It was a solid time. Everyone is making progress. We talked about unpacking our stories and how to do that in an effective way that doesn't let all the tension out of our story. Killing our darlings was another topic, and learning to be ruthless with our scripts for the sake of making them pop. Making sure our characters are well-rounded before anything ever happens. and just the positive energy of a group of writers in the story together. A shout-out to first-timer on the sprint calls @Tasha Kelly see you all soon!

We've been rocking these sprints, and it's been so helpful to be in a room with other writers. Come join us at 10 am Pacific time, Saturday.

Sprints are incredibly helpful in a similar way that table reads are, as they bring into play the needed social aspect of screenwriting. We spend so much time alone that bringing our pages to a group of people is essential for improving them. We're too close to our work to be objective. Drop-ins are encouraged Come in, leave your camera off, be with a group of fellow writers, and do whatever it is you need to do. Maybe it’s paying bills, planning out your week. Proximity, I think, is important. Embrace the Chaos! Screenwriting is messy. Be okay with showing up with rough pages. It took Michael Arndt 100 drafts to get his Oscar-winning screenplay, Little Miss Sunshine, to a great place. Now, some may say that's a daunting thought. My feeling when I heard him say that was relief. Yes, relief because it means I don't have to get it right the first, tenth, or 20th draft. Controlled Times and Tangible Outcomes When I’m off my game and I’m overwhelmed, setting strict time limits to just get something done is very effective. 20 or 30 minutes, or, as we do on our sprints, 50 minutes and they fly by. Get something specific done in short time frames with us. Round Table Struggles and Successes: We allocate about 10 minutes between sprints to chat about what progress we’re making or what we’re struggling with. There’s a synergy that happens when a group of people trying to achieve the same thing are together, and we express things that we all can relate to as writers. Those who come are aware of the value, but I’m actually writing this for those who have never come. Yes, I realize sometimes work, family, etc., take up our time. No judgement here. We have sprints on Mondays and Saturdays. Remember, there's no pressure to reveal anything; just come and be with other like-minded people.

well, I mentioned the book and now I’m getting ads for it so I checked one out it’s pretty awful but it’s a huge market for new writers. I was thinking it would be interesting to see if I could actually write in this format as an exercise in writing with 0 fluff…(Please yell at me ) But: The global vertical‑drama market was valued at about USD 4.1–4.7 billion in 2024–2025 and is projected to grow to roughly USD 8.4 billion by the early 2030s, implying a high‑single‑digit to low‑double‑digit compound annual growth rate. Here is just one: https://my-drama.com/ PS: don’t buy that book. It’s full of errors, probably why she was giving it away at the conference, but it’s still an interesting read.

Rafael Manuel Took a Short Film to Sundance. Now He Has a Feature and a Distribution Deal. Rafael Manuel wrote his screenplay Filipiñana in film school in 2018. He couldn't get the feature funded, so he shot it as a short instead. That short won the Silver Bear at Berlin. Six years later, the feature premiered at Sundance 2026, won the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision, and Kino Lorber picked it up for North American distribution. The path wasn't fast. But the short proved the voice was real. If you've got a feature you can't fund yet, consider whether a short version could open the door. - A Father and Daughter Made a Feature for $65K and Had Distribution Locked Before They Shot a Frame Evan Shapiro (media executive turned media theorist) and his daughter Jamie (early-career actor staring down post-strike Hollywood) made Skit in eight days on a $65,000 budget. Before they called action, they already had distribution locked through Filmhub and Tubi. No festival strategy. No waiting for a buyer. They greenlit themselves. Jamie's quote: "No labyrinthine contracts, no 'maybe in Q4 of 2031' release windows. Just: yes, let's do it." The old model says make it and pray. The new model says plan the distribution first. - Humanitas New Voices Fellowship: Deadline April 6 If you're working on a screenplay or pilot and want structured mentorship, the Humanitas New Voices Fellowship deadline is April 6. It's a development program, not just a prize. Past fellows have gone on to get staffed and repped. Free to apply. If you've been looking for a reason to finish that draft, here's a hard date. - PAGE International Screenwriting Awards: Last-Minute Deadline April 15 The PAGE Awards are one of the more respected screenplay competitions out there. Over $50,000 in prizes. Past winners have landed representation and deals. The last-minute entry deadline is April 15. That's three weeks. If your script is close, this is worth the push.