As the Writer’s Guild strike grinds on, it’s as good a time as any to pay tribute to those for whom the screenplay is not so much a job as a lottery ticket. Present company is definitely included – like most of my fellow Screengrabbers, I have a desk drawer full of brilliant yet tragically unproduced scripts, any one of which should have made me a millionaire by now. But I’ve also been on the other side of the equation, having spent several years reading scripts for Hollywood production companies and a well-known screenwriting contest, and I’m here to tell you that for every unknown writer with an original story told in a compelling fashion there are approximately 7000 folks who should have put the hard-earned money spent on their Final Draft programs away for a rainy day.

Still, as long as there are influential individuals willing to sift through haystacks in search of a needle, the dream lives on – which brings us to this Entertainment Weekly piece about Nehst Studios, a new company spearheaded by former Shooting Gallery exec Larry Meistrich. Nehst (pronounced “next,” but spelled in a more Google-friendly way) is not exactly Project Greenlight – although some participants have compared it to American Idol – but it is a way for aspiring screenwriters to get some feedback on their ideas, and even some option money if Meistrich and his fellow judges like what you’re doing.

In the EW article, Meistrich says “We charge 10 bucks per pitch, but that's really just to weed out the maniacs.” I can’t believe that works, having read Unabomber-like screeds from screenplay contest entrants who paid a $25 fee, but what the heck. If you want to give it a shot, check out their site – but don’t quit your day job just yet.