The annual fall Courier 12 Screenwriting Conference will be held on DePaul's Loop Campus Sept. 29. (Image courtesy of Courier 12) CHICAGO
— Entertainers, producers and screenwriters will join the DePaul University
School of Cinematic Arts for the annual Courier 12 Screenwriting Conference
Sept. 29. Held on DePaul’s Loop Campus, Courier 12 is the premier screenwriting
event in the Midwest and will feature panel discussions from leading writing
talent in the entertainment industry.“There
are many conferences and festivals that feature actors, directors and
producers, but very few that exist solely to serve screenwriters,” said Brad
Riddell, an associate professor in DePaul’s School of Cinematic Arts. “Our
faculty and students work hard every year to draw A-list talent to Chicago so
that our burgeoning creative community can benefit from the experience and
insight of those who have achieved great success as professional content
creators. I count our faculty moderators among them, as each has an impressive
record of writing for film and television.
“We’re
proud to be one of the nation’s most prominent venues for discussing the art
and craft of screenwriting,” Riddell added.
The conference will take
place Saturday, Sept. 29, noon-7 p.m. in DePaul’s Daley Building, 247 S. State
St. Admission to the event is free and open to the public. Attendees are
encouraged to reserve a seat at http://bit.ly/courier122018. Panels
include:
Second City Legends
Noon
Producer Trevor Albert
(Groundhog Day) and writer Dick Blasucci (SCTV Mad TV) discuss their adventures
in the world of comedy. Particularly the benefits of embracing improvisation in
all aspects of one’s professional life.
The YouTube Launchpad
1:30 p.m.
Allison Raskin is a screenwriter, podcast innovator, New York Times
best-selling novelist, and co-creator of “Just Between Us,” a YouTube comedy
channel with 750,000 subscribers. She will delve into the process behind
self-distributing content, exploiting your voice and how streaming platforms
can help writers build a career. School of Cinematic Arts faculty member Brad
Riddell will moderate.
Culture of the Writer’s
Room
3
p.m.
Rafael
Agustín is a writer on “Jane the Virgin,” a 2016 Sundance Fellow, and currently
serves as the Executive Director of the Latino Film Institute, for which he was
named one of the 50 most essential people in Los Angeles. As an alumnus of the
CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase, he will discuss culture and television writing
with School of Cinematic Arts faculty member, José Soto.
How to Win an Emmy
4:30 p.m.
Megan
Amram currently writes for “The Good Place,” and has written for “Parks and
Rec,” “The Simpsons,” “Transparent,” Adult Swim’s “Children’s Hospital,” and
“Silicon Valley.” Amram is a 2018 Emmy Award Nominee for her web series, “An
Emmy for Megan,” which is about her quest to win an Emmy. She will discuss
writing for television, creating a web series and her Emmy aspirations with
School of Cinematic Arts faculty member Anna Maria Hozian.
Finding A Quiet Place
6 p.m.
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are the writing team behind 2018’s smash-hit
horror/thriller film, “A Quiet Place.” Their screenplay has proven to be
revolutionary in many ways, and they will discuss its inspiration, evolution
and execution with “Go Into the Story” blogger and School of Cinematic Arts
faculty member Scott Myers.
DePaul’s School of
Cinematic Arts was recently ranked No. 13 on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of
America’s Top 25 Film Schools. Starting this fall, DePaul is offering comedy
filmmaking degrees with The Second City, Chicago’s iconic center for
improvisational comedy. DePaul’s 35,000-square-foot facilities at Cinespace
Chicago Film Studios on the city’s west side include three professional
soundstages, green screen cycloramas, a 3-ton grip truck and high-end editing
suites and mixing studios. For more information, visit http://cdm.depaul.edu/film.
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Source:
Brad Riddell
briddell@cim.depaul.edu
312-972-5614
Media Contact:
Russell Dorn
rdorn@depaul.edu
312-362-7128