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Screenwriting Careers Start Here

ScreenCraft’s competitions and talent-discovery programs are the entry point for emerging screenwriters into Hollywood. Here are just a few writers’ stories of how ScreenCraft’s programs helped them breakthrough.

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Sam Norman

Mentorship with lit agency

"Winning the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Fellowship has opened doors I didn’t know existed. I’ve had meetings with several agents and I’m overjoyed to be developing the script with Daniel Perry from Buchwald. The industry expertise, the creative impulses, the personal contacts – all outstanding. When I finished it [first screenplay], I had no idea what the best next step would be – so I decided to enter it in a couple of competitions. I was instantly drawn to ScreenCraft because of the promise of feedback, the range of opportunities on offer, the many success stories… and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! "

LD Green

Signed with a literary manager

"I was a Finalist in [the Virtual Pitch Competition] that, and a few other contests too. But the Virtual Pitch contest helped hone my elevator pitch to an aerodynamic vessel. I pitched it to my agent about a month after the Finalist round contest (incorporating the feedback they gave me), and it really impressed her. She read my script and signed me about a month after that."

Kyle Casey Chu & Erin Cantelo

Collaborating on a short film

"[S]eeing the individualized care and attention given to finalists and winners convinced me that this was a worthwhile community to join. –writer Kyle Casey Chu"

"I had heard ScreenCraft had a solid reputation and that they actually helped a lot of the writers who were finalists and winners, so that was certainly enticing. And when I was a finalist for the first time I was really surprised by the care and attention that was taken to make sure we all felt supported by the ScreenCraft family. –director Erin Cantelo"

Sean Steinberg

Sean signed with Doorie Lee at 42mp

"I submitted to ScreenCraft because of [its] notoriety, as well the prospect of being read by a prestigious jury. After being selected as a TV Pilot Finalist, ScreenCraft took a keen interest in strategizing my career path. This ultimately led to signing with 42mp."

Jamie Ruddy

Signed with a literary manager at Gravity Squared

"Telling stories is what I love. The medium – film, tv, novels, immersive entertainment, interactive, branching narratives -- that really means less to me than the act of disappearing into a story. ScreenCraft was one of the few contests I found that had books as an option and I was looking to get my novel published...I feel very supported by the community and have loved the experience so far. I also met a management company through the contest."

Antoine Perry

Signed with a literary manager at Gramercy Park

"I love fantasy and sci-fi. The infinite possibilities. The unending scope. Imagination... unleashed. But moreso, I love being able to speak to the human condition in ways that feel new and different, unique and novel. For me, the fantasy and sci-fi genre allows me to express my experiences as a marginalized person without always having to be so overt in displaying the cruelty and beauty of life. Screencraft having a contest dedicated solely to fantasy & sci-fi meant the work I put into crafting a narrative steeped in both character and world building would be valued, would be seen, which is something marginalized writers often struggle with... being valued and seen. Screencraft set a general with one of the producers who read my script. The producer and I clicked. And once he learned I was not repped, the producer offered to send my script to his contacts. I had a manager a few months later. "

Brandon Feldman

Signed an option agreement

"The main reason we picked ScreenCraft over various other competitions is because of the name recognition and the ability to submit your work to a specific genre. We wrote a really fun animated family-comedy and being able to find both a Family and Animation focused competition was important to us. It was also helpful to have the judges work for companies that make those types of movies. Working with Screencraft helped open numerous doors for us including getting our script optioned by Story Warrior. We would have never had the opportunity to meet with them and then eventually sign an option without the help of Screencraft."

John Trefry and RJ Collins

Signed with a literary manager

"We were drawn to ScreenCraft because of its reputation as a thriving community that has helped many of our admired peers. As avid fans of SC's high-quality educational resources for screenwriters, we knew it was an excellent tool for our writing process. Winning the ScreenCraft competition was a turning point in our writing careers. It not only brought us exposure but also opened the doors to incredible opportunities, such as signing with Jeff Portnoy at Bellevue. ScreenCraft has played a crucial role in connecting us with our judge, Diana Ossana. With her immense experience and knowledge, Diana has provided us with invaluable guidance and inspiration, helping us navigate the complexities of the film industry and develop our writing careers."

Josh Mendoza

Signed with a literary manager

"ScreenCraft [was] great in listening to what I’d accomplished and suggesting places they saw as a possible fit. The introductions from a trusted source helped get the conversation started with managers and executives who saw value in my work. Opportunities to connect with people in the industry are everything to a filmmaker and they provided those. They placed my work in front of managers and production companies and gave me at-bats. Connecting in the room with my new manager and knowing we had similar ideas of how to further my career and succeed together was a great feeling. They made that sit down happen. Right after placing in the competition, I was able to set a meeting through ScreenCraft with a high-level executive at MGM. Eventually, they set a meeting with my current manager."

Sanyee Yuan

Signed with a literary manager

"The specificity of the categories that I could hone in on under the wide ScreenCraft umbrella of competitions was what drew me towards entering my feature for ScreenCraft’s Family Screenplay Competition. The way in which the ScreenCraft team worked with me, to gently—and very steadily—push me to articulate my goals and hone in on my intentions really set the tone for how my year unfolded. Even just being able to speak the greatest dreams that I harbored out loud in a meeting... really made all the difference with upholding accountability to myself. This wasn’t a pipe dream, ScreenCraft made it abundantly clear; this is my career and my calling. "

Veronica Reyes-How

Hired as a Co-EP for a writing assignment

"I was really interested in the caliber of people that judged the competitions at Screencraft. I also loved the written feedback. It was really astute and detailed. It felt like the readers really cared to help me improve my work. My breakthrough moment was when my first pilot, American Doctor, a drama/comedy based on my mother's true story of emigrating from the Philippines and becoming a doctor in the United States, became a Finalist in 3 different writing Fellowships/Competitions. 2 of those competitions were with Screencraft - the 2021 Screencraft Fellowship and the 2021 True Story and Public Domain Competition. It felt like there was an overwhelming confirmation that the stories I wanted to tell and how I was telling them resonated with people. Screencraft was helpful my first year in helping me to set goals, communicate with potential reps, and help me understand the process towards becoming a working writer."

Etan Muskat

Signed with a literary agent

"Winning the Fellowship has opened a lot of doors, and directly led to me finding reps and receiving invitations to dozens of amazing generals. It's also been super helpful in understanding how execs and studios work with writers and develop projects, as well as how to present yourself and your work in the market. I'll always remember the call I received telling me I'd been selected as one of the fellowship winners, when I was told how excited people at ScreenCraft and Coverfly were about my pilot. That meant so much to me. It was during lockdown in 2021, so just knowing there was a community of respected professionals there that were connecting with my work was so gratifying."

Wendy Moulton Tate

Signed an option agreement

"I placed in ScreenCraft with one of my earlier screenplays in the Family Screenplay Competition. ScreenCraft was always on my radar after that competition. I really like how ScreenCraft focuses on specific genres in each contest. I was so excited when Derby Queen was a finalist in the Comedy Competition. It was a huge milestone. I worked with ScreenCraft and [they were] definitely inspirational and extremely helpful. After my script placed as a finalist, the pandemic hit. I went from having lots of managers read it to everything pretty much coming to a halt. It was disappointing to say the least and Derby Queen lost momentum. ScreenCraft helped me strategize about how to create a target list of managers but also try to focus on optioning/selling a script rather than finding a manager right away. I think that put my focus back on the creative process of honing my voice and creating more projects as unique writing samples. "

Lizzie Perrin

Staffed on show for FOX

"I love storytelling; it helps me understand the world and myself. The organization genuinely seemed to care about helping emerging writers. I signed with my manager, Marc Manus, who was a judge in my [ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch] competition. I [also] recently was chosen for the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program. I'm so grateful and excited to make new connections and see what opportunities arise. "

Sam Juergens

Signed with a literary manager

"What first drew me to ScreenCraft was the high-caliber level of industry execs they continually get to judge the competitions. I like how genre-specific their competitions are to provide you with the best feedback and opportunity to advance in your specific genre. After placing as a Finalist in the Feature Competition, they worked with every Finalist to help drill down to a curated list of people to query. They greatly helped craft a strong, attention-grabbing query that led to script requests. After placing as a Finalist or higher in other comps, I can say that ScreenCraft walks the walk, while the other competitions could not back up their “talk” regarding placement benefits."

Abigail Pañares

Signed option agreement

"I typically don’t write something unless I know I’m able to self-produce it on a shoe-string budget. But over the last few years, the stories I wanted to tell got more complex. This is a deeply personal script that I wrote in honor of my mother, and as I started the budgeting process I realized that I didn’t want to compromise on its potential to be beautifully executed and highly impactful. I started exploring funding avenues and the ScreenCraft Short Film Competition came up. Opportunities for short films are rare, and I loved how in addition to the cash prize, ScreenCraft offered mentorship and career support."

Evelyn Lorena

Signed with a literary manager

"Originally, I was super drawn to the film fund since our short film needed some additional finishing funds, but the more I looked into ScreenCraft, I really became drawn to the community and networking opportunities. I feel truly grateful to be part of this network of artists and development personnel - it was not disappointing. I feel very seen, heard and supported, not just in this current endeavor but in my future ones. [They] truly care about the artist and their futures. The team at Screencraft felt so helpful in vetting and helping me craft a process that would ensure my goals and needs were met. I really feel I can carry that knowledge into any meeting or situation I meet in the industry. I’m really grateful for that. "

Joshua Flanagan

Signed with a literary manager

"I write in just about every genre -- some might say too many but they'd be WRONG -- so I love that ScreenCraft’s array of lovely, genre-specific competitions lets you attack the contest circuit with surgical precision. It’s easy to get jaded with screenplay contests – you sorta think, even if you WIN… maybe you walk away with a laurel JPEG (low-resolution) and some vague notion of “heat.” ScreenCraft’s support -- as both a finalist and winner (cue air horn) -- set the absolute standard. From broader industry overviews to hands-on guidance with cover letters and career strategy, ScreenCraft [was] crucial for me in deciding how to leverage interest and success, and signing with my first manager."

Calvin Starnes

Signed with a literary manager

"When the phone isn't ringing, and your work isn't selling, it's very easy to doubt — to wonder, "Am I good at this?" "Was I ever good at this?" And that's not something you may be able to answer. After some initial success and some near misses (hits?), I felt like my star had completely burnt out. And, just before the ScreenCraft win, I had parted ways with my long-time manager, so in many ways, I felt like I was back at the beginning, staring at this impossibly steep mountain, having to climb it all over again. I’ve been aware of ScreenCraft for a long time and have entered the competition over the years. And, in a crowded field, ScreenCraft has always come across as one of the legit organizations in the contest space. I enjoyed chatting and working with ScreenCraft."

Griff Jones

Signed with a literary manager

"Screencraft appealed to me from early on when I started submitting my scripts to competitions. The breadth of genre-specific programs it offers caught my attention, as well as the quality of judges it has – plus, the commitment they have to helping achieve positive outcomes for the writers who place in their contests. Their focus on writers and passion for helping start careers shines through, and stands head-and-shoulders above many of their competitors. They arranged manager meetings, sent my material out, and ultimately helped me find the right fit with Jesse Bloch, my new manager at Industry Entertainment. They guided me, worked hard on my behalf, and gave me advice when I needed it – I’m extremely grateful for their advocacy and commitment."

Matthew Thomas

Hired to write TV episodes

"I’ve never worked in a support position (showrunner’s assistant, PA, etc.) in the US and don’t have a manager so my network has always been fairly limited. The biggest challenge has been getting reads and meetings without a direct ‘in’ to distinguish me from all the other writers. The Screencraft team has been really helpful with my strategy in reaching out to people in the industry. When I enter competitions, Screencraft’s are always at the top of on my list. There’s a lot of companies out there claiming to help writers but Screencraft is legit. Its reputation is great with everyone I ask and they’ve always been there to help and answer questions, even before I did well in one of their competitions."

Sarah Deakins

Attached a Producer to her project

"I had placed in a couple competitions and nothing had come of it, and I started looking for ones that had readers from the industry that I was excited about and ones where the prize was actually useful to me, ie: mentorship, feedback, advice for where I was at specifically. I entered the ScreenCraft Drama Competition first, and made the semifinals. Worked on the script more, entered in the ScreenCraft Feature Competition the following year and was a finalist and a runner up. I knew the script was getting better with each rewrite, but I didn’t know what to do to get it into the right hands. The Feature Competition was a great help because I had one on one consultations with [ScreenCraft], who had me put together lists of production companies, agents and actors I wanted to work with on this film specifically. He encouraged me to do an extensive lookbook in order to prove that I had the vision to direct this film as well, and guided me on that book to completion. When, through other means, I was able to attract producers to the script, it was the lookbook that convinced them I could also direct, and should be the one to do so. If you are willing to do your own work, with someone to guide you and offer thoughts and advice along the way, ScreenCraft really helps, as they invest in people who invest in themselves. They won’t do it for you. But they’ll guide you as you move forward so you don’t feel lost and alone in the journey."

Mary Bronaugh

Staffed on Disney+ series

"ScreenCraft has been instrumental in guidance and direction. The support helped me develop material and gave me momentum. Thank you so much again for your help, ScreenCraft."

Denis Theriault

Attached talent to his feature script

"ScreenCraft has helped me hone my personal pitch, how I sell myself as a writer. What are my strengths and what unique qualities and voice do I offer as a screenwriter. I've developed strategies and a query email to approach industry people and how exactly to seek out like minded content creators who might be looking for exactly the type of work I create."

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