Day 3 Assignments

[Jonathan Meltzer]

<div>Jonathan Meltzer’s Producer/Manager</div>

1. To producers: I have an exciting new script on a subject that has been approached rather seriously before. My script “Off the Wagon” is a comedy, drama and romance that explores an Alcoholic, Bobby, coming to terms with the fact that he actually is an Alcoholic and needs to change. The change agent for him is Kim, a pretty redhead in AA he wants to date. Kim is 3 years sober. Both of them know that AA tells its members not to date in their first year of recovery and though they proceed slowly at first their relationship quickly takes on a life of its own. They both want to make their relationship work but Kim is not used to being treated well by a guy and finds a way to sabotage things. She falls off the wagon, starts drinking again and sleeps with a random bartender just to escape the pressure that a healthy relationship brings with it. Her cheating pushes Bobby to doubt his commitment to stay sober but his friends do not let him relapse. In the end they manage to stay friends and embark on a new journey; sober, healthy and more productive with the prospect of getting back together left open at the end. We’ve never seen this story before, a comedy drama and romance set in the world of Alcoholism and Recovery. The appeal of this movie would be broad as we have all dealt with some form of substance abuse or know someone who has.

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2. To managers: I graduated from NYU’s Tisch School in Dramatic Writing with a focus in Screenwriting (2007). I lived in West LA from 2007 to 2011 when I was forced to move back to Northern California due to the onset of Dystonia, a movement disorder caused by a medication side effect. I have spent the last year writing a play, “Irrational Men,” about two black men living in New York City who are pitching a show about a black playwright, Sam Albright, and his life working and living in New York’s Upper West Side. A screenplay “Off the Wagon” and another screenplay “Bachelor Pad” about a young man Max Wilson who returns to West LA after living at home with his mom only to find his bed has magical powers, any girl that sits on it falls in love with him. I feel I have two very commercial ideas that appeal to a wide audience. Having Dystonia has not been easy but it has given me more empathy for all people as I have had to overcome obstacles that were far bigger than any writing project could ever be. Coming through this has definitely made me a better writer and has given me a much deeper appreciation for the craft of storytelling and an increased desire to see my scripts made into movies. I feel I have the talent, the work ethic and the discipline to be a great screenwriter and have two very marketable scripts already written. My desire is to tell great stories that have great hooks that appeal to wide audiences and the experience to know what kind of movies appeal to large audiences. I would be an asset as a client and look forward to working with you in the future.

3. What I learned today is that I should not limit my search only to managers. I should be contacting producers and trying to get them to read “Off the Wagon” as it is a very marketable script that would attract top talent.

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