His criticism is that The Blacklist is built on the idea that their are shit loads (hundreds of thousands, millions?) of really crappy scripts written every year by people with a dream. These dreamers are a lucrative business for many service providers in Hollywood. It's not that no service is provided in exchange for the money paid, but when you offer a service which explicitly sells the dream (when the reality is that a miniscule percentage actually "make it") then that is what is smarmy.

That said, I don't personally have a problem with it myself, mostly because you are getting something for your money. You'd almost certainly be better off going about things differently (sitting around waiting for Hollywood to call just because you put your script on The Blacklist--or anywhere--is a distinctly ineffective strategy).

Nail on the head, re: the criticism. I just think it's important to be up front about the odds. By comparison, Script Revolution basically says "You probably won't make it, so join us to show there's merit in not buying into the old system" and that, to me, was a point of inspiration. The idea that the money paid could be a "Who Knows?!" type black-box of critical integrity just rubs me the wrong way.

Reddit doesn't like The Black List because it's a bit pay to play and exclusive, like the industry it serves. Sounds like the author let that transfer to him a bit, because it's one of the most powerful channels for a promising screenplay (especially if it makes it to the List itself), and I too found the criticism awfully misguided, particularly with how personal it is.

If I put it harshly, I think that bit about the List is a subtle clue about the author holding himself back and burning bridges before he ever gets to them.

Eh, I saw enough anecdata to pick up on the "I've been ripped off" vibe more than just typical online bitching. He made it a personal mission to come into threads and offer "free alternate reviews" but so many people didn't even want to try again. That was very telling to me - not even repeat business when free? Ouch.

Part of my business model is to be Independent to a fault. If you go read the Reddit thread and compare it with the essay, they align. I told the guy I didn't need his site because I was aiming for the Nicholl, which, time and again, people were very positive about. He wished me luck, and me back to him with his objectives.

I used to be a Counter-Strike 1.1 Spray n Pray jockey. Not when I have to put up cash these days though...each shot has to count a lot...