Complaint Review: Lee Jessup

Lilly, your rebuttal is well-stated. I have not engaged Lee for consultation, but I too was stunned by the report, as it is completely at odds with my experience of Lee Jessup. She is kind, generous, conscientious and hard-nosed on the realities of breaking in to one of the most difficult and lucrative fields imaginable - entertainment industry, and screenwriting specifically. My experience of her from her bi-weekly screenwriters support group is absolutely consistent with yours, Lilly. That the original smear report emerged from an anonymous troll is no surprise. That Lee refunded three-fourths (sounds like more) of his fees remitted suggests that there may have been an encounter [she is ethical] - but assuming there was, I suspect it was 3x or 4x more punishing - financially and psychologically - for Lee herself than for 'WriterInLosAngeles' or whatever the original troll's monicker is. Go Lee - Onward!

I'm curious... you complain that, after your third meeting (in only your first month), you're not the newest Shane Black and that's HER fault? It sounds like you expected her to do all the work, and you were just going to sit back and wait for Hollywood to knock down your door.  And how can ANYONE "define and extend your brand" if you don't even know what it is? She's a writing coach, she's not a miracle worker. 

I have been working with Lee since 2015. Her guidance, professionalism and cheeriness helped to pull me out of a writer's slump and put me back on track to finish a script that had been languishing.

That script is now a semi-finalist for both the 2016 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition and the 2016 Page International Screenwriting Awards.

In my experience, she makes very clear what her services are (and aren't) and delivers on them.

It seems the complaintant was not happy with the service she got and Lee reimbursed her most of her money.

That seems fair to me.

Lee Zahavi Jessup has been a great asset to my writing career so far. I can’t think of anybody else as my writing and industry coach.

I recently moved here from Italy. I knew nobody, my English faltered and I didn’t have a precise idea of how the industry works. My biggest luck was finding Lee. She provided me with a deep insight into Hollywood, its rules, dynamics and more importantly, secrets!

She fervidly motivated me through the painful rewriting process of my action thriller script, dispensing many precious advises as to how improve it on all fronts. In less than a  year, the same script was picked by a prominent producer. Lee, in my opinion, is the real deal.

I have worked with Lee for four years – well before she officially launched her career coaching business.

In these years, Lee has helped me navigate through various aspects of getting my script to the market. Once on the market, it was picked up by a producer in 2 days. With her encouragement and support, I also contributed to a book that became a best-seller. I wouldn’t think of making a major move without consulting her.

I was thrilled when she launched her coaching business! It means that 75 hard-working writers who are also serious about their careers could benefit from the exceptional guidance that I did.

Lee’s coaching serves an important career gap for writers: the space between MFAs and the first gig and beyond. UCLA, USC and numerous schools and workshops do a great job teaching structure, craft, and career basics, but there is a gap between diploma and representation and contract – and Lee fills that with the personalized attention and direction that one needs.

In the last year, Lee has helped six writers get signed for representation, one screenplay optioned, one TV pilot optioned, one writer has a produced movie, 37 writers have completed screenplays, and numerous more have achieved contest accolades, as well as have had work recognized and meetings with 11 of the top agencies and 8 networks. That’s a hell of a lot of activity – considering not everyone started the first month.

Compared to other industry sources, $550 for a script review and 3 personal, one-on-one meetings is more than fair. But I guess “WriterinLosAngeles” knows that, which is why she’s blasting Lee on a one-way anonymous complaint site instead of small claims court. That choice says a lot more about the complainer than it does Lee.

But the real irresponsibility of this personal attack is that it will affect Lee’s ability to continue to make herself so open and available to legit writers. Personally, I hope Lee can put this one complaint into context with her long list of results. She makes her writers’ success her personal business. And if she can’t help you, she’ll tell you. That kind of straightforwardness is to be appreciated, not condemned.

I teach Screenwriting at the University of Washington and have known Lee Jessup for many years.  She is the consummate professional - honest, creative, and inspiring - which is why I frequently recommend her services to my students.  Obviously, no coach is for everybody, but Lee is one of the best in the industry.

Lee is a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of coach who lights a fire under her writers, encouraging them to cut through the noise and find their own voice.  She takes the time to build rapport with her clients rather than simply taking their money.  Why?  Because her goal is to help you, the writer, create a body of work that sets you apart. 

When the time is right - when you have a handful of solid, marketable  scripts in the drawer - Lee is your champion, handing your work to producers, managers, and agents and connecting you to people who can get your projects made.  She knows you only get ONE SHOT.  She won't send you out before you are ready... and if you are serious about succeeding in this highly competitive business - consider that a favor.

I can't speak to this person's experience, but I can say that I have been very satisfied with Lee. More importantly, I have results to show for it -- I recently received a "Consider" from ScriptShark, which takes me a step closer toward achieving my goals. I doubt I would have come this far without Lee's support and assistance. Lee has been my cheerleader, my advisor and a much-needed resource for industry insight. My four (very expensive) years in USC's screenwriting program left me feeling adrift -- even after having a feature film produced. I now feel I'm on the right track. Working with Lee has been worth every penny. I've also met a number of Lee's other clients -- one just had his feature produced (!), several other had found representation and/or won contests after signing up with Lee, and all of them were motivated, talented self-starters. I guess there's always going to be a bad egg in the mix. I could not disagree more with this post.

My first impression reading this scathing review is absolute disbelief. Lee is such a warm, kind, generous person. Nothing like the soulless predator that is being described in this "report". I didn't attend your sessions with Lee, so I can't speak to what exactly transpired, but I can share my own experience:

I started working with Lee over a year ago. After completing two UCLA programs in screenwriting, numerous workshops and private mentorships, I felt stuck and unsure of where to go next. I found Lee online. A perfect stranger that nobody recommended to me. I liked her site and thought I'd give her a shot. Starting with just one session to see if our professional personalities clicked. The connection was instant. Not because she was falling all over herself recognizing my genius, that didn't happen. She told me the genre I was writing in was wrong for me, the script I had submitted wasn't strong at all, and I really needed to focus on developing my brand. So after such crushing news, why was I convinced Lee was the right screenwriting coach for me? Because she was honest and practical.

Lee came up with specific goals for me, the next logical steps toward building a long-term screenwriting career. I found this difficult, because I wanted to be "there" already. But building a lasting career is not a sprint, it's a marathon. And the competition is fierce. I had to be patient, not a virtue that I possess. Instead of allowing myself to be frustrated, I trusted Lee and the path she was recommending for me. I focused my energy on working even harder, learning even more. I would meet with Lee and pay attention to what she had to say. And when her goals brought me outside of my comfort zone, I sucked it up and did it anyway. Because I believed in her advice, even if I didn't always like it.

A few weeks ago, came a small reward: my latest script obtained the elusive "recommend" from a professional reader. There is no doubt in my mind that without Lee's professional guidance, I would not have obtained that "recommend". Although Lee keeps saying: "It's all you", I know it's not. I'm a hard worker, and Lee has guided me onto a path where my hard work is actually inching me closer to my goals. Without Lee, I'd still be working hard, but working hard at the wrong things. Just spinning my wheels, like a car stuck in the mud, getting nowhere.

Is Lee for everyone? No. She doesn't coddle. She expects her writers to work hard, produce and meet deadlines. She pushes us outside our comfort zones for our own good. She's honest and practical. And she has long-term vision. She cares about us, wants us to succeed and celebrates with us all milestones, no matter how small.

If your relationship with Lee didn't work out, you simply weren't a good fit. But now, to take to the internet, hide behind an anonymous handle, "WriterinLosAngeles, and call her a scam? It's wrong, irresponsible and petty. Not to mention that it's an outright lie.