ACT ONE SEMINARS - SCREENWRITING & THE BUSINESS OF HOLLYWOOD

Do you have a story to tell?
Or do you want to get an insider's understanding of the business of The Biz?
Do you have what it takes to make it in Hollywood – as a follower of Jesus?
It’s time to find out.

Act One, Inc. presents Act One Seminars - intensive, practical workshops for aspiring and professional writers and entrepreneurs who are serious about their Christian faith and who dream of creating culture that respects and enriches a global audience. These two-day seminars offer a fun, fast-paced overview of our renowned Writing and Executive Programs, taught by Hollywood professionals. Topics include -

MAIN SESSIONS:

·  Finding Your Story
·  Film Structure
·  Pitching
·  Visual Writing
·  The Business of Hollywood/Next Steps
·  Christianity and Culture
·  Truth in Film
·  The Hollywood Mission Field

SKILL-BASED BREAKOUTS:

*Choose from one of the two breakout tracks*

Writing:
·  Character & Dialogue
·  Outlines & Treatments
·  Industry Standard Formatting

Producing:
·  Who Does What?:   From Best Boy to Executive Producer
·  Introduction to the Marketplace & Commercial Creativity
·  Optioning a Winning Script or Other Source Material

If you love film and television, if you're crazy about telling stories, and if you're serious about your faith, Act One Seminars are designed for you - and chances are, we're coming to your area this year. Don't miss it!

Rock Island, IL - REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!

Dates:
Friday, September 19, 2008 - 1:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Saturday, September 20, 2008 - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
        
Location:  
Heritage Church
4801 44th St.
Rock Island, IL  61201

Scheduled To Appear:
        Thom Parham, Dean Batali, other speakers TBD
       
Registration:
REGISTRATION
$195 - (includes study materials, Saturday lunch and Hollywood Insider Event)

STUDENT/GROUP REGISTRATION
$175 - Students (with ID), and Groups (10 or more)

HOLLYWOOD INSIDER EVENT
  Friday, September 19 from 7:00-10:00 pm
$10 - Hollywood Insider Event only

Act One, Inc. is proud to partner with our co-sponsor Heritage Church
and additional sponsor Pepperdine University.

Colorado Springs, CO - REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!

Join us for Act One’s first ALL-INCLUSIVE Weekend Seminar at the spectacular Glen Eyrie Castle.

Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, just minutes from downtown Colorado Springs, CO, sits a Christian conference and retreat center unlike any other. With over 800 acres of stately pines and whispering aspen, lush lawns, sparkling waterfalls and majestic sandstone rock faces combined with the tutelage of true Hollywood professionals, you don’t want to miss this one!

Check out the beauty of Glen Eyrie here:

Dates:
Friday, January 30, 2009 - 1:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Saturday, January 31, 2009 - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
        
Location:  
Glen Eyrie Castle and Conference Center
3820 N. 30th St .
Colorado Springs , CO  80904

Scheduled To Appear :
        Thom Parham, Monica Jimenez-Grillo, other speakers TBD
        
Early Bird Registration through December 22
$265 - includes study materials, meals
(Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch & dinner) and Hollywood Insider Event

$415 – includes study materials, meals
(Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch & dinner, Sunday breakfast),
2 nights stay (Friday & Saturday) and Hollywood Insider Event

Limited rooms are available – sign up today.

Prices after December 22 - $285 & $435

Act One, Inc. is proud to partner with our co-sponsor Glen Eyrie Castle

Who Should Attend?
Act One Conferences welcome all professional and aspiring writers, producers and entertainment executives. If your state says you're old enough for high school, you're old enough for our seminar. We don't care what church you attend, or how you vote - if you love Jesus and love the idea of creating film and television, come spend a life-changing weekend with us. Bring a pen, a sense of humor, and an open heart and ready mind.

You Should Know...
Our sessions are packed with film and television clips. Some of them include brief instances of adult subject matter and language. We do our best to present these clips in a Christian context, but they don't necessarily represent the worldview of Act One, Inc. or our instructors. If the MPAA were rating our seminars, they'd probably call them PG - and so do we.

Your conference registration is NON-REFUNDABLE.  If your plans change, we'll be happy to credit your registration fee to another Act One Conference within a 12 month period - or transfer your registration to anyone you choose.

CONFERENCE INSTRUCTORS

(Not all instructors appear at all conferences)

Sheryl J. Anderson , an entertainment industry veteran, has served as a television studio executive and a half-hour writer. She currently works as a writer and producer for hour-long series. Sheryl's credits include Flash Gordon , Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Dave's World, Charmed, and For The People . She and her husband also write the Molly Forrester novel series ( Killer Heels, Killer Cocktail ). In addition to her work with Act One, Sheryl teaches for the UCLA Extension Writers' Program.

Dean Batali is a writer and producer of some of television's most popular and provocative shows. He began his career writing for regional theater, and transitioned to television writing for Duckman , Bruno the Kid , Mickey's Campfire Tales , NBC's Hope and Gloria , and Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete and Pete . He also wrote for the first two seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer . Most recently Dean served as Executive Producer for That 70's Show . He is currently writing for the Fox News comedy show, The Half Hour News Hour and developing new television pilots for two networks. 

Thom Deason is the Executive Director of Act One, Inc.  A producer in his own right, he previously worked for Grammnet Pictures on the Paramount studio lot and has produced several award-winning short films ( Mosca Amor, Jaded, FooL4LuV ). He is currently producing the Hurricane Katrina aftermath drama, Saturation , and the documentary Revolution Of Hope , as well as developing a number of film and television properties through his company, Fool's Errand Films.

Lauri Evans Deason is a screenwriter ( FooL4LuV, Conspiracy, Nowhere Montana ), script consultant, and playwright ( Radioland Christmas, Threads ).  A former journalist and producer for FOX and CBS news, she co-founded Fool's Errand Films with her husband, Thom.  Together they produced Revolution Of Hope , a documentary about Romanian orphans, and are developing a number of film and television properties.

Jack Gilbert is the former Workshop Director of the industry's most prestigious and successful television writing program, the Warner Bros. Writers Workshop. He has also been a freelance reader for the William Morris Agency, NBC, and MTM Productions, and consulted on projects ranging from The Addams Family to Batman Forever . Jack is currently coordinator of Act One's TV Track and Alumni Programs as well as an Adjunct Professor at Azusa Pacific University and Columbia College of Chicago.

Monica Jimenez-Grillo is a filmmaker whose projects have taken her from autopsy rooms to aircraft carriers.   On dry land, she has worked as a field producer and assistant director for episodic television ( The New Detectives, FBI Files ), feature films, and music videos.   She developed the story for and is currently co-producing the Hurricane Katrina aftermath drama Saturation .   Monica left her beloved Dominican Republic to study opera in Belgium, and later earned her M.A. in directing and editing.   She is the producer of the City of the Angels Film Festival, the President of Cricket Films, and the director of the Act One Executive Program.

Barbara Nicolosi is a screenwriter ( The Work, Select Society ), script consultant ( The Passion Of The Christ ), columnist ( National Catholic Register ), author ( Behind The Screen ), and the founder of Act One, Inc. Barbara currently works as a development executive for Origin Entertainment and serves as Board Chairman for Act One, Inc. She is also a board member of Catholics In Media.

Dr. Thom Parham is a writer, producer, and script consultant whose television credits include the CBS dramas JAG and Touched By An Angel , and the Family Channel sitcom Big Brother Jake . His film production company, Dos Negros Entertainment, recently released the short films, Jaded and Someone Else . Thom is also an Associate Professor of Theater, Film, and Television at Azusa Pacific University. 

Chris and Kathy Riley are screenwriters whose first film, After The Truth , an award-winning German-language courtroom thriller, sparked international controversy in 1999 when it was released in Germany. The husband-wife team also wrote 25 To Life (Touchstone Pictures), The Other White House (Sean Connery's Fountainbridge Films ) and Aces (Paramount Pictures), and adapted the nonfiction book Actual Innocence (Mandalay/FOX Television).   A veteran of the Warner Bros. script department, Chris is the author of The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style .

Chuck Slocum is Assistant Executive Director of the Writers Guild of America, West.   He has worked in the entertainment industry for nearly twenty years in a variety of financial and strategic planning capacities, including television finance at Paramount Pictures, audience research for ABC Television, and a stint as a game show judge for NBC.   Chuck earned his MBA from the Wharton School of Business.   He currently serves as the vice chairman of the Act One board of directors.

Jessica Urven , Act One Programs Coordinator, directs the Weekend Conferences and Learning Labs nationwide.  In addition to her work with Act One, she is the Artistic Director for the live theater production Creative Christmas, and has served as a script supervisor and production accountant on various short films.  Jessica spent several years on staff at Heritage Church in Illinois, coordinating and supervising all technical and creative aspects of their live drama, video, and media presentations.

CONFERENCE NEWS, REVIEWS, and FAQs

According to our post-conference evaluations, 96% of our participants say they would recommend the experience to a friend. Need more convincing? We'll leave that to them.

" Act One has done an amazing job of telling it like it is in Hollywood. They have also done an amazing job of telling it like it could be - a place where art, beauty, and truth can transform lives." (San Diego)

"Invest in this weekend. It's given me the confidence and resolve to start packing my bags for Hollywood...and that's from good ole' Wisconsin." (Madison)

"This conference challenged me professionally and personally, both in my craft and the direction God is leading it." (Portland)

"The weekend planted in me the idea that I can let my little light shine in a place that previously was completely closed to me - Hollywood. Act One and its students are impacting the world for eternity!" (Las Vegas)

"A perfect introduction to the craft and business of screenwriting - a well-balanced mix of practical instruction, honesty, and inspiration." (Seattle)

"A refreshing reality-check - the best two days of nuts, bolts and inspiration any believer seriously considering writing for Hollywood can get." (Philadelphia)

"I have been tossing around the idea of starting to write some of my own stories and didn't know where to begin. This seminar gave me the guidance, direction and foundation that I needed to get started. This has been a great experience." (Atlanta)

Coming Soon - FAQs. In the meantime, email your specific questions to jessica@actoneprogram.com and keep checking this site for updates and online registration!