Scripts.
AMERICAN SWASTIKA
When a Los Angeles family man's secret neo-Nazi past resurfaces, to avoid life behind bars he must become the man he swore he never again would be and infiltrate a white-supremacist terrorist organization before it seizes the White House.
Format: 60 min limited series
Genre: Thriller
Page count: 64
Adaptation: Yes; based on the novel of the same name
Accolades: Recommended by WeScreenplay — Top 1%; One of 9 scripts selected for the highly competitive Get Repped Now program by Coverage Ink
Coverage: “Some of the most heart-stopping television since a show like 24…. A story where anything could happen…. Some of the most fantastic narrative description this reader has ever read…. the writer manages to keep the many plotlines streamlined and integrated so that they never seem out of context or superfluous. Each feeds into the next and helps to develop the plot and/or reveal the motives of the characters in a convincing way…. The concept of this series is excellent, if not frightening and all too close to the truth… so many elements of the darkest sides of humanity all coming together at once in a perfect storm.”—WeScreenplay (Recommend, Top 1%)
“American Swastika is a truly epic adaptation. Every word is meticulously thought out. It’s hard to find any fault in the propulsive action and dynamic intercutting between multiple narrative arcs and settings. This is truly a well written conversion of the novel of the same name into a script. There are few faults with the adaptation itself because the writing is so exemplary…. Once it gets going, the action never lets up for any of the characters in this world who are all trying to preserve the way of life they think is at ‘war’ in this country…. A damn good read.”—Coverage Ink (One of 9 Scripts Selected for Get Repped Now)
LOVE ME LIKE A RAZOR
In 2000, after the disappearance of the Los Angeles porn industry's biggest male star, a widowed PI haunted by death accepts a job from the lover to find him; and one year before, two desperate young junkie lovers dream up the perfect score involving murder, deception—and a porn star.
Format: Feature
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Page count: 95
Adaptation: Yes; based on the Shamus Award-finalist novel Porno Valley
Accolades: Finalist: Coverfly Pitch Week Spring 2022; Semi-Finalist: Table Read My Screenplay Genre Competition 2022
Coverage:
“An astounding neo-noir.... wonderfully structured and filled with surprises as emotionally piercing as they are exciting.... An intriguing premise and some very well-drawn characters. Mickey is a truly appealing protagonist…we feel his loneliness…. The script’s depiction of compassion is genuinely affecting. And we ache for Alabama.” —The Black List
“Our team loved it and kept remarking how incredibly well written and structured it is. We especially enjoyed the wealth of dynamic female characters who were all completely unique from one another yet empowered in their own ways. Their voices popped off the page.” — Uri Singer, producer/owner of Passage Pictures (White Noise, 2022)
HIGHWAY OF TEARS
When Indigenous girls vanish from a remote Canadian town its hypocritical mayor and a Native woman seeking escape must confront the mysterious evil feeding on the Highway of Tears before there's no one left. Best Screenplay, VHS '22.
Format: Feature
Genre: Horror
Page count: 88
Adaptation: No; original spec
Accolades: Winner: Best Feature Screenplay, Vancouver Horror Show 2022; Reader Recommended on The Black List (8/10)
Coverage: “A superior horror movie that could excite indie producers… unusually sensitive, intelligent horror movie in the vein of IT FOLLOWS, THE WITCH, and MIDSOMMAR… characters are impressively well-developed… emotionally very piercing and presents a larger social commentary… the screenwriter beautifully interweaves this subject matter with complex mystery, drama, and horror elements that make this feel largely accessible to a wide audience… dialogue work is also crisp… the ending beats were such a piercing twist that is both haunting and memorable at the same time…. moves at a whip-fast pace and keeps the audience hooked and engaged throughout the entire read.” — The Black List (various)
THE RIDE HOME
When 14-year-old Roxy's estranged father, X, breaks out of a Texas prison, they must escape to Canada while avoiding capture by Deputy US Marshal Yolanda Jones and X's neo-Nazi sex-trafficker brother hunting for a stolen $10 million.
Format: 60 min limited series
Genre: Thriller
Page count: 57
Adaptation: No; original spec
Accolades: Semi-finalist: Willamette Writers FilmLabTV 2022
Coverage: “Now this is a pilot!… A pretty perfect pilot and hits every mark needed out of the ballpark to deliver a riveting story…. This plot moves at an exceptional rate. There isn't one line wasted and so many details are put into this story to really make this world take hold. Your ability to write the situations is what really impressed me because of how excellently you pulled us in…. I have to be honest, I can't even pinpoint a particular lull in this story because of how much information you seamlessly and effortlessly get through with the detailed and vivid style of your writing. There is a natural progression to the narrative but you never take a scene off for a "character beat" because your character beats are happening every second of the story…. Dialogue is so natural… as good as you can get.”—WeScreenplay