SUBMITTED BY:
AKSHAY SURI
(akscool.1990@gmail.com)
CONTENTS
PAGES * THE STARTUP - SCRIPPED.COM 3-5 * REFERENCES 6
Scripped.com
Sunil Rajaraman
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Genesis of the idea: In 2006, Sunil Rajaraman was set to join UCLA Anderson School of Management (Los Angeles). On the drive to visit his parents, just before joining the management school, he was thinking about helping his friend Zak Freer. Freer was an aspiring screenwriter but he was not able to figure out how to get his work in front of Hollywood executives. He did not have any contacts in the Hollywood to get a break. The two of them thought about putting it online. They realized that there might be tons of other aspiring and talented screenwriters without any Godfather in Hollywood. Soon , Ryan Buckley, an MIT MBA, joined the team, and the idea for Scripped.com was born.
About the baby: The site is a marketplace for developing, buying, and selling screenplays. The software -- called Scripped Writer -- functions like a word processor that formats and catalogs each screenplay element according to industry standards. Once a script is uploaded, the online community can add suggestions and edits, and producers can purchase the content.
The website currently offers three services: script writing, script registration and script coverage.
There are plans to start a service in which different screenwriters can collaborate among themselves for a particular script.
Taking off: Coming up with the idea, as Rajaraman entered UCLA was perfect timing. In an interview he said "Anderson literally provided me with everything I needed to start the business. From connections to investors, to making introductions, to the class lessons -- never once during my time at Anderson did I hear 'No, I can't help you." As admitted by Rajaraman two classes in particular were instrumental to Scripped's development: Venture Initiation and Rajaraman's core marketing class. In Venture Initiation, a case-based course, students examine companies and analyze why they failed or succeeded. In that class, Rajaraman began to understand how to raise funds and avoid failure. The marketing class taught him how to target potential customers. So these two courses provided Rajaraman’s team tools to comprehend possible hurdles that were likely to come their way.
Initial investment: Scripped.com was launched in January 2008. Each founder contributed
$10,000, and they raised another $50,000 from family and friends. In March , Scripped raised $250,000 from two private angel investors. The company merged with competing site Zhura in 2010.
The Guardians: The scripped.com merged with competitor Zhura in 2010. Scripped’s CEO, Sunil Rajaraman continued as the CEO of merged company as well. It is also administered by his mates Ryan Buckley and Zak Freer. Actor, writer, and director Edward Burns joined Scripped's Board of Advisers in May 2008.
Beating the competition: There are similar tools available for script writing like Celtx or Final Draft but two important features have given competitive advantage to Scripped over these software. First, Scripped is cheaper than these software. Second, other software are required to be installed on the user’s machine, whereas in Scripped software that is Scripped Writer, scripts are safely stored online so they can be accessed from anywhere through internet. Thus, one user has to purchase only one licensed product which he can use on any number of machines, anywhere in the world. In addition to this, users also get to participate in exclusive Scripped events, join discussions and submit to exclusive contests with cash rewards.
Current progress: Currently, Scripped has five employees and nearly 100,000 users, according to Rajaraman. They make recurring revenue off the software businesses, where users can pay $9.95 for a premium version, and they expect to be profitable on that recurring revenue in six months. The content is also starting to get some buzz: Spike TV recently announced it would source its next pilot script from the Scripped.com user base.
