Only in the movie business can losing a contest jump-start a career.

Just ask the Project Greenlight "losers."

Although first-time director Pete Jones won the screenwriting contest back in March -- earning himself the chance to make his movie with Miramax's million-dollar bankroll while becoming the subject of an HBO reality series about the making of the film -- the Greenlight runners-up have found themselves anything but these past few months.

The tales of the other nine Greenlight finalists vary, but most have managed to parlay their exposure into a career launching pad. Among the highlights:

oMatt Burch sold his Greenlight entry "The Upgrade" to Miramax for mid-six figures.

oRob Pearlstein signed with ICM, sold a pitch about high school wrestlers to USA Films and is rewriting a suspense thriller for Working Title.

oBrendan Murphy sold his Greenlight script "Speakeasy" to Miramax and will make his directorial debut on the project.

oKatie Fetting signed with UTA and has Sidney Lumet attached to direct her script "Beyond Good and Evil," which is being produced by Roni Eguia and Faye Schwab.

Clearly, the Greenlight experience has opened doors that were once closed to the fledgling writers.

"It wasn't like the next day people were just flocking to me, but it does legitimize you, it separates you from the masses," Fetting said. "All of a sudden, people listen to you because they think, 'Hey, she was in the top 10, so she can't totally suck.' "

But helping Hollywood newbies get their foot in the door is not the only way Project Greenlight has benefited its finalists, whose scripts are still posted online at www.projectgreenlight.com. The contest, which included interviews with Miramax executives, veteran producers and even actor-producers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, provided a crash course in the harsh realities of the movie business.

"No one had seen my script before Greenlight, and I certainly think that the contest helped me get my name and script out there," Pearlstein said. "But maybe more importantly, I learned a lot just from talking with people like (producer) Chris Moore who helped me see things from a production standpoint and gain a better understanding of things like budget restraints."

Moore, whose production credits include "Good Will Hunting" and "American Pie" and is producing the winning Greenlight entry, "Stolen Summer," was equally impressed with the overall quality of submissions.

"The stories we received for the most part were all really interesting and inventive, but the professionalism wasn't there, which is understandable -- they don't teach these things in school," Moore said. "But that being said, if I were to pick 30 of the scripts I get sent by agents and compare them with the Greenlight top 30, I would say ours were even or probably better."

As the Greenlight series debuted on HBO several weeks ago, the finalists who came up short couldn't help but reflect on how things might have been different had they won. But as they watched Jones come to grips with the hassles of script notes and budget concerns, several admitted that they could see the advantages of not having the process of making their directorial debuts filmed for the world to see.

"I don't think the situation with the TV show would be very conducive, for me at least, to making my first film," Burch said. "There's already enough pressure making a first-time film for a million dollars. Who needs the added pressure of people making sure that your behind-the-camera exploits are 'dramatic'?"

Other finalists agreed.

"Part of me is definitely glad I didn't win," Fetting said. "I'm a bad loser, but I also realize that being a celebrity is one of those things that sounds good from the outside. A lot of people are not cut out to be stars."

As if their initial Greenlight experience was not enough of an eye-opener, the finalists' collective Hollywood education has continued as their careers have progressed.

"I've been disheartened by just how pervasive the bottom line, opening-weekend boxoffice mentality is," Burch said. "Everybody wants the golden goose, even if 95% of the time it lays rotten eggs."

Not all of the revelations have been disheartening ones, however. Some have been downright uplifting.

"I always had an opinion of Hollywood that everyone in power was evil," Fetting said. "I've been lucky to find people that have helped me. This experience has changed how I feel about the 'players' in Hollywood in that I now realize you can be at the top level and not be an asshole."

As the Greenlighters divide and conquer Hollywood, the people behind Project Greenlight are thrilled with how their little contest has helped filmmakers break into this elusive business.

"Greenlight as a community has succeeded, and the attention these finalists have gotten has changed their lives," Moore said. "We're ecstatic with how it's gone, but all this success is not worth it if we can't do it again next year."