Introduce Yourself to The Group

[Sung-Ju Lee]

Hi Cheryl and to the group!

1. Name: Sung-Ju Suya Lee. But, call me Suya.

2. I’ve completed 2 feature film screenplays. A bunch of shorts.

3. I want to deep dive into screenwriting, and storytelling. I’ve read a ton of books. I would like to learn and improve, especially the emotional arc, and create maximum entertainment. I like to write thrillers, horror, and stories about winning the lottery (or, rags to riches). A lot of my stories tend to be speculative/ supernatural/ paranormal.

4. I can cook a mean fish taco, avid walker (with dog), and scuba dived at night (scariest thing ever).

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Sung-Ju Lee.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Sung-Ju Lee.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Sung-Ju Lee.

[Janeen Johnson]

Name: Janeen Johnson

2. I’ve completed 3 screenplays (and 14 novels)

3. I want to step up my game to the point where I feel comfortable submitting my work to producers. I also want to amp up my credentials since my writing resume is thin.

4. I have moved 37 times in 50 years so I’m “good at being new”. I hope this helps me when working with producers should I sell a screenplay.

[James Peacock]

Hi, all. My name is Jim Peacock and I’ve written and optioned 2 screenplays. I have 2 pilots under my belt but neither of them has sold. I grew up overseas which I think gives me a distinctly world view in my writing.

I hope to learn as much as I can about this craft. It seems that every time I write I get a little bit better.

[Pablo Soriano]

1. Pablo Soriano

2. I’ve only written two short films and I’m currently working on my first feature-length script.

3. I have a million movie ideas but I have never really taken the time to put them on paper. Now that I do have the time, I want to be certain that I do it well/correctly. I’m taking this class to learn the proper format and structure of a professional-grade screenplay.

4. I started cracking my knuckles at a young age. I learned to crack pretty much every moving joint in my body including my wrists, eblows and shoulders. I once counted 70 cracks in one sitting.

[Wilke Durand]

Hi!

Welcome to the group. Before I started Screenwritingu’s Binge Worthy TV Writing I had not been writing for 10 years. Due to the financial crisis, my husband and I needed to put our shoulders to the grindstone and make sure the restaurant we had just bought on the top of the market was not going bankrupt…well won’t keep you in suspense any longer; business is thriving and mama could go back to writing scripts. The project I worked on during the BWTV writing class is doing very well in the competitions. I have won 4 accolades so far thanks to this amazing class. So if you want to write for TV, do the course!

So far I’ve written 3 features and 36 episodes of a sitcom for children, co-wrote a solo performance and a TV Film.

I’m really excited to start this pro-series! Hope to meet you all on skype, FB or Whatsapp!

Warmest Regards,

Wilke Durand

[Michelle Damis]

Hi, I’m Michelle Damis. I’m an Actress and Stunt Performer, and Portland Local President SAG-AFTRA.

I completed one script(a pilot) this year, just to see if I could do it and gain some confidence.

I’ve wanted to write for years and have a pretty extensive list of ideas and some interesting IP from a few different sources. I luckily know a lot of people in the industry and if I can just get some stories on paper and completed I think I’ll have an easier time than many due to my contacts.

My unique facts about me…I was a Budweiser girl, I was a competitive Speedskater, I was a pageant girl, I have trophies for shooting guns, I have successfully smelled 6 fires as they were just starting(smouldering etc) and saved the day by encouraging people to call the fire department “just in case”.

[Quincy Cooke]

Hello, all. I’m Quinn. I’m impressed we have so many already accomplished screenwriters in this class!

I’ve written on feature-length play (20 years ago) which I sent to a script service that shredded it, and rightly so. I’ve written one novel which was published traditionally by a small publisher, and three novelettes which I self-published through Amazon Kindle. Oh, and one children’s story through Nook.

All of these are out of print. So, there’s that.

I’m really hoping to tighten my screenwriting game so I can eventually move to writing full-time rather than grinding away in IT. I’d be nice to come out of this course with a sellable script or two.

I don’t really have anything unique, special, unusual, or strange about me, but here’s some highlights for the sake of confession:

* I am a Kung Fu instructor who currently weighs 325lbs. My nickname is “Master Po” (allusion to Kung Fu Panda.

* I’ve been married 3 times, divorced twice, and have 5 kids.

* I earned my BA in English and Creative Writing 20 years after starting college. I earned my MFA in Creative Writing in two.

* I got hit by a boat on land once.

* In my mid-thirties I was party to a series of Tom Jones-esque (the foundling, not the lounge singer) escapades which sound better on paper than they were in reality.

* I am accidentally responsible for the rumor that the bible camp in Latham Springs, TX is haunted. Spoiler alert: I’m the ghost.

* Until I was 11 the family business was meat processing. I spent half my childhood in a slaughterhouse.

There’s likely more, but it’s all the same kind of uninteresting waffle. One of these days I’ll step out of my comfort zone a bit.

Looking forward to seeing everyone’s work!

And please, when you see my stuff…shred the heck out of it! I need to know how to improve.

[Kelli Cooke]

Hello everyone

My name is Kelli, but I plan to change it once my mother is gone from this plane of existence.

I have written many stories and started at least a dozen books, screenplays are new to me. I am looking forward to diving in and whipping them into submission–or at least into something that can be submitted for consideration.

As far as unique, special, strange or unusual–

I won an axe throwing competition at a state renaissance faire, I was up against 40 men, and 8 other women! I placed first. The prize? A super crappy, brag-worthy sword.

I left a 20 year dead relationship to move to Connecticut to take a chance on love, or at least some great, hot sex for awhile (we got married a year later, together 7 years now). The month before I moved up I lived with a friend from high school, we were the perfect odd-couple. It was tons of fun.

I love to dance! English Country, Contra, belly, just put on some music so I can dance!!

I adore antiques, and describe my décor as ‘early-grandma’.

I thrift most everything we acquire, most recently a counter-top dishwasher which is a glorious thing for someone who doesn’t like to wash dishes by hand.

I’m a step-mom to several children who call me mom because their own egg-donors are terrible at the job. The oldest daughter is due with our first grandchild this October–super excited to spoil this kid rotten!

My father thinks he’s a patriot because he fought the government over paying taxes, ultimately doing time for tax evasion. He was in and out of prison from the time I was 8 till I was 15. What a shit head. So much to draw from for writing purposes.

I am a good listener when properly caffeinated.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Kelli Cooke.

[James Salter]

Hi my name is James and I haven’t written anything pertaining to screenwriting, except for playing around with writing of ideas and thoughts that I’ve had, which in turn caused me to want to take this course. So I’m very interested in learning how to write a screenplay for movie and TV.

[Rob Bertrand]

Greetings everyone!

1. My name is Robert Bertrand. My friends call me Rob. I am from Vancouver, Washington.

2. I’ve written 6 feature screenplays (1 optioned), and 2 short films. I’m most proud of my screenplay, The Sky Way, which is based on the true story of DB Cooper. I recently took the Horror Class and loved it so much, I decided to do the ProSeries.

3. My favorite genre is horror/thriller and I’m hoping to sharpen my skills on dialogue and subtext.

4. Something unique about me? I own an internationally famous Escape Room business called NW Escape Experience. We are famous for capturing a burglar. He broke in, got trapped inside and had to call 911 for help. The story went viral worldwide and culminated in being featured as a Jeopardy question with Alex Trebek.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Rob Bertrand.

[Claudia Wolfkind]

Hi Cheryl, Hal and all my new writing mates!

1) Name: Claudia Wolfkind

2) I’ve written 8 scripts and 3 TV shows. I’ve been optioned twice and done well in a couple of competitions. I’ve also produced a series (educational / reality based) for a cable network.

3) I’m looking forward to getting back to writing every day and focusing on the skills to elevate my writing to where it needs to be to compete in today’s market.

4) I’m a cancer survivor – not fun going through treatment during Covid! I launched a cable network from scratch and was head of programming and development for almost 5 years. I love going whale watching, hiking and being in nature. Besides working fulltime I also take care of a family member who is disabled.

[Emmanuel Sullivan]

Hi, Emmanuel, I’ve completed one feature, two pilots and one TV workshop spec. They were written years ago and remain in the file cabinet. Horrible. I have new concepts that I want to bring to life.

Look forward to learning more about creating engaging or 3-dimensional characters. In other words, characters that don’t sound the same.

I’m slow at following a story line in film and TV and usually only watch a film once. Plot based rather than character films, for me, are easier to digest. So, anyway, it’s odd I want to write features and TV but I have so many ideas buzzing around.

[Erin Danly]

Wow, this is a group of interesting people with so many experiences… I have about 1000 questions but I’ll save them for later!

1. Erin Danly

2. I’ve written 1 full length screenplay, several shorter films & sketches, and 2 full stage plays (one of which was produced) along with dozens of short play/scenes for the stage.

3. Taking this course because I know I still have so much to learn, especially when it comes to writing characters that feel real and aren’t just there as cogs in the plot.

4. I was born in TN but grew up overseas, in Paris and London, and over the years have studied music, worked in a monkey lab, been a pastry chef, and now I work as a freelance writer. I have a husband and 2 little kids who keep me busy.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Erin Danly. Reason: Typo!

[Robert Smith]

Hi, Cheryl,

I am Robert R. Smith. “Bob.” I am a retired Episcopal Priest. My avocation has been in theatre arts, which I have often used in my active active ministry, i.e., “comedy sketches as sermons.” I have written numerous one act plays and comedy sketches for a local improv and sketch comedy group of which I am a member. I have been an extra in several movies and one TV show (“Ed” on CBS) and i portrayed a “Badass retired detective” in a short film project. Recently, I have written and performed as a Zoom Production, my first full length stage play comedy, “Angels in Gangland,” which was well received by all who saw it. “Angels” is a story about gangsters but it is ultimately a story of redemption and hope. I have begun developing it into a screenplay.

Nutshell: Think “The Sopranos” meets “It’s a Wonderful Life” with a Jewish twist.

LOGLINE: A slain gangster can only get into the World to Come if he does a supreme act of good to make up for his life of crime, which is, he must convince the wiseguy who “whacked” him to do as he should have done, namely, quit the mob, turn state’s evidence, and enter the Witness Protection Program.

Bottom line as a writer: I have ZERO screenplay scripts.

Of my goals for the Pro Series: Use the skills I can learn in the Pro Series to further develop and complete “Angels in Gangland” as a screenplay, in addition to a possible second script in the Horror genre that I began to outline in the Terrifying Horror Scripts class.

My other goals in this course is to use the skills I acquire to develop my writing abilities, and sell the scripts I write from the page to the screen. I love movies and I want to be a screenwriter. I look forward to the supportive and collegial relations that I can form in this program in which we assist each other and not crush one another, as Hal explained. I have experienced writers block and what it’s like to be shut down.

[John Budinscak]

Good morning to Cheryl, Hal and all my classmates.

1- My name is John Budinscak, and for simplicity’s sake, call me John.

2- I’ve written 3 feature scripts and am the co-creator of a comedy series. I believe each script contains 1-2 pages of brilliance and another 100+ pages of very ordinary to mundane writing. But all is not lost as each of these scripts make an exceptional paper weight.

3- I’m looking to elevate my writing across all areas. I plan to revisit those scripts and attempt to make something of them. Ultimately, I want to sell “something” and/or be employed in the industry in some manner.

4- Unique … strange … unusual ….

a. I was in a bank when an attempted robbery happened. I witnessed the robber being shot and killed by security and I had to give a statement. I got yelled at by my boss for being late returning from lunch.

b. I can hold two conversations simultaneously – one on the phone, the other with whoever is with me. A skill acquired being an Executive Headhunter for a number of years.

c. I was one of 33,000 fans in Miami at the Orange Bowl for the “Hail Flutie” game in 1984. Doug Flutie threw a 60+ yard TD pass and Boston College beat MIami 47-45 on the last play of the game. Yup, I’m a little older.

[John Budinscak]

Good morning to Cheryl, Hal and all my classmates.

1- My name is John Budinscak, and for simplicity’s sake, call me John.

2- I’ve written 3 feature scripts and am the co-creator of a comedy series. I believe each script contains 1-2 pages of brilliance and another 100+ pages of very ordinary to mundane writing. But all is not lost as each of these scripts make an exceptional paper weight.

3- I’m looking to elevate my writing across all areas. I plan to revisit those scripts and attempt to make something of them. Ultimately, I want to sell “something” and/or be employed in the industry in some manner.

4- Unique … strange … unusual ….

a. I was in a bank when an attempted robbery happened. I witnessed the robber being shot and killed by security and I had to give a statement. I got yelled at by my boss for being late returning from lunch.

b. I can hold two conversations simultaneously – one on the phone, the other with whoever is with me. A skill acquired being an Executive Headhunter for a number of years.

c. I was one of 33,000 fans in Miami at the Orange Bowl for the “Hail Flutie” game in 1984. Doug Flutie threw a 60+ yard TD pass and Boston College beat MIami 47-45 on the last play of the game. Yup, I’m bit older.

[Elizabeth Koenig]

Hi, Elizabeth Koenig here. I’m a psychiatrist married to a psychiatrist (it’s been a hoot).

But, more relevantly: about 15 years ago I became seriously concerned about the risk of pandemic viruses—and the research that was being done on them. So I wrote a (horrible) novel to raise awareness. I then wrote a second and third draft before turning to screenplay to figure out what I was doing wrong.

Thanks to Hal’s (and others’) genre classes, I currently have 4 partially completed screenplays. I have three other projects plotted, and lots of ideas. For me figuring out which idea I “should do” is especially hard. But I need to finish one, guys. I really do. So if anyone has ideas…

Interesting thing? Well, back to that novel.

Because I was very afraid my infectious disease, public health, virologist, epidemiologist, etc. colleagues would complain, “well that isn’t how a pandemic would play out,” I researched obsessively.

Then, when I was finally half-way through the screenplay, the first known cases of endemic US COVID showed up at the hospitals my husband administers (Seattle area).

Well, things didn’t exactly ‘roll out’ like my research ‘said’ they would. In what was (for me, at least ) an absolutely, unexpected vacuum, I had the surreal experience of (as a psychiatrist) connecting my husband with all the experts I’d found researching a YA novel—and pulling treatment information, as it was being discovered, from health care providers around the world.

There’s a documentary here, I’m sure. If any one is less exhausted by this than I…

Anyway, I am so excited to “meet,” and learn from, and grow with you all!

[David gollob]

Hi Cheryl and everyone,

1. I’m David Gollob, Canadian living in SW France.

2. I’ve completed one action drama feature

3. I hope o master the 300 skills that will make me a very successful screenwriter.

4. I am a former broadcast news journalist, so one of my challenges is to take characters and audience on a journey of discovery, as opposed to exposition, pyramid style. In other words it’s exactly the opposite of what I have been taught to do and so I need to learn as well as UN-learn…

[Amy Falkofske]

Hello everyone!

My name is Amy Falkofske. I’ve written 3 feature length scripts and a handful of short scripts.

What I hope to get out of this class is to get closer to reaching my full potential as a writer. I’m also hoping the work I do in this class will move me towards becoming a paid screenwriter, whether that’s getting optioned or getting a writing assignment.

Something about me is that my grandmother on my dad’s side is Syrian, so I am one quarter Syrian.

[Anthony Giovinazzi]

Anthony L. Giovinazzi

Written 1 script with the help of a previous proseries
I hope to take 1 half paragraph and turn it into 132 pages of fun

Something Unique
I tended Bar on the Coastline of RI for Udo S.

Udo had the Numbers on his arm from the camp.
I asked Udo to tell me his story he declined.
On another Afternoon Udo told me I was not right for the regular world and should go to Hollywood. I told him I would go to Hollywood as soon as he shared his story.
Udo gave an audio testimony just a few years ago.
My wife and I listened, cried and she brings me coffee when I write.
So for Udo and his brother Kurt I am here.

[Claire Mash]

Hi everyone. My name is Cuihua Mash – I am happy to be called Claire.

I am a beginner – I have been writing two scripts, both unfinished.

It was a gift given when the email came my way – I need the training. At the end of the course, I hope to gain enough confidence and skills to be a professional screenwriter.

I enjoy simple things in life. I am a consistent, positive person, boring? That’s me. Hehe.

[Julia Keefer]

Hi All, I am enthralled with your brief bios! My name is Julia Keefer. I wrote three screenplays years ago and fiction, poetry, drama, and academic writing but I am taking this course to knock some common sense into my “useless intellectual” brain because COVID killed my jobs and I need to step forth in a new direction. I am also a fitness pro and like the way Hal’s approach reminds me of the kickboxing I taught before the Pandemic.

[Richard McMahon]

Richard McMahon

Nine scripts

I haven’t written in years due to starting a family – now that I have more free time I want to resume this passion.

From my understanding, I was the first unproduced/unpublished writer to receive a script development grant from my film board – although that was eight/nine years ago. Time does fly when kids control you life and you are trying hard not to do lasting mental damage to them!

[Armand Petrikowski]

1. Hi everyone, my name is Armand Petrikowski. I used to go by Armand Petri but I’m a full kowski now. I live in New Orleans (L.A. before that).

2. How many scripts you’ve written?

I have written several short films + micro-budget feature films that I produced independently. I have also written 2 tv pilots (1 drama, 1 comedy) and I co-wrote 1 half-hour LGBTQ sitcom that is currently under a shopping agreement with a management company in Los Angeles.

3. What you hope to get out of the class?

More knowledge, more techniques, and overall; my goal is to become a better professional screenwriter.

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you?

I’m Polish / Mexican. I was raised in Mexico and moved to the US 10 years ago. I’m a married gay male and by now, I’m already a citizen. My husband (who is a SoCal native) and I visited New Orleans five years ago. We loved it. Six months later, we grabbed our 4 cats and moved to NOLA. Now we are plotting a future move to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

[Jennifer McCay]

Hi, I’m Jennifer McCay. I’m a professional writer (former advertising copywriter/creative director gone freelance) who has spent my career writing and mentoring writers, but I’ve only written 3 scripts to date and have a fourth in progress. It’s been a long time since I was able to take the time to concentrate on screenwriting because I’ve been raising my kids, who have complex health needs and have needed to be homeschooled for the last several years.

I’m at a career crossroads now and would much rather write screenplays than anything else, but I lost confidence in my creative writing ability for a time while I was treading water in my daily life. In this class, I hope to learn a lot, refine skills I already have, gain confidence in my work, and make sure I’m on the right path to becoming a successful screenwriter in the near future. (And because I’m coming to this intro late, I will note that I’m already seeing that this course will help me get much closer to where I want to go.) I also would love to make friends along the way with other writers who are serious about screenwriting, which this class seems to be chock-full of.

I have lived half my adult life in Germany and raise my kids bilingually (German/English). I overcame chronic asthma on my own after being told I’d have to live with it forever by doctors in 3 major cities on 2 continents. I was a professional baker/cake decorator in my teens and made one too many tiered wedding cakes before deciding that writing was the better path for me.

[Jodi Harrison]

Hi
I’m Jodi Harrison and I’ve completed two full feature scripts, one one hour format script (quarter finalist w/ Scriptapalooza…I was thrilled), a few short scripts and produced and directed one of those shorts many years ago. I have two other full feature scripts I’ve been working on, and feel I really could improve on my writing (creativity in scenes, characters, dialogue, etc.) with Screenwriting U’s great ProSeries. My goal is to get much better at writing and develop to the point where I can seek representation and become a professional writer as opposed to it being a hobby (unpaid) as is my current status.

I’m stumped at something unique. I ‘am’ unusual (or weird) does that count?

A lifetime (30+) years ago I was a Baccarat Dealer and was in a Cosmopolitan article. At the time only 2.5% BD’s were female and I had to fight (figuratively speaking) my way into the position. Being a BD I interfaced with people from all avenues of life, all ranges of income from the richest people in the world to the poorest people locally (Vegas). I’ve met many colorful people as a BD and that has given me a lot to draw on for characters, which I hope to use in writing a script one day about them.

When I lived in the valley (CA) I directed some mainstage productions at a North Hollywood 99 seat equity waiver theatre. I also performed, which I loved to do, but haven’t since I’ve moved to timbuktu near the desert (7 years now).

Feel free to connect with me if you’re looking for a beginning partner when we start the feedback exercises.

[John Budinscak]

Subject Line: Budinscak Character Structure

I don’t believe this is the correct location for the Character Structure component of the class, but I am not allowed anywhere else on this site to post this. Please let me know what I need to do and where I need to go. Thank you.

Sincerely,

John Budinscak

What I learned doing this assignment:

o I appreciate the guidelines to help determine character structure.

o I realized doing an outline is one of my biggest weaknesses.

o I didn’t realize the importance of an outline relative to dealing with producers/agents. Etc.

o Again, I did not realize that an outline can potentially save you 2-5 drafts.

o Learn how to do an outline.

Assignment:

1. Concept – In 1986, two preteen male cousins learn about life and family during a trip with their uncle, a conniving chef who has to deliver a package from upstate NY to Burbank by 2:00 PM Monday or they’ll burn his family’s restaurant to the ground.

2. Character structure is #2 – Buddy Movie

3. Uncle Jack – Antagonist, shady, bit of a gambler, womanizer, whatever pops in his mind, that’s what he does. He doesn’t like being saddled with responsibility

Sal – Street smart, smart ass, a bit of a bully to Puck. Likes to lie and he’s sneaky.

Puck – book smart, naïve, honest, clingy, perceptive. Says what’s on his mind – no filter.

4. It’s a road trip story, coming of age for the two boys. While the two boys spar with one another, they gang up on Uncle Jack and take an opposing view. Jack doesn’t like kids, but ends up loving the boys by the end. Jack’s character doesn’t change over the course of the story, but the boys definitely do.

[Pablo Soriano]

Deleted

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by  Pablo Soriano.