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ScriptapaloozaTV Interviews TV Contest Winners

How did you come up with your story idea?

It started with a kid from Texas leaving home to go to boarding school in New York. I came up with the backstory that his father had died when he was a baby and that Billy had decided to go to Chadwick because it's the same high school his dad went to. Then it became a quest to learn about his father and everything else just kind of grew out of that.

How long did it take you to write it?

I spent a couple months making notes and filling out the characters. Then it took about three months once I started writing.

Is this your first script that you have written?

This is my first pilot but I've also written features, TV specs and short stories.

Have you entered other screenwriting competitions? If so, have you been successful?

Scriptapalooza is the first competition I submitted LEARNING TO FLY to but I've entered features in other contests and won some.

Why did you enter Scriptapalooza?

Scriptapalooza's got a great reputation. You work with extremely talented people and your winners get incredible exposure. I have so much respect for what you do and can tell that you genuinely care about helping new writers break in.

Advice to other screenwriters?

I guess the best advice that's stuck with me is to cut anything that isn't interesting to you. Try to show the character's emotional reality and remember that people rarely say what they mean. Read a lot and, most of all, just keep writing.

How did you feel when you saw your name as one of the winners?

Sheer excitement. I will never forget that moment.

If you could write for any TV show, which one would it be?

That's tough. My favorite right now is Lost but I'm a big fan of Alias, Desperate Housewives and 24. I'd love to write for any show with strong characters and good writers where I could learn more about the craft.



How did you come up with your story idea?

I was driving down the street and just started coming up with individual scenes in my head.

How long did it take you to write it?

Altogether about 3 weeks, about a week and a half to write the episode then another week and a half to tweak it.

Is this your first script that you have written?

No, I wrote a “LAW & ORDER” before that. I had also written a couple features and 2 pilot scripts.

Have you entered other screenwriting competitions?

This is the first screenwriting competition I’ve ever entered.

Why did you enter Scriptapalooza?

I had heard about Scriptapalooza’s feature competition and knew from people that it was very respectable, so when I heard about a TV contest, I looked at the judges giving their time and the companies requesting to read winners and felt it was a good opportunity.

Advice to other screenwriters?

You will always be your own biggest cheerleader, so as long as you believe in yourself, others will too. Just never, ever give up.

How did you feel when you saw your name as one of the winners?

I was completely shocked when I saw my name. I think it took me a full day to really realize I had won.

If you could write for any TV show, which one would it be?

Right now my new favorite show is DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and I think I would love to write for that show.



How did you come up with your story idea?

I wrote this spec almost immediately after season two, so the first thing I had to determine was what would be the imminent disaster/threat of season three. I was told "24" was a hard and unfavorable show to spec because of the "real time" format, but decided to go there anyway. I loved it... it rocked. The writers at "24" are able to build a suspenseful, yet personal show that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat every friggin' minute. I truly believe you should spec a show you love. That love, that knowledge of the characters, that awareness of a particular structure will absolutely come through in your writing. I figured these qualities were more important than deciding to write for another show merely because it was a more popular show to spec. And fortunately it paid off.

I began by sleuthing around on the Internet and in the trades, attempting to find any information that might lead me in the right direction for season three. Would they start up right where they had left off? How much time will have passed since season two ended? What old characters would still be around? What new characters would be created? I had already read the trades every day, but I paid special attention to which regulars would be returning on the show.

Next, I checked out a few websites that reveal casting info for all of the various shows and found out that they were casting doctors and Latino actors in various roles for the new season. So, I began building a story that revolved around the Latino community and a health threat. Luckily, I was right on.

I had a friend who worked for the border patrol and I began brainstorming using some of his personal experiences as a starting point for my story. The second thing I considered (which is no less important) were the personal relationships. So much of 24 is not just about that "big threat," but how every character reacts to it. After studying how Jack Bauer, Kim Bauer, Nina Myers, etc., had reacted in the past (I studied every episode) I was able to stay true to their character under these new and imaginary circumstances I had created, hopefully penning a story that would hold your attention for an hour.

How long did it take you to write it?

First draft - three days. Rewrites - a week and a half.

Is this your first script that you have written?

No, it was the sixth. Prior to "24," I had written specs for "The Practice", "Sex and the City", "Six Feet Under", "ALIAS" and a pilot. After writing the "24" spec, I have written one for "The Shield" and another pilot.

Have you entered other screenwriting competitions? If so, have you been successful?

Yes. I wrote a pilot called "Amnesty", which has just snagged the best drama in another competition. I wrote another pilot entitled "GIRLie", which was a finalist in Scriptapalooza last year. My "Six Feet Under" spec also placed in the top three in A Talent Scout TV Writing competition.

Why did you enter Scriptapalooza?

If you are an up and comer, you have to find a way in. Winning a competition, I believe, is one way to do that. Scriptapalooza is a well-known and respected contest and I figured if I could win, place or show, it would be a way to get my foot in the door.

Advice to other screenwriters?

Write. Write. Write. It is the only way to become better, more prolific. If you are kicking ass pumping out pages every day, then you'll probably be too busy to spend time looking over your rejection letters!

Also, Cormac McCarthy once said "I never had any doubts about my abilities. I knew I could write. I just had to figure out how to eat while doing this." My advice... Send your stuff out! People have to receive your material in order to read it. It's the only way to prevent asking the question "Would you like fries with that?" for the rest of your life.

How did you feel when you saw your name as one of the winners?

Grateful. Shocked. Relieved. If you could write for any TV show, which one would it be?

That's really tough -- to only choose one, so I'm going to cheat. NIP/TUCK, Six Feet Under or any vehicle for JJ Abrams. Ryan Murphy, Alan Ball and JJ Abrams -- their words dance off the page.

Updated: 03/14/2005

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