Literary Manager Bradley Kushner helps clients chart their way through Hollywood. He heads up the literary department at Creative Convergence where the company's slate of clients includes Ann Knapp Austen, a Disney Channel writer and "Power Rangers" showrunner, who in 2008 received both a HUMANITAS Prize and a WGA Award. Some of the company's other clients include Chuck Austen, comic book author and screenwriter/creator of Sci Fi's "Tripping the Rift"; screenwriter/director Gary Boulton-Brown, who penned Lifetime Movie Network's "They Come Back"; Rodney Johnson, the screenwriter/author that wrote Lifetime's "Queen Sized" and the "Rinnah Two Feathers" children's mystery novels; and screenwriter/director Gary Sinyor, who scripted "In Your Dreams" and "Bob the Butler," and directed "The Bachelor."

Run by partners Kushner and Philippa Burgess, Creative Convergence has not only found success in literary management, but has also established a solid presence in production and entertainment consulting since its inception less than five years ago.

Prior to Creative Convergence, Kushner earned a B.S. in Radio/Television/Film from Northwestern University. From there, he worked for Ivan Reitman, the William Morris Agency, Columbia Pictures, Sony and Mason Burgess Lifschultz. There's no doubt his accumulated experience in production, development and management is benefitting clients, but Kushner is quick to share credit and responsibility for client success with the client. In this interview, Kushner talks about working with writers and qualities that help sell scripts.

Q: Is there a particular type of spec that is easier to sell or easier to get read these days?

A: The supernatural thriller has been very easy to get people to read. The reason for that is there are so many different ways to tell that story. It's scary; it's intriguing -- especially if it has a really good mystery behind it; and there is something sort of fantastical in nature about it. People love a great ghost story, particularly if you can find an original way to tell it, and I think there are multiple ways to tell a supernatural thriller in an original fashion. That's a lot harder in, for example, a romantic comedy where boy meets girl, boy loses girl or girl loses boy. In that case, it's very easy to fall into a formulaic story. But with a supernatural thriller, people are really interested, especially if you can hook them with something new and different. Executives love reading that stuff.

Q: What does it mean for a story to have a point and why is that important?

A: There has to be a reason why you're telling the story -- an extraordinary reason. Maybe the guy starts out being this type of person, but in the end he winds up being that type of person. If you're just writing about something because it sounds like it's really cool, that doesn't always pan out.

Q: Are you talking about theme?

A: Yes. There is a purpose to telling the story. There is passion behind why this is being told. You need to understand the underlying theme in the story that you are telling to have a connection to the story. If you lack that connection, you lack the purpose of why you're telling that. Those types of stories end up being hard to relate to, they meander, they end up being hum-drum, and they lack specialness. Maybe the writer writes the first two acts, and then doesn't know the ending. If you don't know the reason why you're telling the story, you're not going to have an end.

Q: What other writing choices or elements of craft are important to marketing a script or a writer?

A: Really good dialogue. Really great characters. If you have fantastic characters, that will carry you all the way though because characters are relatable, or sympathetic, or unpredictable, so you're intrigued. Crafting your characters and your dialogue is very important. The structure of a script is very simple with three acts. If you are telling your story or your logline and you can fill it with fantastic characters and dialogue, you have a winner.

Q: How do you know when a writer is ready for a manager?

A: There are a few ways. If you start winning competitions, that's a good indicator. If a writer is part of a writers group and gets a consensus from their own peers and community that they have something, I think that's a good sign. If the writer has connections in Hollywood and gets referrals, that's another good indication.

Q: Do you work with writers from outside the Los Angeles area?

A: Definitely. I've got a couple in New York and Atlanta. I've got three in the UK. I've also got a director in Thailand. It's a lot easier to connect with people these days between Skype and e-mail. It's easier to do this with feature writers, because they're writing a screenplay. I don't have any TV staff writers, but I do know that if writers want to get staffed in TV, they have to be here.

At some point, when they start hitting it home, they have to consider building a relationship with Hollywood and that may mean moving here because you want to stay as immersed as possible. I think living in L.A. is easier for a screenwriter, than living somewhere else.

Q: Are you working in reality programming?

A: I've found that to be a lot harder to set up. The competition is so fierce that it requires one of three things: a producer that has been in the business so long that they're trusted; or the project comes in with a sponsor, so there is money; or that there is particular talent attached. Just to send a query saying you have a great idea for a reality TV show doesn't cut it. There's nothing to anchor that idea to the writer.

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

A: Writers should know about the business. They should be reading Variety and Hollywood Reporter (both are now free on the Internet). They should understand the psychology of this industry. There are also seminars and conferences. Those things are important. I know they charge writers a fee, but it's good to be involved and understand the psyche of the community. The point of a manager and an agent is to help the writer, but the only person who can really push the writer's career is the writer. They should learn as much as possible about the business. It will help them in good stead.

If you want to know more about Bradley Kushner or Creative Convergence, visit the company's Web site: http://www.creativecvg.com/index.php.