Is Coverfly Really Shutting Down?

Yes...no...maybe?

If you—like many screenplay writers—usually use sites like Launchpad, ScreenCraft and WeScreenplay to submit your work for competitions, then you’re most likely familiar with the same big banner pasted across all their homepages that they’ll be closing up shop. We’re all wondering what happened, why this occurred, or what this means for us writer's going into the future. If you’re feeling that same sense of unease, you’re not alone.

Launchpad, WeScreenplay and ScreenCraft were each extended branches of the master cooperation, Coverfly. At this time, Launchpad, WeScreenplay and ScreenCraft are officially shut down, but we’re shocked once again due to the company's most recent announcement. I never thought we’d hear this news, but Coverfly—the larger, powerhouse company that originally absorbed the others—will also be going away come August 1st, 2025. I know I’ve personally loved using Coverfly as a one-stop-shop to enter numerous competitions and to host my scripts on. With this announcement, us writers around the globe can’t help but feel that the opportunities are being ripped away from us.

This mindset is what helped me understand this decision better. See, when all of these programs were up and working as they normally have been, their intention was to provide as many opportunities as possible. This made submission accessible, encouraged creatives, and helped several aspiring writers make their big break into Hollywood’s film industry – especially those who were not based in LA. However, what was beneficial to us was not necessarily beneficial to Coverfly as a governing company. The extended branches gave us more access, but each of them were in competition with each other (a.k.a., they were fighting themselves) which wasted unnecessary funds and effort. With AI being introduced, strikes, layoffs, natural disasters, and other conflicts popping up around the same time, film has hit a tough spot. These corporations suffered greatly as a result, and it became very clear that their original goals were no longer serving them. They had to adapt; their safest option was to cut extended programs to preserve control and resources. So it made sense why they would want to close down these smaller branches. Even if it was at the expense of their users, companies like CoverFly were reconsolidating their offerings to save themselves from disappearing altogether. 

Filmmakers—we’re losing a couple screenplay writing competitions that we’ve grown to love and appreciate, but we’re not losing everything. They’re not all going away; screenplay writing competitions are still very much prominent and available.

But is Coverfly really shutting down?

Coverfly, and it's extended branches, were bought in 2021 by BackStage, a popular company that connects actors with jobs. This leads me to believe, that Coverfly isn't just disappearing. It will most likely still exist, just under a new name. It may be different and a change from what we once knew, but remember this: all of these companies are trying to help you and were built for you. Maybe I'm just optimist, but I think they are taking down these sites to make room for their own new bigger and better platform for screenwriters.

Trust me – I get it though. It is easy to fall victim to the despair and fear of change, but we’re not alone. Our community of screenwriters will always stick together and we'll migrate through these industry changes together!

Everyone is doing the best they can, so maybe the best we can do is see this reform as an potential opportunity, one that may even make it easier to connect and get our writings out into the world. The key to our success is to move forward as a unified industry; if they have to adapt, maybe we should too.  

Bri Kaisen
Screenwriter & Associate Creative Producer at Life Out Loud Films

Works Cited

Content, Partner. “Kinolime Gives a Platform to Indie Filmmakers at 2023 SXSW Launch.” Variety, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023, variety.com/2023/biz/news/kinolime-indie-filmmakers-sxsw-launch-1235561791/. 

Hellerman, Jason. “Coverfly Is Shutting down. What Does This Mean for Screenwriters?” No Film School, No Film School, 30 Apr. 2025, nofilmschool.com/coverfly-is-shutting-down#:~:text=Breaking%20in%20is%20getting%20very,%2C%20WeScreenplay%2C%20and%20The%20ScriptLab. 

Hellerman, Jason. “ScreenCraft, the Script Lab, and WeScreenplay Are Shutting Down.” No Film School, No Film School, 20 Feb. 2025, nofilmschool.com/screencraft-the-scriptlab-and-wescreenplay-closing#. 

Max Timm & The Story Farm. “What the Closure of Screencraft.Org Means for Screenwriters.” The Story Farm, The Story Farm, 14 Feb. 2025, thestoryfarm.substack.com/p/what-the-closure-of-screencraftorg? 

Team, Kinolime. “Coverfly Is Shutting down: Here’s What Screenwriters Need to Know (and Where to Go Next).” Kinolime Blog, Kinolime Blog, 15 May 2025, blog.kinolime.com/articles/coverfly-is-shutting-down-and-where-to-go-next#:~:text=By%20Kinolime%20Team-,Coverfly%20Is%20Shutting%20Down%3A%20Here’s%20What%20Screenwriters%20Need%20to%20Know,down%20on%20August%201%2C%202025.