Artsday LA Speakers: Screenwriting
Balis, Chrysanthy
Panel: Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do ItTime: 11:15-12:15Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MPW, screenwriter; WGA member whose credits include the Paramount release Asylum. Ms. Balis currently has movie projects in development with CBS and USA Networks and has previously written an adapted screenplay for the Zanuck Company/Fox 2000 and a pilot for HBO.
Contreras, Ernie
Panel: Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do ItTime: 11:15-12:15Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
WGA member whose credits include the HBO drama Walkout and the feature films Fairy Tale: A True Story and The Pagemaster for 20th Century Fox. Mr. Contreras has written and developed scripts for Walt Disney, Sony, Universal, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, DreamWorks, TNT, and Starz/Encore.
Elliot, Greg
Panel: Taking Your Script to the Next LevelTime: 1:15-2:15Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
WGA member whose credits include Star Trek: Voyager for which he received a Sci-Fi Universe Award nomination. Mr. Elliot was a Story Editor on the WB series Savannah, an Executive Story Editor on the WB series Charmed and wrote for the Disney Channel series In a Heartbeat. He also has optioned feature film screenplays to Warner Bros. Studios and TriStar Pictures.
Giglio, Keith
Panel: The Business of Being a ScreenwriterTime: 2:30-3:30Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MFA, screenwriter/producer; WGA member who executive produced the Warner Bros. release, A Cinderella Story. Mr. Giglio has projects in development with Paramount Pictures, Steve Golin/Anonymous Entertainment, and Crusader Entertainment and has written screenplays for Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Universal Pictures, including projects for Adam Sandler and Bruce Willis.
Grazioso, Claudia
Panel: Getting Your Script StartedTime: 10:00-11:00Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MFA, screenwriter; WGA member whose credits include Are We There Yet?, starring Ice Cube and Nia Long, and Bring It On Again. Ms. Grazioso has written several pilots for ABC and Fox, including Women in Law.
Guerdat, Andrew
Panel: Getting Your Script StartedTime: 10:00-11:00Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
WGA member who has sold feature screenplays to 20th Century Fox, MGM, Walt Disney Studios, and Village Roadshow Productions/Warner Bros. Mr. Guerdat's credits also include movies for Viacom Pictures/Showtime, the Disney Sunday Movie, and NBC. He has worked as a writer/producer on many TV series.
Kellard, Phil
Panel: The Business of Being a ScreenwriterTime: 2:30-3:30Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Writer-director who was executive producer on The Wayans Brothers, Minor Adjustments, and Martin, and who served as senior producer or producer on Doogie Howser, MD; Hooperman; and My Two Dads. Mr. Kellard currently is developing an animated series and has written pilots for AMC, The Disney Channel, Showtime, and The Sci-Fi Channel. He has received an Emmy Award for instructional programming.
Mernit, Billy
Panel: Taking Your Script to the Next LevelTime: 1:15-2:15Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MFA, screenwriter, novelist, and WGA member. Mr. Mernit, a story analyst for Universal Pictures and private script consultant, is the author of Writing the Romantic Comedy (Harper/Collins) and the novel Imagine Me and You (Shaye Areheart/Random House). He was the recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Screenwriting, 2001.
Nazemian, Abdi
Panel: Getting Your Script StartedTime: 10:00-11:00Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
WGA member who co-wrote the feature film The Quiet, which was developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and was released by Sony Pictures Classic in 2006. He also has co-written two movies for ABC Family as well as screenplays for HBO Films, Paramount, Universal, and Fox Searchlight.
Niad, Wendi
Panel: The Business of Being a ScreenwriterTime: 2:30-3:30Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Literary and talent manager. Ms. Niad founded Niad Management in 1997 which currently represents writers, directors, and actors. She also formerly worked as an agent at ICM and as a comedy writer.
Peeples, Quinton
Panel: Taking Your Script to the Next LevelTime: 1:15-2:15Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Screenwriter-director and WGA member whose current writing projects include Have a Nice Day, starring Billy Crystal for New Line Cinema, and Sugar Rum Cherry for Walt Disney Pictures. Mr. Peeples directed the low-budget film Joyride, starring Tobey Maguire and Benicio Del Toro. His television credits include The Moving of Sophia Myles, The Secret Path, and Heart Full of Rain.
Rabkin, William
Panel: Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do ItTime: 11:15-12:15Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Writer-producer and WGA member whose numerous credits include Monk, Psych, and Nero Wolfe Mystery. He has served as executive producer on Diagnosis Murder and as supervising producer on SeaQuest 2032, and The Cosby Mysteries.
Selbo, Jule
Panel: Taking Your Script to the Next LevelTime: 1:15-2:15Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MFA, screenwriter, and WGA member who just completed a feature for the Jim Henson Company. Ms. Selbo has written films for Walt Disney Studios, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Part Deux and Cinderella II. Her other feature credits include Columbia Pictures' Hard Promises, as well as screenplays for Bel Films, Paramount, Universal, and HBO.
Suppa, Ron
Panel: Getting Your Script StartedTime: 10:00-11:00Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Writer-producer and WGA member who has produced and/or written 10 feature films, including Paradise Alley and Riding the Edge. He is the author of Real Screenwriting: Strategies and Stories from the Trenches (2006) and is a regular columnist for Creative Screenwriting magazine. He was the recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Screenwriting, 1991.
Webb, Chris
Panel: Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do ItTime: 11:15-12:15Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Screenwriter whose credits include Toy Story II for Pixar Animation Studios, Bruno the Kid: The Animated Movie, and episodes of the television series Duckman. An alumnus of The Second City in Chicago, Mr. Webb has won numerous awards for his satirical short films The Civil War Parody, a satire of the Ken Burns series The Civil War, and Camcorder Blues, a parody of home videos.