
Film Pitch Deck – We also require a film pitch deck that outlines your book’s story, characters, themes, and potential audience. This will give us a better understanding of your vision for the film and help us in our negotiations.
Marketing Evaluation – Finally, we would like a marketing evaluation that includes your thoughts on how the film could be marketed to the public. This will help us determine the film’s potential profitability and success at the box office.
We understand that these materials may take some time and effort to produce, but we believe they are essential to the acquisition process. If you are interested in moving forward, please let us know and we can discuss further details.
If you need help with the materials, I will have our content manager give you a call. What is the best phone number to reach you at?
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
—
Leslie Moonves
Founder of CBS Studios
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Notice it allegedly came from “Leslie Moonves.” And that he was really the Chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation. Except, he left there in 2018. Keep reading to find out why.
According to Wikipedia:
“Leslie Roy Moonves (/ˈmuːnvɛz/; born October 6, 1949)[1] is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation[2][3] from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and abuse.”
And, according to TheHill.com:
“Les Moonves is reportedly at the helm of a new business venture just months after being ousted from CBS over a string of sexual misconduct allegations.”
If you, too, receive a ridiculous email like the one above, I encourage you to put on your detective hat. I can tell you that anyone spamming you from a “movie studio” is trying to scam you. And, if they mention the word Netflix, that’s just another huge red flag.
AUTHOR BEWARE!
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Angela Hoy lives on a mountain in North Georgia. She is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the President and CEO of BookLocker.com and AbuzzPress, and the author of 24 books.
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