Grand Prize Winner

Jenkins and Watts: Paranormal Attorneys At Law by Michael Brennan

In a world where ghosts exist and have rights, Jenkins and Watts defend them against overzealous law enforcement, organized crime, and literal demons from hell...for fair market price.

Feature Winner

Medusa by Tristan Bellawala

A young girl with snakes for hair and a petrifying gaze traverses ancient Greece in an attempt at self-preservation and on a journey of self-discovery alongside a hero aiming to prove himself in this twist on the Medusa myth.

Short Winner

I'm Sorry I Missed You by Ethan Rogers

In the wake of a traumatic loss, the Clarke family finds itself grasping for answers to make sense of their son’s death. Older brother, Theo, plunges into his late brother’s comic book world to face the beast that took him—a beast that has since been stalking his family.

TV Winner

New Earth by Devon Sharma

Centuries after humanity abandoned dying Planet Earth for manmade New Earth, private investigator Brandt Truman searches for a missing android, only to get caught up in a far-reaching conspiracy that will force him to face his troubled past.

Honorable Mentions

Kaltera by Will Kisor, Gage Swanston  
Offspring by Hannah Silverman

The Add-on Prize Winner will be decided at a later date after further consideration by the prize partner.

View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link. And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Animation Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner

East Jesus by Duane Graves

A pair of kinfolk Texas cops are lifelong products of Denler, the once-thriving rural boomtown they dutifully protect. When skyrocketing crime and moral decay threaten to wipe their tiny town from the map, the duo resort to desperate, unorthodox measures to save it.

Feature Winner

Heartrace by Will Bermender

A father will stop at nothing to save his dying daughter after a drug cartel hijacks her transplant heart.

TV Pilot Winner

Kill School by Katrina Skender

In a dystopian future where humans have evolved into two species, superior Predators and inferior Prey, one rebellious teenage girl desires to escape Predator society to pursue inter-species peace – there’s only one problem: if all you’re taught is violence, how do you know what “peace” is?

Add-on Prize Mentorship Winner
with Andrew Bergamo

Lure by Tom Castillo

After cutting an illegal fishing line, an estranged father and son are chased across the sea by a vengeful ship.

View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link. If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner (Selected by Meg LeFauve)

The Refugee by Jennifer Black & Ibrahim Renno

A tormented Syrian refugee finds his pulse again in caring for a neglected 10-year-old, until her abduction by a savage gang forces him to resurrect his vigilante prowess to save her.

Grand Prize Winner (Selected by Stephany Folsom)

Electric Road by M.K. Ching

When an autistic boy is inadvertently taken during a carjacking, his parents give chase, remotely connecting to the car's dashcam in order to follow their son. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman attempts to goad the accidental kidnapper into murdering the boy—for reasons known only to her.

Grand Prize Winner (Selected by Samuel D. Hunter)

The Cockfighter by Andrew Case

To pay off a loan shark, a foolhardy Vietnam vet is driven to desperate ends as he navigates the go-for-broke world of underground cockfighting in 1980s Oklahoma.

Nardeep Khurmi Industry Mentorship Winner

Mother Mehreen by Anna Khan

A Muslim teenager’s lies to cover up her secret abortion from her small Mississippi town spiral out of control when she accidentally claims immaculate conception, and is soon heralded as the mother of the next messiah.

The Anonymous Content Mentorship Add-On Winner will be decided at a later date after further consultations.

Congratulations to these winning writers, and thank you to our jury and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable scripts. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link.

If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Feature Screenplay Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner

North Star by Zach Grossman

In an alternate present-day, all extraterrestrials have fled Earth after their mistreatment by the human race. Zoe, a two-bit thief freshly out of prison, returns to exact revenge on her criminal boss when she finds and releases a young alien being held against its will. Both now needing to leave the state and travel north, Zoe reluctantly joins the alien as its chaperone on the dangerous journey ahead.

Feature Winner

Point Nemo by Alex Rivers

In 2031, the ISS is decommissioned and crash-landed at the oceanic point of inaccessibility: Point Nemo. But when an unknown sound is heard emanating from the crash site, a team of scientists will discover that the space station was not alone when it returned.

TV Pilot Winner

Search by Angela Treviño

An engineer uncovers a disturbing connection between her husband's disappearance and that of a billionaire’s wife: both cases appear linked to the UFO phenomena increasingly invading our skies.

Add-On Prize Winner

Rim of the World by Chris Knauer

Ten years after a toxic haze blanketed the earth, the isolated mountaintop survivors of Big Bear, California work to rebuild society while facing threats of tribalism, diminishing resources, and a new, supernatural enemy that has the potential to eradicate humanity once and for all.

Congratulations to these winning writers and finalists, and thank you to our jury and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable projects. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link.

If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Sci-Fi & Fantasy Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner

Treasure, Inc. by Ted Sperling

A co-ed bachelor party is swept into a high stakes treasure hunt after finding clues leading to millions of dollars buried in the Idaho wilderness. Action comedy in the vein of GAME NIGHT meets CITY SLICKERS.

Feature Winner

The Tabby by Emily McGregor, Samuel Weller

In this rain-soaked, action-packed Seattle noir-comedy, a woman investigates her brother's disappearance while his cat goes on a bloody tour of revenge.

TV Pilot Winner

Daddy Issues by Justin Viar

When the lives of three diverse "girl dads" become intertwined, they work together to overcome their significant shortcomings in the endeavor of modern parenting.

Add-On Prize Winner

Talk Black by Destiny Macon

A timid engineer develops a wild and expressive split personality to help her speak up to the boy's club at work and prevent "urban renewal" in a historically black neighborhood.

Congratulations to these winning writers and finalists, and thank you to our jury and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable projects. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link.

If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Comedy Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner

Angel Eyes by Richard Mauro

In 1947, in the lead up to his execution, can the murderous Commandant of Aushwitz find redemption.

Feature Winner

The Boy Scout by Dan Williams

In the spirit of SPOTLIGHT and SHE SAID: The groundbreaking lawsuit that uncovered the confidential files kept by the Boy Scouts of America chronicling an unprecedented history of child sexual abuse.

TV Winner

Once and Future by Kylie Boersma

King Arthur returns in Britain's greatest time of need: the First World War.

We are also excited to announce the selections for the True Crime Prize, which is presented by BondIt Media Capital.

BondIt Media True Crime Prize Selections

Black Cadillac by Beth Brickell

A 10-year-old girl who is a Hardy Boy fan and wants to be a detective helps a state police investigator discover facts about a murder while learning that she can defy cultural limitations placed on women's dreams.

Mike and Maud by Beth Brickell

The riveting true story of the events leading up to the disappearance of a spirited female attorney who went missing from a small Arkansas town in the 1950s after running afoul of a corrupt local State Police Commissioner over an inheritance dispute.

Sin of the Stormbird by Mike Streng

After three teenage boys go missing and a local waitress is murdered and drained of her blood, Lieutenant John "Trooper" Martin suspects a Satanic cult may link both investigations, but the sudden interest of the DEA suggests there may be another twist about to unfold.

Congratulations again to these winning writers, and thank you to our jury and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable projects. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link. If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft True Story & Public Domain Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Dead Man's Cove by Jordan Goodman

After a 16 year old boy goes missing while surfing, the local police are quick to write off his disappearance as another unfortunate drowning, but when Lynn King, consumed by her husband's disappearance gets wind of the missing boy, she's determined to convince everyone that there's something more nefarious going on. What she'll discover is beyond what she ever thought possible...

Matriarchs by Stephen Ra-Choi

A Korean-American grandmother stakes her reputation, business, and life on the line as she investigates the sinister circumstances behind a double homicide in her family.

Northport Nannies by Brittany Worthington

A kickass nanny-in-training goes in search of her missing best friend, only to discover the dark secrets of child care for the New York elite.

Congratulations to these winning writers and finalists, and thank you to our jury and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable projects. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link. If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Eight amazing finalists were selected from more than 900 submissions to pitch their projects virtually to an esteemed jury at the ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch Finale.

Our incredible jury included Daniela Gonzalez (Manager, Good Fear Content), Tyler Tice (Writer, Netflix's DAYSHIFT),  and Kim Dwinell, (Co-EP and Author of SURFSIDE GIRLS).

Winner:

The Last Supper by Nishanth R., Jacob Staudenmaier

When Jesus Christ is murdered by poisoning during the Last Supper, the Twelve Apostles - trapped by a torrential downpour - turn on one another with wild accusations and theories to identify the killer... until it falls on an unlikely detective to put all the pieces together.

First Runner-up:

Diary of a Mafiosa by Georgia Sampson

Inspired by the life and crimes of Virginia Hill and the Chicago Mob outfit, my pilot, Diary of a Mafiosa, follows an assistant in the 1960s Senate hearings offices as she unfolds the story of the only high-ranking woman in the mafia, or rather the only mafiosa in the mob’s history.

Second Runner-up:

Pig & Bear by Tommy Heleringer

A sex-hungry pig and love-junkie bear navigate life in the Big Apple "one day at a time."

Click below to watch the finalist pitch event recording!

Congratulations to these writers and all of our finalists, semifinalists, and thank you again to our judges!

Our Fall 2023 Virtual Pitch Competition opens May 31st. If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Spring 2023 ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner + Mentorship with Andrew Barrer

Secret Santa by Ryan W. Smith

When a notorious crime syndicate plans to steal the world’s largest red diamond from Manhattan’s most celebrated toy store, a hard-edged SECRET AGENT must go undercover in the most unsuspecting of ways… as the store’s SANTA CLAUS. Ocean’s 11 meets Kindergarten Cop, meets Elf.

Feature Winner

The Little Kite by James F. Robinson

A young Mayan girl, Tomasa, clashes with her strong-willed mother and loses a beloved grandfather. Rebellion and determination lead to discovery of herself and of her ancient Indigenous culture.

TV Pilot Winner

Zenith Uncharted by Martha Duzett

A teenage science enthusiast enlists her reluctant peers to uncover the mysteries threatening their space station home and the Earth below—and hopefully survive the tenth grade.

We'd like to thank our incredible industry jury that included: Kate Redinger (Director of Development, Hallmark Media), Andrew Tolbert (VP, Kids & Animation, Hello Sunshine), Colleen Washington (Literary Manager, Fourth Wall Management), Alison Mann (Manager & Co-President of Fourth Wall Animation Production Co.), and Arno Ekmekji (Creative Development Coordinator).

Congratulations to these winning writers and finalists, and thank you to our judges and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable projects. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link.

If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Family Screenplay Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner + Mentorship with Richard Kahan

Zigzag Girl by Ruth Knafo Setton

When a brilliant young magician with a mysterious past tries to capture the person who murdered her friend, she finds herself in a dangerous battle with a serial killer in Atlantic City who holds the secret to her true identity.

Runner-up

Miss del Río: A Novel of Dolores del Río, the first major Latina star in Hollywood by Barbara Mujica

When the Mexican Revolution erupts, Dolores flees from the countryside to Mexico City, where by a twist of fate, she meets a famous Hollywood director who makes her a star; however, when prejudice against foreigners burgeons before WW II, Dolores returns to Mexico and becomes a major figure in the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.

Guaranteed Signing Prize Winner with Gravity Squared

Zero School: Maddy's Secret History by Jamie Ruddy

Maddy McCord’s parents were spies. They were members of a secret society. Her mother was the scientific genius of her generation, but twelve-year-old Maddy knows none of this when she meets a distinguished gentleman in the principal’s office after a daredevil stunt lands her in trouble. The strange man claims to be her long lost grandfather. He smuggled Maddy into New York City after her parents were murdered and the killers might be coming for her. It’s time for Zero School.

A huge thanks again to our incredible jury that included: Drew Brennann (Creative Executive, Aggregate Films), Carly Watters (SVP and Senior Literary Agent, P.S. Literary), Emily Forney (Literary Agent, BookEnds Literary), Nelson Cole (Jr. Literary Manager, Bellevue Productions), Kimberley Cameron (President, Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency), Elizabeth Kracht (Literary Agent, Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency), and John Beach (Literary Manager and Founder, Gravity Squared Entertainment).

Congratulations to these winning writers and finalists, and thank you to our judges and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable projects. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link.

If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Trees by Leanne Phillips was selected from almost 800 submissions as this year's Grand Prize Winner and Rushford Recapitulation by Christopher Rose was chosen as our Runner-Up.

Trees is a dramatic short story that follows two women in 1870's Los Angeles, who after a murder join forces to save the life of a stranger.

In Rushford Recapitulation a small, upstate town becomes the locus for a series of anomalous births.

We'd like to thank our industry judges Zoe Howard (Literary Agent, Howland Literary), Erin Clyburn (Literary Agent, Howland Literary), Carly Watters (SVP and Senior Literary Agent, P.S. Literary), Kimberley Cameron (President, Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency), and Elizabeth Kracht (Literary Agent, Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency).

Congratulations to these winning writers and all of our finalists, and thank you to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable submissions. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link.

If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

The Fall 2023 ScreenCraft Film Fund opens for entries on March 31st. If you’d like to receive notifications for this contest you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Grant Recipient Winners

Kodama is an action feature film by Brian Tang and follows the story of Arthur, a member of an elite SWAT Samurai team, who enters a spirit world in order to rescue his father from vengeful Japanese folklore spirits known as Yokai.

Show Business Is My Life, But I Can't Prove It is a feature documentary from Heather Wilk. Comedian Gary Mule Deer’s career has always taken an oddball path. From his start in “show business” at a South Dakota brothel, performing Johnny Cash covers for the awaiting johns, to his over 350 televised performances, his career has been as strange as his comedy itself. He’s odd, he’s got crazy hair, and his metronomic timing is legendary. He’s a friend to the biggest names in comedy and music and he may just be the funniest comedian you’ve never heard of. Featuring Vince Gill, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien. Steve Martin, Alice Cooper, Amy Grant and more...

Stripper Boyz is a feature documentary from Stephen Sanow and Joe Fahey. In an attempt to prove his friendship, a jobless filmmaker takes his friend on a bizarre bachelor party where they try to become male strippers in Vegas.

Untitled Gray/Roth Documentary is a feature documentary from Alexandra Dickson Gray. Twenty years after making Sundance competition documentary Close to Home (which contrasted five personal accounts of child sexual abuse with the chilling statements of convicted sex offenders), filmmakers Alexandra (Ali) Dickson Gray and Academy Award winner Vanessa Roth revisit the same brave souls in Untitled Gray/Roth Documentary who previously shared their lives to highlight the lifelong medical, psychological and generational impact of child sexual assault.

Congratulations to our grant recipients and  finalists, and thank you to our jury and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of remarkable projects. View the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Spring 2023 ScreenCraft Film Fund Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner

The Advocate by Bill Mesce

WW II Army lawyer Harry Voss investigates a fighter ace accused of shooting down one of his own men, wondering why the flyer is so eager to confess, but then learns he’s confessing to one crime to conceal a greater crime, one the top brass doesn’t want revealed.

Runner-up

Talk of the Town by Mike Bencivenga

Adapted from James Thurber's book "The Years With Ross" the play tells the story of the birth of The New Yorker magazine and Thurber's relationship with it's eccentric editor-in-chief, Harold Ross.

Stay tuned as we will be announcing the Add-on Prize Winner in the coming weeks!

We'd like to thank our esteemed jury that included: Jeffrey Whitty (Tony-Award Winning Playwright), Jonathan Mills (Agent, Paradigm), Kata Wéber (Playwright and Screenwriter), Amy Wagner (Agent, A3 Artists Agency), Lucy Powis (Agent, A3 Artists Agency), Beth Blickers (Agent, APA), Caitlin Cleary (Director of Development, Imagine Entertainment), Elise Griffin (Literary Agent, Paradigm).

Congratulations again to these winning writers and finalists, and to everyone who submitted projects; we read a number of truly remarkable plays. View all the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists by clicking the corresponding link.

If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Stage Play Contest Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner

The Craftsman by Harron Atkins

Raz’s life is upended when his estranged father shows up with a request: help him rescue Raz’s kidnapped twin sister before a power-hungry tech tycoon can use her magic for his own sinister plans.

Feature Winner

Coins by Anthony Gaudioso, Erik Cardona

During a routine rescue mission to save a group of pennies stuck to train tracks, two quarters - George and his best friend, Flanagan - make a fatal mistake. Three years later, George must forgive himself and learn to shine again to protect his own family when a new enemy puts their circulation at risk.

TV Winner

Heirheads by Kayla Baken

Heirheads follows the misadventures of a dutiful medieval princess – caught up in a lifelong feud between king brothers who both need her to produce an heir – and the mediocre witch she unknowingly summons.

Short Winner

Little Tommy's Dance by Zachary Jones

A young boy is finally allowed to connect with his passion for dance after years of being forced into sports when a magical orb grants him his wish.

Add-on Partner Prize Winners

Dinah by Brandon Feldman, Ben Agron

Cryptozoology by Rick Mitchell, Matt Quinn

We would also like to acknowledge the following projects as Honorable Mentions:

Anomaly by Daniel Parra

Blob by Summer Benowitz

We would like to thank again our incredible industry jury: Justin Littman (Manager, Gotham Group), Sam Hoffman (Creative Executive, Fuzzy Door), Mitchell Bendersky (Manager, Gramercy Park Entertainment), Nadya Panfilov (Coordinator, Writ Large), Edward Mejia (Exec. Director of Current Series, Disney TV Animation), and screenwriters Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin (MULAN).

Congratulations again to these writers, and thank you to everyone who submitted projects. If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2022 ScreenCraft Animation Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Grand Prize Winner

A FIRE INSIDE by Richard Martin - As a mysterious wave of spontaneous human combustion spreads across the world, a grieving widow in the godforsaken New Mexico desert must defend her homestead from radical zealots hellbent on burning her family alive.

TV Winner

COPYCAT by Cory Marciel - A wise-cracking con man with a tragic past must dodge the CIA and the Russian mob after he is accidentally injected with a secret formula that gives him the power to steal skills from anyone he touches.

Feature Winner

THE HORSE KILLERS by Josh Flanagan, Ben Hurst - In the dying days of the Pony Express, a family is besieged at their remote Wyoming outpost by a pack of feral, frontier marauders.

Add-on Prize Winner

FLYTRAP by Justin Ballheim - On a transatlantic flight, an off-duty flight attendant believes she receives a message from the future: she has to kill a passenger before the plane lands or in 10 years, millions of people will die.

We would also like to acknowledge the following projects as Honorable Mentions:

JOHN OF SHERWOOD by Tom Richard Santos

LAND OF THE FREE by Cody Beavers

We would like to thank again our incredible industry jury: Lorelle Lynch (Creative Executive, AGC), Eric Borja (Literary Manager, Alldayeveryday), Paris Herbert-Taylor (Creative Executive, Pride of Gypsies), Lowell Shapiro (Literary Manager, Black Box Management), Andrew Bergamo (Creative Executive, The Donners' Company), and Emma Puglia (Coordinator, Zero Gravity).

Congratulations again to these writers, and thank you to everyone who submitted projects. If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2022 ScreenCraft Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

When asked about their experiences after winning the ScreenCraft Fellowship, Mark started the conversation off with, "It was a whirlwind of a week. You meet with producers, managers, agents, executives, all week and it kind of culminates in this awesome dinner where we learned a lot ... it was an amazing week ... at 3Arts, I met with a manager there, who I ultimately signed with, that I'm still with, and he has been a huge proponent of me and has made my writing better and has helped launch my career. That was the most important thing of Fellowship week for me."

Dante says, "I think the best part for me was the dinner. It was very inspiring hearing all these writers, kind of at the peak of their career, and just leaving feeling like you had a little community... writing is so isolating a lot of times and so, to be able to sit with the other fellowship winners, who I still keep in touch with, who I still talk to, who are all doing awesome things as well, just to create that community and just to hear these stories and hear how, you know, they were just like us at one point and it's so easy to forget that. You just see them holding their Oscar and you're like, 'Oh, that's easy'... it's not ... Just having the opportunity to keep in touch with them as well and be able to have a lifeline when you have a question or a problem, because the business can be so daunting and scary, especially when you're alone, writing, you know? So I think the community and that dinner was probably the best part for me."

Anna Klassen, who won the ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship just last year added, "One of the things I found so helpful was taking all of these meetings back to back and being able to practice my pitch over and over and over again ... At the start of it all, I was a little shakey, I didn't know what to say. By the end, I could say it in my sleep."

The fellows also talk about how to take advantage of opportunities. Mark took years to build his craft so he could make sure he was ready to take on Hollywood when it was ready for him. Dante wants to produce his own films, so he started out as a production assistant, taking pride in learning all of the aspects and roles that go into making a film or TV show. Anna started out as an entertainment journalist straight out of high school, found her passion for screenwriting and has succeeded in making the transition from one career path to the next.

See the full video below.

From Left to Right:
Mark S. — 2015 ScreenCraft Fellow
Dante Russo — 2016 ScreenCraft Fellow
Anna Klassen — 2017 ScreenCraft Fellow
John Rhodes — Moderator, Co-Founder of ScreenCraft

The post Panel: How the ScreenCraft Fellowship Helps Screenwriters appeared first on ScreenCraft.

The recipients are:

• Jeffrey R. Field, for his feature Jacksonville
• Mark J. Stasenko Jr., for his feature Losing Touch
• Kevin P. Taft, for his feature The Boys Who Cried Wolf

Jacksonville, a colorful, seriocomic crime thriller, centers on a wounded Army vet who rescues the scion of an illegal arms dealer from kidnappers only to have her blackmail him into killing a key trial witness against her family.

In the visionary two-hander Losing Touch, a suicidal young divorcé sentenced to a mandatory stay in a psych ward discovers a whole new kind of madness when his elderly schizophrenic roommate drags him from the hospital and across every inch of the city in a chaotic quest to find the wife he claims was taken from him decades ago as part of a sinister conspiracy.

An elevated and emotional descent into horror, The Boys Who Cried Wolf focuses on two young brothers who fake a haunting in their home in a last-ditch effort to keep their parents from divorcing...only to then be targeted by a real demonic presence they must fight all alone.

Selected from over 2,000 writers who submitted features and pilots from all over the world, Field, Stasenko Jr., and Taft will each receive a $1,000 writing grant. After a development period with ScreenCraft, they will be gathered in Los Angeles to meet mentors Scott Neustadter, Jordan Horowitz, Michael Costigan and Jen Grisanti. These winning writers will also meet with a literary agent from one of the big five agencies (WME, CAA, UTA, ICM, Paradigm) and with development executives and industry representatives at such companies as Warner Brothers, Lionsgate, Mosaic Media, Kaplan/Perrone, Participant Media, and Heretic Literary Management.

The runners-up of the 2014 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship reflect a diverse slate of genres and sensibilities and are listed as follows:

• Face Value by Gretchen Somerfeld (story by David Baxter and Gretchen Somerfeld)
• Prince of Madness by Jason Skorski
• Blood in the Water by Natasja Maria Fourie
• Leni by Adam Biddle
• Eggs by Averie Storck
• Holly & Tyler by Aaron Moss
• Number 10 by Susie Shannon

ScreenCraft is a media company and screenwriting consultancy dedicated to helping screenwriters and filmmakers advance their careers.

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• Announcing Inaugural Short Screenplay Contest!

The post Announcing The 2nd Annual ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship Recipients appeared first on ScreenCraft.

2. Who and/or what are some of your key influences?

It started as a child in the 80s.  George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Harold Ramis (whom I had the fortune of meeting on set years ago), James Cameron, John Carpenter, etc.  Their films were high concept and they truly defined what I really respond to today.  My contemporary influences are filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, P.T. Anderson, Michael Mann, Quentin Tarantino, etc.

I love high concept.  I love action.  I love thrills and suspense.  I’m influenced by so much because the key to success in my opinion is to ingest as much as you can.  I watch my favorites over and over.  I watch the old and watch the new.  I go to the theater as much as you can and experience that magical environment.  And then I see what different angles I can take that they didn’t.  That and those mentioned above are what influences me the most.

3. Did you go to film school? 

My film school was the Barnes and Noble film/TV section back in the mid-90s, reading every screenwriting and behind-the-scenes book, good and bad.  My film school was my local video store and movie theater.  I can remember back in 1996, when I was first learning the craft of screenwriting.  It was summer movie season.  Mission: Impossible and Twister were out.  I decided that I was going to do my own market research.  I created a grading system, which I found to be very similar to the script coverage I eventually wrote for Sony years later.  I’d watch each film, gauge the response within the theater, and then after, I pulled people aside and asked questions about their theater experience with each movie.  Sure, I was a bit devious and said that I was a researcher for Amblin (Spielberg’s company), but I wasn’t hurting anyone.

Beyond that, my film school was trying to write my first script, failing time and time again, and continuing on, honing my skills.  In my screenwriting journey, my whole life actually, I’ve only taken one screenwriting course.  The best compliment to everything mentioned above was READING scripts.  I read as many produced scripts as I could get my hands on.

As writers, we have a few different platforms to choose from.  We could become novelists, playwrights, poets, bloggers, etc.  For me, having grown up surrounded by the visual mediums of film and television, that’s how I thought and conceived.  My imagination has ALWAYS been VERY vibrant, even to this day.

I have a horrible memory now.  I can’t remember names.  I can’t remember directions or where I put my keys.  However, I have a photographic memory when it comes to visuals, whether it be a shot or sequence in a film/series or especially when I conjure something myself.  I don’t take notes in my process.  I hardly ever outline.  It’s all in my head.

Point being, I’ve always been VERY visual.  That’s why I choose screenwriting.  I may write a novel one day, however, screenwriting is the medium that responds to me the most because it is 100% visual.  It’s showing, not telling.  And having grown up with some of the most visual films of my time in the 80s, it was only natural that I’d want to emulate that if I was going to be a writer.

4. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned since you began writing?

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had some earlier success as a screenwriter.  I’m what I call a blue-collar screenwriter (thus far at least).  I haven’t made those six-figure deals, but I’ve had a script optioned by Lionsgate back in 2007 and have had two writing assignments, one of which was a page-one rewrite called Blackout, a four hour miniseries with a name cast (Anne Heche, Eric La Salle, James Brolin, Bruce Boxleitner, etc.).  It rose to #2 on iTunes a few months back, beating out the likes of Game of Thrones and True Detective (Note: It suffered from a low budget and some questionable production rewrites).

The blue-collar term relates to blue-collar money, thus I haven’t earned big paychecks despite some success.  Just a good amount here and there (and under the limit of ScreenCraft’s rules, of course). That’s the reality of screenwriting until something hits really big.

Lionsgate optioned my sniper script One Shot in 2007.  It’s Top Gun with snipers meets Good Will Hunting.  I’ve had a number of other spec scripts on the market as well.  My script Doomsday Order nabbed me meetings at Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, WB, and Disney awhile back.  It tells the story of a nuclear submarine crew that is ordered to launch their arsenal at the brink of WWIII… and they do it.  The story centers on the aftermath as they struggle to survive amidst chaos, paranoia, and mutiny.  Think Crimson Tide meets Lord of the Flies.

I have The Mark, which is a great smaller action piece about a rural town sheriff dealing with a string of bank robberies across his county.  It’s No Country For Old Men meets Point Break.  There’s Soldier of War, my answer to sci-fi action along the lines of The Matrix and Akira.  Another recent spec is Revelation, which is an apocalyptic survival journey.  A great mixture of genres with character driven action.  My most recent is Gunnar, which was originally written as a Rambo V script that I had pitched to Millennium. Unforgiven meets the action genre.

6. What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given? 

Have a stacked deck and never stop writing.  The most common mistake most screenwriters make early on is that they write that first script, stop writing, and put all of their eggs in that basket.  I did that when I first started out years ago.  Your first script is always your worst script.  Guaranteed.

You hone your craft as you go.  When I first had some success, with meetings and what not with studios, for me, at that point, it came too fast.  I only had one marquee script (the few before it weren’t up to par) and the first question people ask is “What else do you have?”  With every meeting or call, that question always came up.  So it pays to be ready.

Before you even start marketing scripts, you should have at least three strong ones that you can pitch when that question comes up.  It shows maturity, it show professionalism, it shows that you’re not a one hit wonder and have a proven body of work on hand.  That’s the best advice I ever had and I learned it the hard way, sadly.

7. What’s your dream project to work on? 

Where do I start?  It was always my dream to write a sequel to some of my favorite films from my youth.  I’ve had a Goonies 2 script in my head for years.  That would be a dream come true.  My Blackout miniseries was secretly my own Die Hard installment.  It didn’t end up that way on screen, but I did my best.  I’d kill (figuratively) to write a sixth Die Hard film and send John McClane off properly, harkening back to the original.  I’ve had a solid E.T. sequel in my head.  With Disney handling the Star Wars franchise, the obvious dream job would be to tackle a Star Wars installment, but that’s really shooting for the stars (pun intended).

I've been fortunate enough to realize some of these dreams to an extent.  Writing a Rambo V (Mine was titled Rambo: Last Blood) script was a thrill, even though it was on spec.  I’m a top writer on Quora (I suggest ALL screenwriters and filmmakers check that amazing site out… look me up and follow me) and I’ve had fun answering film industry questions, some of which have asked how certain as-yet-made sequels could be written.  I’ve written “treatments” for Matrix 4, a The Dark Knight sequel (if Heath Ledger had not died and the Joker was in it), Indiana Jones 5, etc. It’s been fun.  And that’s what writing is supposed to be.  Fun.  Sure, it’s a job when you get to a certain point, but if I’m not geeking out a little with each project then it’s just not something I’d want to be doing.

A true dream project would be seeing one of my favorite directors take on one of my scripts.  Spielberg, Cameron, Carpenter, etc.  At this point, as I’m pushing 40 soon, just seeing a studio pick up one of my specs or greenlighting an assignment that I wrote would be amazing.

That said, it’s been a dream to have the fortune of winning this competition that ScreenCraft has offered.  This is the first competition I’ve ever won and it feels great.  The response thus far has been exciting and it’s offered me a chance to get back into the game a bit.  So many thanks to any and all involved!  Keep writing…

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We are pleased to announce that  we have added producer Michael Costigan to our roster of mentors. Michael founded COTA Films after serving for many years as president of Scott Free. His storied credits include Brokeback Mountain, American Gangster, Smart People, Body of Lies, The Taking of Pelham 123, Cyrus, Robin Hood, Prometheus, The East, and Out of The Furnace.

Michael Costigan joins Scott Neustadter, Jordan Horowitz, and Jen Grisanti as mentors willing and able to help talented aspiring writers gain footholds in the industry.  Enter your feature or original television pilot now through the official FELLOWSHIP PAGE!

UP TO FOUR WINNERS (TV AND/OR FILM) WILL RECEIVE:

LA Airfare and Lodging

Round-trip airfare to Los Angeles* and a two-night stay in the historic Culver Hotel, host to Hollywood legends from Judy Garland to Frank Sinatra!

A $1000 Writing Grant

One-on-One Consultation

Six months of one-on-one consultation and creative development with the ScreenCraft team and network of entertainment industry mentors.

Meetings with Lit Agents

Meetings with literary agents from the big five agencies (WME, CAA, UTA, ICM, Paradigm).

Mentor Meetings

Mentor dinner with screenwriter Scott Neustadter (The Fault In Our Stars, The Spectacular Now, (500) Days of Summer) and producer Jordan Horowitz (The Kids Are All Right, Are You Here, Save The Date) and acclaimed consultant Jen Grisanti. Plus a surprise guest! You will also have a lunch meeting with Michael Colleary, UCLA screenwriting professor and writer of such blockbusters as Face/Off and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

GreenLightMyMovie.com

Our official Fellowship sponsor, GREENLIGHTMYMOVIE.COM, is offering an account with 40 free submissions included for each of the Fellowship winners. Hollywood’s Official Submission Platform for Filmmakers. Greenlightmymovie puts you and your project directly in front of Hollywood’s top agents, managers, producers, studio/cable/network executives, actors’ and directors’ companies, financiers and distributors. Submit a synopsis, video pitch, short or web series. Responses Guaranteed.

The post ScreenCraft Secures Michael Costigan as Fellowship Mentor appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Two features and one drama pilot were selected from over 1200 submissions received from around the world, with key input from acclaimed story consultant and NBC's Writers on the Verge instructor Jen Grisanti and Touchback writer/director Don Handfield, who has written projects for Paramount, DreamWorks, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate and who works as producing partner of two-time Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner at The Combine.

The winning writers are:

• T.A. Snyder, for his feature "Dead Men"
• Robert Haffey, for his feature "Men of Violent Means"
• Amanda Parham, for her drama pilot "D.O.C."

IndieWIRE posted the winners this morning: here.

"The level of talent in this group of writers really excited and inspired me," said Grisanti. "They have unique voices that show the potential of going the distance. Their stories reflect that they have something strong to say. I look forward to seeing their growth in the business."

Adds Handfield: "The quality of the finalists was top-notch and I really look forward to sitting down with these three very talented screenwriters. For those that weren't selected--don't be discouraged, success in screenwriting, like everything else, is a matter of persistence--keep writing!"

As winners of the fellowship, Snyder, Haffey and Parham will receive one-on-one development with ScreenCraft and a $1,000 stipend and round-trip travel to Los Angeles to be mentored one-on-one by industry professionals including Grisanti, Handfield, and Michael Colleary, UCLA screenwriting professor and writer of such blockbusters as Face/Off and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

These winning scribes will also meet with a literary agent from one of the big five agencies (WME, CAA, UTA, ICM, Paradigm) and with hand-picked development executives and industry representatives at such companies as: Warner Brothers, Lionsgate, Mosaic Media, Kaplan/Perrone, and Participant Media.

ScreenCraft, an official sponsor of the WGA Awards in NYC, is a media company and screenwriting consultancy dedicated to helping screenwriters and filmmakers advance their careers.

Celtx is a world leader in development of media preproduction tools for writers and independent filmmakers. Celtx desktop software is used by over four million creators in 170 countries working in 34 language. Celtx all-in-one online workspaces are used by 600,000 creators worldwide to write, storyboard, breakdown, schedule and budget productions. Over 150,000 mobile media creators use Celtx iOS and Android apps to write and create anywhere, anytime.

T.A. SNYDER is from small town Illinois.  He graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2002.  Since then he has remained focused on the foundation for his storytelling passion: writing.

"Writing is more than a dream or a job, it's a way of life.  It can get dark, lonely and divisive, but in the end we're all connected by our search for a little light.  I'm tremendously thrilled to have ScreenCraft shine a light on my work and extend a helping hand toward building a career in the collaborative realm of film."

ROBERT HAFFEY is a senior in Drexel University's Film & Video program. When he's not mainlining coffee and typing away furiously at three in the morning, he's directing short films and music videos. He's drawn to the fantasy, scifi, crime, and western genres and he's a fanatical fan of Hip Hop music.

"I'm thrilled at the opportunity to develop my script through Screencraft's Fellowship. They've given me my first major validation as a storyteller and with their help, I know I'll be able to pursue my dreams of a career in filmmaking."

AMANDA PARHAM grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Los Angeles to earn her MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. At UCLA, Amanda pursued her love of television writing through an internship in the writers' department at ABC's UGLY BETTY and was two-time winner of the UCLA Showcase screenplay competition. Since graduating, Amanda's screenplays and television scripts have been recognized in a number of prestigious screenwriting competitions, including the Nicholl Fellowship (Semifinalist, top 2%, 2013), the Page International Screenwriting Awards (Finalist, top 1%, 2012 and 2013), and the Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop (top 5% submission, 2012). Amanda also had four scripts place in the Second Round (top 10%) at the 2013 Austin Film Festival.

"I'm extremely grateful and excited to be selected for ScreenCraft's Fellowship program and to develop my pilot through ScreenCraft's network of entertainment industry leaders. This is an incredible opportunity, and I can't wait to get started!"

The post Inaugural ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship - Winners Announced! appeared first on ScreenCraft.