As promised in my last post, I would tell you about how I put together a submissions package in three days for the Canadian Film Centre’s Features program.  I heard the deadline was coming up about a week before and sat on the fence about it, unsure of its benefits before making the decision to [...]

Sometimes you’ll be able to email your one-sheet (a single page pitch document) to producers and they’ll ask for the script if they’re interested. The best way to pitch is in person.  It’s a good idea to be prepared to pitch at any time ’cause you never know when you might run into someone who [...]

As requested, here’s the low-down on how some of Canada’s screenwriters and showrunners got their big break. Karen Walton – The Eleventh Hour, Queer As Folk, Ginger Snaps, runs INK Canada. On first look, it would seem like Karen got in the biz by fluke.  She wrote a short story at the age of 30, which won a [...]

Yesterday I attended a free TV Writers’ Conference at Ryerson.  There was an interesting mix of students and experienced writers.  It’s nice that local writers all came out to offer their insights and advice to the fledgeling writers’ community. The morning touched on the changing media landscape.  Jill Golick presented a few examples of projects [...]

I’ve been doing a lot of networking lately, and you’d be surprised at the number of professionals I meet who are jaded, jealous and just down-right pessimistic.  Yes, times are hard.  Yes, Canada is a tough industry that doesn’t pay very much, but there is some truth to the adage that you reap what you sew.  So…here [...]