When I interviewed Jewerl Ross, renowned literary manager (who is these days celebrating the immense success of his longtime client, MOONLIGHT writer/director Barry Jenkins), for my upcoming book, BREAKING IN: TALES FROM THE SCREENWRITING TRENCHES, he told me of the screenplays he reads and the content he sees: “If it’s… read more →
Melissa London Hilfers is a powerhouse, and not just because she just sold her second feature spec, UNFIT, to Amazon studios for mid-six-figures with some high profile potential attachments three days after the script went out to market. I realized that this woman might just have what it takes to… read more →
For many writers who dread the thought of facing the empty page alone day in and day out, writing partnerships may sound like an ideal solution. After all, with a writing partner someone is always waiting for your pages and helping you along. As you go through both the highs… read more →
One fall, many years ago, I happened to visit my family in Israel right around the time of the European Basketball Championship. Israel made it all the way to the finals that year, and on the night of the big game, Tel-Aviv was a ghost town. My uncle, cousin and… read more →
You guys are going to love me on this one, right off the bat, for one simple reason: There are no 3 steps to building a screenwriting career. It doesn’t exist. If there were three simple steps to building a screenwriting career, one-two-three-paycheck, someone would have formulated it, sold it,… read more →
This is an unapologetic rant. I know. I usually stick to the positive. I usually try to keep my pet peeves to myself and off the page. I don’t want to make anyone upset. I certainly don’t seek to offend. Enough times people have said to me “that one time… read more →
To many emerging writers her in Los Angeles, Tawnya Bhattacharya needs little introduction: Not only is she a working television writer who has been staffed consistently for the last four years, but she is also the mastermind behind Script Anatomy, the elite television-centric writing program attended by many a television-aiming… read more →
One of the best things you can be doing for yourself as a writer is read other screenplays getting traction and getting produced in the industry marketplace. As your screenplay emerges into the space, it will inevitably be compared to other successful works out there. What better way to prepare… read more →
In late October, Kelly Anelons, one of my most dedicated, talented, determined and hardworking clients, boarded a plane to Los Angeles for her quarterly entertainment industry foray. She generously went on to blog about her LA-bound experiences. Here is the first chapter of her most recent adventure: Thousands of feet… read more →
One of my favorite industry people, hands down, is my dear friend, producer Tracey Becker. Tracey produced Miramax’s Finding Neverland starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman, and directed by Marc Forster. Finding Neverland was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Her more recent… read more →
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