Jen Grisanti

Story Consultant, Independent Producer, Writing Instructor

 "Adding Fiction To Your Truth In Your Writing"

Jen Grisanti is a Story Consultant, Independent Producer, Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, Blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the new books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells.

Grisanti started her career as an assistant to Aaron Spelling 18 years ago. Aaron was her mentor for the next 12 years as she 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, Jen was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered shows including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends. While at CBS/Paramount, she served as a mentor in the CBS Diversity Program, which seeks out and nurtures young writers and directors.

In January 2008, Jen launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. By drawing on her 12-year experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Jen personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches, and focus their careers. Since launching, Jen has worked with over 350 writers working in television, features and novels.  Twenty-Two of her clients have staffed as writers on television shows and two have sold pilots that went to series.  In 2008, Jen was hired to be the Writing Instructor for NBC’s Writers on the Verge. Jen is also a blogger for The Huffington Post.  Jen wrote Story Line:  Finding The Gold In Your Life Story in 2010.  It is being published by Michael Wiese Productions and will be out in March of 2011  Jen also wrote TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write A Script That Sells.  It is a compilation of her 5 top selling workbooks.

jengrisanticonsultancy.com

Linda Cowgill

Writer/Instructor

Books, by Linda Cowgill

 

The Art Of Plotting
Writing Short Films
Secrets of Screenplay Structure

Articles, by Linda Cowgill

 

 

Preparations & Consequences: Ways to Incorporate Emotion into the Plot

Expert Article: The Art of Plotting

The Emotional Pattern of Plot

Plotting Along 

http://www.storylink.com/profile/ljcowgill

Devorah Cutler-Rubenstein

Instructor/Writer/Director/Producer

"How to Avoid Cliches in Novels, Screenplays and Other Writing:  Crafting Non-Sterotypical Characters That Sell"

Great stories may come from the heart but sometimes they must first go through hell in order to get made. With that in mind, Devorah Cutler and husband Scott Rubenstein started Noble House Entertainment with the express purpose of keeping those stories from getting stuck somewhere in between. Since founding the company in 1992, they’ve been splitting their time equally between developing great scripts for both indie and major markets and coaching a whole new generation of storytellers in the craft.

“Devo” Cutler-Rubenstein was Director of Literary Affairs for Columbia Pictures Television and Exec Produced the feature film THE SUBSTITUTE starring Tom Berenger and HBO’S SUBSTITUTE 2 starring Treat Williams. She’s currently in negotiations to reboot the franchise for Sub 5. She co-wrote and directed PEACOCK BLUES for Showtime Entertainment. Starring Bill Forsythe and Poppy Montgomery, it won best short and Audience Favorite at Moon dance Int’l Film Festival. Her doc NOT ARFAID TO LAUGH, about using humor to heal, was nominated for a Peabody and won the Award of Distinction from the Communicator Awards and was selected to be archived in the Museum of Broadcasting. A member of WGAw, her material has been optioned and/or produced by Columbia Pictures, ABC, PBS, Showtime, Interscope among others. Most recently, she was hired to co-write and direct the feature e-Bride and created the reality pilot, Tattoo U, for FX Channel. As an adjunct professor at USC, she coaches writer-directors from around the world on short films. Her book WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? WRITING SHORT FILMS is a university textbook, and her DVD, “The Insiders Guide to Film Financing” and her “Reality Presentation Development Packet” is sold through The Writers Store. Devo’s “Dating Your Character… Eight Steps to Writing Screenplays that Sell! The “edu-blog” features eight empowering steps to connecting with your character on the way to a marketable script or novel. It is featured on NATPE’s website – www/natpe.tv/blog/

The producer/writer/director is a committed writers coach who also conducts workshops around the world to help writers create career strategies through branding, marketing and brokering.

www.thescriptbroker.com

Marilyn R. Atlas

Novelist

Film Producer / Personal Manager

"Mastering the Art of Pitching Novels, Books, Teleplays and Screenplays"

An award-winning producer and personal manager, Marilyn R. Atlas is equally at home in the worlds of film, television, and live theater. Among her credits as film producer are “Real Women Have Curves” for HBO, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, “A Certain Desire,” starring Sam Waterston, and “Echoes,” which won the Gold Award at the Texas International Film Festival. In addition to producing a variety of programming for the cable/ pay TV market, Marilyn has served as a production consultant on the film “Call Me.” She was also involved as a producer in the development of the MOW “Nightwalker” and “Playing for Keeps.”

In live theater, Marilyn co-produced the West Coast premiere of the musical “God Bless You Mr. Rosewater” by Ashman and Menken (the writers of both “Enchanted” and “Tangled”).  She also co-produced the award-winning play “To Gillian on Her 37^th Birthday,” which was made into a film starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Peter Gallagher. Her additional credits as a producer in live theater include “Today’s Special” and “As I Sing.”

Earlier in her career, Marilyn served as Casting Director for feature films, including John Frankenheimer’s “The Equals” and “The Whiz.” She is a founding member of Women in Film’s Luminas Committee which supports the portrayal of women in non-stereotypical roles in film and television. Along with director and actress Dorothy Lyman, Marilyn founded ADT, a director’s theatre, and served on its advisory board.  She has been a longtime member of NALIP, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers.

Marilyn is working on a development slate (2010) that includes the pilot “MacArthur Park,” first developed for Showtime, and the sold pilot “Untitled Posse Project” to ABC Family.  She set up the MOW “Bitterroot” at the Hallmark Channel and Starz.

In addition to Marilyn’s film/TV credits, she has sold (first time) novels “Chasing the Jaguar” to HarperCollins, “Hungry Woman in Paris” to Grand Central Publishing, and the “Ave Maria Bed & Breakfast” to Hachette Publishing.

Atlas is presently developing the feature “Lucy Luna” and the cable movie “Brides’ March” for Lifetime Television. Atlas is partnering with Broadway producer Chris Bensinger for the musical version of “Real Women.”  She is also featured in the book “Write Now!” by Penguin/Tarcher Press.