An Opportunity for Thriller Screenwriters

Hello fellow writers!

Let’s talk about getting your foot in the door as a new writer.

It’s not easy. Even after you’ve rewritten and polished your screenplay, it can often feel like no one’s willing to read it unless you have an agent or manager. And that can be not only frustrating, but demoralizing.

I remember what it was like when I was starting out thirty years ago. Fresh out of the best film school in the country, I thought people would be banging down my door to hire me. They weren’t.

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I had to seek out situations that would give me a chance to prove myself—prove that I was a talented writer that could take direction and work in a collaborative environment. That finally happened after I spent a few years working in development. My first writing opportunity came when a producer I had worked for previously asked if I’d do a rewrite of one of his scripts that would later air on USA Network.

I jumped at the chance and did two rewrites. Proud of receiving my first paycheck for writing, I actually photocopied and framed it and hung it on my wall.

But after two drafts, I promptly got fired from that project and a more experienced writer was brought on to finish it.

Five years passed before my next paid writing gig. Interestingly, it was with the same producer who gave me a second chance after sending him two specs I’d written that he really liked.

I’d spent those five years honing the craft and getting better at writing, and it paid off.

This time, he didn’t fire me. I was the last writer on and the film I was hired to rewrite aired on Lifetime Network.

That was the true start of my writing career. I went on to write and rewrite more than sixty screenplays for the network, often working with that same producer, until I eventually branched out and started producing and directing as well.

Each writing credit gave me more credibility and added to the 10,000 hours needed to become an expert in screenwriting, and specifically thriller-writing for network television. Producers began reaching out to me wanting to hire me, and as the work rolled in, I moved to a level of success where I had the option to say no to projects I didn’t like.

It took several years, but it all started with one opportunity and one writing credit.

Now, I’m in the process of writing two projects I absolutely love—one for Hallmark and one for Lifetime. But it’s never too late for new opportunities to present themselves and that’s what happened in December of last year.

A successful production/distribution company asked if I’d like to produce some films for them. The same kind of films that I started my career writing three decades ago—thrillers.

I’ve produced several movies, but not since 2022, so this seemed like a great fit. I told them I’d be delighted to. And that brings me to where I’m at right now—in a position to help new writers. I’ll be producing three—or potentially more—of Lifetime Channel’s lower budget thrillers and I need scripts. I’ll be working directly with the creative team at Lifetime Network to take stories from the concept stage, through development and production, and ultimately deliver a finished film.