After a successful inagural weekend in 2018, the Screencraft Writers Summit will be returning to Atlanta on April 5th through 8th at the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel. The annual event hosts dozens of award-winning screenwriters, prominent agenets, literary managers, producers, and studio executives, all of whom bring their screenwiting expertise to Atlanta content creators in support of the ever-growing creative community in the South.
“As the most dynamic film and television production hub in the nation, Atlanta shows us the future of creative industries, and is the ideal place for screenwriters both nationwide and worldwide to converge,” said Emily Dell, Executive Director of ScreenCraft Writers Summit. “Getting outside of New York and Los Angeles encourages fresh voices and enables authentic partnerships to be forged. Our goal is to build community, advance careers and elevate the craft of screenwriting, together.”
Tickets for the three-day event are available at the Screencraft Writers Summit website and will grant you access to a variety of workshops, panels, cocktail parties, mentorship opportunities, and pitch events. If you have any interest in becoming a screenwriter, this is the event to attend.
The full schedule of events can be found online, but here are just a few of what you’ll see throughout the weekend.
Saturday, April 6th:
The Hollywood TED’s: “The Best Lesson I Ever Learned”
Panelists:
- Doug Jung (Star Trek Beyond, Big Love, The Cloverfield Paradox)
- Ben Cory Jones (Boomerang, Insecure, Underground)
- David Rabinowitz (Oscar Nominee, BlacKkKlansman)
- Chad Kennedy (VP Current Programming, Warner Bros. Television)
- Steven E. de Souza (Die Hard, Commando)
- Darrien Gipson (National Director, SAGindie)
- Moderator: Emily Dell, Director/Writer, Exec. Director ScreenCraft Writers Summit
Agents and Managers, Oh My!
Panelists:
- Keya Khayatian, Partner & Literary Agent, United Talent Agency
- Hannah Ozer, Literary Manager, Kaplan/Perrone
- Justin Littman, Literary Manager, The Gotham Group
Is Film Dead? The State of Feature Films in the Film Industry
Panelists:
- Meg LeFauve (Oscar Nominee, Inside Out, Captain Marvel)
- Doug Jung (Star Trek Beyond, Big Love, The Cloverfield Paradox)
- Steven E. de Souza (Die Hard, Commando)
- Jonathan Wu (Director of Production at 20th Century Fox)
WeScreenplay Presents: How to Sell New Ideas to “Old Hollywood”
Panelists:
- Ben Cory Jones (Boomerang, Insecure, Underground)
- David Rabinowitz (Oscar Winner, BlacKkKlansman)
- Hannah Ozer (Literary Manager, Kaplan/Perrone)
- Additional Panelists To Be Announced
The Scariest People in Hollywood: Agents and Studio Executives
Panelists:
- Keya Khayatian (Partner & Literary Agent, United Talent Agency)
- Chad Kennedy (VP Current Programming, Warner Bros. Television)
- Jonathan Wu (Director of Production at 20th Century Fox)
The Failure Panel
Panelists:
- Doug Jung (Star Trek Beyond, Big Love, The Cloverfield Paradox)
- David Rabinowitz (Oscar Winner, BlacKkKlansman)
- Additional Panelists To Be Announced
- Moderator: Emily Dell (Director/Writer, Exec. Director ScreenCraft Writers Summit)
The Science and Entertainment Exchange presents: “Science and Storytelling”
Panelists:
- Meg LeFauve (Oscar Nominee, Inside Out, Captain Marvel)
- Stephany Folsom (Thor: Ragnarok, Toy Story 4)
- Additional Panelists To Be Announced
- Moderator: Rick Loverd (The Science & Entertainment Exchange)
Sunday, April 7th:
Building a Development Culture in Georgia
Panelists:
- Lance Krall, Writer & Producer (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Picture It Productions)
- Additional Panelists To Be Announced
“Writers on Writing” with Julie Plec, presented by the Writers Guild Foundation
Panelists:
- Julie Plec (EP/Showrunner The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Roswell: New Mexico)
- Moderator: Enid Portuguez (The Writers Guild Foundation)
Writing Competitions and Fellowships AMA
Panelists:
- John Rhodes (Co-Founder, ScreenCraft)
- Anna Vecellio (Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Director)
- Mark Stasenko (Co-founder, WeScreenplay)
- Steven DeBose (Austin Film Festival Competition Director)
Writing to Get Your Sh%t Made: Tools for the Creator presented by HollyShorts
Panelists:
- Darrien Gipson (National Director, SAGindie)
- Marc Manus (Literary Manager, Zero Gravity Entertainment)
- Elizabeth Dell (Producer, Destination Wedding, B-Girl)
- Daniel Sol (Festival Director, HollyShorts)
Network, Cable or Streaming? A Television Battle Royale presented by SeriesFest
Panelists:
- Julie Plec (EP/Showrunner The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Roswell: New Mexico)
- Chad Kennedy, VP Current Programming, Warner Bros. Television
- Ben Cory Jones (Boomerang, Insecure, Underground)
- Moderator: Randi Kleiner, SeriesFest
