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Welcome Blacklisted Listeners!

Don't know where to start? I got you covered.

Screenwriting is much simpler than you think. That doesn't mean it's easy, but we make it so much complicated than it needs to be.

About Story and Plot

Through these courses, I will give you something I did not have early on in my career: a tangible, repeatable process to outline, write and rewrite.

I am going to teach you how to develop material. 

When you're done, you're going to feel liberated. You're going to feel more confident. You're going to be more decisive. And it's going to be far easier for you to find your own voice.

You will also have a process to fall back on that will last the rest of your career.

My focus is on practical skills. You will not get much theory here. We don't talk much about the majesty of cinema or how to be a better critic. What I teach is next steps. How to create, how to figure out what isn't working...

And then how to fix it.

This is a nuts-and-bolts framework from a working writer.

So if this sounds exciting to you, look at the NEXT STEPS beow.

About Me

I've written screenplays professionally for 28 years and taught the subject for 22. 

You don't kick around this business for this long without plenty of ups and downs. My first seven years were somewhat of a blur. I came screaming out of the gate, making good money and working with A-list actors and directors. But too immature and hungover, I wore out my welcome. Work dried up, and I thought I should probably do the same.

I went back to school full-time and finally got my bachelor's degree in my 30s. It was a wonderful, albeit humbling, experience. Just as I was starting to miss writing for a living, an old script of mine sold, and I was somehow back writing again.

I was determined not to repeat the same mistakes I made in those early years.

One thing I have done consistently through this time is teach. It has become one of the great joys of my life. My focus is on practical skills that make a difference. I know they work, because I use them myself, and I've seen students turn pro using these same processes.

I have written for, among others, Phoenix Pictures, TNT, MTV Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, ABC, NBC, CBS, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures and Disney. I've developed screenplays for Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage, Barry Sonnenfeld, Chow-Yun Fat, and others.

WINCHESTER, the film I co-wrote starring Helen Mirren and Sarah Snook, about the infamous Winchester Mystery House, opened nationwide in 2018 and my eighth film, THE HAUNTING OF THE QUEEN MARY released last year.

Two films are slated for production **knock on Wood** in 2025. DADDY'S GIRL for XYZ Films with Jonas Akerlund directing, while director David Gordon Green will helm my action-comedy MOST WANTED.

Some other films I've written include UNSTOPPABLE with Wesley Snipes, PLAYING HOUSE, which I directed, BLACKOUT with Jane Seymour, CRITICAL ASSEMBLY with Katherine Heigl, and a couple of others.

One of my big life goals was to teach screenwriting at my beloved alma mater, The University of Houston.

Which I now do. Go Coogs!

Next Steps

01

Enroll in a FREE course.

If you're just beginning your screenwriting career, your next step is my FREE email course, Screenwriting For Beginners. It's everything I wish I knew when I first started.

02

Subscribe

Subscribe to The Weekly Email if you haven't already done so. It's a FREE screenwriting lesson every week. Seriously.

04

Watch

These are two videos from the online course MASTERING STRUCTURE.

05

When you're ready:

Sign up for a course or work with me one-on-one. As a Blacklisted listener you get a 10% discount on all my courses. The order I recommend is:

  • Screenwriting for Beginners (FREE).
  • Mastering Structure.
  • Perfecting The Logline.
  • Idea To Outline.

Screenwriting Courses for all levels.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Story and Plot Weekly Email for 10% off.

Screenwriting For Beginners

A FREE email course covering everything I wish I knew before I started writing screenplays professionally.

Free Email course!

Learn More

Mastering Structure

How to recognize the underlying structure in movies to give you the confidence to develop and write your own.

$197

Idea to Outline

A proven step-by-step process to take even the rawest story idea and turn it into a professional quality screenplay that only YOU can write

$297

The Story and Plot Bundle

Save $150 when you enroll in the Story and Plot Bundle. You get Mastering Structure, Perfecting The Logline, and Idea To Outline for just $447.

These three courses transform your screenwriting and give you tools to last the rest of your career, all for less than one single in-person class.

Perfecting The Logline

Learn to write concise, compelling loglines that get people excited to read your screenplay.

$99

Screenplay Consultation

Comprehensive development notes on a completed screenplay .

$595

One-on-one Coaching

Personal consultations for story ideas, loglines and treatments.


$199/Hour

Don't forget your Cheat Sheet.

With clear instructions and simple questions, this Scene-to-Scene Cheat Sheet will make sure each scene in your screenplay is crisp, efficient, and a crucial building block to tell your story.


You'll see improvement in your screenwriting immediately.

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