APPLICATIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED
AN INTERNATIONAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM FOR REGIONAL SCREENWRITERS
Write From Home Screenwriting Workshop is an 8-week online series of development workshops designed and hosted by Screenworks and the Australian International Screen Forum in association with Patricia Beaury, former Managing Director of internationally recognized The Writers Lab for women over 40.
This program will connect 8 regional Australian screenwriters with New York-based screen industry professionals through screenwriting skills development sessions and networking opportunities. The program will run for 8 weeks and will be conducted entirely online with weekly interactive webinar sessions hosted by AISF via ZOOM.
By delivering Write From Home Screenwriting Workshop, Screenworks and AISF are asking mid-career professional screenwriters of scripted features and/or TV to submit an original screenplay to secure the opportunity to develop it under the guidance of a select group of New York-based industry mentors.
By completing the 8-week bespoke program, successful participants can expect to acquire:
- A more developed screenplay; that is international in nature from both an audience and a business perspective.
- An informed sense of current international development trends and processes as they relate to their specific project.
- New connections with US-based mentors and opportunities.
- Professional feedback regarding script improvement.
- A tested and professional pitch for their project.
- Current information about securing the proper representation as a writer.
Applications are open to all Screenworks members who are living and working in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Definitions of regional areas can be found here.
APPLICATIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED
PROGRAM OUTLINE:
The 8-week program will be conducted online through weekly ZOOM sessions structured as follows (program subject to change):
- Session 1: Introduction (ALL)
- Review syllabus and icebreaker exercises
- Moderated by AISF
- Session 2: Peer Group Meetings (IN PEER GROUPS)
- Script reviews and rewrite ‘homework’
- Moderated by Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon co-founders The Writers Lab
- Session 3: Character Development (ALL)
- Presentation from Timothy Cooper, award-winning filmmaker, comedy writer, and script consultant. Co-founder and Owner, Blueprint Screenwriting Group
- Q&A and discussion
- Session 4: Dialogue Development (ALL)
- Presentation from Industry Mentor TBC
- Q&A and discussion
- Session 5: Scene Readings (ALL)
- Read opening 8-10 pages for each script (by actors or participants – TBC)
- Moderated by Jamie Zelermyer, Producer
- Session 6: Peer Group Pitch Session 1 (split into peer groups)
- Development of Advanced Narrative Sentence
- Moderated by Joey Tuccio, Roadmap Writers
- Session 7: Peer Group Pitch Session 2 (split into peer groups)
- Pitch your project to a panel of Industry Mentors to include;
- Chris Beale, Chairman of AISF
- Amy Hobby, Tribeca Film Institute
- Anne Hubbell, Vice President of Motion Picture Kodak and Founder, Tangerine Entertainment
- Krysanne Katsoolis, President and CEO Viewpark
- Joey Tuccio, Roadmap Writers
- Pitch your project to a panel of Industry Mentors to include;
- Session 8: Wrap Up (ALL)
- Writer Representation Panel Discussion: What kind of team do I need to represent me? Panel of Industry Mentors to include;
- Chris Deckard from Fictional Entity
- Peer Group Feedback
- Moderated by Joey Tuccio, Roadmap Writers
- Writer Representation Panel Discussion: What kind of team do I need to represent me? Panel of Industry Mentors to include;
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
Write From Home Screenwriting Workshop is not an entry-level initiative, we are targeting mid-professional career level screenwriters for this international mentorship opportunity.
To apply you must meet ALL of the following criteria:
- Demonstrate a high-level writing ability by submitting an original feature or TV pilot screenplay that would appeal to a global audience;
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident;
- Demonstrate that you have been living in Regional Australia* for a minimum period of 6 months prior to submitting your application.
- Be a Screenworks member
- Complete all sections of the online application form and submit the application prior to 5pm EST, Friday May 1st 2020.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED:
- Your original screenplay.
- Applications are open to scripted Features and Series of all fiction genres.
- We are not accepting factual/documentary submissions.
- Your script must be either registered with AWG or copyrighted.
- An up-to-date resume/CV.
- A valid Screenworks membership.
- $20 (AUD) application fee to assist with the administration costs.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
Screenworks will manage the online application process and the following selection criteria will be considered when assessing applicants for participation in the Write From Home Screenwriting Workshop program (all criteria areas are equally weighted):
- The potential for the mentorship opportunity to help the applicant build relevant industry skills and potential to further their career as a screenwriter living and working regionally creating content for an international audience and marketplace.
- The skills, achievements, experience and track record of the applicant(s) and the quality of their previous work and the screenplay submitted.
- The potential of the applicant to contribute to and enhance the growth of screen production in regional Australia demonstrated by the quality of the support documentation provided with the application.
Applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse people and people living in remote areas of Australia are strongly encouraged.
Screenworks is strongly committed to ensuring equal access to this project – if you require assistance with your application, please email Screenworks Operations and Program Manager, Lisa O’Meara on [email protected]
ASSESSMENT PROCESS:
- All applications will receive an initial eligibility, quality and relevance assessment by Screenworks. Shortlisted applications will be sent to an independent assessment panel that will include AISF representatives and experienced industry professionals.
- The assessment panel will consider how well the eligible applicants meet the selection criteria.
- All members of the assessment panel, including Screenworks and AISF personnel viewing the application materials, will be required to sign an NDA.
- All submitted screenplays must be registered with AWG or copyrighted.
- Applications must be submitted using the online application form available via Screenworks website. No late entries will be accepted, no extensions will be granted. Incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible.
- Successful applicants will be notified in late May 2020 of the outcome of their application. Screenworks will advise all other applicants in writing. No specific feedback will be given on individual applications.
KEY DATES:
| April 1, 2020: | Applications Open |
| May 1, 2020: | Applications Close |
| Late May, 2020: | Successful applicants notified |
| w/c June 1, 2020: | Tech checks and Peer Group allocation (into 2 x groups of 4 screenwriters). |
| w/c June 8 – w/c July 27 2020: | Write From Home online program rollout (8 weeks) |
Write From Home Industry Mentors (more to be confirmed)
Amy Hobby is an Emmy Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated producer whose films include AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE (IFC) directed by Steven Soderbergh, SHEPARD & DARK (Official Selection Cannes Film Festival), SECRETARY (starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal) and LOVE, MARILYN (HBO) directed by Liz Garbus, with whom she collaborated again on WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? (Netflix). Hobby has had 12 films premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and her films have been distributed by Netflix, Lion’s Gate, Sony Pictures, HBO, IFC, Magnolia, Miramax, and more. In 2013, Ms. Hobby co-founded (with Anne Hubbell)Tangerine Entertainment, a company dedicated to producing and building community for films directed by women. Tangerine’s films include Tribeca Film Festival winner KEEP THE CHANGE, PAINT IT BLACK directed by Amber Tamblyn, and the documentary THE LAST LAUGH which screened at over 100 film festivals to rave reviews. In her various capacities, Ms. Hobby has been on numerous film festival juries and panels over the past 10 years. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Robert De Niro’s nonprofit organization, Tribeca Film Institute.
Anne Hubbell is a respected film industry veteran with 20+ years of extensive corporate, not-for-profit and production experience. She co-founded Tangerine Entertainment, the first production company and community builder working exclusively with women creators. As Vice President of Motion Picture at Kodak, she negotiates contracts and consults on studio and independent movies, episodic content, commercials and music videos, and is a liaison to the global film community at large. Anne also is Programming Director for 51Fest, a multi-platform event produced by Tina Brown’s Women in the World organization and the IFC Center, celebrating the voice and vision of the female majority through screenings, conversation and performance, all by and about women. She has produced several award winning feature films, including MODERN PERSUASION (2020), THE SECOND (2018), KEEP THE CHANGE (2017), THE LAST LAUGH (2016), PAINT IT BLACK (2016), GAYBY (2012), LIPSTICK & DYNAMITE (2004). She serves on the boards of NY Women in Film & Television, the New York Production Alliance and Rooftop Films, and is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America. She frequently speaks on industry panels and serves on film festival juries.
Elizabeth Kaiden co-founded The Writers Lab with Kyle Ann Stokes and Nitza Wilon, and is a founding Partner of Women in the Script Trade (WIST) with Nitza. WIST runs the script development labs in NY and LA for the Athena Film Festival and The Writers Lab with NYWIFT and provides individual support for exceptional women screenwriters. Elizabeth served as Head of Development for three years for Tangerine Entertainment, an independent production company that produces films directed by women, and has mentored at Stowe Story Labs. She is a former theater and film critic and a graduate of Princeton and the Yale School of Drama, she lives in New York with her family.
Jamie Zelermyer has been a New York–based Producer and Production Executive for the past 20 plus years. She just finished producing IFP Week 2019, which is a signature program of the Independent Feature Project (IFP). Most recently she was the Program Manager of Made In New York: Pilot Competition, a program founded by The Mayor’s Office of Film Media and Entertainment to tackle gender inclusivity in the television industry. Jamie Executive Produced the two winning half-hour pilots and Executive Produced season 1 of the winning show entitled Half Life, starring Larisa Oleynik and Nancy Giles. Prior to this she produced Ratter, starring Ashley Benson and Matt McGorry, which was released by Sony Worldwide in March 2016. She was the VP, Physical Production at Focus Features / Rogue Pictures for six years, ending in November 2012. At Focus she oversaw such movies as Admission, One Day, Jane Eyre, Sin Nombre and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Prior to Focus, Jamie was a Line Producer and Production Manager working on films such as Igby Goes Down, Boys Don’t Cry and You Can Count on Me. Over the years, she has had the privilege to work with a number of notable directors including Steve McQueen, Lone Scherfig, Kenneth Lonergan, Cary Fukanaga and Kimberly Pierce. Jamie is on the President of the Board of New York Women in Film and Television, and is an adviser on NYWIFT’s The Writers Lab, a program for female Writers over 40 supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. She is a graduate of Bard College.
Joey Tuccio is the CEO of Roadmap Writers, an educational hub for writers. Before starting Roadmap, Joey worked at Bold Films and read for both Hugh Jackman and George Clooney’s companies. He founded Roadmap Writers with the aim to bridge the gap between fresh, talented voices and industry execs who can make things happen through educational programs. In just three years Roadmap has helped more than 80 writers get signed to places like CAA, Circle of Confusion, APA, Gotham Group, Gersh and more. Roadmap has also partnered with the WGA and the PGA on Gender Diversity Initiatives. Joey is also incredibly active and passionate about rescuing dogs.
Krysanne Katsoolis is a veteran of the film and media business. She is an entertainment attorney and began her career in business and legal affairs at Miramax Film Corp, working in both NY and London. Katsoolis’ experience includes all aspects of the film and television industry including curation, financing and distribution. Most recently, as CEO and President of Liquid Media Group, Katsoolis created a vertically integrated media venture taking the company public on the NASDAQ market (NASDAQ:YVR). In 2018 Katsoolis established VIEWPARK to curate and produce content across multiple verticals. Katsoolis has invited some of the most esteemed producers, writers and directors into the VIEWPARK. Some recent projects include OZI, a $35M film with Leonard DiCaprio’s Appian Way (it is the first film to be fully endorsed by the WWF) and a slate of films with Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope including ABANDONED HEIGHTS with Stephen Dorff, Mira Sorvino, F Murray Abraham and Laurence Fishburne, and FAIRYLAND with Sofia Coppola based on a best-selling memoir by Alysia Abbot. VIEWPARK launched VWPRK, a digital marketing and branding agency, a joint venture with technology company Tanooki Labs. VWPRK has established two platforms for the film and media industry including REPORTABLE and MEDIAMOJI for the monetization of digital imagery from films and tv series. As a founding partner of Cactus Three Katsoolis has produced more than 30 award winning films including Oscar winner THE COVE, Academy Award Nominee WHICH WAY HOME, SKETCHES OF FRANK GEHRY directed by Sydney Pollack, FAMILY BONDS, an HBO series, EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS based on Peter Biskind’s book, THE MARCH, for the 50th anniversary of MLK’s March on Washington executive produced by Robert Redford, and HOT GREASE for Discovery Networks. In 2012 Katsoolis founded Cargo Entertainment, an international sales company. Films financed and produced under this banner include ZIPPER from producer Darren Aronofsky with Lena Headey, Richard Dreyfuss and Patrick Wilson, ANGRIEST MAN IN BROOKLYN, with Robin Williams and Mila Kunis and WELCOME TO ME, a Kristen Wiig comedy from producer Will Ferrell. Her prior experience includes Head of Acquisitions and Legal Affairs for the NASDAQ venture WinStar Communications and Fox Lorber Associates where she acquired more than 3000 films. Katsoolis is a Fulbright Scholar with a Masters of Law degree from Columbia University and a Member of the New York Bar. Katsoolis teaches Film Financing at the New York Film Academy.
Nitza Wilon co-founded The Writers Lab with Elizabeth Kaiden and Kyle Ann Stokes in 2015 and is a founding Partner of Women in the Script Trade (WIST) with Elizabeth. WIST runs the script development labs for the Athena Film Festival (NY and LA) and The Writers Lab with NYWIFT, and provides individual support for exceptional women screenwriters. Prior to committing to script development for women, Nitza was an actor, journalist, and magazine and book editor. She earned her BA from the Annenberg School of Communications at Penn. In addition to her work advocating for women in film, Nitza is a writer and voice actor. She lives in New York City with her family.
Timothy Cooper is a filmmaker, playwright, comedy writer, and teacher based in Brooklyn, New York. As the founder of Blueprint Screenwriting Group, he’s worked with hundreds of writers and companies worldwide to help them sell their scripts and tell their stories through TV and film. He wrote and directed the web sitcom Concierge: The Series, starring comedians from Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Bridesmaids, Last Comic Standing, the Onion News Network, CollegeHumor, and Upright Citizens Brigade. For his work on Concierge, he was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media. The series was also an official selection of the International Television Festival and the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Short Film Showcase. His debut political comedy video, “Transparency,” was featured on the front pages of YouTube Comedy and Slate magazine. He also directed two shows that played at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City: the improvised play Sunny-Side Up, and Farebeater: Improv in a Cab, both starring cast members from Silicon Valley, The League, Conan, and more. He wrote and directed the two-screen digital sitcom pilot We Are Criminal Masterminds, which was a top-five nationwide finalist in the Samsung Second Screen Storytellers Competition at the New York Television Festival. Timothy is also the creator of 365 Loglines, where he posted an original movie idea every day for a year. Timothy wrote jokes and other material for host Colin Quinn at the 2014 Writers Guild Awards, for Larry Wilmore at the 2015 Writers Guild Awards, and for Michael Ian Black at the 2016 Writers Guild Awards. He’s also written commercials for dozens of high-profile brands, including multiple spots to promote the YouTube brand during the 2014 Super Bowl. In 2016, he became an adjunct faculty member at New York University, in Tisch School of the Arts’ Department of Dramatic Writing, where he taught a seminar for MFA students on writing, producing, and directing the pilot episode of an original digital series. A proud member of the Writers Guild of America East, Timothy is currently developing multiple pilots and features with a variety of production companies.
Write From Home is a Screenworks and AISF initiative:
AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL SCREEN FORUM exhibits Australian films and connects Australian film, TV and digital works and screen talent with the New York-based screen industries. We also showcase the work of Australian short filmmakers internationally through our short film wing AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILM TODAY. It is also our mission to provide educational and career development programs for new and emerging screen artists, including our Women in Screen Workshop: an industry-focused lab for emerging female filmmakers.
