Jen Grisanti

THE SCRIPT LAB SCREENWRITING SUMMIT – AUGUST 26-27, 2017
2017-08-28 00:00 UTC
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2 Days, 30 Speakers, Free Online
The Script Lab is launching its first ever Screenwriting Virtual Summit – a FREE weekend of lectures and interviews with Oscar-winning filmmakers and Emmy-winning TV writers! And best of all, it’s FREE to register for two days of access to this amazing content.

Plus, we’re excited to highlight Jen Grisanti, with an in-depth interview available to all registrants!

Register Free

Speakers include…

Scott Neustadter is an acclaimed screenwriter and producer of (500) Days of Summer, The Fault In Our Stars, The Spectacular Now, Paper Towns, and X-Men: The New Mutants.

Literary manager and producer Jewerl Ross is the founder and owner of Silent R Management. He has worked at APA, ICM, Marathon Management and Paradigm. Some of his clients include Barry Jenkins, Matt Aldrich, David H. Steinberg, and Brad Buecker.

Cathryn Humphris is a producer and WGA Award-winning writer known for her work on Mad Men, Elementary, NCIS: New Orleans, Under The Dome, and Supernatural.

Writing team Amanda Silver & Rick Jaffa have been responsible for some of the most successful reinvigorations of iconic franchises. Their credits include Jurassic World, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Disney’s live action Mulan.

Check Out All 30 Speakers

Thanks to our official sponsor:

Check out our non-profit partners:

Registration is FREE! Join us for this incredible event – all from the comfort of your living room. All you need is a computer and internet connection – and a curiosity to learn from some of Hollywood’s leading producers, executives, managers and award-winning screenwriters!

Webinar with The Writers Store on September 14 at 1:00 p.m. – Staying True to The Core Concept of Your Series
2017-09-15 00:00 UTC
Staying True to the Core Concept of Your Series

At a Glance

During this webinar, you will learn tools to set up your concept and your season arcs.
Discover how creating strong external and internal questions will bring your audience back.
Jen will illustrate the significance of staying true to your core concept.

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Please note: Each registration comes with access to the recorded version of the program and the materials for one year. You do not have to attend the live event to get a recording of the presentation.
ABOUT THE WEBINAR
Have you struggled with figuring out how to build the concept of your show through creating a strong season arc? In this course, Jen Grisanti will go over how to set up a strong season arc that will best illustrate the concept of your show. Then, she will explain how staying true to this core concept connects you with your audience.
The core concept often has an external and an internal component. The external gives you a sense of the world. The internal has to do with the dynamics of the people that infiltrate that world.
When you create strong questions that have to do with the external and the internal world, you create anticipation. When the audience feels the anticipation, you give them a reason to return.
By understanding why your character wants what they want for the episode and the season, you bring us into the emotional component of your story and give us a glimpse into the intention of your concept.
Jen will cover old shows and new shows including – HOMELAND, THE GOOD WIFE, HAPPY VALLEY, SILICON VALLEY and TRANSPARENT.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

How to have your season arc best reflect what your concept is.
How to create powerful questions.
How to set up the WHY the character wants WHAT they want.
How to stay true to the core concept that you set up.
How to build compelling season arcs.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Writers who are writing TV pilots.
Writers who want to understand more about how to take their story to a deeper place.
Writers who want to know how to better connect with their audience on an emotional level.
Writers who have great ideas but don’t know how to execute them.
Writers that want to sell their pilots.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?
All you need is a computer or iOS device, and an internet connection. You’ll be able to view the presentation and listen to the audio over computer speakers; however, you’ll enjoy much better audio quality if you use a telephone. See below for complete system requirements.
To test your connection before the live webinar, visit this web page.
BONUS: With purchase of this webinar, you will receive $79.99 off of a yearly subscription to the Screenwriting Tutorials website, which has specialized tutorials from experts that explore screenwriting topics covered nowhere else on the web!

Product Details

Return policy: This item is not eligible for return.

Meet the Author: Jen Grisanti

International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, a former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.
Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ra…

Webinar on 9/21 w/ EIACE – Power Up Webinar – Comedy, TV writing, Representation, Writing Action Lines & Cinematic Storytelling
2017-09-22 00:00 UTC
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eiACE Power-Up Webinar – Sept. 21 – 4PM PT

Home | Events | eiACE Power-Up Webinar – Sept. 21 – 4PM PT

The third installment in the Power-Up Webinar Series features Dan Calvisi, Jen Grisanti,
Lee Jessup and David Misch. These industry-leading educators will provide instruction
through 20-minute segments, live at the Relativity School Studio in LA.

Sign Up Now

Dan Calvisi – Write Great Description Paragraphs – Learn From The Masters!
A lot is written about the art of dialogue, but what about the equal challenge
of writing great description/action? Citing examples from modern masters like
Christopher Nolan, Vince Gilligan, Shonda Rhimes and Quentin Tarantino,
Dan Calvisi will explore the mechanics, formatting and execution of this crucial
element of the screenplay. Dan will also lead the class in writing the introduction of a famous movie
character, to be compared to the actual text from the original screenplay.

Jen Grisanti – Writing A TV Pilot That Sells: Setting Up The Series And Season One
Through The Arc Of The Wound
In this talk, Jen Grisanti will go over how to set up the series and season one arc by
creating a strong arc of the wound for the central character. It is when the personal
dilemma links to the professional pursuit and the pilot arc is one step toward healing
the wound that we root for the outcome and emotionally connect to the story. Jen
will discuss the season arcs for FLEABAG (Amazon), RIVER (Netflix) and HAPPY VALLEY (Netflix).

Lee Jessup – Representation Rundown
This will cover everything you ever wanted to know about agents and managers,
including how to get the right representation, what to expect from your agent vs.
what your can expect from your manager, how much you should pay them, what
they will expect from you, and what you can do to motivate them.

David Misch – How “How Comedy Works” Works
My seminar “How Comedy Works” makes a unique guarantee in the world of
screenwriting seminars: it gives you absolutely no help with screenwriting. HCW,
as we in the office like to call it (Note: There is no office), is about comedy as an
art form; what it is, what it means and how it works. Why take time with that instead
of figuring out why your 2nd act sucks?, I hear no one asking. Because learning how comedy works will
help you do it better. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. This talk will show how looking at
comedy not screenwriting can help your screenwriting; how contemporary comedy goes back to ancient
Greece (and yes, I’m looking at you, fart and vomit jokes); and the precision, skill and ingenuity that
comedy requires. Most of all, this talk explains why everyone who says examination kills comedy is
not only wrong but should be killed, and shows how comedy principles translate into actual laughter.
So, y’know, forget that stuff about no help.

New product: “Telling And Selling Your TV Pilot”
2017-10-25 00:00 UTC
TELLING AND SELLING YOUR TV PILOT
Looking to write a TV pilot that sells? Looking to find tools that will lead you to this outcome? “Telling And Selling Your TV Pilot” is just for you.
This ultimate video training series contains a story system and story tools that will guide you on how to write a TV pilot that sells. Think of this video series as your treasure chest of information.
This video series, “Telling And Selling Your TV Pilot” has been compiled for many years and is finally available!
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A WORD FROM THE STORY CONSULTANT
“I love watching strong TV series that make me FEEL. I love developing story tools from these shows that guide the writer. I LOVE celebrating the success of the writers that I work with. I want to share my love and passion for story with the world. That’s what this video series is about. This video series will help the writer to understand how to write a pilot that sells.”
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TELLING THE INTERNAL STORY
You can also purchase my video training series, “Telling The Internal Story”.
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Storywise 10-Week TV Spec & Pilot Teleseminar 2018 – Begins Tuesday, March 6th 7:00 pm PST ONLINE
2018-05-15 00:00 UTC
Classes begin on Tuesday March 6th at 7:00 pm ONLINE and go through May 15, 2018
This is a 10-week program designed to help you write a high quality TV pilot AND spec script. In 10-weeks, I will teach you how to learn to write at a level that will help lead your script to a sale, get staffed on a show, place in a writing competition or get into one of the various writing programs. This course is everything that I teach in Writers on the Verge and more.
Last year we had over 100 writer participants from all over the world. You will not only learn all of the story tools that you need to succeed, you will gain the opportunity to be in a private community of writers. This community is a very valuable resource. You all will have the opportunity to learn from one another via networking, exchanging scripts and possibly starting your own writer groups.
I’ve seen the success from this course first-hand. Many of the writers who have taken this 10-week course have gone on to sell pilots, get staffed on TV shows and get into several of the prestigious writing programs. Fifty-Two of my writers have sold pilots… and 6 of them have gone to series.
Each class will consist of a half-hour of instruction (you will receive these videos before each class to watch at your leisure.) Each call is approximately 2 – 2 ½ hours in length. On each call, we will go over the notes for the 4 writers participating at Level #3 and I will choose one writer from Level 2 or Level 4 each week to participate. You will have an opportunity to read their scripts and make your own notes each week. You will also get to share your notes with those writers directly. This is what we do in Writers on the Verge. It is a way to prepare you for being in the Writers’ Room. Then, five people that sign up each week will get an opportunity to pitch to a guest speaker. We all learn from hearing others pitch. This part of the program was designed to help you learn from the pitching style of others as well as give you the opportunity to pitch yourself. It’s an invaluable tool. Every level will have an opportunity to sign up for this.
LEVEL 1
At Level 1, you get to participate in all 10 classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. You will also get to turn in a 1-2 page pitch document on your TV spec and TV pilot script. You will receive written feedback. You have up to a year after the course is finished to turn this in.
Regular rate – $375.00
SPECIAL OFFER – $225.00 (LIMITED TIME OFFER)

Rate for writers who have taken this before – $225.00

LEVEL 2
At Level 2, you get to participate in all 10 classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. This level also includes a one-on-one consult for your TV spec and/or TV Pilot script.
Level 2 w/ TV Pilot Consult
Regular Rate – $1,050.00

For Alumni of my Storywise Teleseminar – $900.00

Level 2 w/ TV Spec Consult
Regular Rate – $875.00

For Alumni of my Storywise Teleseminar – $775.00

Level 2 w/ TV Pilot and Spec Consult
Regular Rate – $1,600.00

For Alumni of my Storywise Teleseminar – $1,275.00

LEVEL 3
At Level 3, you will receive feedback every week on your TV spec and/or TV pilot script. This includes written and verbal feedback. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community.

For the first time, I am going to offer you the option of not writing a TV spec. You can either write one TV pilot during the 10 weeks or you can write 2 TV pilots during the 10 weeks.

There are only 4 SLOTS for this level: two for drama and two for comedy. If you are interested in applying, you will need to submit 10 pages of a script. The submission deadline is 1/31/18. I will select 4 submissions out of everyone that submits and announce these slots in February. The rate for Level 3 is $3,000.00.

The DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS is January 31, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. PST.

LEVEL 4
At Level 4, you will receive written/verbal notes back every week on your scripts. This includes an in person or online meeting every week either alongside the teleseminar or as you prefer. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch two times to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community.
There are only 4 slots available at this level.

ASSIGNMENTS
The Level #3 writing assignments will be due the Saturday before each class. Everyone at each level will receive a copy of the assignments turned in by the Level #3 writers so that they may follow along as well as provide notes directly to the Level#3 writer.

Levels #1 and #2, you will do the assignments on your own. No direct feedback is provided; however, this is where you can use the Facebook community of writers to exchange scripts weekly and get feedback.

SCHEDULE
Week 1 – Tuesday March 6, 2018
We will go over the notes for the concepts of the spec scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speaker – Dan O’Shannon, Executive Producer (SUPERIOR DONUTS, THE ODD COUPLE, MODERN FAMILY…)

Week 2, Tuesday March 13, 2018
We will go over the notes for the outline of the spec scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speaker – Matt Nix, Executive Producer (THE GIFTED, BEN 10, APB, COMPLICATIONS, BURN NOTICE…)

Week 3, Tuesday March 20, 2018
We will go over the notes for the first draft of the spec scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speakers – Brian C. Singleton & Jim Brandon, Co-Executive Producers (DR. KEN, ANGEL FROM HELL, BIG TIME IN HOLLYWOOD FL., THE MCCARTHYS)
WEEK 4, Tuesday, March 27, 2018
We will go over the notes for the second draft of the spec scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speaker – Michael Narducci, Executive Producer (THE ORIGINALS, VAMPIRE DIARIES, MEDIUM…)

*EASTER BREAK THE WEEK OF 4/1/18

WEEK 5, Tuesday, April 10, 2018
We will go over the notes for the third draft of the spec scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speaker – Mike Scully, Co-Executive Producer (THE SIMPSONS, THE CARMICHAEL SHOW, PARKS & RECREATION..)

WEEK 6, Tuesday, April 17, 2018
We will go over the notes for the concepts for the pilot scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speaker – Liz Benjamin, Co-Executive Producer (UNREAL, BLOOD & OIL, THE BLACKLIST, BONES…)

WEEK 7, Tuesday April 24, 2018
We will go over the notes for the outlines for the pilot scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speakers – TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson, Co-Excecutive Producers (ANIMAL KINGDOM, SHOOTER, NARCOS…)

WEEK 8, Tuesday May 1, 2018
We will go over the notes for the first draft or first half of the first draft of the TV pilot scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speaker – Justin W. Lo, Supervising Producer (THE BLOOD TYPE, NO TOMORROW, MISTRESSES, PARENTHOOD…)

WEEK 9, Tuesday May 8, 2018
We will go over the notes for the second draft or full-first draft of the TV pilot scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speaker – Wendy Calhoun, Co- EP (EMPIRE, NASHVILLE, JUSTIFIED, REVENGE…)

WEEK 10, Tuesday May 15, 2018
We will go over the notes for the third draft of the TV pilot scripts for Level #3.
Guest Speaker – Jackie De Crinis, President Jackie De Crinis Productions, former senior level Development executive at USA

HAWAII TV & FILM WRITING SEMINAR – MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 5/26/18
2018-05-27 00:00 UTC
THE WAIKOLOA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND THE FAIRMONT ORCHID HOTEL CO-PRESENT THEIR VISITING ARTIST FILM WORKSHOP
What: Screenplay Writing for Television and Film
Where: The Fairmont Orchid Hotel, Kohala Coast, Big Island of Hawaii
When: Saturday, May 26 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Who: Jennifer Grisanti is one of the leading consultants, mentors, coaches, and instructors in the field of screenplay writing and development for television and film. She has a story system that has led 52 of her clients to sell their pilots. Six of them went to series. Jen was a studio executive for 12 years at Spelling Television Inc. and CBS/Paramount. She staffed over 15 primetime shows in her career. Aaron Spelling was her mentor. She is also the writing instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, a blogger for The Huffington Post, the author of three books—her latest is Change Your Story: Change Your Life: A Path to Your Success–, and an international speaker who has participated in writing conferences, retreats, seminars, film festivals, and writing expos around the world.In this day long workshop, Jen will share the techniques, insights, and dynamics of her Story System, an approach that has led so many writers to success in the television and film arenas. Discussions will center on the elements of strong and compelling story structure and development, writing a script that sells, writing a TV pilot script or screenplay that can’t be ignored, writing memorable characters and character dynamics, adding truth to your fiction, mastering the set up of your story through structure, setting up a season one arc, and Jen will offer plenty of time for career advice, insights into how and what Hollywood is looking for these days and how it works, and general Q&A from participants.
Why: This workshop is a must for those looking to develop their craft and skill in professional areas of screenplay writing for
television and film, those looking to “polish” their skills in these areas, or for those looking to better understand the craft of writing for film and television and how these skill sets relate to the overall production process.
How: Email John Mason at johnmasonkona@gmail.com for more information, questions, or to register. Give him a call at 808-464-4379. Check out also the web site of the Hawaii Island Film Office at www.hawaiiislandfilm.com. There is a small registration fee which will include light refreshments.

Rocaberti Writers Retreat – July 6-11, 2018
2018-07-12 00:00 UTC
The Rocaberti Writers Retreat

APPLY HERE

July 6th-11th, 2018
Marouatte Castle,
The Dordogne,
France

Making the impossible happen

Have you ever dreamed of writing a novel and seeing it come to life on the silver screen?
Or maybe you’ve already published your book and are wondering about how to turn it into a screenplay?
Seems impossible, right?
Well, the answer, is, NO! Nothing is impossible, and on this one-of-a-kind writers’ retreat, at the beautiful 14th century Marouatte Castle in the Dordogne, Southwestern France we’ll show you just how your words, your vision—let’s face it, your baby—can make it all the way to the big screen!

The first Rocaberti Retreat, held in March 2016, completely transcended all expectations: out of the eleven writers who attended, one had her script optioned before the end of the retreat, two are currently in the midst of negotiations for their script or book to be optioned and deals are in the works for several others … the impossible did happen, and it happened at Rocaberti!
Here’s what Georgia Clark, winner of the first Rocaberti Scholarship, said about her Rocaberti experience:
“I was honored to be awarded the scholarship for the inaugural Rocaberti Writers Retreat. My mentor was simply fabulous: experienced, generous, warm, funny and insightful. We made great headway on helping turn my new adult fiction THE REGULARS into a feature film. A once-in-a-lifetime experience, and all in Spain!”
And the second Rocaberti Retreat surpassed even the first (there’s even a reality TV show in the works, involving one of the special guests)!
Attendees called the retreat, “A magical, miraculous event”, “The experience of a lifetime”, “The best decision I’ve ever made” and “Life-changing.”
But let the writers speak for themselves!

“The Rocaberti Writers’ Retreat was a smashing success. The accommodations in a medieval castle near the Mediterranean sea in Spain, meals by a chef, Tai Chi and meditation, a visit from royalty, intrigue and after-parties all created lasting memories. The teaching blew away my expectations. We had experts in agency representation, production, story structure, screenwriting, pitching, book and memoir writing, book proposals, and career advice. A combination of lectures and individual mentoring sharpened my knowledge of the craft of writing and how this industry works. Thanks to Claire and her colleagues it’s a trip I will cherish forever.”
–Betty Sullivan (October 2016)

Click here for photos & more testimonials from previous retreats

Your July 2018 Rocaberti Retreat mentors include million-dollar screenwriter Diane Drake (WHAT WOMEN WANT with Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt and ONLY YOU with Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei); Jen Grisanti, former Studio Executive and VP of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount and now a highly-sought after Story and Career Consultant; award-winning Italian screenwriter, Roberto Marchionni (‘Menotti’), nominated for an Italian Oscar for THEY CALL ME JEEG and film financing and international distribution expert Scott Collette, who is now an in-demand writer and story consultant, with six projects in development.
We’ve joined forces because we want to help show you how to bring your “literary twins”—your book and screenplay—to life! Not only how to finish writing them (an art in itself, as anyone who has an unfinished manuscript or screenplay lying around their home will tell you!) but also how to have them successfully published … and made into a movie!
You’ll be part of a small and exclusive group of a maximum of no more than 16 writers at the retreat.
Through focused, practical presentations in the mornings, afternoon mentoring sessions, evening social events—and with a mentor/writer ratio of approximately 1:4—you’ll learn how to tell your story on the page and on the screen, and be one step closer to seeing your dream come to life!

About

Write. Engage. Experience.

Sound enticing? We’re inviting writers of fiction, non-fiction, and for the screen to come join us for what promises to be a memorable (and productive!) experience. Enrollment is limited to just 16 guests to ensure small class size and maximum access to our mentors.
Picture yourself staying at a 14th century castle (how’s that for inspiration?). Participating in stimulating workshops. Enjoying a glass of wine with a screenwriter who has written the second highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time or a former Paramount Studio Exec. Sharing your work with others for constructive feedback. Just taking the time to breathe—and to write, away from the demands of your daily routine. Imagine the conversations that might unfold daily around the breakfast table or on a walk round the castle grounds.
Whether you’ve written a book, are working on a screenplay—or are just thinking about it!—wherever you are in the process, we’re here to help you move forward and show you that dreams can become reality!
This retreat is for you if…

You’re working on a book/screenplay combination or have an idea for one.
You have a book and want to turn it into a screenplay or vice-versa—or sell it directly to Hollywood.
You’re unsure how to get your book/screenplay in front of agents and producers.
You’re serious about completing your project and making your dream come true!

The retreat includes…

Expert Tuition
Small group mentoring sessions
All meals and drinks
Five nights’ lodging
Round-trip transportation between Angoulême train station and the castle
Exclusive access

Reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

Program

Friday, July 6th
Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday
Tuesday evening and Wednesday

The retreat commences the evening of Friday, July 6th, with welcome cocktails, dinner and then, with a glass of fine wine in hand, a group discussion about writing in the castle’s historical salon.

Please reserve my spot at the retreat

Your accommodation

When you go on a retreat to focus on your writing, you want a place which both inspires you and strengthens your commitment to your craft. (And if it happens to make you feel like royalty, while doing so? All the better!)
Which is why we chose the spectacular Marouatte Castle, in the heart of Southwestern France.
Each room is exquisitely decorated and each writer will have their own private room.

Your Rocaberti Retreat Mentors

Diane Drake is an accomplished professional screenwriter, writing instructor, story consultant, speaker, and author. Prior to becoming a screenwriter, Diane served as Vice President of Creative Affairs for Academy Award-winning director/producer Sydney Pollack. Her first produced original script, ONLY YOU, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Marisa Tomei, sold for one million dollars, while her second produced script, WHAT WOMEN WANT, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt, is the second highest grossing romantic comedy of all time. In addition, both films have recently been remade in China featuring major Chinese stars.
Diane is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America and has been an instructor/speaker/panelist for the Austin Film Festival, UCLA Extension Writer’s Program, Scriptwriter’s Network, Story Development Group, University Club, and Writer’s Store. She has also served as a judge for the Austin Film Festival, UCLA Extension Contest, and The Humanitas Prize. She recently released her debut book, Get Your Story Straight: A Step-By-Step Guide To Screenwriting By A Million Dollar Screenwriter, (Reel Life Publishing, May 2016).

International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.
Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.
In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, Grisanti has worked with over 800 writers specializing in television, features and novels. Due to her expertise and mentorship, seventy-five of her writers have staffed on television shows and forty have sold pilots, five that that went to series.

Menotti (the pen name of Roberto Marchionni) works in Rome, has lived in Germany but was born in Italy a long time ago.
He studied Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy, Semiotics in Berlin, Germany and Filmmaking in New York (NYU).
As an award-winning comic book artist, Menotti has worked for Italian and international magazines, such as Frigidaire, Comic Art, Il Manifesto, Cyborg, Mondo Naif and Blue. He also co-created the graphic novel Europa, published by Black Velvet.
As a screenwriter, he’s written several successful TV series, from Un posto al sole to Incantesimo, L’onore e il rispetto, La squadra and 7 Vite.
Besides other short and feature films, Menotti co-wrote Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (‘They Call Me Jeeg Robot’), the first Italian superhero film, nominated for best screenplay and winner of seven statuettes at the David di Donatello Awards 2016.

Scott Collette is a writer and story consultant with a background in pre-sales film financing and international distribution.
Collette started his career working for legendary producer Mark Damon at Foresight Unlimited, where he worked his way up to Executive Director, Sales and Distribution and was responsible for the international sales of Foresight’s titles in multiple territories in East Europe and Asia.
In addition to sales, Collette negotiated the majority of Foresight’s international licensing agreements and helped facilitate all production finance closings. These titles include Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor, Rob Reiner’s And So It Goes, 2 Guns, The Ledge, Flypaper, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, and Rob Cohen’s upcoming Category 5.
In 2013, Collette was invited to speak at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) to share his experience and knowledge of film distribution with the U.S. Department of Defense, aiming to educate the Department as to how private industries go about conducting business in fragile and emerging marketplaces around the globe.
Having never surrendered his passion for writing, Collette shifted gears with his career after writing multiple projects on spec and was hired by Hydra Entertainment as writer in 2015 to help a creative team develop a big budget, special effects-heavy feature (the details of which are currently under wraps).
Collette is currently in development on multiple television and feature projects, while also writing a novel.

Claire Elizabeth Terry is your Rocaberti Retreat host and moderator and is a British screenwriter, travel writer and novelist.
After graduating, she worked for several years in British theatre, where she fought for, and won, the right to become the first female stage-hand at the Royal National Theatre, London.
Short-listed for the Shiva Naipaul Memorial Prize, Claire has also written for the Rough Guides travel series.
In 2008, Claire conceived, compiled and edited The Art of Living: a Practical Guide to Being Alive, published by Kairós Publishers in both English and Spanish, the profits from which are donated to Green Cross International, the environmental organization founded by Mikhail Gorbachev.
The book includes contributions from Michael Douglas, Desmond Tutu, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Mario Vargas Llosa, Richard Branson, Mikhail Gorbachev and several members of the United Nations’ Alliance of Civilizations.
Claire is also the founder and president of the website and not-for-profit of the same name, The Art of Living Guide. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, the former Director General of UNESCO, sits on the Honorary Board.
She is the screenwriter and executive producer of the upcoming film ROSES, about four friends from all over the world, whose lives are transformed when a rose is secretly drawn for each of the women.
The film is being produced by Golan Ramraz and Adam Sherer of Boom Picture Company and Alejandro Miranda of Versus Entertainment. George Parra, the Executive Producer of Silver Linings Playbook, Nebraska, The Descendants and Sideways, is attached to direct.
Claire’s novel of the movie, I Draw Roses was published in 2013.

Special Guests

Jason Chan is a spiritual master and healer whose energy and teachings have transformed and enlightened the lives of hundreds of his close students, as well as touching the lives of thousands more spiritual seekers who have attended his courses, retreats, workshops and demonstrations in the UK, Ireland, Europe, USA and Thailand.
He is also the author of The Radiant Warrior (Hay House 2009), Infinite Abundance (2012 and winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2013) and Infinite Awakening (2015).
Jason was voted Most Inspirational Individual in 2008 by readers of Kindred Spirit magazine. In their 21st Anniversary Awards, Kindred Spirit said: “Jason has quietly, with dignity and integrity, worked tirelessly to help others find inner peace and balance”. For over thirty years, Jason has dedicated his life to passing on the benefit of his “Infinite Arts” program, including vitality, natural health, inner strength and removing blockages to allow creativity to flow naturally.
As Jason says: “Looking at life from the highest possible view, we can see that there is a definite order in all that happens in nature and the universe. We form part of nature and it follows we’re affected by the same patterns, cycles, flow, change and movement of the natural laws. And it is from these ancient sources of wisdom, that creativity also flows naturally and abundantly.”
Jason will be leading morning meditation and offering optional afternoon workshops on Infinite Tai Chi and Chi Kung (energy work), creating the perfect environment in which we can gently still our minds and experience the true creativity which arises when we do so.

As one of the music industry’s most influential figures, Miles Copeland has a career in the business that stretches back more than 40 years.
In London, during the 1970s, he represented Wishbone Ash, Joan Armatrading and all sides of progressive rock until he jumped ship, landed in the turbulent ocean of punk, and worked with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Blondie, along with many other seminal bands.
In 1978, Miles became the manager for his brother Stewart’s band, The Police, who became one of the biggest bands of the 1980s. The success of The Police and the novel methods used to break them brought Miles to found I.R.S. Records.
During the next few years, the company had hits with REM, The Buzzcocks, The English Beat, The Cramps, Fine Young Cannibals, Wall of Voodoo, Timbuk 3 and a Number One album with the all-girl group, The Go-Gos.
He continued to manage Sting (solo) through seven blockbuster albums, along with The Bangles and Squeeze. Eventually, he introduced Sting to Algerian Raï singer, Cheb Mami. Their collaboration bloomed with “Desert Rose” whose worldwide success was attributed to Miles’ innovative corporate deal with Jaguar.
Miles can rightfully claim to having been responsible for the sale of over $1.5 billion of recorded music sales and over $500 million in ticket sales.
Miles also successfully ran his own film production company, IRS Media, producing over 35 movies, including Billy Bob Thornton’s directorial debut, One False Move.
Currently, he owns and operates CIA – Copeland International Arts, which is comprised of a record company, music publishing, merchandise and performing arts properties.
Additionally, Miles also co-hosts a yearly song writing retreat with ASCAP at his castle in France, the lastest song written being the Number One hit, “Somethin’ Bad” sung by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.

Please reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

The retreat is $3,499 per person, including 5 nights’ accommodation at Château Marouatte, all meals and drinks, all tuition and round-trip transportation between Angoulême train station and the castle.

Official Sponsor

The International Screenwriters’ Association

Sponsors

2019 Storywise 10-Week TV Teleseminar – SPECIAL OFFERS
2019-03-06 00:00 UTC
STORYWISE 10-week TV WRITING TELESEMINAR AND TRAINING SERIES
Classes begin on Tuesday March 5th at 7:00 pm ONLINE and go through May 14, 2019
Want to learn all of the things that I teach in Writers on the Verge at NBC? Check out my Storywise 10-Week Teleseminar that includes an eight-module story instruction training series called, “How To Write A TV Pilot That Sells: Moving Forward.”
This is a 10-week program designed to help you write a high-quality TV pilot AND spec script. In 10-weeks, I will teach you how to learn to write at a level that will help lead your script to a sale, get staffed on a show, place in a writing competition or get into one of the various writing programs. This course is everything that I teach in Writers on the Verge and more.
Last year we had over 100 writer participants from all over the world. You will not only learn all of the story tools that you need to succeed, but you will also gain the opportunity to be in a private community of writers. This community is a very valuable resource. You all will have a chance to learn from one another via networking, to exchange scripts and possibly starting your own writer groups.
I’ve seen the success from this course first-hand. Many of the writers who have taken this 10-week course have gone on to sell pilots, get staffed on TV shows and get into several of the prestigious writing programs. Fifty-Two of my writers have sold pilots… and 6 of them have gone to series.
The story instruction is pre-recorded. You will receive this before the course begins in March.
In March, each call is approximately 2 – 2 ½ hours in length. On each call, we will go over the notes for the 4 writers participating at Level #3. You will have an opportunity to read their scripts and make your own notes each week. You will also get to share your notes with those writers directly. This is what we do in Writers on the Verge. It is a way to prepare you for being in the Writers’ Room. Then, I will give five people the opportunity to sign up each week will get an opportunity to pitch to a guest speaker. We all learn from hearing others pitch. This part of the program was designed to help you learn from the pitching style of others as well as give you the opportunity to pitch yourself. It’s an invaluable tool. Every level will have an opportunity to sign up for this.

I currently have a SPECIAL OFFER going for the month of January for levels 1, 2, and 4.
Here is the LINK for the 4 FREE Training Videos.
LEVEL 1
At Level 1, you get to participate in all 10 classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. You will also get to turn in a 1-2 page pitch document on your TV spec or TV pilot script. You will receive written feedback. You have up to a year after the course is finished to turn this in.
Regular rate – $397.00
SPECIAL OFFER – $297.00 (LIMITED TIME OFFER)

Rate for writers who have taken this before – $227.00

LEVEL 2
At Level 2, you get to participate in all 10 classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. This level also includes a one-on-one consult for your TV spec and/or TV Pilot script.
Level 2 w/ TV Pilot Consult
Regular Rate – $1,050.00
Special Rate – $947.00

For Alumni of my Storywise Teleseminar – $927.00

LEVEL 3
At Level 3, you will receive feedback every week on your TV spec or TV pilot script. This includes written and verbal feedback. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community.
For the first time, I am going to offer you the option of not writing a TV spec. You can either write one TV pilot during the 10 weeks or, you can write two TV pilots during the ten weeks. There will also be an option to do it for five weeks instead of ten weeks. This will be offered to the finalists.
There are only FOUR SLOTS for this level: two for drama and two for comedy. This could change depending on the strength of the submissions. If you are interested in applying, you will need to submit ten pages of a script. The submission deadline is 1/31/19. I will select four submissions out of all of the submissions and announce these slots in February. The rate for Level 3 is $3,000.00.
ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR LEVEL 3 STARTING JANUARY 1 – 31, 2019. I will announce in mid-February. Please email your 10 page submissions to me at jen@jengrisanti.com

LEVEL 4
At Level 4, you will receive written/verbal notes back every week on your scripts. This includes 5 Coaching Consults either alongside the teleseminar or as you prefer. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch two times to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community.
There are only 4 slots available at this level.
Regular Rate – $3,647.00
Special Rate – $3,347.00

ASSIGNMENTS
Level #3 writing assignments will be due the Saturday before each class. Everyone at each level will receive a copy of the assignments turned in by the Level #3 writers so that they may follow along as well as provide notes directly to the Level#3 writer.

Levels #1 and #2, you will do the assignments on your own. No direct feedback is provided for Level 1. Level 2 gets feedback during the pilot consult. I do highly recommend that you use the Facebook community of writers to exchange scripts so that you can receive weekly feedback.

GUEST SPEAKERS
MICHAEL NARDUCCI (The Crossing, The Originals, Vampire Diaries…)
GRETA HEINEMANN (NCIS: New Orleans)
PAUL RUEHL (sold 15 pilots)
DAN O’SHANNON (Superior Donuts, Odd Couple, Modern Family…)
MONICA BREEN (Midnight Texas, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Revolution…)
TED HUMPHREY (Wisdom of the Crowd, Incorporated, The Good Wife…)
WES NICKERSON (House of Lies, Entourage)
MATT NIX (The Gifted, Burn Notice, APB…)
HENRY ALONSO MYERS (The Magicians, Covert Affairs, The Carrie Diaries…)
MARK GOFFMAN (Bull, Limitless, Sleepy Hollow…)
WENDY WEST (Proven Innocence, Marvel’s Inhuman, Taken)
NIKKI TOSCANO (24:LEGACY, State of Affairs, Shades of Blue)

FINAL DRAFT PODCAST INTERVIEW – REFOCUSING YOUR ENERGY FOR NEXT SEASON’S SCREENWRITING CONTESTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
2019-06-30 00:00 UTC
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Fri, 14 December 2018
Write On with Jen Grisanti: Refocusing Your Energy for Next Season’s Screenwriting Contests and Fellowships

Screenwriting consultant and former studio executive Jen Grisanti discusses crafting stories that resonate, finding your voice as a writer and building a network of professional relationships.
With experience as a story consultant, TV staffer, and mentor in the CBS Diversity program, Jen Grisanti is dedicated to helping writers make it as working film & TV professionals through the Jen Grisanti Consultancy.
Learn more about her new 10-week STORYWISE TV Writing Tele-seminar and training series HERE.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!

Direct download: GrisantiIntroOutro_1.m4a
Category:screenwriting — posted at: 10:30am PST

STORYWISE TV SEMINAR ON THE EAST COAST
2019-09-23 00:00 UTC
HOW TO WRITE A TV PILOT THAT SELLS w/Jen Grisanti
Hosted by Nicole Couloute
Sunday, September 22, 2019 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Description
Are you an aspiring TV writer, director, actor, or exec? Learn how to break into the industry and better your TV pilot writing skills. NBC executive, Jen Grisanti, will explain how to write a compelling pilot and the process to start a career in the television industry. Nicole Couloute hosts this event.

Registration begins promptly at 9 am and ends at 9:50 am. You must present your ID at check-in, so make sure to bring appropriate documentation.

Please note that space is limited, so be sure to purchase your ticket sooner rather than later.

Send a request to the Nicole Couloute TV Writing Events Facebook group after the purchase of a ticket. This action will allow you to stay up to date on the event and keep in touch with other attendees.

The workshop has three sections:

Jen will give a seminar – “How To Write A TV Pilot That Sells
There will be a pitch panel
There will be a networking session to collaborate with other attendees.

Plan to stay beyond 2 pm if you can, but it is not required. To pitch, you must have purchased a pitching ticket. Please contact Nicole to get a pitching ticket. Due to the limited time of the pitching session, there will only be a handful of pitches. Pitching ticket includes all benefits of general admission. General admission attendees can listen to other’s pitches and learn for their future pitches.

Space is limited, so be sure to get your ticket early.
If you or your company is interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Nicole at ncouloute1@gmail.com.
Address of the event will be given to all ticket holders by the end of July. The event will be within 30 minutes of Bradley Airport.

Why Jen?
Writing the TV pilot is one of the most challenging scripts to write and to write well. Jen has helped in the development of thousands of scripts over the past 20 years. She was a Studio Executive at two significant studios for 12 years. She is currently a Writing Instructor at NBC and has been a Story/Career Consultant for ten years.

5 QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN WRITING YOUR TV PILOT

Does my series trigger incident push my central character into a powerful enough dilemma to set up season one?
Is there a personal component that sets up the personal dilemma of my central character?
Does my central character actively make a choice in the pilot trigger and dilemma that leads to a pursuit?
Is my pilot goal clear?
How do I set up the series?

Trigger & Dilemma
With your series trigger and dilemma, you want to think about something that happens to your central character
that knocks their life out of balance. At this point in the story, your central character is often reactive versus active.
The dilemma should make us feel empathy for your character.
Personal Component
With the personal component, you are setting up the personal dilemma of your central character that leads to the
professional pursuit. This sets up the void. The pursuit is one step towards filling this void. With the personal part,
you want to think about the arc of the wound. The best pilots have a childhood wound that the series trigger and
dilemma splits open. The personal component in your story is the emotional part of your story.
Central Character
With the pilot arc, your central character goes from being reactive to active. With the setup of the series arc, they react to what happens to them. Then, they make an active choice that leads to the structure of the pilot arc. In the pilot arc, we should be clear about what your central character wants and why they want it by the end of Act One.
Pilot Goal
If the pilot goal is not clear, the story doesn’t work. In each act, the central character should take action, hit an obstacle, and the stakes should escalate to the pilot goal. If the goal is not clear, you cannot link these points. We should feel what your character wants and what is in the way for every scene.
Series Set-Up
After the resolution of the pilot arc, you need to set up the series. When I see this done well, it bookends what happened in the series trigger and dilemma setup and helps to build the next level of the concept. The point of this is to make your audience so enthralled that they can’t wait to see what happens next.

Mastering a story by utilizing the right tools is what will lead you to a sale.

You will learn about these techniques in this class.

Jen Grisanti’s Bio:

International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, a former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.
Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.
In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches, and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, Grisanti has worked with over 900 writers specializing in television, features, and novels. Due to her expertise and mentorship, seventy-five of her writers have staffed on television shows, and 60 have sold pilots, five that that went to series. Also, she is an instructor for NBC’s Writers on the Verge.
Grisanti has taught classes for the “Change Your Story, Change Your Life” Writing/Yoga Retreat with Alta Retreats in Nicaragua, Rocaberti Writing Retreat in Spain, the Toronto Screenwriting Conference, TV Writers Summit (in LA, London and Israel), The TV Writers Studio (in Australia), Story Expo, The Big Island Film Festival, Chicago Screenwriters Network, Scriptwriters Network , Screenwriting Expo, the Great American Pitchfest, the Writers Store, the Northwestern Screenwriter’s Guild in Seattle, and the Alameda’s Writer’s Group. Also, she has served on panels for the WGA, iTVFest, UFVA, PGA, and The Writer’s Bootcamp, telling her story to inspire others.

SCREENWRITER GATHERING on November 1st at Cantina Frida in Beverly Hills from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
2019-11-02 00:00 UTC
In place of Friday Night Social in November (our location was not available), Lee Jessup and I are going to have a casual gathering for screenwriters on Friday, November 1st at Cantina Frida at 252 N Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills at 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Come out and make some new relationships. All are welcome. #screenwriting #connecting #relationships#story #amwriting

PODCAST INTERVIEW – HOW TO TELL YOUR INTERNAL STORY
2019-12-31 00:00 UTC
BPS 021: How to Tell Your Internal Story with Jen Grisanti
By Alex Ferrari | August 1, 2018

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How to Tell Your Internal Story with Jen Grisanti
Today on the show we have Hollywood Story/Career Consultant and former Studio Executive Jen Grisanti. Grisanti is also a Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, a former studio executive, a blogger for The Huffington Post and author of Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story, TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells, and her recent book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life.
Over twenty years ago, Jen Grisanti started her career as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years. She quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.

In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy, Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her years of experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers.
Since launching her consulting firm, Jen Grisanti worked with over 1000 writers specializing in television, features, and novels. Due to her guidance, over ninety of her clients have staffed as writers on television shows, fifty-three have sold pilots, and six of those pilots have gone to series.
Enjoy my conversation with Jen Grisanti.
Right-click here to download the MP3 (Transcription below)
Download on iTunes Direct
Watch on IFH YouTube Channel

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Jen Grisanti – Official Site
Jen Grisanti – Facebook
Jen Grisanti – Twitter
Jen Grisanti – YouTube

2020 STORYWISE SIX-WEEK TV PILOT TELESEMINAR AND DIGITAL COURSE
2020-03-25 00:00 UTC
STORYWISE 6-Week TV WRITING TELESEMINAR AND TRAINING SERIES
My Eleventh Annual Storywise Teleseminar starts on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, and goes through March 24, 2020. This seminar is a live and interactive event that includes story instruction, pitching, and an opportunity to get feedback from working TV writers.
Want to know 5 Steps it takes to set up a series with your TV pilot? The prelude to the Storywise Teleseminar is my story instruction modules (all new) that are in a digital course.

#screenwriting#writing #amwriting #storytips #story #tvwriting

ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS

Classes begin on Tuesday, February 18th at 7:00 pm PST ONLINE and go through March 24, 2020
Want to learn all of the things that I teach in Writers on the Verge at NBC? Check out my Storywise 6-Week Teleseminar that includes an eight-module story instruction training series called, “How To Write A TV Pilot That Sells: Creating The Series.” In this digital product, I will go into all aspects of how you set up a successful TV series. This digital product is new. There will be all-new breakdowns. I will launch it in November or December of 2019.
This teleseminar and digital product is a 6-week program designed to help you write a high-quality TV pilot 6-weeks, I will teach you how to learn to write at a level that will help lead your script to a sale, get staffed on a show, place in a writing competition or get into one of the various writing programs. This course is everything that I teach in Writers on the Verge and more.
Last year we had over 100 writer participants from all over the world. You will not only learn all of the story tools that you need to succeed, but you will also gain the opportunity to be in a private community of writers. This community is a precious resource. You all will have a chance to learn from one another via networking, to exchange scripts and possibly starting your writer groups.
I’ve seen the success of this course first-hand. Many of the writers who have taken this course have gone on to sell pilots, get staffed on TV shows and get into several of the prestigious writing programs. Sixty-Two pilots sold from the writers that I’ve worked with and six of them went to series.
I will pre-record the story instruction. The story instruction will launch in January. The digital course is titled “How To Write A TV Pilot That Sells: 5 Steps To Creating the Series.”
In February, each call is approximately 2 – 2 ½ hours in length. On each call, we will go over the notes for the four writers participating at Level 3. You will have an opportunity to read their scripts and make your notes each week. You will also get to share your notes with those writers directly. This process is what we do in Writers on the Verge. It is a way to prepare you for being in the Writers’ Room. Then, I will allow five people to sign up each week will get an opportunity to pitch to a guest speaker. We all learn from hearing others pitch. This part of the program was designed to help you learn from the pitching style of others as well as allow you the opportunity to pitch yourself. It’s an invaluable tool. Every level will have a chance to sign up for this.
You will be able to purchase spots once I launch the digital product in November or December of 2019.

LEVEL 1
At Level 1, you get to participate in all six classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. You will also get to turn in a 1-2 page pitch document on your TV spec or TV pilot script. You will receive written feedback. You have up to a year after the course is finished to turn this in.
Regular rate – $397.00

The rate for writers who have taken this before – $197.00

LEVEL 2
At Level 2, you get to participate in all six classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. This level also includes a one-on-one consult for your TV spec and or your TV Pilot script.
Level 2 w/ TV Pilot Consult
Regular Rate – $1,050.00

For Alumni of my Storywise Teleseminar – $827.00

LEVEL 3
At Level 3, you will receive feedback every week on your TV pilot script or TV spec script. This level includes written and verbal feedback. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community.
I am going to offer you the option of not writing a TV spec. You can use the full six weeks to write your TV pilot.
There are only FOUR SLOTS for this level: two for drama and two for comedy. This breakdown could change depending on the strength of the submissions. If you are interested in applying, you will need to submit ten pages of a script. The submission deadline is 1/31/20. I will select four submissions out of all of the entries and announce these slots at the beginning of February. The rate for Level 3 is $2,500.00.
With Level 3, you will also receive a one on one consult after the Storywise Teleseminar.
Here are the four writers that I selected for Level 3:
Chryss Terry/Drama
Suzanne Griffin/Drama
Richard Snyder/Comedy
Bri Morris/Comedy

LEVEL 4
At Level 4, you will receive written/verbal notes back every week on your scripts. This level includes 5 Coaching Consults either alongside the teleseminar or as you prefer. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch two times to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community.
There are only four slots available at this level.
Regular Rate – $3,647.00
Special Rate – $3,347.00

ASSIGNMENTS
Level #3 writing assignments will be due the Saturday before each class. Everyone at each level will receive a copy of the assignments turned in by the Level #3 writers so that they may follow along as well as provide notes directly to the Level#3 writer.

Levels #1 and #2, you will do the assignments on your own. Level 1 does not receive any direct feedback. Level 2 gets feedback during the pilot consult. I do highly recommend that all levels use the Facebook community of writers to exchange scripts so that you can receive weekly feedback.

GUEST SPEAKERS
They will listen to 5 pitches per work. All participants are eligible to pitch. I will announce the guest speaker at the end of each class. For the first one, I will send out an email a week before class begins. You will have a limited time from the time that I announce them to sign up. Level 3 does get priority.

WEEK 1 – GUEST SPEAKER – FEBRUARY 18TH
MICHAEL NARDUCCI – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
(OVERALL DEAL at ABC, THE CROSSING, THE ORIGINALS, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, MEDIUM, THE 4400)

WEEK 2 – GUEST SPEAKER – FEBRUARY 25th
CARLA KETTNER – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
(THE BLACKLIST, ZOO, THE MOB DOCTOR, BONES, VANISHED, STRONG MEDICINE, KILLER INSTINCT)

WEEK 3 – GUEST SPEAKER – MARCH 3RD
AARON RAHSAAN THOMAS – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
(S.W.A.T., SLEEPY HOLLOW, SOUTHLAND, CSI:NY, NUMBERS, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS)

WEEK 4 – GUEST SPEAKER – MARCH 10TH
MATT NIX – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
(OVERALL AT FOX, THE GIFTED, APB, BONES, COMPLICATIONS, THE COMEDIANS, BURN NOTICE, THE GOOD GUYS)

WEEK 5 – GUEST SPEAKER – MARCH 17th
DAN O’SHANNON – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
(MODERN FAMILY, SUPERIOR DONUTS, THE ODD COUPLE, BETTER OFF TED, BACK TO YOU, JERICHO, THRESHOLD, FRASIER, KING OF QUEENS)

WEEK 6 – GUEST SPEAKER
DAVID HUDGINS – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
(GAME OF SILENCE, PARENTHOOD, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, PAST LIFE, EVERWOOD)

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CENTRAL CHARACTER AS IT APPLIES TO ACTS
2020-06-30 00:00 UTC

Rocaberti Writers’ Retreat In France – July 3 – July 8, 2020
2020-07-10 00:00 UTC
Early July 2020
July 3rd-8th, 2020
Marouatte Castle,
The Dordogne,
France
Have you dreamed of writing a screenplay and seeing it come to life on the silver screen?
Or maybe you’ve published a book and are wondering about how to turn it into a film script?
Seems impossible, right?
Well, the answer, is, NO! Nothing is impossible, and on this one-of-a-kind writers’ retreat, at the beautiful 14th century Marouatte Castle in the Dordogne, Southwestern France, we’ll show you just how your words, your vision—let’s face it, your baby—can make it all the way to the big screen!
Please reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

Mentors

Jen Grisanti
International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.
Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.
In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, Grisanti has worked with over 800 writers specializing in television, features and novels. Due to her expertise and mentorship, seventy-five of her writers have staffed on television shows and forty have sold pilots, five that that went to series.
Jen currently has 2 spots left for the early July 2020 retreat.
Reserve my spot with Jen

Joan Lane
Joan Lane is a film and theatre producer and has worked in arts management and production for over 30 years. Trained as a Speech and Language Therapist, with a background as a music scholar, she has also worked as a vocal consultant.
Her company, Wild Thyme Productions, has toured six innovative productions of Shakespeare’s plays in the UK and Germany and mounted world premiere showcases and readings of new plays and musicals in London. She is a member of Musical Theatre Network UK, concerned with the writing of new musicals, and also of The British Shakespeare Association.
Primarily engaged as a Consultant by the BBC, Joan’s skills were used for the recording, filming and Royal Opera House performance of THE LITTLE PRINCE. She was a director for BBC Radio Two and BBC Television’s New Talent UK-wide search for the Voice of Musical Theatre, involved with background music for the film THE ACTORS, coordinated the participation of singing Angels for Stephen Fry’s directorial film debut, BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS and worked on the BBC’s Promenade Concert/Opera, THE WATER DIVINER’S TALE.
As well as touring with her own company, Joan has worked on several plays at the Royal National Theatre and toured plays with ATG and Pleasance Theatre. She recommends scripts to Russian translator colleagues and two plays were produced in Russia recently.
Her varied work in music, theatre, film and television exposed Joan to scripts and screenplays and she is known for having developed the film, THE KING’S SPEECH, directed by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, and adapted from the stage play by its author David Seidler.
More recently, she has developed a screenplay from a radio play and has been commissioned to write a screenplay based on a true story. Currently, four TV series on which Joan has worked with first-time writers are under consideration and three films are expected to go into production in 2018.

Stan Zimmerman
Stan Zimmerman’s long career covers multiple mediums (TV, film and theatre) and he’s won many LA directing awards, including one from BroadwayWorld.com. In addition, he’s been nominated for two WGA Awards for Best Comedy Episodic writing for his work on the classic TV series, THE GOLDEN GIRLS and ROSEANNE.
Stan’s also written and produced on GILMORE GIRLS and co-created the Lifetime sitcom, RITA ROCKS. He was Director/Writer/EP/Creator on the Emmy-nominated web series, SECS & EXECS, on Tellofilms. In film, he wrote both BRADY BUNCH movies.
He has been busy lately writing, directing and producing theatre in Los Angeles. Some of Stan’s critically-acclaimed productions include: the LatinX The Diary of Anne Frank, Heartbreak Help, Pledge, Warm Cheese, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, BLINK & You Might Miss Me, Spike Heels, A Tuna Christmas and Gemini. He also directed two of the plays he wrote with Christian McLaughlin: Yes Virginia, Knife to the Heart and Meet & Greet.
Stan has appeared on Broadway with Nureyev & the Joffrey Ballet at the Mark Hellinger Theatre and was the Host/Showrunner on Sean Hayes’ Bravo reality show, SITUATION: COMEDY. Stan also teaches audition technique classes in LA and NYC. He has a BFA-Drama NYU/Circle-in-the-Square.
Stan currently has 2 spots left for the early July 2020 retreat.
Reserve my spot with Stan

The Retreat includes…

SMALL GROUP MENTORING SESSIONS
EXPERT TUITION
ALL MEALS AND DRINKS
FIVE NIGHTS’ LODGING
ROUND-TRIP TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN THE AIRPORT/LOCAL TRAIN STATION AND THE CASTLE
EXCLUSIVE ACCESS
PROGRAM
Please reserve my place, and the mentor my choice, now

Rocaberti Writers’ Retreat in France – July 10th – 15th, 2020
2020-07-16 00:00 UTC
Late July 2020
July 10th-15th, 2020
Marouatte Castle,
The Dordogne,
France
Have you dreamed of writing a screenplay and seeing it come to life on the silver screen?
Or maybe you’ve published a book and are wondering about how to turn it into a film script?
Seems impossible, right?
Well, the answer, is, NO! Nothing is impossible, and on this one-of-a-kind writers’ retreat, at the beautiful 14th century Marouatte Castle in the Dordogne, Southwestern France, we’ll show you just how your words, your vision—let’s face it, your baby—can make it all the way to the big screen!
Please reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

Mentors

Jen Grisanti
International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.
Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.
In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, Grisanti has worked with over 800 writers specializing in television, features and novels. Due to her expertise and mentorship, seventy-five of her writers have staffed on television shows and forty have sold pilots, five that that went to series.
Jen currently has 2 spots left for the late July 2020 retreat.
Reserve my spot with Jen

Richard Botto
Richard “RB” Botto is the Founder and CEO of Stage 32, the official film education & networking platform of AFM and the Marche du Film at Cannes Film Festival. Stage32.com is the world’s largest online platform connecting and educating film, TV & digital creatives and executives worldwide. Since 2011, Stage 32 has emerged as an online community of over 500,000 creatives with over 1,000 hours of online education taught by over 500 industry executives.
RB is also a working actor, producer and screenwriter. As a producer, his films have played at dozens of festivals including the Sundance award winning feature, Another Happy Day, written & directed by Sam Levinson (starring Kate Bosworth, Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin), the documentary Crutch, the feature What Lies Ahead (starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumon) releasing in 2019 and the upcoming Rain- Beau’s End (starring Ed Asner, Sean Young and Kate Arrington). As a writer, his latest screenplay, The End Game, is currently set up at Covert Media. As an actor, his latest film On the Corner of Ego and Desire premiered at the 2018 Raindance Film Festvial.
Botto is a best-selling author with his book Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers, published by Routledge Press under the American Film Market Presents banner. The book can be found at the Routledge Press booth by AFM badge registration and on Amazon, where it has over 50 5-star reviews.
A sought-after speaker and mentor, RB has been a keynote speaker and panelist at such festivals and conferences as Cannes, AFM, Tribeca, Sundance, Raindance, SXSW, Portugal FEST and Winston Baker. He has also taught at institutions such as Harvard and Columbia University on the subjects of filmmaking, producing, film finance, screenwriting, social media, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, entrepreneurship and business.
RB currently has 3 spots left for the late July 2020 retreat.
Reserve my spot with RB

Stan Zimmerman
Stan Zimmerman’s long career covers multiple mediums (TV, film and theatre) and he’s won many LA directing awards, including one from BroadwayWorld.com. In addition, he’s been nominated for two WGA Awards for Best Comedy Episodic writing for his work on the classic TV series, THE GOLDEN GIRLS and ROSEANNE.
Stan’s also written and produced on GILMORE GIRLS and co-created the Lifetime sitcom, RITA ROCKS. He was Director/Writer/EP/Creator on the Emmy-nominated web series, SECS & EXECS, on Tellofilms. In film, he wrote both BRADY BUNCH movies.
He has been busy lately writing, directing and producing theatre in Los Angeles. Some of Stan’s critically-acclaimed productions include: the LatinX The Diary of Anne Frank, Heartbreak Help, Pledge, Warm Cheese, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, BLINK & You Might Miss Me, Spike Heels, A Tuna Christmas and Gemini. He also directed two of the plays he wrote with Christian McLaughlin: Yes Virginia, Knife to the Heart and Meet & Greet.
Stan has appeared on Broadway with Nureyev & the Joffrey Ballet at the Mark Hellinger Theatre and was the Host/Showrunner on Sean Hayes’ Bravo reality show, SITUATION: COMEDY. Stan also teaches audition technique classes in LA and NYC. He has a BFA-Drama NYU/Circle-in-the-Square.

The Retreat includes…

SMALL GROUP MENTORING SESSIONS
EXPERT TUITION
ALL MEALS AND DRINKS
FIVE NIGHTS’ LODGING
ROUND-TRIP TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN THE AIRPORT/LOCAL TRAIN STATION AND THE CASTLE
EXCLUSIVE ACCESS
PROGRAM
Please reserve my place, and the mentor my choice, now

FICTIONALIZING YOUR TRUTH IN YOUR WRITING – ONLINE CLASS ON 9/26/20
2020-09-29 00:00 UTC
FICTIONALIZING YOUR TRUTH IN YOUR WRITING
When you come from a place of emotional truth in your writing and add fiction to it in your story, you connect with your audience. I will go through how to take inventory of your history and identify your universal life moments by looking at your dilemmas, your failures, and your successes. After taking the time to mine your creative well, you will find your gold.
FINDING YOUR VOICE
This presentation goes into TV and film. By understanding how to find and utilize your voice, you will learn what it takes to set you apart from the masses. By defining what makes your story unique, you will learn how to draw from this emotional truth leading you to your desired outcome.
SCRIPT WRITING | THE FEATURE SCRIPT
Learn some of the secrets to telling strong stories from the studio executive perspective. In this presentation, I will go over the seven components that will make your feature script sell.
If you are interested in taking you writing to the next level you will NOT want to miss this. RSVP today!
**This event is being supported in part by Arizona Commission on the Arts which receives support from the State of Arizona and the National Endowment for the Arts

About Jen Grisanti:
International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy, Inc. Grisanti is also a Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, a former 12-year studio executive, and author of Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story, TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells, and, Change Your Story, Change Your Life.
Over twenty years ago, Grisanti started her career as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years. She quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount, where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400, and Girlfriends.
In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy, Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her years of experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches, and focus their careers. Since launching her consulting firm, Grisanti worked with over 1000 writers specializing in television, features, and novels. Due to her guidance, over one hundred of her clients have staffed as writers on television shows, seventy-one have sold pilots, and six of those pilots have gone to series.

SIGN UP HERE – $39.00

STORY PRODUCT PROMOS – 5 STEPS TO CREATING THE SERIES AND MOVING FORWARD
2021-01-31 00:00 UTC
https://www.jengrisanti.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/StoryProductPromoGMT20200831-215445_My-Meeting_avo_640x360-1.mp4

2021 STORYWISE 6-WEEK TV PILOT WRITING TELESEMINAR AND STORY MODULES – FINDING STORY
2021-03-24 00:00 UTC
2021 STORYWISE 6-WEEK TV PILOT WRITING TELESEMINAR AND STORY MODULES – FINDING STORY
My Twelfth Annual Storywise Teleseminar starts on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, and goes through March 23, 2021. This seminar is a live and interactive event that includes story instruction, pitching, and an opportunity to get feedback from top working TV writers.

Classes begin on Tuesday, February 16 at 7:00 pm PST ONLINE and go through March 23, 2021
Want to learn all of the things that I teach in Writers on the Verge at NBC? Check out my Storywise 6-Week Teleseminar that includes an eight-module story instruction training series called “How To Write A TV Pilot That Sells: Finding Story.” I will go into how you find the story in this digital product when writing the TV pilot. I give full breakdowns for nine shows. We will take a deep dive into several story tools that could lead you to a sale.
I designed the story modules for “Finding Story” and the 6-week program to help you write a compelling TV pilot in six weeks. I will teach you how to write at a level that will help lead your script to a sale, get staffed on a show, place in a writing competition or get into one of the various writing programs. This course is everything that I teach in Writers on the Verge and more. To date, eighty-five pilots sold from writers that took part in this experience and my one on one consults.
Last year we had over 150 writers from all over the world. You will not only learn all of the story tools that you need to succeed, but you will also gain the opportunity to be in a private community of writers. This community is a precious resource. In it, you can exchange scripts, find accountability partners, and form writer groups.
I’ve seen the success of this course first-hand. Many of the writers who have taken this course have gone on to sell pilots, get staffed on TV shows, and get into several prestigious writing programs. Eighty-seven pilots sold from the writers that I’ve worked with and six of them went to series.
I will pre-record the story instruction. The story instruction will launch in January. The digital course is titled “How To Write A TV Pilot That Sells: Finding Story.”
In February, each call is approximately 2 – 2 ½ hours in length. On each call, we will go over the notes for the four writers participating at Level 3. You will have an opportunity to read their scripts and make your notes each week. You will also get to share your notes with those writers directly. This process is what we do in Writers on the Verge. It is a way to prepare you for being in the Writers’ Room. Then, I will allow five people to sign up each week will get an opportunity to pitch to a guest speaker. We all learn from hearing others’ pitch. This part of the program will help you learn from others’ pitching style and allow you the opportunity to pitch yourself. It’s an invaluable tool. Every level will have a chance to sign up for this.

ALUMNI RATES – If you are an alumni, press HERE for rates.

LEVEL 1
RATE – $497.00
At Level 1, you get to participate in all six classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. You will also get to turn in a 1-2 page pitch document on your TV spec or TV pilot script. You will receive written feedback. You have up to a year after the course ends to turn this in.

LEVEL 2
RATE – $1,247.00
At Level 2, you get to participate in all six classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. This level also includes a one-on-one consult for your TV Pilot script.
Level 2 w/ TV Pilot Consult

Level 2+ w/ TV Pilot Consult and TV Spec Consult
RATE – $1,772.00
At Level 2, you get to participate in all six classes. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. This level also includes a one-on-one consult for your TV Pilot script.
Level 2+ w/ TV Pilot Consult and TV Spec Consult

LEVEL 3 – 4 SLOTS (Submission only)
At Level 3, you will get feedback during all six classes. Assignments are due the Saturday before the class. This level includes written and verbal feedback. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community.
I am going to offer you the option of not writing a TV spec. You can use the full six weeks to write your TV pilot.
There are only FOUR SLOTS for this level: three for drama and one for comedy. This breakdown could change depending on the strength of the submissions. If you are interested in applying, you will need to submit ten pages of a script. I am not looking for the first ten pages of the pilot you will write during the program. I want the first ten pages for a pilot that you already completed.
The rate for this level is $2,700.00. If you are interested, please email your 10 pages in PDF to me at jen@jengrisanti.com.
LEVEL 3 WRITERS

Lisa Steadman/Comedy
Shannon Amborn/Drama
Tatiana Blackington/Drama
Alain Legend Raymond/Drama

LEVEL 4 – SOLD OUT

ALUMNI – The SPECIAL OFFER rate applies to you through 2/16.

GUEST SPEAKERS FOR 2021 STORYWISE 6-WEEK TV PILOT TELESEMINAR

DAN O’SHANNON

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Dan O’Shannon is an American television writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Newhart, Cheers, and Frasier. He was an ABC show Modern Family executive producer but left the show after season five to accept a development deal at CBS TV Studios. He grew up in Euclid and Painesville, Ohio, graduating from Riverside High School in Painesville Township.

ZOANNE CLACK

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Zoanne Clack, also known as Zoanne Arnette, is an American television producer, writer, story editor, actress, and medical doctor/consultant. Clack’s most notable work has been on the medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. She has also served as an extra for the show. Her other work includes medical supervisor on ER, writer on Presidio Med, and minor acting roles in The District and Philly.

BRIDGET WILEY

HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT AT FARAWAY ROAD
Before Faraway Road, Bridget served as the Executive Vice President of Programming at CBS, overseeing all aspects of scripted programs from CBS Network and CBS Studio’s current programming departments and reported directly to both divisions’ presidents.
She worked in multiple television business areas, from my years at a talent agency to some of the most influential studios, including 20th Century Fox TV and CBS Studios.

AARON RAHSAAN THOMAS

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER – S.W.A.T.Aaron Rahsaan Thomas is an American television and film screenwriter and producer and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Thomas was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, and attended the Pembroke Hill School in nearby Kansas City, Missouri. He attended Morehouse College before transferring to the University of Kansas, where he graduated with a degree in English Literature. Thereafter, he attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, where he remained afterward and lives today.

CHARMAINE DEGRATE

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Charmaine DeGraté is currently a writer and co-executive producer on HBO’s Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon and Hello Sunshine’s Daisy Jones and The Six.
Her other works include the critically acclaimed sci-fi series, The 100, in addition to other Amazon and Netflix shows.
Charmaine attended Vassar College where she spent summers working as a Congressional intern in Washington, DC and producing plays at The Powerhouse Theatre.
She graduated from Vassar with a double major in English Literature and Political Science.
A recipient of The August Wilson Playwright Fellowship, Charmaine is also a graduate of The Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop, an alum of the Austin Film Festival, and an active member of Women In Film.
In the spring of 2020, Charmaine partnered with Margot Robbie and Christina Hodson on the sale of her first feature film.
In the summer of 2020, she signed a development deal with Warner Bros Television.
Ms. DeGraté has a long-standing commitment to humanitarian causes and is an advocate for the education of young women in America and around the world. Currently, she works with Girl Up, Write Girl, and the International Rescue Fund.

MICHAEL NARDUCCI

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Michael Narducci is a producer and writer known for
The Crossing (2018),
The Originals (2013) and
The Vampire Diaries (2009).

ASSIGNMENTS
Level #3 is the only level that has assignments due every week.
Level #3 writing assignments will be due the Saturday before each class. Everyone who signs up for the course will receive assignments turned in by the Level #3 writers to follow along and provide notes directly to the Level#3 writer.
Levels #1, #2, and #4 will do the assignments on your own. Level 1 receives feedback on a 1-2 page pitch document only. Level 2 and Level 4 get feedback during the pilot consult or coaching consults.

I highly recommend that all levels use the Facebook community of writers to exchange scripts for receiving weekly feedback.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED AS A SCREENWRITER TODAY – APRIL 12th at 10:00 am PDT online
2021-04-12 00:00 UTC
REGISTER HERE

ROCABERTI WRITERS RETREAT IN ITALY – APRIL 2021
2021-04-25 00:00 UTC
April 2021

April 13th-20th, 2021
Aragonese Castle,
Ischia,
Italy

Diane Drake

Fully booked

Joan Lane

Fully booked

Kathie Fong Yoneda

Fully booked

Jen Grisanti

Fully booked

Have you dreamed of writing a screenplay and seeing it come to life on the silver screen?
Or maybe you’ve published a book and are wondering about how to turn it into a film script?
Seems impossible, right?
Well, the answer, is, NO! Nothing is impossible, and on this one-of-a-kind writers’ retreat, at the beautiful 16th century Aragonese Castle set on a rock off the coast of the island of Ischia (where The Talented Mr Ripley was shot), we’ll show you just how your words, your vision—let’s face it, your baby—can make it all the way to the big screen!

Mentors

Diane Drake

Diane Drake is an accomplished professional screenwriter, writing instructor, story consultant, speaker, and author. Prior to becoming a screenwriter, Diane served as Vice President of Creative Affairs for Academy Award-winning director/producer Sydney Pollack. Her first produced original script, ONLY YOU, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Marisa Tomei, sold for one million dollars, while her second produced script, WHAT WOMEN WANT, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt, is the second highest grossing romantic comedy of all time. In addition, both films have recently been remade in China featuring major Chinese stars.
Diane is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America and has been an instructor/speaker/panelist for the Austin Film Festival, UCLA Extension Writer’s Program, Scriptwriter’s Network, Story Development Group, University Club, and Writer’s Store. She has also served as a judge for the Austin Film Festival, UCLA Extension Contest, and The Humanitas Prize. She recently released her debut book, Get Your Story Straight: A Step-By-Step Guide To Screenwriting By A Million Dollar Screenwriter, (Reel Life Publishing, May 2016).

Joan Lane

Joan Lane is a British film and theatre producer, primarily known for having developed the Academy Award-winning THE KING’S SPEECH, directed by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, and adapted from the stage play by its author David Seidler.
Her company, Wild Thyme Productions, has toured six innovative productions of Shakespeare’s plays in the UK and Germany and mounted world premiere showcases and readings of new plays and musicals in London. She is a member of Musical Theatre Network UK, concerned with the writing of new musicals, and member of the British Shakespeare Association.
Primarily engaged as a Consultant by the BBC, Joan skills were used for the recording, filming and Royal Opera House performance of ‘The Little Prince’. She was a director for BBC Radio Two and BBC Television’s New Talent UK-wide search for the ‘Voice of Musical Theatre’, involved with background music for the film ‘The Actors’, coordinated the participation of singing Angels for Stephen Fry’s directorial film debut ‘Bright Young Things’ and worked on the BBC’s Promenade Concert/Opera ‘The Water Diviner’s Tale’.
As well as touring with her own company, Joan has worked on several plays at the Royal National Theatre and toured plays with ATG and Pleasance Theatre. She recommends scripts to Russian translator colleagues and two plays were produced in Russia recently.
Her own first original screenplay, completed in 2018 and based on the true story of a 1930s actress and singer, was recently taken up and is expected to go into production in 2020.
Joan is currently working with new writers to develop two films and three new TV series.
In addition, four TV series on which she has worked with first-time writers are under consideration.

Kathie Fong Yoneda

With 35+ years experience, Kathie Fong Yoneda has worked for Paramount, Universal, Fox, and Disney, focusing on analysis and development of live action and animated film, television, novels, adaptations, and web series projects. Her career includes exec posts with Disney, Touchstone, Island Pictures and Disney TV Animation.
Kathie has given workshops in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, and wrote a column on screenwriting which became her book, The Script-Selling Game. Some of her clients include RAI-TV Roma, National Film School of Denmark, Bournemouth University, ScreenTraining Ireland, South Carolina Writers, Singapore Media Academy, Romance Writers of America, ScriptFest, Roma Webfest, Writers Institute, Hawaii International Film Festival, and Melbourne Webfest. She was a guest of The Soviet Peace Committee for a 10-day media symposium in Moscow and was Keynote Speaker for Asian-Pacific Heritage Month at The Smithsonian. Kathie received the Mayor’s medal from the City of Marseille for her work in Cultural Arts and was honored as a Catalyst SuperStar for her work by the BronzeLens Film Festival.
Kathie is a mentor for the Rocaberti Writers Retreat and also team-teaches with author/consultant, Linda Seger, Pamela Wallace (writer-producer, co-writer of Oscar- winning WITNESS), Carole Kirschner (author, CBS TV exec) and Pamela Jaye Smith (author, writer-producer, creator of MYTHWORKS).
Her clientele includes several award-winning writers and her book, The Script Selling Game(2nd edition), is used in screenwriting curricula in universities worldwide. She was Co-Exec-Producer on the series Beyond the Break, Associate Producer on the web series drama The Big O, Executive Producer on the upcoming short film Thirty Minutes and is on the Advisory Board for IMAGO (French Production Company) and LAWEBFEST.

Jen Grisanti

International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.
Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.
In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, Grisanti has worked with over 800 writers specializing in television, features and novels. Due to her expertise and mentorship, one hundred and twenty-five of her writers have staffed on television shows and eighty have sold pilots, five that that went to series.

The Retreat includes…

SMALL GROUP MENTORING SESSIONS

EXPERT TUITION

ALL MEALS AND DRINKS

SEVEN NIGHTS’ LODGING

ROUND-TRIP TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN THE AIRPORT/LOCAL TRAIN STATION AND THE CASTLE

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

PROGRAM

Please reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

ROCABERTI ONLINE CLASS FOR SCREENWRITERS
2021-05-08 - 2021-05-09
ROCABERTI VIRTUAL
Schedule

Saturday, May 8th 2021, 8:30am to 1:30pm West Coast time
11.30am to 4.30pm East Coast time
4.30pm to 9.30pm UK time

Please note all times below are U.S. West Coast time:

Time
Description
Mentors

8:30am – 9:00am

Introduction

9:00am – 9:20am

Presentation by one of the mentors.

9:20am – 9:50am

Live feedback from two Rocaberti Virtual mentors on two writers’ synopses.

9:50am – 9:55am

Break

9:55am – 10:15am

Presentation by one of the mentors.

10:15am – 10:45am

Live feedback from two Rocaberti Virtual mentors on two writers’ synopses.

10:45am – 11:45am

Pitching sessions: Four writers will pitch their projects to all four mentors, receiving valuable insights into both the pitching process and how the industry will respond to their projects.

11:45am – 11:50am

Break

11:50am – 12:50pm

Live feedback from four Rocaberti Virtual mentors on four writers’ synopses.

12:50pm – 1:20pm

Q&A: Your chance to ask and receive feedback from the Rocaberti mentors on their presentations or on any other aspect of the industry!

1:20pm – 1:30pm

Final words from your Rocaberti Virtual mentors.

ROCABERTI ONLINE CLASS FOR SCREENWRITERS – MAY 8th at 8:30 am PDT
2021-05-09 00:00 UTC

ROCABERTI RETREATS – JULY 9th -14th 2021
2021-07-15 00:00 UTC
Early July 2021

July 9th-14th, 2021
Marouatte Castle,
The Dordogne,
France

Kelly Edwards

Fully booked

Jen Grisanti

Fully booked

Joan Lane

Fully booked

Stan Zimmerman

Fully booked

Have you dreamed of writing a screenplay and seeing it come to life on the silver screen?
Or maybe you’ve published a book and are wondering about how to turn it into a film script?
Seems impossible, right?
Well, the answer, is, NO! Nothing is impossible, and on this one-of-a-kind writers’ retreat, at the beautiful 16th century Aragonese Castle set on a rock off the coast of the island of Ischia (where The Talented Mr Ripley was shot), we’ll show you just how your words, your vision—let’s face it, your baby—can make it all the way to the big screen!

Please reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

Learn more about the retreat

Mentors

Kelly Edwards

As the Senior VP of Talent Development for WarnerMedia Entertainment, Kelly Edwards oversees all emerging artist programs for HBO, HBOMax, and Turner.
Edwards brought an innovative new approach to developing the company’s writing and directing fellowships which have become an industry best practice. By marrying the two programs, material created by the writers is shot by the directors with a fully inclusive crew for air on WarnerMedia’s digital platforms. The content has garnered festival awards at SXSW, Tribeca, Seriesfest to name a few.
Prior to HBO, Edwards was a key corporate diversity executive at Comcast/NBCUniversal for over five years where she oversaw over 20 divisions, launched employee resource groups, and introduced diverse creative talent to NBC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and Telemundo.
Edwards’ career has spanned both television and film having produced the movie of the week A CHRISTMAS DETOURfor Hallmark, the one hour series SEX, LOVE, AND SECRETSfor UPN, serving as a network executive for UPN and Fox, and as a creative executive in features. As an executive she helped to develop series such as GIRLFRIENDS, THE PARKERS, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, CLUELESS,and THE WILD THORNBERRYS.
In 2000, Edwards co-founded the non-profit organization Colour Entertainment, a networking group for diverse creative executives and assistants in TV, Film, and Digital, all designed to connect current and future industry executives with one another.
Edwards graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater and holds an MFA in Writing for Film and Television from Emerson College. She currently serves on the Annenberg Inclusion Board and is a 2019 Sundance Episodic Lab fellow.

Jen Grisanti

International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.
Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.
In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, Grisanti has worked with over 800 writers specializing in television, features and novels. Due to her expertise and mentorship, one hundred and twenty-five of her writers have staffed on television shows and eighty have sold pilots, five that that went to series.

Joan Lane

Joan Lane is a British film and theatre producer, primarily known for having developed the Academy Award-winning THE KING’S SPEECH, directed by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, and adapted from the stage play by its author David Seidler.
Her company, Wild Thyme Productions, has toured six innovative productions of Shakespeare’s plays in the UK and Germany and mounted world premiere showcases and readings of new plays and musicals in London. She is a member of Musical Theatre Network UK, concerned with the writing of new musicals, and member of the British Shakespeare Association.
Primarily engaged as a Consultant by the BBC, Joan skills were used for the recording, filming and Royal Opera House performance of ‘The Little Prince’. She was a director for BBC Radio Two and BBC Television’s New Talent UK-wide search for the ‘Voice of Musical Theatre’, involved with background music for the film ‘The Actors’, coordinated the participation of singing Angels for Stephen Fry’s directorial film debut ‘Bright Young Things’ and worked on the BBC’s Promenade Concert/Opera ‘The Water Diviner’s Tale’.
As well as touring with her own company, Joan has worked on several plays at the Royal National Theatre and toured plays with ATG and Pleasance Theatre. She recommends scripts to Russian translator colleagues and two plays were produced in Russia recently.
Her own first original screenplay, completed in 2018 and based on the true story of a 1930s actress and singer, was recently taken up and is expected to go into production in 2020.
Joan is currently working with new writers to develop two films and three new TV series.
In addition, four TV series on which she has worked with first-time writers are under consideration.

Stan Zimmerman

Stan Zimmerman’s long career covers multiple mediums (TV, film and theatre) and he’s won many LA directing awards, including one from BroadwayWorld.com. In addition, he’s been nominated for two WGA Awards for Best Comedy Episodic writing for his work on the classic TV series, THE GOLDEN GIRLS and ROSEANNE.
Stan’s also written and produced on GILMORE GIRLS and co-created the Lifetime sitcom, RITA ROCKS. He was Director/Writer/EP/Creator on the Emmy-nominated web series, SECS & EXECS, on Tellofilms. In film, he wrote both BRADY BUNCH movies.
He has been busy lately writing, directing and producing theatre in Los Angeles. Some of Stan’s critically-acclaimed productions include: the LatinX The Diary of Anne Frank, Heartbreak Help, Pledge, Warm Cheese, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, BLINK & You Might Miss Me, Spike Heels, A Tuna Christmas and Gemini. He also directed two of the plays he wrote with Christian McLaughlin: Yes Virginia, Knife to the Heart and Meet & Greet.
Stan has appeared on Broadway with Nureyev & the Joffrey Ballet at the Mark Hellinger Theatre and was the Host/Showrunner on Sean Hayes’ Bravo reality show, SITUATION: COMEDY. Stan also teaches audition technique classes in LA and NYC. He has a BFA-Drama NYU/Circle-in-the-Square.

The Retreat includes…

SMALL GROUP MENTORING SESSIONS

EXPERT TUITION

ALL MEALS AND DRINKS

FIVE NIGHTS’ LODGING

ROUND-TRIP TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN THE AIRPORT/LOCAL TRAIN STATION AND THE CASTLE

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

PROGRAM

Please reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

ROCABERTI RETREATS: JULY 16-21, 2021
2021-07-22 00:00 UTC
Marouatte Castle, The Dordogne, France

Jen Grisanti

Fully booked

Kelly Edwards

Fully booked

Richard “RB” Botto

Fully booked

Tom Dever

Fully booked

Have you dreamed of writing a screenplay and seeing it come to life on the silver screen?

Or maybe you’ve published a book and are wondering about how to turn it into a film script?

Seems impossible, right?

Well, the answer, is, NO! Nothing is impossible, and on this one-of-a-kind writers’ retreat, at the beautiful 16th century Aragonese Castle set on a rock off the coast of the island of Ischia (where The Talented Mr Ripley was shot), we’ll show you just how your words, your vision—let’s face it, your baby—can make it all the way to the big screen!

Please reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

Learn more about the retreat

Mentors

Jen Grisanti

International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.

Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.

In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, Grisanti has worked with over 800 writers specializing in television, features and novels. Due to her expertise and mentorship, one hundred and twenty-five of her writers have staffed on television shows and eighty have sold pilots, six that that went to series.

Kelly Edwards

As the Senior VP of Talent Development for WarnerMedia Entertainment, Kelly Edwards oversees all emerging artist programs for HBO, HBOMax, and Turner.

Edwards brought an innovative new approach to developing the company’s writing and directing fellowships which have become an industry best practice. By marrying the two programs, material created by the writers is shot by the directors with a fully inclusive crew for air on WarnerMedia’s digital platforms. The content has garnered festival awards at SXSW, Tribeca, Seriesfest to name a few.

Prior to HBO, Edwards was a key corporate diversity executive at Comcast/NBCUniversal for over five years where she oversaw over 20 divisions, launched employee resource groups, and introduced diverse creative talent to NBC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and Telemundo.

Edwards’ career has spanned both television and film having produced the movie of the week A CHRISTMAS DETOURfor Hallmark, the one hour series SEX, LOVE, AND SECRETSfor UPN, serving as a network executive for UPN and Fox, and as a creative executive in features. As an executive she helped to develop series such as GIRLFRIENDS, THE PARKERS, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, CLUELESS,and THE WILD THORNBERRYS.

In 2000, Edwards co-founded the non-profit organization Colour Entertainment, a networking group for diverse creative executives and assistants in TV, Film, and Digital, all designed to connect current and future industry executives with one another.

Edwards graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater and holds an MFA in Writing for Film and Television from Emerson College. She currently serves on the Annenberg Inclusion Board and is a 2019 Sundance Episodic Lab fellow.

Richard “RB” Botto

Richard “RB” Botto is the Founder and CEO of Stage 32, the official film education & networking platform of AFM and the Marche du Film at Cannes Film Festival. Stage32.com is the world’s largest online platform connecting and educating film, TV & digital creatives and executives worldwide. Since 2011, Stage 32 has emerged as an online community of over 500,000 creatives with over 1,000 hours of online education taught by over 500 industry executives.

RB is also a working actor, producer and screenwriter. As a producer, his films have played at dozens of festivals including the Sundance award winning feature, Another Happy Day, written & directed by Sam Levinson (starring Kate Bosworth, Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin), the documentary Crutch, the feature What Lies Ahead (starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumon) releasing in 2019 and the upcoming Rain- Beau’s End (starring Ed Asner, Sean Young and Kate Arrington). As a writer, his latest screenplay, The End Game, is currently set up at Covert Media. As an actor, his latest film On the Corner of Ego and Desire premiered at the 2018 Raindance Film Festvial.

Botto is a best-selling author with his book Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers, published by Routledge Press under the American Film Market Presents banner. The book can be found at the Routledge Press booth by AFM badge registration and on Amazon, where it has over 50 5-star reviews.

A sought-after speaker and mentor, RB has been a keynote speaker and panelist at such festivals and conferences as Cannes, AFM, Tribeca, Sundance, Raindance, SXSW, Portugal FEST and Winston Baker. He has also taught at institutions such as Harvard and Columbia University on the subjects of filmmaking, producing, film finance, screenwriting, social media, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, entrepreneurship and business.

Tom Dever

Tom Dever was born and raised in Ohio and has worked in every conceivable facet of the film industry for the past decade; most notably in feature film production at Fox Searchlight Pictures and most regrettably in reality television casting. He is currently the VP of Development for Coverfly, a talent discovery platform and screenplay aggregation software company, where he recently packaged a feature film at Netflix, with Imagine set to produce. His debut feature FOR THE WEEKEND is currently available on streaming platforms worldwide.

The Retreat includes…

SMALL GROUP MENTORING SESSIONS

EXPERT TUITION

ALL MEALS AND DRINKS

FIVE NIGHTS’ LODGING

ROUND-TRIP TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN THE AIRPORT/LOCAL TRAIN STATION AND THE CASTLE

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

PROGRAM

Please reserve my place, and the mentor of my choice, now

SCREENWRITERS SAFARI – SEPTEMBER 15 – 20, 2021
2021-09-25 00:00 UTC
INSPIRED UNDER AFRICAN SKIES

Have you got something really fabulous to look forward to?
​
5 nights in luxury with Hollywood mentors on this Screenwriters Safari in South Africa
​
Breathe new life into your script
ONLY 16 spots available.
Choose one of our 4 exceptional mentors.
​
Have a safari vacation of a lifetime while you network and learn from some of the most connected film and screenwriting professionals in Hollywood.
Take your screenwriting career to the next level, and who knows where that next level may be!

YOUR TYPICAL DAY

BOOK YOUR SPOT

Partners Welcome

6.00am – 9.00am
Early morning safari (the best time to view Africa’s wildlife)
​
9.00am – 10.00am
A luxury breakfast that caters to all dietary requirements
​
10.00am – 10.30am
Q&A / knowledge sharing from your mentors
​
10.30am – 1.00pm
One-on-one consulting script consulting and feedback session with your chosen mentor
​
1.00pm – 2.00pm
Lunch in the award-winning restaurant
​
4.00pm – 4.30pm
High Tea overlooking the bushveld
​
4.30pm – 7.30pm
Evening safari game drive where you’ll witness the awakening wildlife amidst the dramatic African sunset
​
7.30pm
Dinner in the restaurant or under the starry sky, accompanied by uniquely African ‘song’ of lions, hyenas and jackals

VENUE

SHEPHERD’S TREE GAME LODGE PILANESBERG, SOUTH AFRICA

VIEW GALLERY

WEBSITE FOR SCREENWRITERS SAFARI

Story Therapy event including Storywise Teleseminar
2022-02-15 19:00 - 2022-03-23 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
2022 STORY THERAPY EVENT AND STORYWISE 6-WEEK TV PILOT WRITING TELESEMINAR
My Thirteenth Annual Storywise Teleseminar starts on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, and goes through March 23, 2022. This seminar is a live and interactive event that includes story instruction, pitching, and an opportunity to get feedback from top working TV writers.
Classes begin on Tuesday, February 15th at 7:00 pm PST ONLINE and go through March 22, 2022
Want to learn all of the things that I teach in Writers on the Verge at NBC? Check out my Storywise 6-Week Teleseminar that includes an eight-module story instruction training series called “Story Therapy: How To Write A Story That Sells.”
I give full breakdowns for five shows and a breakdown for one feature. We will take a deep dive into several story tools that could lead you to a sale. I designed the story modules for “Story Therapy” and the 6-week program to help you write a compelling script in six weeks. I will teach you how to write at a level that will help lead your script to a sale, get staffed on a show, place in a writing competition or get into one of the various writing programs. This course is everything that I teach in Writers on the Verge and more. To date, ninety-six pilots sold from writers that took part in this experience and my one on one consults.
Last year we had over 180 writers from all over the world. You will not only learn all of the story tools that you need to succeed, but you will also gain the opportunity to be in a private community of writers. This community is a precious resource. In it, you can exchange scripts, find accountability partners, and form writer groups.
I’ve seen the success of this course first-hand. Many of the writers who have taken this course have gone on to sell pilots, features, and get staffed on TV shows, and get into several prestigious writing programs. Ninety-six pilots sold from the writers that I’ve worked with and six of them went to series.
I will pre-record the story instruction. The story instruction will launch in January. The digital course is titled “Story Therapy: How To Write A Story That Sells.”
In February, each call is approximately 2 – 2 ½ hours in length. On each call, we will go over the notes for the four writers participating at Level 3. You will have an opportunity to read their scripts and make your notes each week. You will also get to share your notes with those writers directly. This process is what we do in Writers on the Verge. It is a way to prepare you for being in the Writers’ Room. Then, I will allow five people to sign up each week will get an opportunity to pitch to a guest speaker. We all learn from hearing others’ pitch. This part of the program will help you learn from others’ pitching style and allow you the opportunity to pitch yourself. It’s an invaluable tool. Every level will have a chance to sign up for this.

LEVEL 1
At Level 1, you get the story instruction modules for Story Therapy. You will have access to these modules for one year from the date of purchase. You get to participate in all six online classes that start on 2/15 at 7:00 pm PT. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will also have the opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You will also get to turn in a 1-2 page pitch document on your TV spec or TV pilot script and receive written feedback. After the course ends, you have to turn this in for up to a year.

RATE$597
ALUMNI RATE $397

LEVEL 2 – Includes TV Pilot Consult (limited slots available)
At Level 2, you get the story instruction modules for Story Therapy. You have access to these for one year from purchase. You participate in all six online classes that start 2/15 at 7:00 pm PT. You will receive a recording of the classes. You can also pitch to my weekly guest speakers. This level also includes a one-on-one consult for your TV Pilot script.

RATE$1,272
ALUMNI RATE$1,172

Level 2+ with 3 COACHING CONSULTS (limited slots available)
At Level 2+, you get the story instruction modules for Story Therapy. You will have access to these modules for one year from the date of purchase. You get to participate in all six online classes that start 2/15 at 7:00 pm PT. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community. This level includes 3 Coaching Consults. We can cover your TV pilot and your TV spec. Or, you can use all three for your TV pilot.
* Please send me an email at jen@jengrisanti.com to book the meetings upon purchase.

RATE$2,597
ALUMNI RATE$2,497

LEVEL 3 – SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
At Level 3, you get the story instruction modules for Story Therapy. You will have access to these modules for one year from the date of purchase. You will get feedback on your TV pilot script during all six classes. We will start with the concept, outline, and several drafts of the script. Assignments are due the Saturday before the class. This level includes written and verbal feedback. You will receive a recording of the classes. You will have an opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers. You get to be part of a private Facebook community.

Jared Michael Delaney is a stage/screenwriter & actor based in Philadelphia, Pa. His full-length plays got produced at Perseverance Theatre, New Jersey Repertory Company, Inis Nua Theatre Co, Edinburgh Festival, and Theatre Conspiracy. His short plays have been part of the recent QuarenStream, 1MPF & Going Viral online festivals. Athena Theatre has produced others, NJ Rep, MadLab Theatre, Aberrant Theatre, Pegasus Theatre, Raze the Space and the Philadelphia LiveArts Festival. His work has been further presented at the Valdez Theatre Conference and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, in readings across the country, and developed in writers’ groups Athena Writes and The Foundry. His play, Voyager One, was named a “Top Ten Production of the Year in New Jersey” in 2019. M.A., Villanova University; M.F.A., Queens University of Charlotte. Member: Dramatists’ Guild, AEA, New Play Exchange. Further education: Script Anatomy, Sundance Co/Lab, the Playwrights’ Center, PlayPenn, DGF. www.jaredmichaeldelaney.com

Tatiana Maciel is a published writer and screenwriter from Brazil.
Her love for the cinema started when she was very little: After watching ET, the Extraterrestrial, and running a fever together with ET and Elliot, she began to understand her life would always be intertwined with the moving pictures.
Tatiana began her professional career in 1998 as an AD for both Brazilian and international commercials and features, such as The Incredible Hulk.
In 2004, she first collaborated as a writer on a feature and since then had four screenplays produced as features in Brazil.
Most recently, she went on to work on the staff of TV Globo series “Filhos da Pátria.”

Darci Faye was born and raised in Aroostook County, northern Maine — where the moose outnumber the people two to one. Darci is passionate about using her voice to write hour-long TV pilots that shed light on the very big social issues that plague her very small community. It turns out the same big crimes happen in rural America, but we’re just better at hiding them. Armed with her degree in Criminal Justice, backed up by her master’s degree in TV Writing from Boston University and filled with a lifetime of rural living, she is ready to bring her unique perspective to the small screen.

Bill Sindelar is originally from Cleveland, Ohio (please don’t ask him about the Browns). He is an audience warm-up host on several television shows, including The Talk, The Voice, The Conners, and almost every show with the word ‘The’ in it. Bill is an actor, writer, and was the mascot for the Los Angeles Angels, hosted shows at Universal Studios, and danced to Bye, Bye, Bye with Joey Fatone on national television (that you can ask about). He recently put down his two dogs three weeks apart. Yes, there’s his wound. Yes, you will hear about that in his work. In his free time, Bill enjoys discussing theme parks and rollercoasters, and he finished several scripts while hosting ‘The COVID’ and realized that now, more than ever, he wants to be staffed on a show and pursue his dream of storytelling.

Corey Martin Craig is an actor, writer, producer, director, two-time TEDx speaker, and comedy coach. He has appeared on Netflix, Showtime, TNT, FOX, ABC, and Nickelodeon. Corey directed comedy specials for Samuel J Comroe (America’s Got Talent) Nicole Burch (HBO). He is the founder of Cool Beans Comedy, Los Angeles’ premiere stand-up comedy school and brand. He is the author of a book on stand-up comedy and has coached performers from ages eight to eighty.

LEVEL 4 (2 Slots) SOLD OUT
Level 4 includes 5 Coaching Consults.
The service includes five online meetings up to an hour in length, including coverage on one script or as many as three scripts. The coaching consults include going over career guidance, pitching, meeting skills, and loglines in addition to notes.

RATE$3,775
ALUMNI RATE$3,575

GUEST SPEAKERS

Vanessa Taylor has worked widely in television, most recently as Co-Executive Producer on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Her feature films include “Hope Springs,” “Divergent,” “Hillbilly Elegy,” and “The Shape of Water,” for which she received an Oscar nomination.

Dan O’Shannon is an American television writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Newhart, Cheers, and Frasier. He was an executive producer of the ABC show Modern Family but left the show at the conclusion of season five to accept a development deal at CBS TV Studios.

Aaron Rahsaan Thomas is an acclaimed television and film screenwriter and producer from Kansas City, Kansas. Most recently, Aaron was the co-creator and executive producer of the procedural series reboot of S.W.A.T., which airs on Sunday nights on CBS. Aaron is currently developing new projects.
Aaron has had two screenplays produced as feature films: Cover, directed by Bill Duke, and Assassination Games, starring Jean Claude Van Damme. He has also directed an ESPN 30 for 30 film about the USC football team during the Pete Carroll era, entitled, Trojan War.
Aaron began his professional career as a writer’s assistant on Soul Food: The Series and went on to work on the staff of such TV series as NBC’s Friday Night Lights, for which he received a Peabody Award, as well as CBS procedurals, such as Numb3rs and CSI:NY. Aaron has also served as a Co-Executive Producer on TNT’s SouthLAnd, Fox’s Sleepy Hollow and Netflix’s The Get Down.
Aaron Rahsaan Thomas grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, developing a love for storytelling after completing a fifth-grade assignment to create his own original Greek myth from scratch. As time passed, Aaron developed his passion for storytelling visually and attended Morehouse College. Aaron would also matriculate through the University of Kansas, earning honors in English Literature, before moving to Los Angeles and attending the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts for graduate school. After graduating from USC, Aaron was selected for the prestigious CBS Writers Mentoring Program.

Brig Muñoz-Liebowitz serves as Showrunner and Executive Producer on the upcoming HBOMax comedy Gordita Chronicles. Her writing career was launched on the staff of NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She went on to work on comedy series such as TBS’ People of Earth, NBC’s Abby’s, Diary of a Future President for Disney+, and HBOMax’s Love Life. She has developed projects for CBS/CBSTVS and Hulu/WBTV/Berlanti Prods and currently has a two year development deal at Sony Pictures Television. Muñoz-Liebowitz is repped by Blake Fronstin at WME Entertainment, Industry Entertainment’s Sara Bottfeld and Dianne Fraser, and attorney Gregg Gellman at Morris Yorn.

Carla Kettner was born in Calgary, Canada. After graduating USC she moved to Australia and became a journalist and award-winning short story author.
Kettner quickly transitioned into writing and producing Australian television, and moved back to Los Angeles. Since then she has written and produced hundreds of hours of television, primarily dramas. She was Executive Producer of “The Blacklist”, “Bones”, “Vanished” and “Mob Doctor”. Other credits include “Zoo”, “Night Shift”, “Early Edition”, “Judging Amy”, “Due South” and “Strong Medicine”.
Kettner has written pilots for Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS. She is currently the showrunner of the Spectrum Originals/Roku Originals crimedy “Panhandle,” and she has multiple projects in development with Sony, including projects at Apple, Netflix, and Freeform. She also has a musical period piece, “Mademoiselles”, with Paramount. She is passionate about encouraging diverse new voices and, through her company Danger Doll Productions, is working one-on-one with emerging writers.
In the spirit of fostering the next generation of TV talent, Kettner has lectured and sat on panels for USC School of Cinema-Television, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Boston University, and has done multiple screenwriting seminars and podcasts.

Ted Humphrey is a writer, producer, director and showrunner and the founder and principal of Algorithm Entertainment, a film and television production company based at CBS Television Studios in Los Angeles. Currently, he is the Executive Producer, co-creator/developer and showrunner of the upcoming Netflix series “THE LINCOLN LAWYER,” based on the Michael Connelly novels. He was previously the creator, showrunner and Executive Producer of the CBS drama series “WISDOM OF THE CROWD,” and is perhaps best known as a writer, director and Executive Producer of the acclaimed CBS series “THE GOOD WIFE,” as well as the showrunner/Executive Producer of the Syfy series “INCORPORATED.” He has written and produced series for many networks in both broadcast and cable, as well as several feature films.
For his work on “THE GOOD WIFE,” he was honored with multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Writer’s Guild nominations for Best Drama Series, as well as a Writer’s Guild nomination for Best Episodic Drama Script and the Voices of Courage and Conscience Award from the Muslim Public Affairs Council for his first season episode, “Boom.” “THE GOOD WIFE” also earned a Peabody Award and was twice honored with the American Film Institute’s Award for Excellence in Film and Television.
Ted is a graduate of Georgetown University, and holds law and graduate degrees from the University of Virginia. He began his career as an attorney in Washington D.C., before coming to his senses.

MY TEAM

Shana Lloyd is a (recovering) actor, (sometimes) filmmaker, and (mostly) screenwriter hailing from suburban Maryland. She studied acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. While in NYC, she worked off Broadway at many theaters, such as La Mama and NYTW (New York Theatre Workshop). As an actor, she has shared the stage with such greats as the late, great Ed Asner and Isabella Hofmann, who was also one of her Improv teachers.
Shana established Crisis Management Productions in 2011 as a vehicle to produce more female-driven socially relevant content. Shana currently has a few TV projects of her own in development, as well as with longtime collaborator and writing partner, Alison McKenzie. She has also worked extensively behind-the-scenes in production and at the network level–giving her a unique perspective and comprehensive knowledge of the entertainment industry.
Shana recently wrote and voiced some video spots for LIVEKINDLY, a global plant-based food company and popular healthy lifestyle blog. One of her latest collaborations was assisting the current class of NBC’s Writers on the Verge, working with one of her mentors, Jen Grisanti. She’s currently an adjunct faculty member in the Screenwriting departments at AFI and Emerson Los Angeles.

Sara Norcott is a writer, editor, story consultant, idea-generator, and content creator with a BA in Communications and an MFA in Writing for Stage & Screen.With over 10 years of experience in creating content for businesses and brands, including Fortune 500 and 100 companies, she approaches storytelling and editing with precision, excellence, and an emphasis on how a story and its characters resonate with an audience.Her training also includes script coverage, developing resources for screenwriters, and being a content editor for Jen Grisanti.Sara offers story notes, proofreading and editing services, and personalized story consulting for both television and film. Contact: sbnorcott@gmail.com

Liz Thompson is a puzzle-obsessed screenwriter and playwright who grew up watching Gilda Radner sketches with friends, bingeing Columbo reruns with her dad, and attending neuroscience conferences with her mom. Her subsequent passion for comedy, mystery, and the ongoing puzzle of human behavior is woven through every story she writes.
While cutting her creative teeth on Chicago’s renowned theater scene, Liz created an award-winning web series, produced multiple comedy shows, and served as vice president on the board of directors for Red Theater Chicago. Since moving to LA, she’s found a knack for developing stories, working with Oscar nominated producers and staffed TV writers to develop their features and pilots. She’s also written numerous screenwriting articles for Final Draft and worked as a content editor for story consultant Jen Grisanti and the NBC Writers on the Verge program.
Working in both comedy and drama, Liz has sold one show and is currently developing others. Her scripts have won and placed in multiple competitions and she was featured in The Bitch List in 2020. Two of her short plays have also won top selections in and have been produced as part of Chicago’s annual Paragon Play Festival. Liz is represented by David Clark at Mazo Partners.

Screenwriters Safari (9/26-10-/1)
2022-09-26 08:00 - 2022-10-01 17:00 UTC
SCREENWRITERS SAFARI
INSPIRED UNDER AFRICAN SKIES

Have you got something really fabulous to look forward to?
5 nights in luxury with Hollywood mentors on this Screenwriters Safari in South Africa ​
Breathe new life into your script
Book your spot with one of the 4 exceptional mentors.
Only 16 spots available in total
(4 per mentor).
Please email info@scriptoafrica.com ​
Have a safari vacation of a lifetime while you network and learn from some of the most connected film and screenwriting professionals in Hollywood.
Take your screenwriting career to the next level, and who knows where that next level may be!

YOUR TYPICAL DAY

BOOK YOUR SPOT

Partners Welcome

6.00am – 9.00am
Early morning safari (the best time to view Africa’s wildlife)
​
9.00am – 10.00am
A luxury breakfast that caters to all dietary requirements
​
10.00am – 10.30am
Q&A / knowledge sharing from your mentors
​
10.30am – 1.00pm
One-on-one consulting script consulting and feedback session with your chosen mentor
​
1.00pm – 2.00pm
Lunch in the award-winning restaurant
​
4.00pm – 4.30pm
High Tea overlooking the bushveld
​
5.00pm – 7.30pm
Evening safari game drive where you’ll witness the awakening wildlife amidst the dramatic African sunset
​
7.30pm
Dinner in the restaurant or under the starry sky, accompanied by uniquely African ‘song’ of lions, hyenas and jackals
https://jengrisanti.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ScreenwritersSafarivideo_1_9bd2ab2a7d8a4427a4031a3fe38d2302.mp4

VENUE

SHEPHERD’S TREE GAME LODGE PILANESBERG, SOUTH AFRICA

2023 Story Therapy: Character & Character Dynamics Digital Course And 6-Week Live Online Event Series
2023-02-21 19:00 - 2023-03-28 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
STORY THERAPY: CHARACTER & CHARACTER DYNAMICS DIGITAL COURSE AND TELESEMINAR
CONVERSATION WITH LEE JESSUP ON STORY THERAPY
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Story Therapy: Character & Character Dynamics Event includes both the digital course and the teleseminar. The course includes modules with sixteen story instruction videos with story tools, complete breakdowns for eight shows, handouts, and video clips where I illustrate the story tools. I have included a breakdown for one feature film. I also have Advanced Tips, Resources, etc. This digital course leads into my live online six-week Story Therapy Teleseminar.
LIST OF THE EIGHT SHOWS

SEVERANCE
GASLIT
THE BEAR
LIFE & BETH
WE CRASHED
SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE
DOPESICK
THE OLD MAN

FEATURE

TOP GUN: MAVERICK

The Story Therapy Teleseminar starts on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, and goes through March 28, 2023. This seminar is a live and interactive event that includes story instruction, script notes for Level 3, pitching, and an opportunity to get feedback from top working TV writers.
Classes begin on Tuesday, February 21 at 7:00 pm PST ONLINE and go through March 28, 2023
Each call is approximately 2 – 2 ½ hours in length. On each call, we will review the notes for the four writers. You will be able to read their scripts and make notes each week. You will also get to share your notes with those writers directly. It is a way to prepare you for the writers’ room.
Five people will sign up each week and get an opportunity to pitch to a guest speaker. All levels are eligible. This part of the program will help you learn from others’ pitching styles and allow you the opportunity to pitch yourself. It’s an invaluable tool.
With the 150 writers who participated last year, there was a tremendous opportunity for connecting with a writers’ community.
You will learn all the story tools you need to succeed, but you will also gain the opportunity to be in this private community of writers. This community is a precious resource. In it, you can exchange scripts, find accountability partners, form writer groups, and create friendships with writers worldwide.
I’ve seen the success of this course first-hand. Many of the writers who have taken this course have gone on to sell pilots, and features, get staffed on TV shows and get into several prestigious writing programs. To date, 107 have been sold by the writers I’ve worked with.
Below are the levels available for this event’s six-week live online portion. Each level adds more to the experience.
The opportunity to be a part of this experience will be available during my launch.
LEVEL 1

You get the story instruction modules for Story Therapy. You will have access to these modules for one year from the date of purchase.
You can participate in all six online classes starting 2/21/23 at 7:00 pm PT.
You will receive a recording of the classes.
You will also have the opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers.
You will also get to turn in a 1-2 page pitch document on your TV spec or TV pilot script and receive written feedback. After the course ends, you must turn this in for up to a year.

LEVEL 1 (new to the event – 1st time taking it)

LEVEL 1 – ALUMNI RATE

LEVEL 2 (SOLD OUT)
Includes TV Pilot Consult and LIVE FEEDBACK for one of the six classes

You will also get an opportunity to rotate in at Level 3 for one of the six weeks to receive feedback on your TV pilot. This level includes a one-on-one consult where you receive written and verbal feedback and a call recording.
You get the story instruction modules for Story Therapy. You will have access to these modules for one year from the date of purchase.
You can participate in all six online classes starting 2/21/23 at 7:00 pm PT.
You will receive a recording of the classes.
You will also have the opportunity to sign up to pitch to my weekly guest speakers.

New Opportunity
To give more feedback for everyone to learn from different scripts, I added this new option. LEVEL 2 this year will get to rotate into Level 3 for one of the six classes to receive live feedback.

LEVEL 3 (CLOSED)

With Level 3, you will get feedback on your TV pilot script during all six classes. We will start with the concept, outline, and several drafts of the script. Assignments are due the Saturday before the class. This level includes written and verbal feedback. At this level, you are participating like you are in a writing program.
You get the story instruction modules for Story Therapy. You will have access to these modules for one year from the date of purchase.
You can participate in all six online classes starting 2/21/23 at 7:00 pm PT.
You will receive a recording of the classes.
Level 3 will get to choose which guest speaker they want to pitch.

LEVEL 4 (SOLD OUT)

GUEST SPEAKERS

Vanessa Taylor has worked widely in television, most recently as Co-Executive Producer on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Her feature films include “Hope Springs,” “Divergent,” “Hillbilly Elegy,” and “The Shape of Water,” for which she received an Oscar nomination.

Dan O’Shannon is an American television writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Newhart, Cheers, and Frasier. He was an executive producer of the ABC show Modern Family but left the show at the conclusion of season five to accept a development deal at CBS TV Studios.

Carla Kettner was born in Calgary, Canada. After graduating USC she moved to Australia and became a journalist and award-winning short story author.
Kettner quickly transitioned into writing and producing Australian television, and moved back to Los Angeles. Since then she has written and produced hundreds of hours of television, primarily dramas. She was Executive Producer of “The Blacklist”, “Bones”, “Vanished” and “Mob Doctor”. Other credits include “Zoo”, “Night Shift”, “Early Edition”, “Judging Amy”, “Due South” and “Strong Medicine”.
Kettner has written pilots for Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS. She is currently the showrunner of the Spectrum Originals/Roku Originals crimedy “Panhandle,” and she has multiple projects in development with Sony, including projects at Apple, Netflix, and Freeform. She also has a musical period piece, “Mademoiselles”, with Paramount. She is passionate about encouraging diverse new voices and, through her company Danger Doll Productions, is working one-on-one with emerging writers.
In the spirit of fostering the next generation of TV talent, Kettner has lectured and sat on panels for USC School of Cinema-Television, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Boston University, and has done multiple screenwriting seminars and podcasts.

Jenny Lynn grew up the child of Taiwanese immigrants who ran a garment business. Riding with her parents through Southern California's vibrant ethnic enclaves, she would often dream of the characters and stories she might be witness to. Since then, she has plunged into worlds as eclectic as vampires, superheroes, and cutthroat athletes, having cut her entertainment teeth as a junior creative executive on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, and FIREFLY. Then as a Writer on such hits as ARROW, Marvel’s IRON FIST, and SPINNING OUT.
Jenny is currently the Co-Executive Producer on FX’s critically-acclaimed series MAYANS M.C. and developing original series for FX and Twentieth Television.

David Schulner started his television career on Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz’s beloved “Once and Again.” Other credits include the award-winning first year of “Desperate Housewives”, “Everwood”, “Kings”, “Tell Me You Love Me” on HBO, creator/showrunner of “Do No Harm”, and showrunner of “Emerald City”. His 2008 spec script, “The Oaks” started a bidding war between CBS, ABC and FOX, ultimately being picked up straight-to-series by FOX starring Jeremy Renner. Then the writers strike happened. ITV in Great Britain successfully relaunched the show as the critically acclaimed series, “Marchlands”, followed by season two, “Lightfields”. David just wrapped five seasons as creator/showrunner of NBC’s “New Amsterdam” (WGA nom, Normal Lear Sentinel Award, Hollywood Critic’s Assoc. Award) and is developing new projects under his fifth overall deal with Universal Television.
As a playwright, David’s plays have been produced off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater, The Old Globe, Long Wharf Theater and at Sundance.
David is also the creator of CLONE, a popular comic published by Image/Skybound.

Claudia Forestieri is the Creator and Executive Producer of GORDITA CHRONICLES, a family comedy inspired by her childhood. Before creating her own series, Claudia wrote on Freeform’s GOOD TROUBLE and Netflix’s SELENA THE SERIES. She’s a proud alumna of the ABC Disney, NBC Writers on the Verge, HBOAccess writing programs, and the University of Florida (go Gators!). She began her storytelling career as a news reporter and producer for Telemundo stations in four major cities, including Los Angeles, where she earned five local Emmys and a GLAAD Media Award for her work. Claudia was born in Puerto Rico, raised in Miami, is of Dominican descent, and currently lives with her Lakers super fan husband in sunny Los Feliz.

Justin Hillian is the writer/executive producer/showrunner for The Chi. Additional TV writing/producing credits include Snowfall, I’m Dying Up Here, and Superstore.

Liz Thompson is a puzzle-obsessed screenwriter and playwright who grew up watching Gilda Radner sketches with friends, bingeing Columbo reruns with her dad, and attending neuroscience conferences with her mom. Her subsequent passion for comedy, mystery and the ongoing puzzle of human behavior is woven through every story she writes.
While cutting her creative teeth on Chicago’s renowned theater scene, Liz created an award-winning web series, produced multiple comedy shows, served as vice president on the board of directors for Red Theater Chicago, and had two sci-fi plays win top selections in Chicago’s annual Paragon Play Festival. After moving to LA, Liz has worked as a development consultant to Oscar-nominated producers and staffed TV writers to develop their features and pilots. She’s written numerous screenwriting articles for Final Draft, worked as a content editor for story consultant Jen Grisanti and the NBC Writers on the Verge program, and was featured in The Bitch List in 2020.
Working in both comedy and drama, Liz has sold shows to CBS and NBC and has more projects in development now. Liz is represented by David Clark at Mazo Partners.

MY TEAM

Shana Lloyd is a (recovering) actor, (sometimes) filmmaker, and (mostly) screenwriter hailing from suburban Maryland. She studied acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. While in NYC, she worked off Broadway at many theaters, such as La Mama and NYTW (New York Theatre Workshop). As an actor, she has shared the stage with such greats as the late, great Ed Asner and Isabella Hofmann, who was also one of her Improv teachers.
Shana established Crisis Management Productions in 2011 as a vehicle to produce more female-driven socially relevant content. Shana currently has a few TV projects of her own in development, as well as with longtime collaborator and writing partner, Alison McKenzie. She has also worked extensively behind-the-scenes in production and at the network level–giving her a unique perspective and comprehensive knowledge of the entertainment industry.
Shana recently wrote and voiced some video spots for LIVEKINDLY, a global plant-based food company and popular healthy lifestyle blog. One of her latest collaborations was assisting the current class of NBC’s Writers on the Verge, working with one of her mentors, Jen Grisanti. She’s currently an adjunct faculty member in the Screenwriting departments at AFI and Emerson Los Angeles.

Sara Norcott is a writer, editor, story consultant, idea-generator, and content creator with a BA in Communications and an MFA in Writing for Stage & Screen.With over 10 years of experience in creating content for businesses and brands, including Fortune 500 and 100 companies, she approaches storytelling and editing with precision, excellence, and an emphasis on how a story and its characters resonate with an audience.Her training also includes script coverage, developing resources for screenwriters, and being a content editor for Jen Grisanti.Sara offers story notes, proofreading and editing services, and personalized story consulting for both television and film. Contact: sbnorcott@gmail.com

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