Meet your Writing Mentors at The Good Word Writers Retreat
TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY that sign-ups will be open to join me in Patmos, Greece. Who are the other 5 industry experts who join the writing retreat with us?
UPDATE: This retreat has already happened, but you can still work with me one-on-one via Zoom! Click the link below to book a time:
My day job is working as a literary manager to professional film & TV writers.
My clients receive one-on-one feedback about their scripts and pitches, as well as broader strategy conversations when it comes to their careers.
With my guidance, writers have staffed on shows including REASONABLE DOUBT, P-VALLEY, GINNY & GEORGIA, THE UPSHAWS, GROWN-ISH, and more. I have set up two pilots with broadcast networks and one with a major production company.
I have currently optioned a book for TV series adaptation, and I have co-produced a client’s feature film for Tubi. This year I am hitting the ground running post-strike, taking out more feature spec scripts for my clients than ever before.
All this is to say, I have been keeping very busy!
I try to take time out to write newsletters and LinkedIn posts because there are so many more writers who are seeking my advice than I have the capacity to help.
But a couple times a year, I set aside a week for writers who aren’t my clients. Last year I participated as a mentor at three different programs affiliated with Stowe Story Labs and Writers Retreats. This year I have accepted an invitation to be a mentor at the second annual Good Word Writers’ Retreat.
Why did I do it?
Greece looks gorgeous, and I have never been!
I value getting out of my comfort zone and meeting new people in new places. I have found that saying yes to unexpected adventures and encounters have resulted in career boosts that I never would have predicted.
The other reason is that I already know and respect the hell out of the other mentors.
Here’s who you can be mentored by and why I’m so excited to work with each of them.
Jen Grisanti
Jen is the first person to teach me real, actionable insights on how to craft a compelling television episode.
Once I took a class from her, story structure broke wide open for me.
I never looked at TV the same way again.
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.
What I learned: Jen taught me to see that addicting TV stories are told through a Central Dramatic Question for the season—a question launched at the beginning or end of a pilot script that is answered definitively on screen by the end of the season.
The pilot episode also has a Central Dramatic Question for the pilot—a question launched at the beginning of the pilot episode that is answered definitively by the end of the pilot.
Without these two components, your TV pilot is dead in the water.
But luckily after working with Jen, you will figure out what your Central Dramatic Questions are and how to structure the launch of your TV show around them.
Chrissie Miller
There are thousands of writers out there, but only a handful of buyers.
The insight you can learn from someone who hears pitches and buys scripts is invaluable.
If you want to go beyond just writing in your house for yourself, if you are tired of crafting draft after draft yet having no idea what to do with it, Chrissie is the mentor for you. She is the Sr. Director of Content Strategy and Planning at UP TV.
This means that Chrissie is a content expert. She has nearly twenty years of programming experience, and she excels in project management and content strategy. She holds a BA in English Literature from Berry College and was named "Director Who Does It All" by Cynopsis in 2019.
I never miss an opportunity to hear what buyers are looking for.
In the current contraction of the TV market landscape, meeting the mandates of the networks is more important than ever.
Marti King Young
As a literary manager, I know how hard it is to get staffed on a TV show.
The only thing harder is to consistently get hired as a writer.
But that’s what Marti King Young has done. She is 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.
She has been mentored by the most talented, successful women in the business.
If you want to know how to create strong networks with powerful mentors, if you want to know how to keep getting employed as a working writer, Marti King Young is the professional that you want to meet.
She will kickstart your career by walking you step by step through how she developed the skills and the resume that she has today.
I can’t wait to talk to her about what makes a writer hirable in today’s market.
I’m going to bring the insights I learn back to my clients and my staffing strategy.
Isabel Dréan
If romantic comedy features are your bread and butter, Isabel is your expert.
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. Isaebel’s produced credits include SECRET SANTA, CHRITMAS 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.
My clients have written romantic movies for Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix.
I can’t wait to get together with Isabel to talk about how to plug into this lucrative and prolific sector of entertainment.
Want to get your movie script produced in months, not years?
Isabel’s insights will get your script to a level that will make that possible.
Tyler M. Thompson
I consistently hear that period dramas are too difficult to sell because they’re just not what the market is looking for right now.
But when I see the hit TV shows like SHOGUN, THE CROWN, and THE CHOSEN, it becomes clear that audiences do want to watch period shows and that networks do want to buy them.
It’s just a super competitive market.
Tyler has beaten the odds with his work on THE CHOSEN, a Netflix period drama that 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.
I can’t wait to hear what he has to tell writers about how to navigate big, complicated topics (like the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth) in a way that is true to the source material and the legend.
All while ensuring that the audience keeps coming back for more because of the compelling narrative.
Audrey Knox
And as for me?
I have four spots left if you want to sign up to be mentored by me for a week.
I will give you four rounds of notes and read each subsequent draft of your script. Your understanding of your story and your characters will be completely different and more in depth when you leave the retreat. We will also strategize about your career opportunities and strategies. I will give you actionable insights and recommendations on how to actually achieve your professional writing goals.
This is an opportunity to have my full attention for a week.
I can be your manager while we shut out the world and focus all of our attention on your writing and your goals.
Because if you don’t prioritize your writing dreams, who will?
TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY TO SIGN UP!
Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Click the link below to choose the mentor whose expertise matches your career goals.
I can’t wait to see you there.