After yet another online encounter with somebody who started things off in this manner, it seemed only fitting to revisit this post from March 2023. Incidentally, I never did hear back from that writer, so can only hope they took my advice to heart.
Enjoy.
Pop quiz!
You’ve got a script you’re quite excited about. You’ve slaved away on it and now can’t wait to show it off to the rest of the world.
But you want to make sure it’s as good as it can be, and that means getting feedback.
Who do you ask?
Is it:
A – a professional script consultant
B – somebody in your network of writers
C – a total stranger you just met. Like, minutes ago
And the answer is…?
Okay. Pencils down.
It would be nice to think that common sense, logic, and professionalism would influence your answer.
A and B are both correct.
Unfortunately, there are some who think it’s C, and are very adamant about that decision.
I was recently on the receiving end of such a scenario. A writer had asked to connect on a social media platform, I accepted, and within a matter of minutes received links to a trailer and pitch deck for their script.
I responded with a blunt “thanks”, to which they said they were looking for help to improve the script.
I said I’d try to think of some suggestions for consultants and services they could check out.
They were hoping I’d do it, to which I responded “I charge for notes too”.
They took that as “I accept your offer, and will now work with you!” and sent an NDA for me to sign.
I’m sure you can guess what my reaction to that was.
I tried to end it by saying that starting a connection with “Thanks! Read my stuff! Help me!” was not the way to go. Shockingly, they failed to get the point and kept going.
There were a few other issues that came up, so let’s just say the rest of our exchange proceeded to go downhill like an out-of-control bobsled on fire.
FOR CRYIN’ OUT LOUD – DON’T DO THIS!!
I get it. The enthusiasm. The heightened adrenaline. The hope/daydream that anybody who reads your script will immediately proclaim it “best ever!”
What a lot of writers, both new and those still learning, fail to comprehend is that part of being successful at screenwriting is establishing and maintaining professional relationships. You can’t just jump right in with a total stranger and say “You don’t know me, but I want you to help me”.
Would you want to be on the receiving end of that? Of course not. So why do some writers feel it’s a savvy move? If anything, you’re sabotaging yourself before you even get started.
It’s essential to take the time to build your personal network, and one of the key phrases here is “take the time”. Nothing happens in the blink of an eye. It requires patience, tact, and civility.
Putting in the time and effort to be a good screenwriter isn’t only about the writing. Knowing how to play well with others is just as important.
Be nice to people. Treat them how you’d want to be treated. Help them out if/when you can.
“And then he actually asked, “But what’s your Save the Cat moment?””
My next few weeks are quickly shaping up to be busy with all kinds of meetings with other writers; both in-person and over Zoom. Some are first-timers, others are “great to see you again!”. This really is one of the things I appreciate and enjoy most about the writing community: interacting with other writers.
It seemed only fitting to repost one of my favorite posts – this one from August 2016.
Enjoy.
It’s been a busy week around here, and not just in terms of writing.
I’ve had some great in-person meet-ups with three other local writers over the past couple of days. Two were first-timers, the third was someone I’ve known for a couple of years. Each one was great in its own way. This really is one of my favorite parts of networking – actually meeting somebody else and getting to know them.
Because of my work schedule, lunch or early afternoon coffee are ideal. I prefer a nice little cafe because it always makes for a better one-on-one environment: quiet, sociable, pleasant. Larger networking events, usually at bars, tend to be pretty crowded and noisy, which makes it tough to establish a solid rapport. I’m not too keen on having to continuously shout and not be entirely sure either of us can hear the other.
The first meeting usually involves the exchanging of “here’s my story” mini-bios, and then moves on to what’s going on for both parties. Over the course of about an hour, we’ll share and discuss our individual journeys as writers. Everybody’s journey is different, and I always find each one quite fascinating.
We often share many similarities: our constantly working in the hopes of eventually succeeding as a writer (or filmmaker), the noticeable excitement while discussing our latest project(s), wondering how it’ll go and how it’ll be received.
We are also allowed free rein to vent our frustration about whatever’s currently sticking in our respective craws. Bad experiences, lack of funds for a project, feeling stuck with developing a story, dealing with lousy notes, and so on. One of my new connections even stated, “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one this has happened to!”
That may be what’s at the heart of all of this: knowing you’re not the only one trying to do this, and that somebody else totally understands what it is you’re going through. Simply being able to chat about it in a casual social setting can do wonders; one might even call it therapeutic.
I also make a point of offering to help out in any capacity I can, which tends to usually be either giving script notes or suggesting potential contacts and strategies, and just about everybody is more than happy to reciprocate. Who can’t use a little help?
If you haven’t done so already, I heartily recommend reaching out and connecting with somebody in your area, especially if both of you are within close proximity to each other. Chances are they’re seeking to do the exact same thing.
You know the saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”? Well, this not only applies to breaking in, but also to helping you work your way towards that. Building up your personal network of fellow creatives is easy, won’t cost you that much (just what you’d spend on a cup of coffee or a meal), and is a definite plus for all involved.
At least you’re a shoo-in for Employee of the Month
Been busier than expected the past few weeks with a lot of things related to my scripts: learning how to put a pitch deck together, commissioning concept art, and getting the ball rolling on the crowdfunding campaign for the short film.
Although exhausting (and admittedly eating into my time to actually write), it’s all necessary to help move things along. It also reminded me of the sentiment expressed in this post from May 2016.
Enjoy.
When it all comes down to it, you know who’s going to do the most to help you and your career?
That’s right. You. Nobody else.
Sure, there will be others who might be able to give you a helping hand now and then, but the responsibility of getting stuff done falls squarely on your shoulders.
This goes beyond just writing and honing your craft. You need to build up your network. Establish connections. Get to know people. Chances are a majority of these will be online and via social media.
Seeking representation or someone who might be receptive to your script? Do your research. Find out who’s looking for what. (And for crying out loud, DO NOT take the “Does somebody have a list I could use?” route.)
“But I’ve got no time to do all that!” you might protest.
Of course you do.
The key element here is time management. You already set aside time to write, don’t you? Well, you have to do the same for everything else. If you can devote part of your day to work on your script, then there’s no reason you can’t dedicate a few minutes to focus on your career.
A surefire way to give yourself more time – stay away from casual websurfing, or at least ration it. So much online material is nothing but a big time-sucking rabbit hole. “Just five more minutes” can easily turn into “Where’d that hour go?” Funny videos are all well and good, but probably won’t do much to help you get your career going.
On Twitter? Connect with 5 people a day. Interact with them. Ask about their projects. Make it about them, not you. If they ask about you and yours, keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm them with details.
Part of some online community forums? Take part. Ask questions. Start discussions. Get to know the other members. A lot of these folks will probably have more experience than you, so learn as much as you can. Very important – don’t be a troll.
Is there a professional writer out there whose work you admire? Send them a note saying just that. DO NOT ask for any favors right out of the gate. Establish a relationship. You’ll eventually know if they’re open to helping you. Sometimes they might even offer it without you asking. It happens.
All of these are going to take time to not only accomplish, but also to develop. Be patient. It will take time. You wouldn’t rush through getting your script done, so apply that same logic to developing and advancing your career.
The story you are about to read is true. Only the names have been omitted to protect the innocent.
Had an encounter earlier this week that reminded me of this post from August 2020. Still rings true today. Enjoy.
The script of a friend of mine has had some positive results in the contest world, and the most recent venture was getting professional analysis on it, resulting in somewhat decent scores.
I’ve read this script, and it’s very, very good. It takes a classic story everybody knows, and then examines what happens AFTER the events of that story. There’s a lot to like about it, and my friend is doing what they can to get it out there.
Part of their effort is seeking advice from those with more experience. Sometimes it’s via social media, private online groups, or public community forums. We’re in several of the same groups, so I’ve seen a lot of my friend’s posts.
Not that I consider myself to be especially ‘experienced’, but since becoming connected with this person, I’ve done what I can to be supportive and helpful when applicable.
Earlier this week, my friend came to me with a dilemma.
They’ve been frequenting a community forum where one of the members regularly belittles or downplays any form or announcement of good news posted by another writer. Sometimes it’s along the lines of “”Look, this is a tough industry. If you can’t take the criticism, you’re totally in the wrong field, which it looks like you are.”
I also marveled at how much time people tend to spend on these forums. Many comments tend to be of the “I know better than you, so bow before my obvious superiority” sort. This was a big part of why I stepped away from them. I’d rather spend my time, y’know, actually writing.
Quick side note – the person claims to have representation, and some optioned scripts as well as a news release from a few years ago about their latest script being shopped around. Both my friend and I scoured IMDB Pro for any mention of them at all, but…bupkis. Take from that what you will.
As much as I consider every other writer to be my competition, I don’t think I’d ever actively try to dissuade somebody from trying. Would I remind them this is an extremely tough field to break into, let alone thrive in, and that their overall chances of success are very small? Yes.
I’ve also dealt with “professionals” who’ve talked down to me and told me my story ideas were stupid and worthless, using the reasoning “I’m just treating you the way somebody in the industry would. If you can’t take it, maybe you shouldn’t be trying.”
Not having as much experience as some, the people I have encountered were actually polite, helpful and supportive. If something didn’t work for them, I’d at least get “thanks, but no thanks.”
This does compel me to ask: is that really how the industry treats most people?
This most recently came to a head when my friend asked about suggestions for how to use the positive results they received from a reputable script analysis service as a marketing tool.
The same person was the first to respond, saying the concept wasn’t that original, so the script didn’t have much of a chance, and marketing it would be a very tough sell. When asked what they would recommend, they seemed to just repeat the same things.
My advice to my friend was to ignore 99 percent of what that other person said, but keep in mind that yes, the field for potential interest in their script is limited, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t at least try. There’s no guarantee, but you never know who might say yes.
I made some suggestions of possible strategies, and summed it up with the standard “if they say no, you move on to the next one.”
As many of you probably already know, I’m a big believer not just in networking, but also in supporting the writing community. I try to help when I can any way I can.
This other person seemed to run completely counter to that. I just don’t see the point in why they would. To make themselves seem important? To show off their accomplishments? Wouldn’t they rather be seen in a positive light, rather than a negative one? I know I would.
I also mentioned to my friend that treating people like that could eventually backfire. Just because you might be a nobody today doesn’t mean you couldn’t be somebody important tomorrow.
And writers have long memories. We tend to remember those who leave bad impressions.
The best I could offer my friend was that I was there to help them and offer encouragement and advice when needed, and I hope other writers feel the same about their friends as well.
As this blog enters its 15th(!) year of existence, its primary purpose has been and continues to be about one thing: helping screenwriters.
While my experience, influence, and social media presence may not be as extensive as some, I try to offer whatever help and guidance I can.
If that means giving writers the chance to include their script on a list for anybody and everybody to peruse, share, and spread across the internet, then that works too.
Therefore, I humbly present The Maximum Z Winter ’23 Script Showcase.
An amazing assortment of 71 screenplays and 39 TV scripts covering a vast spectrum of genres and subjects, many of which with notable contest achievements.
And to make it that much more of a valuable resource, each writer’s contact info is included. A script or three sounds like it would be a good read? Drop the author a line and say “Hey, I’d like to read that!”
If your script is among those in this list, take pride in that (You finished a script! Yay you!) and feel free to tell the Internet to your heart’s content. (In fact, it’s highly encouraged.)
Once again, a huge thanks to all the writers who participated. I wish you nothing but amazing results and stupendous returns.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy.
–
FILM
21:00 ZULU TIME
Sadia Carone
Military, Action-Adventure
A mysterious ancient hourglass gets accidentally tipped over at CIA Headquarters — triggering a series of events. A beast in Scotland awakens. A similar hourglass in Cairo starts to glow. Seven chosen people. Who can put the facts together to unlock the ancient secrets?
A robbery sets off a chain reaction of revenge as an aspiring country singer, a broke bartender, and a two strike criminal find their lives thrust together under the neon shadows of music city as they try to make it out alive.
Quarterfinalist – 2019 Nicholl Fellowship
Winner – 2019 California Film Awards
Finalist – 2019 Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival
A former Military Intelligence Soldier is recruited to root out corruption and seeks revenge on the turncoat who killed her men and almost succeeded in killing her.
A hotheaded political journalist is ordered to relax at Niagara Falls and write a puff piece about the monumental dewatering project going on there, but discovers a cold case mystery involving one of the construction workers and her pageant-winning twin sister.
A safe-averse lawyer plans on reuniting with his ex but must first defeat her uncles – two Rabbis – in a court case seeking to find her incompetent as heir to her fathers’ billions because she’s a lesbian! – And Broken Promises!
An Oahu-based marine biologist sets out to determine the cause of unusual shark behavior while the research institute employing her battles for funding, and her relationship partner issues unrealistic demands.
After a big-city schoolgirl, obsessed with her gig as a pirate-radio broadcast DJ, is forced to move to a tiny town just after graduation, she lies to win a legit radio license – claiming to be a Native American – and then must redeem herself with the tribe (and outfox the FCC) to stay on the air.
Jillianne is trapped in a haunting Voodoo curse when she marries into an influential French Quarter family. After her husband succumbs to the family’s twisted beliefs, Jillianne must uncover the truth behind the curse and protect her unborn child from the clutches of Desmond Bennett, a deranged killer determined to prove the curse’s power.
After learning that his ex-girlfriend is nine months pregnant and trapped in her home from a weather disaster, an irresponsible high school senior must act as labor coach for the birth of his child, over video chat.
After losing millions on a risky investment, a group of ex-bankers pull off a daring heist against the Russian mob and must use all their smarts when the Russians seek revenge.
On the moon’s largest colony, one happy-go-lucky stoner must do what no one has done before, protect the aliens he accidentally saved until they can make ‘official’ first contact unless a xenophobic moon command – or far, far worse – stops them.
Desperate to save his job and regain family brownie points after a pink eye “incident”, a neurotic germaphobe ventures to a remote tropical island chasing an interview with a free-spirited pop star during a hurricane, in spite of his phobia for water, wind and girls.
Unable to afford his dream college, a high school graduate lands his first job where he creates friendships with the jaded staff and follows his passion as a comic book artist.
Quarterfinalist – Filmmatic Comedy Screenplay Awards – Season 8
When his girlfriend leaves him for not being “big enough,” an introverted engineer will walk a path of self-discovery through bodybuilding that turns into a self-destructive journey fueled by anabolic steroids, cocaine, and casual sex.
After six years in a French convent high school, a teenage girl with a pathological narcissist disorder in full bloom is released to return home in California determined to having sex with herimagined hero, her father’s best friend, the man she’s always call Uncle Chuck.
When two young up-and-coming filmmakers gain mentorship from their retired hero, they jump at the opportunity for his help completing their student film before the old man’s erratic behavior turns deadly.
A rebellious, resistant and inherently funny hell-on-wheels seventy-five-year-old alcoholic falls down the stairs in her home twice in the last two years. She is rescued by her daughter who intervenes by sending her to detox and rehab with Francine discovers that recovery will take her in an unexpected direction that offers her a chance to reclaim her sobriety and dignity after facing down her demons.
Winner – The Big Apple Film Festival
Finalist – LA International Women in Film Screenplay Awards
Semifinalist – NYC Screenplay Awards
Official Selection – Cannes International Cinema Festival
Official Selection in the Toronto Independent Women in Film Festival
After she is stabbed by an obsessed Stalker, a troubled J-Pop Idol and Her Loyal but suspicious Manager fight a curse: A Demon that kills the Idol’s loved ones whenever she feels love, as punishment for rejecting her Stalker.
Quarterfinalist – 2022/2023 The Script Lab Free Screenplay Competition
When a music obsessed graduate student discovers the members of a hot new boy band are actually bloodthirsty vampires, she teams up with friends, family, and former bandmates to stop the pop group’s evil beat.
An Atheist, desperate to comfort her dying son, tells him she will enter Heaven by his side, which leads to haunting and exorcism intended to make her keep that promise.
This film hasn’t received any awards. However, my short film, Penance, was an Audience Favorite at HollyShorts Film Festival, where the screenplay was also a Finalist.
When Nazis invade the Soviet Union in WW2, young Ukrainian flier Lilya Litvyak joins the Soviet Air Defense and fights not only the pilots of the Luftwaffe but the sexism and bureaucracy of the Soviet system to become the highest scoring female ace in history only to have her records and story buried by Stalin.
Finalist – Nicholl Fellowship
Quarterfinalist – Austin Film Festival
Quarterfinalist – Screencraft True Story & Public Domain Competition
After making a discovery at a vintage record store, a nostalgia-obsessed musician begins an on-air affair with a mysterious radio DJ, only to discover that she’s broadcasting from 1977.
The mysterious sole survivor of a small plane crash ingratiates himself into the family of his rescuer – a kind Nebraska schoolteacher and her troubled teenage son – with sinister results.
A brilliant young software developer puts her career and life in jeopardy when she fights to hold a billionaire tech titan accountable for assaulting her and stealing her world-altering code.
When his new girlfriend is accused of a felony, a former alcoholic lawyer battles against an ambitious prosecutor who is also the woman who left him at the altar and caused his emotional descent.
When Krampus discovers his former boss and toxic-bro, Santa, has enspelled the entire North Pole with dark magic, he must get over his hundred-year-heartache and return to rescue his old flame, Mrs. Claus.
A lonely neuroscientist transfers her elderly cat’s consciousness into the mind of one of her coma patients. But when the cat gets his tongue, the fur starts to fly and she has a difficult decision to make.
When a precocious 7-year-old girl, adopted by her late mother’s twin sister, receives a mysterious terrier for her birthday, they instantly bond and are joined by unseen forces to survive a deadly plot to destroy her and her family.
Senior year, a newly-questioning Muslim and a love-lorn agnostic Jew begin a FWB relationship, for their first sexual experience, but when they begin to fall in love, they must figure out if they’re truly right for each other.
When her scorned suitor shows up with an army of 300 men and abducts her into the heart of the Viking world, a semi-legendary princess struggles for vengeance while envisioning a new nation of laws that would prevent this from ever happening again.
A group of teens and their transformer spaceship form a formidable team, guided by a veteran they’re able to face the federation tyrannical Admiral and his army of cyborgs and machines.
America’s first chrononaut sets off on an exploratory mission to travel back in time. But when he returns to the present, he finds that this initial breach of space/time has set off a chain reaction that’s sent the world into chaos.
Five years after surviving a madman’s murder spree, a real-life “final girl” finds herself falling for the DP of a documentary crew dedicated to exposing her darkest secrets.
When a successful architect’s search for his husband’s misplaced wedding ring is interrupted by home invaders, his life and all he knows to be true are upended until he starts to question his identity.
An emotionally-guarded young widower struggles to find a way to connect with his eight-year-old son who – believing he’s responsible for his mother’s death – refuses to leave the house unless he’s wearing the caterpillar costume she had made him for Halloween.
Seven years after the disappearance of his son, a grieving father partners with the mother of another missing youth to hunt down those responsible—a sadistic backwoods cult operating under the radar of local police.
Semifinalist – 2023 Austin Film Festival
Recommend – 2023 Roadmap Writers Accelerator Program
Top 10 Finalist – Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards Season 7
Burnt out and disillusioned with Hollywood, a fragile and struggling actor finds a lifeline when he’s thrust into the heart of an epic guerrilla film shoot led by an infamous director.
After a bus crash, a teenage dancer caught between life and death must grapple with the father who abandoned him, his own deepest regrets, and the prospect of saying goodbye to his love – or joining her forever in the afterlife.
Winner – Fantasy Category – 2020 Script Summit
Semifinalist – Filmmatic – Inroads Fellowship Season 6
Quarterfinalist – 2020 CineStory Feature Retreat and Fellowship Competition
Quarterfinalist – 2021 Industrial Scripts – The TITAN Awards
A troubled biker and a pistol packing ex-nun rescue an abused woman and play a deadly game of hide and seek when her powerful preacher husband calls in a hitman to save his political career by burying the family sins.
A Nendoroid encounters a human survivor in a post-apocalyptic world and forms a friendship. However, their friendship gets tested when they face off against a killer cyborg. It’s Wall-E meets The Terminator.
A genetically gifted teen is forced to go on the lam when an egocentric scientist and his dying henchman, hunt him down to harvest his advanced DNA as a cure.
Invention comes with with both a spark of genius and a moment of deceit. This is the story of Philo Farnsworth, the boy genius who figured out the electronics of television at the age of 14. And the corporation that erased him from history.
In a world where state-sponsored death penalties are banned, a private execution specialist faces a moral dilemma when a family’s conflicting views on capital punishment challenge her mission.
Finalist – Fall 2023 WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab
Finalist – Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards -Diversity Initiative III
Semifinalist – 2022-2023 Finish Line Script Competition
When a gallery owner with a thieving side hustle is hired to steal a priceless Mummy and take down a shady museum director, she enlists the help of an eclectic team with their own agendas and must outsmart her Interpol boyfriend.
While escaping a tyrannical wizard, a novice witch from a magical dimension ends up stranded without her powers in the least magical place of all – New Jersey.
3rd Place – Family/Teen/Animation – 2023 StoryPros
Christopher D’andre Williams & Nicole Simone Backus
Teen Horror
In a tale of supernatural reckoning, ‘Voodoomon’ follows a bullied teen’s return from death, her soul infused with voodoo might. As she seeks retribution, her mother faces a heart-wrenching choice: kill her own daughter to save the world.
Hired by a ruthless CIA asset to hunt down North Korean agents operating in Los Angeles, a burnt-out spy living off the grid discovers his target… is himself.
Comedy about a gay male couple and their straight best friends who plan a double wedding with unexpected romantic, financial and familial complications –and the world’s most take-charge wedding planner (based on my produced L.A. stage play).
When a gutsy third grader becomes the first girl to wrestle on a boys’ team under federal law, she must fight injury and animosity on her way to the State Championship.
Claustrophobic and confined to an underwater grave for stealing billions in Bitcoin from the Russian mob, a Los Angeles retail store manager has just 60 minutes to prove his innocence and save his family.
Semifinalist – 2023 StoryPros
Quarterfinalist – 2023 PAGE Awards
Recommend – Dec 2023 Barb Doyon/Extreme Screenwriting
After a big snow storm hits, a jaded New York businessman and renown holiday grump finds himself trapped in a Christmas-obsessed small town just as their famously cheesy holiday festival is starting.
Isolated for six months on a seafood processing vessel in the wild Bering Sea, a young man struggles with sanity when the love of his life disappears from the ship without a trace.
Pregnant from a sexual assault, the pro-life granddaughter of a conservative Supreme Court justice attempts to escape her forced-birth state to obtain an abortion, but gets apprehended by a vigilante group headed by her brother and incarcerated at a “Life Mall” where she must remain until she gives birth.
After being robbed of their phones and money on their first date, two middle-aged strangers must work together to get home on one crazy, awful night in Los Angeles.
A fragile woman with an unhealthy reliance on her helicopter parents gets a chance at growth and redemption when both she and her fed-up therapist are held hostage in a dysfunctional bank robbery. (No Hard Feelings meets Bandits)
The sociopathic Dr. Victoria Frankenstein brings Mary to life, and forces her to kill people for scientific experimentation, but as Mary evolves into an ethical person, she must find a way to sabotage her creator’s evil agenda.
Semifinalist – 2021 Screencraft Fellowship
Finalist – Fall 2021 Big Apple Film Festival
Semifinalist – Filmmatic Drama Screenplay Awards Season 7
At a clinic where troubling emotions can be cleansed, a series of tormented clients discover that the seemingly utopian procedure is an expressway to destruction.
Quarterfinalist – 2023 Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards
Quarterfinalist – 2023 Page Turner
Honourable Mention – 2023 Finish Line Script Competition
Exceptional Achievement – 2023 Multi Dimension IFF
After a female football prodigy saves a failing collegiate program, she defies the odds and becomes the first woman head coach in college football history, until she discovers an underground sports-betting plot against the team and threatens to expose it to the world, even if it means destroying her own legacy.
Best Drama – Script Summit
Best Screenplay/Excellence in Screenwriting – Twin Falls Film Festival
Best Sports Screenplay – Las Vegas International Screenplay Contest
Based on the 2004 case of Jack Irwin, a reclusive veteran is taken advantage of by two women and disappears. Without the determination of his only friend, Sandy Bailey, his case would have vanished like him, instead, it uncovered a twisted case of elder abuse and a horrifying murder in the mountains of Southern California.
Semifinalist – 2023 Austin Film Festival
Quarterfinalist – 2023 Creative Screenwriting Pilot Competition
Three unusual kids with secret mind-bending abilities struggle to contain the detrimental side effects that their existence causes society. But when their medical records are leaked, the cure they so desperately need is at stake.
Semifinalist – 2021 ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition
Quarterfinalist – 2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition
After a failed writer accepts a temp job on the City’s Equity Team he is quickly pulled into the absurd labyrinth of municipal government and must find his way out.
A goofy and not-always-honest attorney’s unique–and illegal–plan to have an old friend carry his baby hits a literal bump in the road when a pregnant ex appears.
Top 50 Pilot – 2023 Roadmap Jumpstart
Second Rounder – 2023 Austin Film Festival
Quarterfinalist – The Script Lab Free Screenplay Competition
Semifinalist – 2022 Omaha Film Festival Screenplay Competition
Lala and Jon – a biracial couple – are caught in the middle of an American race war. With battle raging, and a bounty on their heads, where will they run? Where will they hide?
An unhealthy accountant that’s inherited a gym from his recently deceased dad works to keep things afloat as he deals with the annoyance of his extremely fit staff and manages a health scare after collapsing while filling in as a yoga class instructor.
A devilishly-charming former Scotland Yard Inspector tries to redeem his fall from grace & dark past by working as a private detective in a quirky Cotswolds village in 1950’s England, surrounded by equally-quirky & eccentric inhabitants with secrets of their own.
Semifinalist – 2022 Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards
Quarterfinalist – 2022 Filmmatic Drama Screenplay Awards
Quarterfinalist – 2023 ISA’s Table Read My Screenplay
After 28-year-old James McKinnon wakes up in a field as a walking corpse, he enlists his high school best friend-turned-mortician and a transplanted police officer to help him answer the question of what is happening in their small, Midwest town.
Semifinalist – Creative World Awards
Quarterfinalist – Stage 32 Happy Writers TV Contest
When a kid’s collection goes viral overnight, she must learn to navigate the cut-throat fashion world with only her working-class mom’s help and a talking magazine cut-out of her favorite supermodel.
Seeking adventure in a divided fantasy society, a tenacious teenage girl and her friends unknowingly repeat history when they take on the responsibility of saving their world from a corrupt Queen.
A high school football star recovering from a brain injury must stop his friends and family from being infected with a sentient slime mold that threatens to turn everyone in the remote Minnesota town of Kitteritch into a single, murderous hive mind. TOMMYKNOCKERS x TWIN PEAKS
Eight diverse career struggle talented artists with personal and Mental Health issues partner up to develop a TV series to level up their troubled careers.
A homeless detective – who can only solve crimes when drunk – struggles with sobriety. Mick has 8 days to solve a murder, while living in his car. But each clue pulls a thread of mystery that could unravel the town, and cost him more than a job.
In the midst of a forbidden affair with her commanding officer, a sharp-witted transgender combat medic embarks on a journey to be true to herself, challenging old-school military rules amid internal conflicts and the complexities of love, identity, and self-acceptance.
N.E.S.S. (Nightmare and Extraction Storage Solutions)
Simon Laurence Doyle
Comedy/Sci-Fi
A government agent trained to infiltrate and extract rich clients’ nightmares must balance his debt to the mob, a suspiciously keen new intern and some rather stabby dreams of his own. Easy peasy.
Hakeem, a drug dealer and Voodooist from New Orleans, is the first spiritual son of the Voodoo deity, Obba Nani. Despite his reoccurring psychosis, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and love, guided by his poetry and Obba Nani’s mystical teachings that bestow upon him supernatural powers.
After his estranged son steals a new tech innovation with destructive capabilities, a retired mercenary must track him down before a war is waged between a multitude of corrupted corporations.
The true story of the world’s most infamous terrorist and how he teams up with his bumbling Jihadi cohorts to evade U.S. forces and convince superstar pop singer Whitney Houston that they are each other’s soulmates.
After leaving her cheating, well-to-do husband, an ex-graphic designer opens an edgy greeting card design studio and store. When her ex opens a competing card studio she must ramp-up her edgy and take her studio Over The Edge!
Semifinalist – 2023 The Script Lab’s TSL Free Screenplay Contest
When a huge first round upset busts 99% of America’s March Madness brackets, the uptight and introvert owner of the last possible perfect set of selections is forced to navigate overnight fame, a desperate rookie reporter, and the Las Vegas underbelly, when pick after pick goes his way.
Quarterfinalist – Filmmatic Comedy Screenplay Awards – Season 8
A former JAG attorney starts a new life as a private sector lawyer and gets caught up in a class action lawsuit against a crooked pharmaceutical company.
A bold, dark comedy that follows our main character Matthew, who’s stuck in a temp job at a call center, living with his ex-girlfriend and battling an extraordinarily mediocre existence. He eventually finds solace and friendship in the one place he never thought to look: the people who also inhabit the unpredictable world of his temp agency.
A young privileged African-American baseball scout puts his job on the line when he vouches for an undiscovered pitching phenom who’s trapped in the drug game.
A happy-go-lucky private investigator finds himself stuck between a past he’s been running from, and the hope of what the present brings. But his curious nature leads to a revelation of supernatural proportions.
A crew of desperate college journalists investigate a peaceful cult in their area. However, the more they uncover about this community, the less peaceful they seem.
The son of a famed Draconian Knight survives years of imprisonment and torture with an iron will and singular purpose – to escape his oppression and exact revenge upon those who murdered his family… giving birth to a terror that had endured over five centuries.
When the Princess of the Zombies is outed as a vegetarian she runs away from home, finding a portal into the monster multiverse and proof that her Father, the missing King, is still un-alive.
A young man crashes into his own past when he wishes for a second shot at a high school romance. A time-travelling LGBTQ+ love story, told against a backdrop of slightly askew seaside attractions, a chilling serial killer and a gaggle of elderly genies.
Finalist – 2022 Screenwriters Network TV Pilot Competition
Semifinalist – 2021 The Script Lab Screenplay Competition
A Westernized East Indian teen defies and denounces his Muslim upbringing and culture much to the chagrin of his traditional parents, who’s arranged marriage for him is in conflict with the white girl he plans on marrying.
Three siblings struggling to overcome a heinous family secret become the prime suspects in the death of a renowned entrepreneur and wrestle with the consequences of grief, guilt and growth.
Maximum Z 