Presenter bios

Pilar Alessandra

Pilar Alessandra is a script Consultant and Writing instructor for the popular writing program On the Page. A former senior story analyst with DreamWorks, she started her own writing studio in 2001. Since then she has worked with hundreds of writers, helping them to create, refine and sell their screenplays. She has trained writers and story analysts at ABC/Disney, Nickelodeon, and MTV and has taught at numerous writing conferences including The Great American Pitchfest and The Screenwriting Expo where she is an annual "Star Speaker." Her podcast "On the Page" is regularly in the top 100 of iTunes film and tv podcasts, and her DVD "On the Page" will be released March of 2008. She can be contacted at: pilar@onthepage.tv.

Babz Bitela

This rock singer turned publicist, turned agent and now screenwriter's advocate, BABZ BITELA has worked on the stage and wings of show business since the late 70's. For 20 years, Babz worked in public relations and became an award winning author/script coach in Northern California. In 2005, she began her work at the ES Agency, where she is now Vice President. The ES Agency is a WGA signatory (WGA*AFTRA). www.edsilveragency.com

DMA (Donna Michelle Anderson)

For over a decade, DMA has been a writer, producer, and showrunner for dozens of high rated non-fiction tv shows for CBS, FOX, Bravo, Travel Channel, History Channel, Disney Channel, and more. A former film story analyst, DMA is also the author of "The 1-3-5 Story Structure Made Simple System: The Nine Essential Elements of a Sellable Screenplay" and teaches screenwriting story structure nationwide. She is a graduate of Stanford University, and an active member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild of America, and Showbiz Mensans.

Rona Edwards

A graduate of California Institute of the Arts, RONA EDWARDS was Vice President of Creative Affairs for Emmy-winning actor, John Larroquette, Emmy-winning producer, Fern Field and Oscar-winning producer, Michael Phillips. With seven produced movies to her credit, including Out of Sync (VH1) and The Companion (USA/SciFi), she set-up up a feature Matchmakers at Warner Bros., an MOW, Blind Trust, which aired in 2007 on Lifetime Television and more recently a mini series which will be an international co-production between Canada and Britain. She is the co-author, along with Monika Skerbelis, of the book, I Liked It, Didn't Love It (Screenplay Development From The Inside Out) published by Lone Eagle. Together, they formed ESE Film Workshops Online, improving your film knowledge without leaving your home in as little as 4 - 6 weeks. Just "Click, Type, Download & Read." Together, they teach Introduction to Feature Film Development at UCLA extension both on campus and online as well as Story Development Process at Riverside Community College's Open Campus online and Basic Fundamentals of Screenwriting at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

Philip Eisner

PHILIP EISNER is an American screenwriter best known for the 1997 Science Fiction / Horror film, "Event Horizon". Eisner also cowrote the screenplay for "The Mutant Chronicles" starring Thomas Jane and John Malkovich to be released in 2008.

Barri Evins

When she was a little girl, BARRI EVINS wanted to be a ballerina but after years of painful lessons and awkward recitals she decided to pursue a career in film, much to everyone's relief.

Barri now produces feature and cable films through her company BE MOVIES. Her diverse slate includes Stetson Kennedy, a character-driven thriller based on a true story in the vein of Donnie Brasco, with Tobey Maguire attached to star, Velvet Sledgehammer, a smart comedy reminiscent of Jerry Maguire and High Fidelity and a Lifetime movie in the vein of The Notebook. Evins is also working on a documentary version of the Stetson Kennedy project with two-time Academy Award winning documentary director Barbara Kopple attached to direct.

Before forming her own company, Evins was President of Debra Hill Productions. During her tenure there she set up and supervised numerous projects at studios, mini-majors and cable networks. She got her start with writer/producers Bruce Evans and Ray Gideon, where she discovered Assassins, the first film written by the Wachowskis who went on to create The Matrix franchise.

Beyond her professional work, Evins has taught at the UCLA Graduate Producer Program and AFI and continues to teach at the CineStory Screenwriters' Summer Camp and Screenwriter's Retreat. She speaks at screenwriting seminars across the country where she specializes in film concepts.

In addition, Evins founded and chairs the nonprofit From the Heart, with the dual goal of encouraging literacy in children living below the poverty line and creating opportunities for people to take action to improve the world. From The Heart has placed over 85,000 brand new books into the hands of underprivileged children, one child at a time.

Mark Fergus

As one Hollywood's A-list writers and all-round awesome, nice guy, MARK FERGUS is an Academy Award nominee best known for the screenplay, Children of Men and the recent blockbuster, Iron Man. The recent limited release, First Snow is Mark's directorial debut.

Syd Field

SYD FIELD is acclaimed as the "guru of all screenwriters" by CNN and "the most sought after screenwriting teacher in the world," by the Hollywood Reporter. The internationally celebrated author of eight books on screenwriting, his classic Screenplay is considered "the Bible" of the film industry, and is published in 23 languages and used in more than 400 colleges and universities. He has conducted screenwriting workshops all over the world, and has been commissioned by the Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios and the Nike Corporation. He annually conducts The Visual Art of Storytelling for the scientists of JPL and NASA. He was inducted into the prestigious Final Draft Hall of Fame in 2006.

Victoria Goldfarb

VICTORIA GOLDFARB, a graduate of U.C.L.A. law school and the University of Chicago, is an attorney and mediator, and also serves as Associate Director of the California Lawyers for the Arts. In addition to oversight of the Lawyer Referral Service, Educational Programs, Outreach efforts and administration in the Santa Monica office, she develops and manages cases for Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services. In this role, she conciliates and mediates disputes involving members of the arts and entertainment communities, administers arbitration and mediation cases, and develops training programs for volunteers.

Julie Gray

JULIE GRAY is an alumna of the Writers Boot Camp as well as the UCLA Writers Program. A published essayist and short fiction writer, Julie has read for Walden Media (Narnia), Cinergi (Swim Fan), Red Wagon Productions (Jarhead), Bedford Falls (Blood Diamond) and Seed Productions (The Tourist) among others. Julie founded The Script Whisperer in 2006 and lives in Los Angeles with her daughter.

Paul Guay

PAUL GUAY's movies have grossed over half a billion dollars.

He conceived and co-wrote Liar, Liar, at the time of its release the sixth-highest-grossing comedy in history, the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year, the second-highest-grossing film of Jim Carrey's career, and Imagine's highest-grossing film ever.

The screenplay received an Honorable Mention (along with Fargo, Million Dollar Baby, The Full Monty and Catch Me If You Can) in Scr(i)pt magazine's list of the Best Scripts of the Past 10 Years.

• Paul co-wrote The Little Rascals, Universal's second-highest-grossing film of the year;
• Co-wrote Heartbreakers, starring Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Gene Hackman and Jason Lee, which opened #1 at the box office, and the rights to which he co-licensed to MGM for production as a stage musical;
• Wrote On a Pale Horse for Disney and Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, based on Book One of the eight-volume Incarnations of Immortality series by New York Times-bestselling author Piers Anthony; and
• Just finished co-writing The Christmas Spirit for Dean Devlin to produce and Rob Minkoff to direct.

Paul also polished a draft of The Never Ending Story and co-polished Mouse Hunt.

He is a former consultant to World Wrestling Entertainment.

Paul has opened a new business and is now doing formally what he's been doing informally for years - Script Consultation www.letsschmooze.com/PaulGuay.html.

Heather Hale

HEATHER HALE has written or produced over 45 hours of produced television including The Courage to Love, a $5.5 million dollar Lifetime Original Movie that starred Vanessa Williams and was produced off her spec screenplay, Quadroon Ball. Her numerous projects have won Emmys, Tellys and the "2001 Best New Series Pilot" from the Houston WorldFest. She is a popular speaker and teaches screenwriting and PowerNetworking in LA and around the country at Film Festivals and Writers' Conferences. Heather's Navigating Hollywood DVD is a best seller and her business bio book, Nirvana in a Cup, was published last year. She is actively writing and producing feature films and television projects through Heather Hale Productions.

Michael Hauge

MICHAEL HAUGE is a story consultant, author and lecturer who works with filmmakers and executives on their screenplays, film projects and development skills. He has coached writers or consulted on projects for Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, Columbia, New Line, Joel Silver Prods., CBS, Lifetime, Will Smith, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Kirsten Dunst, Robert Downey, Jr. and Morgan Freeman.

Michael also consults with attorneys, psychologists, corporations and individuals on employing story principles in their projects, their presentations, and their work with clients and patients.

Michael is the best selling author of Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read, as well as Writing Screenplays That Sell, which in now in its thirty-third printing for HarperCollins, and is a definitive reference book for the film and television industries. A number of Michael's seminars, including The Hero's 2 Journeys with Christopher Vogler, are available on DVD and CD at bookstores nationwide, and through his web site below.

Michael has presented seminars and lectures to more than 40,000 participants throughout the US, Canada and Europe. He is on the Board of Directors of the American Screenwriters Association and the Advisory Board for Scriptwriter Magazine in London.

He can be reached through his website.

Karl Iglesias

KARL IGLESIAS is a screenwriter and sought-after script & pitching consultant. He is the best-selling author of The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters, and his latest bestseller, Writing For Emotional Impact: Advanced dramatic techniques to attract, engage, and fascinate the reader from beginning to end. He holds a psychology degree from Cornell University, and is a former story analyst and development executive for various production companies. He currently teaches at UCLA Extension's Writer's, and was recently chosen to pen an ongoing column on the craft for Creative Screenwriting Magazine. He can be reached through his website.

Steve Kaire

STEVE KAIRE is a WGA Screenwriter/Pitchman who's sold 8 projects to the major studios including Warners, Columbia and United Artists. The last project he sold, he's co-producing for Walden Media. He has a Masters in Dramatic Writing and has taught writing classes at the American Film Institute. Steve is a sought after speaker on the lecture circuit and has appeared on the Tonight Show's "Pitching to America."

Karen Kaufman Wilson

Karen is a 15 year producer and studio development executive who recently began speaking at colleges, universities, and high profile industry events. Her "First Film Job" seminar educates new and established filmmakers on the realities of the studio system, and successful career navigation; an often untouched area of education in traditional film schools. Karen has been a featured guest at the Walt Disney Summer Production Workshop, Los Angeles Harbor College, the New York Film Academy, and at the W Hotel's "Learn Something Program" in several US cities, to name a few. This spring, she is teaching at Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Dominquez Hills. Additionally, she consults with a number of writers and filmmakers about their projects.

Karen Kaufman Wilson career highlights:

• Development and Production
• Disney Animation - "Toy Story", "Lion King"
• Trimark and Fox's Monarch Pictures - "Devil In Blue Dress", "One True Thing", "One False Move"
• State Street Pictures - "Soul Food", "Men of Honor", "Barbershop"
• "Boomerang" and "Sugar Hill"
• Script Coverage for New Line Cinema

Full biography available at www.firstfilmjob.com

Viki King

As a leading Creative Consultant on feature films, VIKI KING is a predominate force in the Hollywood community. She is actively involved from the very beginning of development of a script through the production and launch of a film. She is well known for her wise counsel to luminaries in the Entertainment Industry, and also is Consultant to many influential world leaders including Nobel Prize Scientists, Best-Selling Authors, and CEO's. She has appeared on CNN, NBC, ABC< BBC, as well as over 100 international radio and television interviews. As author of 'How To Write A Movie in 21 Days - The Inner Movie Method', she has taught screenwriting at worldwide universities including top film schools such as UCLA, USC, NYU, London's Royal Academy, and more. She's been a keynote speaker for Mensa, the Writer's Guild of America, Lompoc Penitentiary, and numerous organizations for social change. A successful writer of TV Situation Comedies, hour-long dramas and comedy variety series, Viki was also the first camerawoman at NBC on the Tonight Show,and for countless specials and network series. She is currently completing her next books. For more information visit the website.

Lorene Lacey

LORENE LACEY is a writer who became involved with the Great American PitchFest as a volunteer after attending the very first one. She earned her first option and an agent through the Great American and Great Canadian PitchFests.

Mark Litwak

MARK LITWAK is an entertainment attorney based in Beverly Hills, California. His practice includes work in the areas of copyright, trademark, contract, multimedia law, intellectual property, and book publishing. As a Producer's Representative, he assists filmmakers in arranging financing, marketing and distribution of their films. His filmmaker clients have had award winning films in Cannes, Toronto, Telluride and other festivals.

The firm has represented filmmakers who have produced award-winning films such as Prisoner of the Mountain (Director's Fortnight, Cannes), To End All Wars (Telluride, Toronto), Hustle & Flow (Audience Award, Sundance), and winners of top prize at the Hampton's International Film Festival (Unconditional Love, Mugshot, and Screen Door Jesus), and DeNadie (winner World Cinema Documentary Audience Award, Sundance 2006). During Sundance 2005, three clients had films acquired for distribution: Hustle & Flow, which won the Audience Award; The Matador and Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School. Five clients had films exhibited during Sundance 2007 (Black Snake Moan, The Ten, Padre Nuestro, Expired and Fido).

Litwak is the author of six books: Reel Power, The Struggle for Influence and Success in the New Hollywood (William Morrow, 1986), Courtroom Crusaders (William Morrow, 1989), Dealmaking in the Film & Television Industry (Silman-James Press, 1994) (winner of the 1996 Krazna-Kranz award for best book in the world on the film business), Contracts for the Film & Television Industry (Silman-James Press, 2nd Ed. 1999), Litwak's Multimedia Producer's Handbook (Silman-James Press, 1998) and Risky Business: Financing and Distributing Independent Film (Silman-James Press, 2004).

He has contributed articles for The Los Angeles Times, The Business of Film, The Hollywood Reporter, Moviemaker and The Independent. He is the creator of the popular CD-ROM program Movie Magic Contracts.

Mark Litwak earned a B.A. and M.A. from Queens College of the City University of New York, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University Of San Diego School Of Law. Mr. Litwak has been a lawyer for 28 years. After graduation he was admitted to the bars in New York, California and Washington D.C. His practice today is based in Beverly Hills, California.

Litwak has been a lawyer for 30 years. He has an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer by Law & Politics magazine in 2006 and 2007.

As a law professor he has taught such subjects as entertainment law, copyright, torts and worker's compensation at such institutions as U.W.L.A., Loyola Law School and the University of Puget Sound School of Law. He has taught entertainment law courses at U.C.L.A. extension for 19 years. Litwak has lectured for continuing legal educations programs of the American Bar Association as well as programs offered by the California and Texas state bar associations. A frequent speaker, he has presented seminars across the United States, and in England, Australia, South Africa and Canada including presentations for the American Film Institute, Columbia University, N.Y.U, U.S.C, the University of British Columbia and the Royal College of Art in London.

Litwak has represented clients in entertainment industry arbitrations. He also serves as an arbitrator on the AAA and IFTA entertainment panels. He has completed several AAA commercial arbitrator training workshops.

His background also includes stints as a television journalist, writing and producing news segments for Telepictures, and as a television producer, with Marble Arch Productions. He is a former Vice President and General Counsel for Dorason, a merchant banking and communications company. Litwak has packaged movie projects and served as executive producer on such feature films as "The Proposal," "Out Of Line" and "Pressure." He has provided legal services or worked as a rep on more than 200 motion pictures.

Litwak has been interviewed on more than 100 television and radio shows including ABC News, "The Larry King Show," National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," and CNN. He has been the subject of articles in California Law Business, Australian Lawyer and L.A. Weekly. He is the creator of the Magellan 4 Star site, Entertainment Law Resources.

Chistopher Lockhart

CHRISTOPHER LOCKHART is the Executive Story Editor at William Morris Agency. Working with Co-President and uber Agent, Ed Limato, Chris finds projects for a small list of clients including Mel Gibson, Denzel Washington, Steve Martin, Richard Gere, and Jennifer Lopez. He teaches screenwriting at Los Angeles Valley College, lectures around the country, and has several published articles to his credit.

TJ Lynch

TJ LYNCH fell in love with filmmaking at an early age. Upon graduation, he was the recipient of an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 'Student Emmy' for his thesis film. The Television Academy also selected Lynch to participate in a highly coveted film-editing internship at Warner Bros. Television.

Lynch established a foothold in the industry in 1999 when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences awarded him a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for his screenplay The Beginning of Wisdom. The Nicholl is arguably the world's most prestigious scriptwriting competition. Each year five Fellowships are awarded out of thousands of entries from all over the globe. Each Nicholl Fellow is required to complete one feature-length screenplay during his or her Fellowship year.

To fulfill his Fellowship obligation, Lynch wrote the screenplay that would one day become the film A Plumm Summer. The script was inspired by an actual incident in his hometown in which Froggy Doo, the wisecracking string-puppet host of the locally-produced kiddies' show, was kidnapped and held for ransom. A Plumm Summer stars William Baldwin, Henry Winkler, Lisa Guerrero, Brenda Strong, with narration by Jeff Daniels. It came out in limited release in April.

The Rocky Mountain west has been a wellspring of material for Lynch's writing. Its landscapes, its people and their stories have been the inspiration for many of his screenplays, including his Nicholl winner, The Beginning of Wisdom. Lynch and his producing partner are in the process of setting up the film for him to direct.

Lynch also does screenplay consultation on a limited basis. For further information as well as lots of screenwriting tips, go to www.writingisrewriting.com.

Dara Marks

DARA MARKS is a writer and leading international script consultant, who has been rated number one in the business by Creative Screenwriting Magazine. Her unique approach to story analysis has drawn national and international praise and her consulting clients range from beginning and apprentice writers to top studio writers and executives. She has worked for major Hollywood studios, including Columbia, Disney, Paramount and Sony. Dara has a doctorate degree in Mythological Studies, and has written a top selling new book on screenwriting - Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc.

Signe Olynyk

SIGNE OLYNYK is a writer/producer with offices in Canada and Los Angeles. As President of Twilight Pictures and Protagonist Pictures, Signe has produced and written several documentaries, television pilots, as well as a six part series for broadcasters such as the CBC, Access Television Network, Discovery Channel, FOX, PBS, and various others. She has Associated Produced two feature films, and has developed more than forty projects. Primarily she works in Canada and Los Angeles as a Writer, Producer, and Consultant. As a way to help other writers and producers to get their shows off the ground, and for other producers to find great material, Signe created the 'Great American PitchFest' and the 'Great Canadian PitchFest', and has been asked to hold these events on an international basis, in cities and countries around the world.

Ellen Sandler

ELLEN SANDLER is an Emmy nominated television writer/producer. She was Co-Executive Producer of the CBS hit, 'Everybody Loves Raymond', and the popular BC series, 'Coach'. She has created pilots for ABC, CBS, NBC, as well as Fox Family, Disney, and Oxygen cable networks. She recently wrote 'The TV Writers Workbook: A Creative Approach to Television Scripts' which is an official selection of the Great American PitchFest.

Bob Schultz

BOB SCHULTZ grew up in the mean streets where he perfected his awesome ninja skills. As a child, Bob was heavily involved in the world of competitive finger painting. He shocked the art world, and relinquished his prodigy status, when he skipped first grade and was forced to use a paint brush in art class. It didn't take Bob long to rebound and he soon found what was to become his lifelong passion: writing. Bob is also a professional reader, and he plans on laying low with the Great American PitchFest until a sexy killer robot from the future commands him, "Come with me if you want to live." (He still occasionally finger paints.)

Debe Scott

DEBE SCOTT has traveled all the way from the UK to teach at this year's Great American PitchFest, and to help writers with perfecting their onesheets. A regular contributor to the ES Agency's monthly free newsletter, Debe is an optioned writer with extensive sitcom credits on an international series shot in South Africa. www.writingtreatments.com & www.screenplaysrus.com

Dr. Linda Seger

DR. LINDA SEGER created and defined the job of script consultant when she began her business in 1981, based on a method for analyzing scripts she developed for her dissertation project. Since then, she has consulted on over 2000 scripts, including over 40 produced feature films and about 35 produced television projects. Her clients have included TriStar Pictures, Ray Bradbury, William Kelley, Linda Lavin, Suzanne de Passe, Tony Bill, as well as production companies and writers from six continents.

Dr. Seger is an internationally known speaker in the area of screenwriting, having taught and lectured in over 30 countries on 6 continents. She presented the first professional screenwriting seminar in both Moscow and Bulgaria, and has trained script consultants and script editors in Germany, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Austria, and Italy. She has given seminars for studios, networks, production companies, television series, and film commissions.

As the author of nine books, Seger has appeared in more than 60 radio and television shows, including All Things Considered, National Public Radio, Good Morning L.A., Good Morning New York, and CNN. She is included in The World Who's Who of Women, Five Thousand Personalities of the World, Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Entertainment, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the West, The International Edition of 5000 Notable Women, Leading Intellectuals of the World, Two Thousand Notable American Women, The International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women, and 2000 Notable American Women.

Randi Siegel

RANDI SIEGEL is the Executive in charge of Alternative Comedy Programming for the Fred Silverman Company. Prior to joining the Silverman Co, Randi worked for the non-profit organization, Comic Relief, and National Lampoon. Randi also spent five years with Brillstein Grey Entertainment working on a range of projects and clients at the management/production outfit known for representing Adam Sandler, David Space, and Rob Schneider.

Mark Simon

Director/producer MARK SIMON has worked on over 2,500 productions in the last 20 years as a director, producer, story artist, animator and designer. He has sold shows and signed 20 distribution deals. His clients include Disney, Universal, Viacom, Sony, HBO, Nickelodeon, Steven Spielberg, Fox, USA Networks, ABC, and many others. He co-founded Sell Your TV Concept Now, Inc., owns Animatics & Storyboards, Inc, A&S Animation, Inc and has written 10 industry books. His monthly articles run in Animation Magazine and on www.awn.com.

Monika Skerbelis

MONIKA SKERBELIS is the co-author along with Rona Edwards of the book, I Liked It, Didn't Love It: Screenplay Development from the Inside Out and the co-founder of ESE Film Workshops Online, an online film school helping writers and filmmakers improve their knowledge in 4 to 6 weeks without leaving their home - Just "Click, Type, Download & Read." Ms. Skerbelis is a former Vice President of Creative and Executive Story Editor for Universal Pictures' story department where she spent ten years overseeing the story department and developing a number of screenplays including Black Dog starring Patrick Swayze. Prior to Universal, Ms. Skerbelis was Story Editor for 20th Century Fox having been promoted from Assistant Story Editor. She began her career as an assistant in the Story Department for Paramount Pictures. She is on her ninth year as the artistic & programming director for the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival & Screenplay Competition and teaches feature film development at UCLA Extension, Riverside Community College and a Basic Screenwriting course at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film & Media Arts. ESE also provides consultations and is actively producing projects for film & Television.

Pamela Jaye Smith

PAMELA JAYE SMITH is a mythologist, writer, consultant, speaker and award-winning producer-director. She is the founder of MYTHWORKS and author of INNER DRIVES and THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE. Pamela helps story-tellers in all fields enhance their projects with the power of myth through themes, imagery, and archetypes. www.mythworks.net

Blake Snyder

In his 20-year career as a screenwriter and producer, BLAKE SNYDER has sold dozens of scripts, including co-writing Blank Check, which became a hit for Disney, and Nuclear Family for Steven Spielberg. His book, Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need, was published in May, 2005, and is now in its ninth printing. It has prompted "standing room only" appearances by Blake in New York, Los Angeles, London, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Vancouver, Toronto, and Barcelona. Apparently it is not quite the last book on screenwriting you'll ever need, as the eagerly awaited sequel, Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told, was published in October, 2007 - shooting to #1 in the "Screenwriting," "Screenplay," and "Movies History and Criticism" categories on amazon.com. Blake's method has become the "secret weapon" of many development executives, managers, and producers for its precise, easy, and honest appraisal of what it takes to write and develop stories that resonate. Save the Cat! The Last Story Structure Software You'll Ever Need has codified this method in an easy to use CD-Rom. Blake is a member of the Writers Guild of America, west. Please visit his website for more information.

Chris Soth

CHRIS SOTH developed the "Mini-Movie Method" after years of success as a Hollywood screenwriter. Chris has multiple projects in development at major Hollywood studios. This master story teller is also an expert in pitching and selling - necessary tools for a screenwriter in Hollywood.

JC Spink

JC is a Producer and Partner in BenderSpink, a diversified management/production company that opened its doors in November 1998 with fifteen screenwriting clients. In just over a year, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink sold twenty-four client spec scripts, co-produced Universal Pictures' American Pie and convinced Disney executives to take a chance on a first-time director for Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. On the heels of such success, New Line Cinema signed BenderSpink to a first-look deal. Some of his company's credits include History of Violence, Red Eye, The Ring 2, Just Friends, Monster In Law, The Butterfly Effect and others.

Richard Michaels Stefanik

RICHARD MICHAELS STEFANIK is the author of The Megahit Movies, a revised enhanced version of Structures of Fantasy, which analyzed the dramatic and comic elements found in commercially successful movies. This book was selected by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Mentors Program for the Recommended Screenwriting Books list, describing it as "one of the best books on story structure".

Richard was a Screenwriting Fellow at the American Film Institute and has worked at several Hollywood studios, including Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney. He has taught story design and screenwriting seminars in London, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York and Hollywood. Richard has taught online classes for Scr(i)pt Magazine and conducted story design seminars at the Creative Screenwriting Expos. He has also lectured on comedy to the British Society of Comedy Writers in London. The French translation of The Megahit Movies was published by Editions Dixit in Paris, as "Les Clés Des Plus Grands Succès Cinématographiques". Richard has also published four novels through RMS Publications Company: Elixir, Entanglements, Monte Carlo, and Once in a Blue Moon.

In May 2006, Richard was a featured speaker in England at the Oxford International Festival of Films. Richard has also spoken at the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College Meetings with Producers and Development Executives at Fox, Sony, Universal and Paramount studios. Richard now conducts his story design workshops at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Jason Tomaric

Winner of 14 Emmy, Telly, and CINE Awards, JASON TOMARIC has directed four feature films, numerous shorts, 30 commercials, music videos, and several educational DVD series. His new book on filmmaking, "The Power Filmmaking Kit" is on store shelves around the world.

Bill True

BILL TRUE is an award-winning screenwriter and professional speaker with two decades' experience in creating and delivering compelling messages that inspire. Bill's debut feature, "Runaway," premiered to universal accolades at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival, and continuing to gather an impressive array of laurels at Toronto, Woodstock, Vail, Avignon, Tel-Aviv, and top fests. That year, Bill also won the top prize at the prestigious Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters' Conference. Bill is currently in development on several high-profile TV and feature projects, and recently completed scripting the upcoming girls' hockey drama, "Breakaway," which is targeted for lensing in winter 2008/09. Bill is also a partner in SagePRESENCE, rising star in the professional development world, elevating "stage presence" influence in individuals for presenting, networking, and selling.

Michele Wallerstein

When MICHELE WALLERSTEIN is a former agent and now a screenplay and novel consultant. Her clients sold hundreds of hours of television movies, mini-series, episodic TV and numerous motion pictures, including those in the $1 Million range. She served as Executive Vice-President of Women In Film, a voting member of the Emmy Awards, a member of The Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences, was on the Advisory Board of Creative Screenwriting Magazine and many other activities.

Kathie Fong Yoneda

KATHIE FONG YONEDA, author of The Script-Selling Game, has been a Hollywood "insider" for over 25 years, specializing in story analysis/development of live action and animation projects at Paramount, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Disney and Universal. She's held executive positions at Walt Disney, Touchstone, Island Pictures, and Disney TV Animation and has taught over 150 seminars and workshops all over North America, Australia, Asia and Europe. Her clientele includes several award-winning novelists and screenwriters.

In addition to being a core member of the on-line faculty at Writers University, Kathie also team-teaches with Linda Seger, Pamela Jaye Smith, Debe Todd, and Pamela Wallace. She is also a partner in TalkStory Productions which co-exec produces the popular cable series Beyond The Break, and is partners with Pamela Wallace in a company that specializes in guiding production companies, both U.S. and international, to develop their film and television projects to their full commercial potential. Visit her website.