Tag: screenwriters

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Office Hours: Learn from Fundraising Consultant Justin Brehznev – Secure the Bag & Get Money to Fund Your Project!

WRITERS & PRODUCERS, this one’s for YOU! Need money to #MakeYourWork? This is a must event!

On Tuesdays for the next 5 weeks, enjoy an intimate chat with Justin Brehznev, Founder and CEO of Dogtown Fundraising. Max 5 people per session (first come, first serve). The first one kicks of Tuesday October 24th from 12-1pm PST. There is more money than ever flowing to the arts and creative communities, so join this virtual with Justin to learn all the tips, funding sources and ways to make your project standout so you can secure the bag and get the vital funding you need to move your project forward!

During BTFC Office Hours he’ll cover the following topics:

  • getting prepared to win a grant
  • how/where to find grants for your work
  • how to write a grant
  • how to report on a grant you’ve won
  • how to write about your art like a social scientist

It’s an open door for any BTFC Maker member who would like to come in and ask a question, in a safe space and supportive community focused purely on helping you get to the next level with your dreams and professional goals. 

This is valuable time well spent and it’s a true gift that Justin is sharing his time and information with us. 

Meet Justin and Dogtown Fundraising

Dogtown Fundraising is a professional fundraising firm that specializes in grant research and development. The firm’s founder, Justin Brezhnev, has raised millions of dollars for social impact programs and earned a spot on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work in education. Dogtown Is a members of the Association of Fundraising Professional and the Grant Professionals Association.

 

This event is for BTFC Members Only.

Need help? Contact [email protected]!

Want access to this event? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!

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The Download ft. Former BTFC Advisory Board Member x Emmy-winning writer-producer, show runner Jeff Melvoin

Join us for this exclusive virtual conversation! 

On Tuesday, October 24th at 7PM ET, join us at the virtual table for The Download with Jeff Melvoin, Former BTFC Advisory Board Member x Emmy-winning writer-producer, show runner, educator, and author!

 

We’re discussing how Jeff sustained a 30 year TV writing career in Hollywood, and created hit after hit. This veteran writer/producer has created hits like Designated Survivor and Killing Eve, was an EP on Early Edition and Picket Fences and a Supervising Producer on Hillstreet Blues and Remington Steele. He is the co-founder of the WGA Showrunners Training Program, and currently touring the country celebrating his new book: Running the Show: Television From the Inside, where he shares his fascinating insider’s perspective on how to call the shots and make the final decisions in the world of TV showrunning. 

This is a do not miss event if you have dreams of being a great showrunner.

Join us and get the information and inspiration you need to #MakeYourWork!

Meet Jeff Melvoin

Jeff Melvoin has spent the last 30 years as a writer-producer in episodic television, most recently as Executive Producer of the Lifetime series Army Wives, which ended its seven-year run in 2013. Prior to that, Melvoin was Executive Producer of the ABC series In Justice, Alias, and Line of Fire, Executive Producer of the Showtime series Going to California, and Executive Producer of the CBS series Early Edition and Picket Fences. He also served as Supervising Producer of the CBS series Northern Exposure, for which he wrote 18 episodes.

A five-time Emmy nominee for his work on Northern Exposure, Melvoin earned a 1992 Primetime Emmy Award, shared for Outstanding Drama Series, two Golden Globes, and a Television Critics Association Award, as well as receiving Emmy nominations (Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Drama Series) for penning the episodes “Democracy in America” (1992) and “Kaddish for Uncle Manny” (1993). Melvoin’s other writing-producing credits include the NBC series Hill Street Blues and Remington Steele.

A Writers Guild member since 1983, Melvoin has been a strong presence at the WGAW over the past two decades, whether serving on the WGAW’s Board of Directors (2001-04) or as founder and Chair of the Guild’s Writers Education Committee from 2002 to present. Under Melvoin’s direction, the Writers Education Committee has put on 50 programs for Guild members to date. In addition, he has served on a wide range of other vital Guild committees, including: Board Nominating (2006, 2008), Officers Nominating (2001), Television Writers Council (1999-08). In 2004, Melvoin co-authored the WGA booklet, Writing for Episodic TV: From Freelance to Showrunner, which offers practical knowledge for aspiring TV writers.

A graduate of Harvard University, Melvoin worked as a Time magazine correspondent early in his writing career before entering the television industry. In the academic field, he has taught screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and UCLA Extension and has been a Visiting Lecturer in Dramatic Arts at Harvard. He is also a past board member of the Mystery Writers of America (Southern California Chapter). He and his wife, Martha Hartnett Melvoin, live in Los Angeles and have two sons, Nick and Charlie.

The Download

Offered multiple times a year, The Download is a special virtual guest conversation series hosted by the Black TV & Film Collective. It features impactful filmmakers who provide insider knowledge to help Black creatives do their work. Recent guests on The Download have included Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Charlene Polite Corley, the editing team of A Black Lady Sketch Show, Janine Sherman Barrois and Pete Chatmon. 

#MakeYourWork

You must be a current paid member of the BTFC to attend. Registration does not confirm attendance. Only paid members will be sent the zoom link prior to the event.

Interested in becoming a member? Join BTFC HERE and become a MAKER today and attend this exclusive programming like the Download!

This event will be recorded, but access is for paid members only.

Members, use your code to access your registration!

RSVP today!

Questions? Contact [email protected].

Interested in becoming a member? Sign up for our BTFC Membership! ! Get access to exclusive programming like the Download and more!

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Office Hours: Get Help On Your Project

WRITERS, this one’s for YOU! Need some extra support to help you #MakeYourWork? Let ‘s go!

On Tuesday, July 18th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM ET, chat with BTFC Member, Netflix ‘Created By’ Fellow and writer and director Elisee Junior St Preux during BTFC Office Hours! He’ll do his best to support you and help you move your project forward!

 

During BTFC Office Hours we’ll answer general production questions and provide an environment where you can get advice and feedback on your projects from industry professionals.

How can we better describe them? It’s an open door for any member who would like to just come in and ask a question. Get a second pair of eyes on a rough cut, get some help on budgets, have your script reviewed…

Remember back in the day when our professors had office hours and you would just go in to ask a question or get some help? That is what these office hours are like.

Join us to talk about your project and ideas, so that you’re better equipped to move them forward. It’s all-time well spent.

Meet Elisee

Elisee Junior St Preux is a Haitian Filmmaker born in North Miami Beach, FL. A self-taught artist and cinephile, Elisee is the owner of the film blog “The Movie Butter Playbook”, and the screenwriting label, “À La MODE Films”. Elisee is a recipient of Indeed’s Rising Voices partnered with Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions, a 53rd NAACP Image Awards nominee, an HBO Short Film Award Finalist at the American Black Film Festival, and a Netflix Created By Fellow. With a distinct style of vintage storytelling combined with modern cinema, Elisee’s solemn goal is to bear witness and share stories that reflect today, honor the past, and reimagine the future.

NOTE: 40-minute slots will be assigned on a first RSVP basis. A Zoom link and information form will be sent to you 48 hours before your session. Please block out 4:00 – 6:00 PM ET on your calendar until your slot is received.

This event is for BTFC Members Only.

Members, please use your access code to RSVP.

Need help? Contact [email protected]!

Want access to this event? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!

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Office Hours: Get Help On Your Project

WRITERS & PRODUCERS, this one’s for YOU! Need some extra support to help you #MakeYourWork? Let’s go!

On Tuesday, June 13th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM ET, chat virtually with BTFC Board Member, writer, producer and performance artist Letitia Guillory during BTFC Office Hours! She’ll do her best to support you and help you move your project forward!

 

During BTFC Office Hours we’ll answer general production questions and provide an environment where you can get advice and feedback on your projects from industry professionals.

How can we better describe them? It’s an open door for any member who would like to just come in and ask a question. Get a second pair of eyes on a rough cut, get some help on budgets, have your script reviewed…

Remember back in the day when our professors had office hours and you would just go in to ask a question or get some help? That is what these office hours are like.

Join us to talk about your project and ideas, so that you’re better equipped to move them forward. It’s all-time well spent.

Meet Letitia

Letitia Guillory is a multi-hyphenate creative working in theatre, film and television. Her episodic series, gATES, and feature film, HOUND DOG are part of OneFifty, a brand within Warner Brothers Discovery. She produced the award-winning short comedy, Pas Honteux (REVOLT TV) and thriller, Winston, receiving screenings at American Black Film Festival, Bronze Lens Film Festival, Blackstar Film Festival, TIDE Film Festival and more. Letitia’s scripts have placed in the Austin Film Festival, Oaxaca Film Festival and Screencraft TV Pilot Launch among others.

Letitia produces events for NYC Parks and curates Movies Under the Stars for Brooklyn and serves on the board of the Black TV & Film Collective. She is a member of the Harlem Dramatic Writers Workshop, NYWIFT, Dramatists Guild and is a proud alum of the University of Texas (BFA, Drama), New York University (MA, Performance Studies), O’Neill Playwrights Conference and a Blackhouse Foundation Multicultural Producers Lab Fellow.

NOTE: 40-minute slots will be assigned on a first RSVP basis. A Zoom link and information form will be sent to you 48 hours before your session. Please block out 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET on your calendar until your slot is received.

This event is for BTFC Members Only.

Members, please use your access code to RSVP.

Need help? Contact [email protected]!

Want access to this event? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!

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Office Hours: Get Help On Your Project

WRITERS, this one’s for YOU! Need some extra support to help you #MakeYourWork? Let ‘s go!

On Tuesday, May 16th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM ET, chat with BTFC Co-Founder and award-winning writer, producer and director Laura Fielder during BTFC Office Hours! She’ll do her best to support you and help you move your project forward!

During BTFC Office Hours we’ll answer general production questions and provide an environment where you can get advice and feedback on your projects from industry professionals.

How can we better describe them? It’s an open door for any member who would like to just come in and ask a question. Get a second pair of eyes on a rough cut, get some help on budgets, have your script reviewed…

Remember back in the day when our professors had office hours and you would just go in to ask a question or get some help? That is what these office hours are like.

Join us to talk about your project and ideas, so that you’re better equipped to move them forward. It’s all-time well spent.

Meet Laura

Laura Fielder is a writer, director and producer. Her award-winning projects have screened at the Hip Hop Film Festival, the Toronto Black Film Festival, The Katra Film Series, and the American Black Film Festival. Laura’s screenplays have placed in numerous competitions including the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Laura is a working member of The Gotham’s Expanding Communities Summit – a cohort of diverse independent film professionals. She is also a member of NYWIFT. Laura is a graduate of UCLA TFT Professional Screenwriting Program. A classically trained violinist, Laura is an alum of The CUNY Graduate Center (MA, Ethnomusicology).

NOTE: 40-minute slots will be assigned on a first RSVP basis. A Zoom link and information form will be sent to you 48 hours before your session. Please block out 4:00 – 6:00 PM ET on your calendar until your slot is received.

Want access to this event? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!

This event is for BTFC Members Only.

Members, please use your access code to RSVP.

Need help? Contact [email protected]!

Want access to this event? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!

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The Download ft. BTFC x Netflix ‘Created By’ Fellow Latasha Mercer

Join us for this exclusive virtual conversation! 

On Wednesday, March 8th at 7:30 PM ET, join us at the virtual table for The Download with Latasha Mercer, BTFC x Netflix ‘Created By’ Fellow and Screenwriter!

 

We’re discussing Latasha’s journey as a storyteller – from starting out in independent entertainment and creating her own work, navigating challenges and experiencing growth as a creative , to her latest opportunity – receiving a script development deal from Netflix.

Join us and get the information and inspiration you need to #MakeYourWork!

Meet Latasha Mercer

Latasha Mercer is a screenwriter who began by producing digital content since 2010. Her first was the celebrity and indie interview platform, Dope Files, predating her position as the Writer & Producer of two seasons of the comedy web series Sit Black & Relax. She is currently starring in the third series she wrote and produced, JustLatasha’s Inner Actions.

Her popular Dissection series on YouTube expanded her film notoriety, grabbing digital nods from Lena Waithe and Katori Hall. Latasha was also a staple panelist on The Grapevine TV, and has been featured on Entertainment Tonight Canada, AFROPUNK, Dark & Lovely, Teen Vogue, and more.

Her writing has been top rated and awarded, as well as placed on Coverfly’s The Red List. She was the 2022 Roadmap Writer’s Diversity Recipient, 2022 OTV Writing Fellow, and is signed to Damn Write Originals. Credits include Revolt TV, Keke Palmer’s KeyTV Network, and a script development deal with Netflix.

The Download

Offered multiple times a year, The Download is a special virtual guest conversation series hosted by the Black TV & Film Collective. It features impactful filmmakers who provide insider knowledge to help Black creatives do their work. Recent guests on The Download have included Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Charlene Polite Corley, the editing team of A Black Lady Sketch Show, Janine Sherman Barrois and Pete Chatmon. 

#MakeYourWork

Join us at this edition of The Download and get the information and inspiration you need to #MakeYourWork! RSVP today!

Members, use your code to access your discount!

Questions? Contact [email protected].

Interested in becoming a member? Sign up for our BTFC Membership!