Why We Built This

Salimah's Story

IMDb website

As a writer and actor, I built this for me.

Back in 2013, I finished a master's degree in TV production and immediately left the industry. I kept thinking about going back but I felt discouraged because I never built up a writing portfolio. I didn't have the sheer willpower to sit down, generate ideas, and write on my own. I needed structure and support.

Thirteen years later, I joined the Richmond Film Network screenwriters' lab and it gave me that structure in small doses. It also gave me something else I didn't expect: proof that writing didn't have to be a big deal to matter. It could just be a script for a few friends to read and respond to. And maybe, just maybe, sometimes it turns into someone getting excited and wanting to make it into a movie. But that's not what it's about. It's about being creative and having fun.

So, when Anson pitched this idea to me after a lab, I knew this was something we had to do. I didn't waste any time. Within days I had the company registered, website up and all the operations running.

The podcast side was a big draw for me. I've written, produced, and hosted three podcasts before this one, and I love the medium. Turning each month's winning script into a table read keeps the material fresh, and it means more paid acting work for more creative people (myself included!).

Feedback is my love language. Even if I don't agree with what is said, engaging with it is the only way to get better and find my true voice. Being able to connect participants with skilled writers and help them sharpen their craft means I get to hand out the thing I value most, over and over, every month.

So far, I haven't found a reason not to do this. I hope, once you've written your seven pages and get your feedback, you understand why.

Anson's Story

IMDb

As long as I can remember I've always loved film. My earliest movie memories are of loading a trilogy of tapes into the family VCR that played in heavy rotation: Star Wars, Clash of the Titans, and Flash Gordon. Those films, while you could argue their quality, were instant classics to me as a child. What struck me about them though was the how. How were these films made? How did all of these fantastic creatures exist and feel so real and sometimes nightmare inducing—I'm looking at you, Medusa. I was hooked, not only on the storytelling and magic of being transported to galaxies and lands far away. It was also the imagination and the meticulous work behind Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion wizardry. The idea that people make this happen, and I could also make these when I was older.

Out of school I managed a movie theatre for two and a half years and became a projectionist. I do miss working with film. Today, I'm a television director with over 25 years of experience. So I've always been close to visual storytelling in one form or another.

What led me to collaborate with Salimah was that I felt that this type of exercise is beneficial to both beginning and seasoned writers alike. I credit short form contests with making me a better writer and the many awards I've won along the way. I've written multiple award-winning 48 Hour Film Project scripts, both on my own and collaboratively, and have also won other short form contests.

An exercise like this pushes the writer to adopt good habits that will stick with them down the road. Compact and clean writing is a skill that will serve any writer well, whether you're writing 7 pages or 70.

What interests me the most about this project is creating a community built on collaboration, idea sharing, and support for fellow writers. The importance of fostering a fun, creative space where artists can support artists is paramount to myself and our membership. We are all in this for the same reasons, and I look forward to learning, growing, and creating together.