Don’t write what you know! Stan Zimmerman on Skirtchasers
Stan Zimmerman on the changing landscape of television, greenlighting gay stories and maintaining a long-term writing partnership.
Growing up, Skirtchasers screenwriter Stan Zimmerman knew what a writer’s room was — thanks to watching The Dick Van Dyke Show — but he had no idea that he would eventually work in some of the most famous writer’s rooms in TV history. “I had a habit of rewriting plays when I was younger,” says […]
Meet the Reader: Jhan Harp
"Other readers might think characterization or premise as the most important, but I think a reversal is the strongest way to go."
Script reader Jhan Harp was pursuing two degrees at Purdue University – a B.S. in physics and a B.A. in theatre – when he first discovered his passion for screenplays. “Screenwriting, more specifically working on teleplays, was a hobby in college,” he says. “I guess it wasn’t easy enough with the two majors.” Blame Joss […]
Nailing the Tone in TMNT: Out of the Shadows
Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec on reboots, reworking and reacting to criticism.
TMNT writing and producing partners Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec’s journey to Hollywood is one of those stories that, well, some might write a movie about. Friends since the third grade at Riverdale Country School, a K-12 preparatory academy in New York, the duo went their separate ways in college (Nemec went to NYU TISCH […]
How to Save the Cat!
Beat Sheets, Saving the Cat, and Genres: José Silerio discusses three key concepts from Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!
By Brianne Hogan. “I first learned how to tell effective stories…selling a shampoo or household cleaning product. But isn’t that what storytelling is all about – selling the hero’s story?” From this prosaic storytelling education, José Silerio became Save the Cat! author Blake Snyder’s Development Director. Now Silerio now actively works with screenwriters who have projects […]
Taking Dramatic License with the Bible: Chris Brancato on Of Kings and Prophets
Showrunner Chris Brancato discusses the challenges of heavy source material, his experience with hard drama, and giving his latest project a “modern pulse.”
By Brianne Hogan. The new biblical drama Of Kings and Prophets has everything you might expect from a premium cable series: sex, violence, and bloodshed. Except it isn’t on a premium cable channel, it is on the Disney-owned ABC. Perhaps this is one reason the series has received so much criticism. For example, the Parents […]
