Power Tracker Review
New Product Review - Power Tracker
What is it and what does it do?: Power Tracker
is a stand-alone software program that works with both Windows and
Macintosh/Apple computers. It is submission tracking software
that keeps track of who, when, and what you submit to Hollywood
contacts.
If you're serious about your writing, you need to be equally serious
about your submissions. Power Tracker can give you the edge to take control of your writing life
and get your work into the hands of the people that matter. Use it
properly, and you'll find that it's like having a SELL button on your
computer.
Along with integrated submission management, automatic follow-up reminders, instant access to any draft of your project, full expense tracking with filtering, reports and much, much more, Power Tracker comes preloaded with over 5,000 current names, addresses and phone numbers of agents, producers, actors, and directors all courtesy of FilmTracker.com.
Power Tracker's Top Features:
* Automatic Follow-Up Reminders keep things from EVER slipping through the cracks
* Detailed on-screen and printable reports allow you to quickly and easily stay on top of every project's status
* Flexible expense tracking allows you to painlessly keep track of all your writing expenses right as they happen during the submission process
* Integrated file management means that you'll always be able to instantly find any file associated with any project (such as a treatment or old draft) without having to search through masses of backup disks
* Full submission and closure categorization means that you'll always be able to target contacts who've liked your work in the past and who'll want to see your latest project
* Integrated email sending and word processing means that you can painlessly keep track of everything you've said to anyone in one simple place
Searchable notes means you can always easily go back and find who said what to whom, days, months or even years after the fact
StoryPros "Real Work Analysis" of Power Tracker:
So, what can this software really do for you? How can you use it in the real world to get your script's into the right hands?
Well, we at StoryPros are screenwriters just like you and we use Power Tracker on a daily basis. Sure, you can use Microsoft Outlook or other contact management software like Act! or Goldmine to track your submissions, or maybe even a blank piece of paper. But why would you want to? Power Tracker is designed exclusively for screenwriters and their needs.
The program works like you would want and expect it to. You enter a project (script, treatment, pitch, etc.) into the system and everytime you submit it to a producer, contest, studio, etc., Power Tracker keeps track of the submission and reminds you at intervals you designate to follow-up on your submission. Once you have a result on the submission (Pass, Pass with comments, Check back with us, Send us your future work, etc.) you enter in the result and move on to the next submission or project. When you've entered your script into 5 or more contests (each with a different deadline) and sent it to multiple producers, it can be a challenge to keep track of them all.
The program is simple to getting started with (you probably won't need you look at the instructions or the help guide) and has an easy to use and understand interface.
My one gripe about this program is also what could be one of its strongest features if it were updated regularly, and that is the Hollywood contacts database from Filmtracker.com that is built into the the program. The software has over 5,000 industry contacts with names, titles, addresses, and (sometimes) their submission guidelines. This is a very nice feature that, if updated regularly, would be worth the cost of the program alone. Unfortunately, as people and companies in Hollywood come and go all the time (now you know why the Hollywood Creative Directory is published 4 times a year), the contact list will be out of date quickly. The Power Tracker folks could make this product stronger by offering periodic updates to the contact list which would make this product a must have.
Regardless, the contact database is probably at least 75% current and you can edit or add new contacts to the database anytime you want.
Even without the built-in Hollywood contacts, we consider Power Tracker to be one of our key tools in our assault on Hollywood.
It does what you need, works the way you expect it to, and is very reasonably priced. What more can you ask for?
Along with integrated submission management, automatic follow-up reminders, instant access to any draft of your project, full expense tracking with filtering, reports and much, much more, Power Tracker comes preloaded with over 5,000 current names, addresses and phone numbers of agents, producers, actors, and directors all courtesy of FilmTracker.com.
Power Tracker's Top Features:
* Automatic Follow-Up Reminders keep things from EVER slipping through the cracks
* Detailed on-screen and printable reports allow you to quickly and easily stay on top of every project's status
* Flexible expense tracking allows you to painlessly keep track of all your writing expenses right as they happen during the submission process
* Integrated file management means that you'll always be able to instantly find any file associated with any project (such as a treatment or old draft) without having to search through masses of backup disks
* Full submission and closure categorization means that you'll always be able to target contacts who've liked your work in the past and who'll want to see your latest project
* Integrated email sending and word processing means that you can painlessly keep track of everything you've said to anyone in one simple place
Searchable notes means you can always easily go back and find who said what to whom, days, months or even years after the fact
StoryPros "Real Work Analysis" of Power Tracker:
So, what can this software really do for you? How can you use it in the real world to get your script's into the right hands?
Well, we at StoryPros are screenwriters just like you and we use Power Tracker on a daily basis. Sure, you can use Microsoft Outlook or other contact management software like Act! or Goldmine to track your submissions, or maybe even a blank piece of paper. But why would you want to? Power Tracker is designed exclusively for screenwriters and their needs.
The program works like you would want and expect it to. You enter a project (script, treatment, pitch, etc.) into the system and everytime you submit it to a producer, contest, studio, etc., Power Tracker keeps track of the submission and reminds you at intervals you designate to follow-up on your submission. Once you have a result on the submission (Pass, Pass with comments, Check back with us, Send us your future work, etc.) you enter in the result and move on to the next submission or project. When you've entered your script into 5 or more contests (each with a different deadline) and sent it to multiple producers, it can be a challenge to keep track of them all.
The program is simple to getting started with (you probably won't need you look at the instructions or the help guide) and has an easy to use and understand interface.
My one gripe about this program is also what could be one of its strongest features if it were updated regularly, and that is the Hollywood contacts database from Filmtracker.com that is built into the the program. The software has over 5,000 industry contacts with names, titles, addresses, and (sometimes) their submission guidelines. This is a very nice feature that, if updated regularly, would be worth the cost of the program alone. Unfortunately, as people and companies in Hollywood come and go all the time (now you know why the Hollywood Creative Directory is published 4 times a year), the contact list will be out of date quickly. The Power Tracker folks could make this product stronger by offering periodic updates to the contact list which would make this product a must have.
Regardless, the contact database is probably at least 75% current and you can edit or add new contacts to the database anytime you want.
Even without the built-in Hollywood contacts, we consider Power Tracker to be one of our key tools in our assault on Hollywood.
It does what you need, works the way you expect it to, and is very reasonably priced. What more can you ask for?
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