Join me in Greece this summer!
I'll be mentoring at a Writers' Retreat alongside my favorite teacher, Jen Grisanti. We'll be joined by Showrunners and Network Executives. You won't want to miss this.
UPDATE: This retreat has already happened, but you can work with me one-on-one via Zoom. Book a strategy and notes session at the link below:
I love living in Los Angeles, but when I was given the opportunity to escape for a week to an island in Greece, I jumped at the opportunity.
I only have five available spots for writers who want to join me.
The Good Word Writers’ Retreat was started by Cathy Yonek.
What we love about Writers’ Retreats:
You get to escape the drudgery of your routine and get closer to nature.
You spend a week networking with professionals and creatives.
You learn more in a few days than you will all year.
Immersed in a creative setting, you will be laser-focused on your identity as an artist.
What we dislike about Writers’ Retreats:
Most retreats are so packed with activities, you don’t get any time to actually write.
Most retreats are so focused on creative education that participants don’t get opportunities to actually move their career forward.
You might go home with more motivation, but will you actually have a workable draft of your screenplay?
The Good Word Writers’ Retreat changes all that.
The retreat takes place May 29th - June 4th, 2024.
I will work with my mentees for an hour every day for four days.
The notes and accountability sessions will involve:
Diagnosing problems with your script’s structure.
Brainstorming an action plan of how to fix it.
Accountability to make sure you actually go off and make those changes (but you get to do so with an ocean view!)
The next meeting:
Review of the changes to make sure they have been implemented properly.
Analysis of the rest of the script to make sure nothing else is now out of sync.
A zoomed in approach to diagnose what smaller, more specific improvements need to be made (A repeat of Steps 1-3).
Repeat this process FOUR times.
Then in our final meeting, I can give you something that Writer/Showrunner mentors can’t: A tangible action plan on how to take your career to the next level.
Basically, you get to have me as your own literary manager for a whole week!
Here’s everything else you get:
3 hours a day to write (or more, if you’re like me and prefer to tackle your writing in the morning as the sun rises! Should we meet for coffee at the Chris Hotel?)
First 10 pages of your script table read (led by professional Actress Margarita Grillis).
Welcome Party to meet the other participants and mentors (Don’t forget: Networking is essential to building a professional screenwriting career!)
A presentation from each mentor on their specific area of industry expertise.
Dinners of fresh fish and Mediterranean vegetables.
A hotel with a pool, across from the Aegean sea, in the center of Skala.
Access to 25 beaches.
Opportunities to explore history and visit the Monastery and The Cave of the Apocalypse, where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation1
Networking opportunities with other writers—Those already signed up include Producers Assistants, Attorneys, Entrepreneurs, Published Authors, Novelists, and Produced Screenwriters (as well as beginners!) You never know what these connections might lead to.
An opportunity to pitch your project to me for potential representation and for constructive feedback on your pitch contents and technique.
If you’re going to fly halfway across the world to go on vacation with me, you should know a bit about who I am and what I do:
My name is Audrey Knox. I currently work for Cartel Entertainment as a literary manager, and I write about how to become Fluent in Screenwriting through Hollywood Immersion—without actually having to move to Los Angeles. I have consulted with hundreds of writers, helping them get their scripts and pitches to a point where they have signed with agents and managers, won competitions, staffed on TV shows, and sold pilots to major TV networks.
As a manager, my clients have staffed on shows including Reasonable Doubt, Ginny & Georgia, P-Valley, The Upshaws, grown-ish, and Single Drunk Female. They have written feature films for Lionsgate (Alice, Darling), Tubi (Crushed), Hallmark (The Santa Summit), and Lifetime (the Single Black Female franchise). I also have clients currently writing scripts for hire for Mar Vista, Wayfarer, Mattel, ABC, Sony, and Disney.
If you don’t need or want a literary manager mentor at this stage in your career, here are the other mentors you can choose from:
Chrissie Miller is a Network Executive: the Sr. Director of Content Strategy and Planning at UP TV. She is a content expert with nearly twenty years of programming experience who excels in project management and content strategy. She holds a BA in English Literature from Berry College. She was named "Director Who Does It All" by Cynopsis in 2019.
Marti King Young is a director, producer, and working TV Writer: Currently staffed on the hit ABC series Will Trent. She is the Writer/Director of the award-winning short film “The Adventures of Wonderboy” and has worked with superproducer Nina Jacobson (The Hunger Games) and Showrunner Sheryl Anderson (Sweet Magnolias). Marti has worked on hits including Annabelle Comes Home, The Conjuring 3, Sweet Magnolias, Class of ‘09, and Genius: Aretha. Marti only has two mentee spots left! Sign up ASAP if you want to work with her.
Isabel Dréan is a screenwriter, director, and producer based in Los Angeles: She started her career in horror and psychological thrillers before pivoting to Christmas movies. The shift to writing holiday movies changed everything, leading to five of her scripts being produced over an 18-month period. Her produced credits include Secret Santa, Christmas Beneath the Stars, Christmas on the Rocks, The Holiday Swap, and An Eclectic Christmas. She currently teaches a masterclass titled "How to Write a Christmas Movie in 21 Days.” Isabel's passion project, the feature script Love Letter to Laos, tells the story of how she ended up opening the first bookstore in Laos after the Communist era. She is set to direct the biopic based on her life.
Tyler M. Thompson is currently Co-Writer and Executive Producer on the TV show The Chosen, which has over 400 million views worldwide and has been translated into over 50 languages, with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. He co-wrote “Once We Were Slaves,” an Official Selection at the LA Short Film Festival and winner of Best Original Screenplay at the Madrid International Film Festival. He is the author of the stage play Hathorn, which received an Equity Developmental Reading at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. Tyler is also the founder and host of Fixed Abode, a non-profit organization that produces variety shows to raise money for vulnerable populations.
Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant and my personal idol and mentor. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my foundational understanding of TV structure and character development, which I learned in her Storywise class.
Jen is a 13-year Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC and a former 12-year studio executive. Her last job was as VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount. Jen is the author of three books: Story Line: Finding Gold in Your Life Story, TV Writing Tool Kit, and Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.
She started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling. He served as her mentor for 12 years. She quickly 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 became VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, covering numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, The 4400, and Girlfriends.
In January 2008, she launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive, where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Jen guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches, and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, she has worked with over 3,000 writers specializing in TV, Film, and novels.
Guided by her expertise and mentorship, 175 of her writers have staffed on TV shows, and 114 pilots have sold from the writers she’s worked with, including 10 that went to series. Jen only has ONE mentee spot left. If I wasn’t working this thing, I would take it myself. Sign up ASAP so you don’t miss a chance to work with her.
Spots are going fast. The deadline to sign up for this retreat is Saturday April 27th.
Enrollment in The Good Word Writers’ Retreat Includes:
Six nights of a hotel stay for the week right by the beach (private room and bath). (value: $1,520)
Breakfast buffet and dinner included (dinner is fresh caught local fish and locally grown vegetables). (value: $750)
A Welcome Party for all mentors and attendees to meet and get acquainted.
A Farewell Gala to solidify lifelong friendships created throughout the week.
An exclusive, private online group to connect with other writers who are investing in their careers. Available to all participants before and after the retreat.
One-on-one work with a professional Film/TV writer or executive mentor of your choice including a professional read of multiple drafts, up to four rounds of notes, and a total of 2.5 hours of one-on-one time (value: $4,200)
A post-retreat check-in with your mentor to touch base about your rewrite and career progress (value: $650)
Daily notes sessions and check-ins.
3 hours a day of uninterrupted, dedicated writing time, away from the distractions of your regular life.
A professional table read of the first 10 pages of your script. (value: $310)
A pitch session with a network executive at UP TV. (you can’t buy this!)
Private sailboat and sightseeing outings. (value: $382)
Drinks, snacks, and gifts throughout the week. (value: $100)
Six separate presentations—one by each mentor. ($589)
TOTAL VALUE: $8,400
But all you will pay is $5,700 for the whole week’s experience.
Payment plans are available for writers who need them.
Want to bring a partner or friend with you? They can attend for a $1,500 all-inclusive hotel and meal rate.
Are you part of a writing team? Both of you can share a mentor on your same project for $3,500 each.
Don’t miss your opportunity to make lifelong industry connections, get your script into sellable shape, and create unforgettable memories that you will look back on for years to come.
I jumped at the chance to participate in this retreat because these days I never know what cherished memories and invaluable experiences I could be missing out on if I say no to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I have never been to Greece before, and I am so excited for this adventure.
It will fuel our inspiration, energize our motivation, and connect us to other creatives who will help expand our worldview through genuine collaborations.
Will you join me?
I am not personally religious, but there is something so inspiring about being in a location with a connection to the ancient past. This retreat has an emphasis on inspiring, uplifting content, but it is not explicitly spiritual. That being said, I will be bringing my tarot cards in case you want a reading :)