A native Los Angelean, Prentice grew up spending a lot of time in front of the television. Even though he was a huge UCLA Bruin fan, Prentice attended USC’s School of Cinema/Television. He majored in Filmic Writing and upon graduation he was not given a three picture deal.
Met with the sober reality that he had to now become a “professional writer”, Prentice wrote/directed an independent feature film, “You Say Tomato.” While he continued to write numerous spec TV scripts at night, Prentice worked several day jobs. He worked asa substitute teacher and tutor at a foster home for two years. In 2004, Prentice got his first break as a Writer’s Guild Trainee on the UPN show “Girlfriends.” He continued to work his way up to Executive Story Editor over the show’s final four seasons.
In 2008, Prentice was hired on Fox’s “Do Not Disturb” starring Jerry O’Connell, and in 2009 was a producer on the hit ABC show “Scrubs.” In 2010, Prentice started working on the critically acclaimed sit-com “Happy Endings”.
Prentice has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for “Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series” for ABC sitcom “Happy Endings.”
Prentice has not only staffed consistently since 2004, but he’s also been developing. In 2011 Prentice sold his pilot, “How To Con Your Kid” to ABC and Fox - eventually
settling on ABC.
In between a stint on his three seasons of “Happy Endings”, Prentice was a producer on Fox’s 2011 TV show, “Breaking In” starring Christian Slater. During the summer of 2012, Prentice Created and was an Executive Producer on his first series, the NAACP award winning series, “The Hustle”. Billed as the first scripted hip-hop dramedy, “The Hustle” is the Fuse network’s landmark show featuring such guest stars as Jadakiss, Freddie Gibbs, and DJ Skee.
Prentice is currently a Consulting Producer on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and recently won a Golden Globe for best comedy in 2014.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
· Comedy writing/Branding of humor
· Diversity
· Staffing
Peter Lenkov is a native of Montreal, Canada. He has been a writing producer of movies and television shows for nearly 20 years.
He is currently rebooting the HAWAII FIVE-O franchise with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The pilot episode has received numerous positive reviews and will debut in the fall of 2010 on CBS.
Prior to HAWAII FIVE-O Peter had been an executive producer on “CSI: NY.” There he won a Media Access Award and the acclaimed actor, Ed Asner, was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in an episode Peter had written.
He has also worked on other top television shows such as “24,” “The District,” and “Le Femme Nikita.” Recently he has done a mini-series starring Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer called “XIII,” which is based off of the popular graphic novel and video game of the same name.
Some notable films that Peter has written and produced are “Demolition Man” starring Sylvester Stallion and Sandra Bullock, along with a number of films starring Pauly Shore that include “Son in Law” and “Jury Duty.”
He has also written several comic books for Dark Horse publishing. “R.I.P.D.” which is in development to become a feature film, and Fort: Prophet of the Unexplained. Fort was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in 2002.
Peter lives outside of Los Angeles on a ranch with his wife, four children, and pets.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
• Balancing work and personal life
• Getting a break when you’re young
• Pitching
Glen Mazzara, Executive Producer and writer of the new series, Damien, and former Showrunner for AMC’s The Walking Dead, knew he wanted to be a writer when he was six years old. Mazzara’s body of work includes Golden Globe®-winning The Shield, FX's groundbreaking police drama; Crash, the first scripted drama on the pay-cable network STARZ; TNT’s medical drama Hawthorne; as well as NBC’s Life and CBS’ Nash Bridges.
While earning a B.A. and M.A. in American & British literature at New York University, Mazzara worked at NYU Medical Center as Logistics Manager for the Emergency Department, responsible for managing staff and juggling a $1 million renovation project that he completed for only $450,000. The job proved to be the perfect training ground for a career in television production.
In 1998, Manager Ted Schachter encouraged Mazzara to move to Hollywood and helped him land his first writing job as a staff writer for the Emmy-nominated Nash Bridges.
In 2010, Mazzara was brought on as a freelance writer for AMC’s The Walking Dead, a zombie drama based on the comic books of Robert Kirkman. Series Creator Frank Darabont soon recognized his writing skills and ability to manage staff—a rare combination of talents—and brought Mazzara on-board as his #2. He was nominated for a Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for his work on season one of The Walking Dead.
Upon Darabont’s departure, Mazzara was elevated to Showrunner for season two. Under Mazzara’s direction, and alongside an amazing cast and crew including Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator), the series drew critical and popular acclaim, with The Walking Dead’s season two finale attracting more than 10.9 million viewers to become biggest basic cable telecast ever amongst total viewers.
Born in Queens, New York, Mazzara currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three sons.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
• Preparing to write
• Being fired
• Advice to writers
Janet Tamaro was a television correspondent, for among others, ABC News, and a best-selling author of such books as So That’s What They’re For! before becoming a screenwriter in 2000. Her first script was episode thirteen on the first season of Law & Order: SVU.
Janet was an Executive Producer, Creator and Showrunner on Rizzoli & Isles. She was nominated for an Emmy for Sleeper Cell, shares a Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Series for Lost and wrote for two seasons on the hit series Bones. She also produced and wrote for The Black Sash, The Court, Line of Fire and was a consulting producer on Tell Me You Love Me.
Previously, Tamaro covered national news for ABC NewsOne, among other news outlets and was based in New York and Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. She reported and produced investigative stories for long-form newsmagazine shows, including Inside Edition and America’s Most Wanted. She won several journalism awards for her work.
Tamaro has a bachelor’s degree from Berkeley and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. She is married to motojournalist and Cycle World Radio host Steve Natt. They have two daughters.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
• Breaking stories
• Being a female writer and rising through the ranks
• Learning on the job
David Hudgins is originally from Dallas, Texas. A graduate of Duke University, he began his career in the United States Senate, as a Staff Assistant to Sen. Albert Gore, Jr. He then obtained his law degree from S.M.U., and spent eight years working as a trial and appellate lawyer in Texas with a large downtown Dallas law firm.
In 2003, Mr. Hudgins took a job as a Staff Writer on the WB television show Everwood. He spent three seasons writing for the production, rising to the rank of Co-Producer. He then moved to the NBC drama Friday Night Lights, where he served for three seasons as a writer and Co-Executive Producer.
In 2009, Mr. Hudgins created and ran Past Life for Warner Brothers Television, a one-hour drama that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Network. Mr. Hudgins also returned to Friday Night Lights, where he served as Executive Producer on the show’s fifth and final season. Currently, he is under an overall deal at NBC Studios, where he serves as a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the hour drama Parenthood, and he is also developing multiple projects for both film and television.
In its freshman season, Friday Night Lights was the recipient of a Peabody Award for Excellence in Television Broadcasting. For his work on the show, Mr. Hudgins has received four nominations for a Writers’ Guild Award. Mr. Hudgins is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry events, and he is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Humanitas Foundation.
Mr. Hudgins is currently the Creator and Executive Producer for Game of Silence on NBC.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
• Fear
• Writing skills
• Collaboration
From an early August 2015 live teleconference, our Curious About Screenwriting Co-Host, Laurie Lamson, interviews screenwriter, Christopher Dewan. It is, however, more than just an interview. It could be considered a brainstorming session to generate not only more ideas, but ideas that deliver a winning recipe. Dewan states there are two halves to the creative process: generating ideas and then finding shapes to hold them. Screenwriting workshops tend to focus on the second half - structure - because it's easier to teach. But ideas themselves are considered unteachable, arcane and magical - gifts from the muse, so to speak. Whatever that muse, or writer God, may be.
So where do ideas come from? Christopher talks about how you can cultivate them into stories you want to tell and how to maintain a state of mind so you're always generating more. This fabulous interview offers tangible techniques and useful tricks to write in a way that resonates with relevant, personal themes - writing that rises up unplanned from your unconscious and leads you toward stories that only you could write. Thank you for listening to our Curious About Screenwriting podcasts. The ISA holds free teleconferences every month, so stay tuned to our Classes section of the ISA website – networkISA.org – and don’t forget to share and spread the word about our free podcast series. Enjoy.
In a short installment of our Curious About Screenwriting podcasts, I interviewed Derek Christopher. Derek has been the go-to guy for the top consultants in the industry for over a decade. By organizing major events, seminars, and speaking arrangements with names such as late great Syd Field, Robert McKee, and Linda Seger, Derek has firsthand experience of how important working with a consultant really is.
Derek also runs and organizes Story Expo. Story Expo is a once-a-year event where writers and storytellers of all kinds gather in Los Angeles not only to network, but to take classes from the top consultants. Specific classes and seminars that are truly applicable and incredibly educational where you own personal writing craft is concerned. Taking place over the weekend of September 11, if you can make it out to Story Expo this year, it will be a can’t miss event. The ISA will happily be joining Derek and if you would like to meet the staffers of the International Screenwriter Association, as well as yours truly, come on out and say hi. You can learn more at www.StoryExpo.com.
Interview with renowned writing consultant, Jen Grisanti:
A Mexican-Norwegian-American from Milwaukee, Gina Lucita Monreal spent five years writing, acting, directing, and producing in the Chicago theater community. Her play Jack-In-The-Box was produced at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and she co-founded Infamous Commonwealth Theatre—a nonprofit that continues to thrive. A year of research on the captive elephant resulted in Gina’s play, Big Dreams, which received multiple productions and was supported by grants from The Culture and Animals Foundation and Illinois Arts Council. Gina recently earned her MFA through USC’s Writing for Screen & Television Program and participated in the NBC, CBS, and National Hispanic Media Coalition TV writing programs. Through last year's ABC TV Writing Fellowship, she was staffed on Brothers & Sisters, where she co-wrote three episodes. Currently, Gina is thrilled to be a Producer on CBS's NCIS.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
· Being new in the writers’ room
· Lessons learned
· Meeting deadlines
Renowned Consultant, Jen Grisanti, interviews Dan O'Shannon:
Dan has written for some of the most acclaimed network comedies such as Newhart, Cheers, Frasier, and Modern Family. His various awards include but are not limited to 4 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes, 5 WGA awards and an Academy Award nomination. O'Shannon has also lectured in at UCLA, USC, and other colleges, taught a course on writing at Cleveland State University, where he holds an honorary doctorate. In addition to writing television since 1985, Dan O'Shannon is the author of a book
about comedy theory-- ''What Are You Laughing At? A Comprehensive Guide to the Comedic Event," published by Continuum International Publishing Group (2012.) The book examines what comedy is and why we respond to it the way we do and has been adopted by universities across the country.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
· How therapy helps writing
· Life after running a show
· A writer’s psyche
Renowned Script Consultant, Jennifer Grisanti interview: Alex Cary was raised in London, spent seven years in the military, and came to Los Angeles fresh from the Gulf War in search of a career in TV & Film. In 2007, he was staffed on FX’s “The Riches,” then went on to USA’s “In Plain Sight,” before being hired on Fox’s “Lie To Me,” where he started as a story editor, quickly graduated to executive producer and finally showrunner - all in one season. Alex is now in his second season as an Executive Producer of Showtime’s thriller, Homeland.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
· Being a showrunner
· Preference for writing material
· Storytelling
Award Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger shows you what it takes to pitch like a professional. Learn the elements of a killer logline and an irresistible pitch, and how to turn your script into producer candy, without “selling out” or sacrificing your voice as a writer.
Television has entered a new golden age. And it’s all about original content. Which means for writers and creators, television is the place to be. TV shows and webisodes can be produced quickly (relatively speaking) and viewed globally by millions of people. Producers, agents, managers, and executives are all scrambling to find the next big hit. It could come from you.
In Write To TV: Perfecting Your Television Pilot with special guest Martie Cook you’ll learn how to:
In Write To TV: Perfecting your Television Pilot you will also gain practical advice from studio and network executives, agents and managers, and Oscar and Emmy-winning writers on how write the best pilot possible and increase your chances of making that big sale.
ABOUT MARTIE COOK
Martie Cook has over three decades of experience as a respected writer and producer of television and film. She has worked for all four major networks and PBS as well as for Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, and Universal Studios.
A member of the Writers Guild of America West, Cook has written for hit television shows such as the top-ten Nielsen rated Full House, and the cult classic, Charles in Charge. She has served as a writer/producer for Entertainment Tonight, America's Most Wanted, and the PBS Emmy-award winning children's show Zoom. Recently, she sold an idea for a pilot to Jerry Bruchkeimer Television, Warner Bros., and NBC.
Cook currently teaches screenwriting at Emerson College in Boston, MA, where she also serves as Associate Chair in the Visual and Media Arts Department. Cook’s critically acclaimed book, Write To TV: Out of Your Head and Onto the Screen, Second Edition (Focal Press/Taylor & Francis Group) is used by professional writers, in college classrooms, and by budding writers alike.
As an executive, Adam Levenberg worked with A-list talent and writers on scripts, projects, and pitches. As an independent consultant, Adam opened his business to unrepresented screenwriters and recognized there was information they needed to know that wasn't covered in books on the market. As a result, Adam wrote THE STARTER SCREENPLAY: AN EXECUTIVE'S PERSPECTIVE ON SCREENWRITING.
Jonathan was awarded $1,000,000 in the 2012 Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" commercial competition. His commercial was aired during the game and placed #1 on the USA Today ad meter. In 2002 Jonathan co-wrote, produced, directed, and edited the independent feature film MOVING. Called “one of the funniest independent films of the year” by FilmThreat Magazine it won “Best Screenplay” at the Digital Visions Film Festival.
Anyone can tell a story. We do it everyday. "You won't believe what happened to me at work." The problem comes in telling a great story. If you want to become a master storyteller you have to have a deep and precise understanding of subject, and the ability to translate your understanding into a story. John Tuby can teach you how.
Jeff Bollow is a producer/director, author, film festival organizer and public speaker. He has been in the film industry since age 12, starting as an actor before doing nearly every job in production (including experience in development, post-production and distribution).Through his production company, Jeff has reviewed over 15,000 project submissions, and has edited, assessed or mentored over 350 projects.
“Meditative Writing truly is “assisted self-discovery.” For the same reason writers should take acting classes, Meditative Writing helps you get down into your body, to work a scene or character from the inside out. The practice has applications even beyond writing, into directing, pitching, and just being in the world. This class and subsequent practice has been extremely helpful to me in my work.”
– Christine Boylan, Writer, “Leverage,” “Castle,” “Once Upon A Time”
Who Will Benefit From Meditative Writing?
Whether you are brand new to writing, or a seasoned writer looking to inject energy back into your writing, meditative writing will change your writing life forever.
Designed for writers of all types, including screenwriters, playwrights, poets, novelists, and writers of any other genre, here are just a few of the many benefits of this approach
Want a career in ten years? Flashback, nonlinear, ensemble and multi-plot structures are now mainstream in film and TV. You'll need them.
In this revolutionary course, award-winning writer Linda Aronson cracks the code of complex films like Pulp Fiction, 21 Grams and Memento, showing they aren't aberrations or 'devices' but structures in themselves, falling into six families. She explains that they work by multiplying, fracturing and reconstituting the one-hero chronological model according to patterns, patterns so predictable that writers can use them as templates for film, new generation TV series, games and cross media. Eureka!
Ever been told that flashbacks are lazy? The sign of a bad writer? TV has been using multiple stories, multiple protagonists and interweaving for ever, while flashback and ensemble films are so mainstream they routinely figure in the Oscars. Yet still we’re told that one hero on a chronological journey is the only game in town.
Unconvinced, British scriptwriter Linda Aronson watched and rewatched nonlinear and ensemble films to find out why some worked and others didn’t - and she cracked the code.
In this truly revolutionary course, she shows that these films are not aberrations and or 'devices', but structures in themselves, falling into six families. She explains how nonlinear and ensemble films multiply, fracture and reconstitute the one-hero chronological structure according to patterns so predictable that writers can use them as templates - for film, new generation TV series, games and cross media. Eureka! Suddenly, these previously inexplicable structures are doable, even for new writers. Suddenly, and amazingly, writers have a dazzling new range of storytelling options at their fingertips.
Out of her extensive practical TV experience, Linda also explains ways you might use fractured narrative
- to reinvent overworked film genres,
- to introduce suspense into predictable plotlines
- to reinvigorate long running TV serials;
- as a structural shape for an entire TV series (so that, for example, you could create a TV series using a Pulp Fiction style structure)
She discusses hybrid films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which combines one flashback story with one ensemble story, since hybrids in these forms are developing all the time.
And since none of these films are easy, she also explains what can go wrong and how to prevent it.
Ensemble and nonlinear writing are now everywhere and their use will increase. The one hero chronological journey model is no longer enough. This genuinely revolutionary course will show you the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of techniques everyone will have to master. So start now.
Linda Aronson BIO
Described by Linda Seger as ‘one of the most important voices in screenwriting’, British writer/ script consultant Linda Aronson teaches widely on the international screenwriting ‘guru circuit’ and is regarded by many as the world expert on nonlinear scriptwriting. She has credits for feature film, TV drama series, serials, mini-series, children’s TV, drama documentary, stage plays, four novels and short stories. She has often been employed to create TV drama series’ and has judged the Emmys. More recently, she has started advising on cross-media and is currently writing experimental immersive VR screenplays as well as mainstream scripts. Her screenwriting books The 21st Century Screenplay (translated into Polish and Czech) and Screenwriting Updated are required reading at many film schools internationally, including NYU and Berkeley. Teaching includes NYU, Columbia, Berkeley, American Film Institute, The Great American Pitchfest and many film schools and professional bodies elsewhere, including NFTS, London Screenwriters’ Festival, Swedish Film Institute, Swedish TV and BBC TV
For more information about Linda Aronson see Linda Aronson www.lindaaronson.com
Is there a mathematical element to comedy writing? For most of us creative types, we would hope there isn’t simply because it may bring back nightmarish flashbacks of high school trigonometry or something, but in this interview with stand-up comedian and comedy writer, Ian Edwards, Ian discusses the specifics of how a joke is constructed, but equally so, how important it is to just “feel it”. There is an emotional connection to writing that most writers naturally understand, and it’s important to stay connected to that gut feeling, but Ian reminds us how important hard work and a constant dedication to the craft is equally essential.
We talked about Ian’s adventure rising through the comedy ranks, even going as far back as first telling jokes through a Burger King drive thru. Like all writers, Ian evolved his personal voice over years of practice, but what I loved was that he admitted that any writer’s voice naturally changes as he or she grows and changes. So while the industry at large says, “you have to find your voice”, Ian’s ultimate statement here is that we really just need to be in tune with ourselves and how we naturally change through the years. And after Ian worked his way through the New York comedy scene, he brought his voice to Los Angeles eventually writing for shows such as The Cartoon Network’s “The Boondocks”, Adult Swim’s, “Black Dynamite”, the CBS hit “Two Broke Girls” and most recently ABC’s “Black-ish”. Ian is more than just a funny guy – he’s a talented writer, a dedicated writer, and is on a positive trajectory toward stardom. We’re honored to have him on, and if you want to get more of Ian and his comedy, you can find him in multiple ways! He’s on Twitter @IanEdwardsComic, you can get his comedy album, “100% Half-Assed” at Conan O’Brien’s label, records.teamcoco.com, or if you’re a soccer fan, you can listen to Ian’s own podcast series called “Soccer Comics” at AllThingsComedy.com.
Thank you for listening to the ISA’s Curious About Screenwriting podcast. Please remember to share our interviews with your friends, rate us on iTunes, and if you would like to follow the interview’s host, Max Timm, you can find him on Twitter @iMaxTimm or Instagram @InstaMax9. Thanks again, and enjoy.
Do you need to be in Los Angeles to consider yourself a screenwriter? Do you need to be in Los Angeles to write a movie that launches your career? Do you need to have an agent or manager to place in screenwriting contest? I think you’re seeing what the trending answer here is – no. “DIY Filmmaking” is no longer a niche or novelty. “Do it yourself” is the key to that term! John Cassavetes made films for low money. So did Orson Wells, who made bad wine commercials to finance his low-budget Shakespeare adaptations. Robert Rodriguez literally wrote the book, and major directors like Spike Lee and Aronofsky got their starts on the cheap. Credit-card filmmaking has been around forever, the watchword being filmmaking. These early low-budget efforts were all shot on film-- which then brings us to what is new in the equation: TECHNOLOGY.
Hollywood. Home of the true 1%. Behind this gated community are the kidney-shaped pools and impeccable hedge rows. The million-dollar mansions and Lamborghini excess. The Country Club of which you are most definitely not a member. You cannot apply to this club. The gatekeepers know you are not of their cloth. They can smell you. You are the Unwashed. They can smell your wanting, your desperation to join them on the inside. They have set up impenetrable motes and ramparts to stop you. How will you scale these walls?
The Curious About Screenwriting podcasts have recently been focusing a lot on the changing trends of the industry – there are big changes currently occurring in Hollywood. So much is shifting – not only from the big screen to the small screen, but technology is allowing writers to create their own material for little to no money. There is a paradigm shift happening right now, and Paul Peditto, long time script consultant and adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago talks with our co-host, Laurie Lamson, and dives into how the industry is changing and how writers can take advantage of it. So grab your pen and paper, be ready to take notes and be inspired. You do have power, and you can control your writing career. The ISA is here to help.
Share our podcasts, rate us on iTunes, and enjoy the show. Thanks for listening.
SYS Podcast Episode #83: Screenwriter / Producer Alan Trezza Talks About His New Film Burying The Ex
Screenwriter and producer Alan Trezza talks about how he got his new film, Burying The Ex, produced. He talks us through the process of writing the screenplay, getting rejected, and ultimately producing the film himself. It’s a great lesson in screenwriting persistence.
SYS Podcast Episode #82: Erik Bork (Band of Brothers) Talks About His Career As Screenwriter And Producer
In this episode of the podcast I talk with writer and producer Erik Bork. He talks us through his entire career, starting out as a temp worker and eventually winning an Emmy Award on the hit HBO show Band of Brothers.
SYS Podcast Episode #81: David Garrett Talks About The Importance Of Relationships To A Screenwriter And How To Make Those Relationships
Screenwriter (and lawyer) David Garrett talks through exactly how he sold several of his scripts without the benefit of an agent or manager. He also talks in depth about relationship building and how important relationships are to a screenwriter at every level.
SellingYourScreenplay.com Podcast Episode #80: Writer Director Antonia Bogdanovich Talks About Her New Film Phantom Halo
Writer and Director Antonia Bogdanovich talks about her new film, Phantom Halo. She talks through her early career as an actress, journalist, theater director, and filmmaker and the process of how she got this film produced.