Meet the ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship Mentors

Have you heard? The ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship – now in its 4^th year – helps emerging writers in TV and film advance their careers. One of the great benefits the fellowship provides is mentorship with established (and Academy Award-winning!) writers and producers. Get to know the mentors here.

Diana Ossana, Academy Award-winning screenwriter

In 1992 Diana Ossana left a career in law to begin a writing collaboration with Larry McMurtry, which continues to this day. Their collective works include two novels, Pretty Boyd Floyd and Zeke and Ned, numerous essays, as well as over forty feature film scripts.

They were writers and executive producers on four award-winning miniseries: Streets of Laredo and Comanche Moon for CBS; Dead Man’s Walk for ABC; and Johnson County War for Hallmark Entertainment.

Diana and Larry received the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for Brokeback Mountain (which they adapted from a short story by Annie Proulx), directed by Ang Lee. In addition to co-writing Brokeback Mountain, Diana was also the producer on the film, joining cast and crew during filming on location in and around Calgary, Alberta.

Diana has taught screenwriting and writing historical fiction at the University of Iowa and served as a guest lecturer at Harvard University. She and Larry are developing three one-hour TV pilot scripts for series; developing a feature script with director Cary Fukunaga; and Diana has recently adapted the book Hope’s Wish into a feature screenplay. She is active in animal rescue and currently lives with her six dogs, her foster child, and Larry and Faye McMurtry.

Geoffrey Fletcher, Academy Award-winning screenwriter

Initially working with a video camera and cast of action figures, Geoffrey Fletcher began making films as a child. After graduating from Harvard University, Geoffrey received his M.F.A. in Film Directing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has also apprenticed under Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee.

Geoffrey received an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, which was executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. Precious won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, making it the only film to win the top prizes at both Sundance and Toronto.

In addition to being honored by the Academy, Geoffrey was heralded by Variety as one of its “10 Screenwriters to Watch.”. He also received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, the Black Reel Award for Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted and the Best Adapted Screenplay award from the Chlotrudis, AAFCA and the Satellite Awards.

Geoffrey has been an adjunct professor of film at Columbia University and New York University where he taught courses ranging from “Directing the Camera” to “Developing the Screenplay”. Violet & Daisy, his feature directorial debut, was released in 2012 and received a SCAD Cinevation Award, which is given for imagination, inspiration and innovation in cinema. Geoffrey is currently writing projects for directors Antoine Fuqua, Doug Liman and Ed Zwick. He is also developing several projects to write and direct.

James V. Hart, world-renowned Hollywood screenwriter

James V. Hart has a screenwriting career spanning more than 30 years, and he has worked with an enviable list of filmmakers. His writing and producing credits include Contact (directed by Robert Zemeckis), Hook (directed by Steven Spielberg), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (directed by Francis Ford Coppola), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, August Rush, Epic, Crossbones, and Muppet Treasure Island.

After graduating with a master’s degree in film, James jumped into New York City’s burgeoning independent film scene, serving as a producer on such films as Summer Run, and The Ransom. All the while he was writing his own screenplays, including one that would eventually become Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In 1991, his script about the life of a middle-aged Peter Pan wound up in the hands of Steven Spielberg. Hook was an international hit, and James’s scripts and skills have been among Hollywood's most sought-after ever since.

With many projects in development at major studios, James is now also turning his focus to the thriving television landscape. He is working alongside his son, screenwriter Jake Hart, on several different projects. James teaches and leads screenwriting workshops all over the world, including the upcoming Screenwriting Masterclass in Los Angeles, where he imparts his knowledge to other aspiring writers. His students have gone on to sell projects to major studios and TV networks.

Kristina Reed, Academy Award-winning producer

Kristina Reed has been a producer for more than 20 years in animation and visual effects for feature films, shorts, commercials, and theme park attractions. For nearly the past decade, she has served on the Studio Leadership Team of Disney Animation Studios, the squad of executives and producers that engineered the division’s complete creative, cultural, and financial reinvention.

Her short films, Paperman and Feast won Oscars in 2013 and 2015, and she has also produced numerous worldwide blockbusters including Kung Fu Panda and Big Hero 6.

Kristina is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the International Animated Film Society, and the Burning Man community. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from Brown University and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two teenagers.

Robert Moresco, Academy Award-winning screenwriter

Robert Moresco co-wrote and produced Crash, the breakout film of 2004, and he and director Paul Haggis were awarded an Oscar for co-writing the film. In addition to winning in the Original Screenplay category, Crash won the Oscar for Best Picture. Robert also received the WGA, BAFTA and, Critic’s Choice awards for his work on the screenplay.

Robert’s other features include Million Dollar Baby (2005 Academy Award-winner for Best Picture), which he co-produced and developed with Paul Haggis; and 10th and Wolf, his directorial debut starring James Marsden and Giovanni Ribisi.

Crash, the film, served as the inspiration for the television series, also entitled Crash on the Starz Network. Robert executive produced the first season, in addition to directing two episodes. He has also written scripts for the television series EZ Streets, Millennium, and The Black Donnellys.

Last year the Fellowship received more than 2,000 applicants from around the world. Recent recipients of the ScreenCraft Fellowship have gone on to secure agents and managers at top companies including Anonymous Content, Paradigm Talent Agency, 3Arts Entertainment, Kaplan/Perrone and ICM.

Are you ready to move forward in your screenwriting career? Enter here.