How DOES a Story Analyst become a Story Analyst?

Question: How does a story analyst become a Story Analyst? Is it worth developing a relationship with a Story Analyst? How crucial can knowing a Story Analyst be to a screenwriters career? Thanks!

Marisa D'Vari responds: 'Knowing anyone' in Hollywood is always a great benefit to a career. Friends who work with sound, either on the set or in post-production, can fill your ears about dialogue. Camera people can tell you about shots and perhaps what to avoid at the script stage. Secretaries often know more than the executives who employ them. Ditto for story analysts. The ideal solution is to become a story analyst and get to know your colleagues.

Most story analysts start out as assistants to executives or agents, read scripts on the side without pay, write synopses without pay, and when their boss gets a promotion, they become a script reader or even the head of the story department. Most have been to college, many received a degree in English or film studies. The main advantage of being a studio story analyst/script writer is that you are reading top of the line scripts daily, the cream of the cream agents send in. You have an ear not only in the marketplace, but are reading what is selling.