While most script consultants focus on features, my primary expertise is in television, where most opportunities in the industry to tell smart, innovative stories and build writing careers currently lie. But in this age of “Peak TV,” competition for staffing jobs and for selling shows is fierce. I know how high the bar is set, what it takes to develop a pitch that will sell a show, and a pilot that will sell your writing.
My passion is helping writers make their work better. I’m not a screenwriter, so I don’t try to insert my voice into your work. With 20 years of experience as a development executive and literary manager, I consider myself to be your advocate and guide. I know the marketplace and know what will make your project successful. But my goal is to tell YOUR story in your voice. I don’t give vague “reviewer” notes, and I am brutally honest, because that’s what you’re paying me for. If you want a cheerleader, I recommend you get notes from your friends. If you want to put in the work to elevate your writing, you’ve come to the right place.
Professional writers praise my ability to be a great dramaturge who will give you suggestions to tell your story in a more effective way without compromising your style. I want to get to the heart of problems in your script, not the minutia. Often, solutions to problems in a script lie much earlier than the problem itself. Often solutions can be arrived at simply by melding two of your ideas into one new idea, so my solution feels like something you came up with – because it is. Often a lot of seemingly minor changes result in a major shift. Often writers think a scene is “there” when in fact it’s in their head but not on the page. I put myself in the position of the audience, because if it doesn’t make sense to me, it probably won’t make sense to them. So a lot of what I do is phrase notes as probing questions. As you answer them, you’ll create your own notes by seeing weaknesses in your script yourself, and using my questions as signposts to point you in the direction of improvements.
Many script consultants will tell you there are no “rules.” I believe there are and you should at least know them before you break them. There are certain things that work, and certain things that almost never do. It’s the nature of the medium. But the rules I will tell you about go way beyond the “Screenwriting 101″ you will read about in books, because they are derived from my real-world experience. I give you the behind-the-scenes feedback development executives and managers say about your script in their offices, but will never tell you when they mark “pass” or “consider” on your script.