Andy Sweat would like coverage of his treatment and pilot for a television show.

Title: The Library
Page Count: 50
Genre: 30 minute, comedy

Logline: Based on Scott Douglas’s published memoir, “Quiet Please: Dispatches From a Public Librarian.

If you would like to cover this, please RSVP to this here. The first three people who RSVP will be asked to do coverage.

Thanks,
Julia

As I announced at the August GMM, I have stepped down as President of AWG. I’m moving to New York, for family and professional reasons. But I’ll miss my friends at AWG, and I’m grateful for your support throughout my time in Los Angeles.

Many of you have been very kind in your gratitude for my service. But AWG has greatly helped me improve my craft and promoted me professionally, and some of my closest friends in L.A. are my fellow AWG members. And the more that I’ve volunteered with AWG, from The Working Title to the Whole Script SIG to the Board, the more that I’ve improved as a writer and the closer I’ve grown to my friends. That’s the secret about volunteering: Somehow, you get back more than you give.

I’d like to thank my Board members — Exec VP Demetrious Polychron, VP for Programming Karen Callahan, VP for Membership Karen Cooper, VP At-Large Julia Bergeron, Treasurer Sarah Johnson, and Secretary Colin Brownlie — for making me look so good month after month. I’d also like to thank our SIG leaders — Karl Iglesias, Donnie Dale, Doug Miller, Brian McCarthy, Heather Ames, Karen Cooper, and Demetrious and Colin — for doing such a good job running the most important part of AWG, our monthly workshops. And I’d like to thank all our other volunteers — Moorel Bey on the member web pages, Bonnie Schroeder on membership, Ken Niblock and Hans Hausman on A/V, and John Rheaume and Alan Miller on refreshments. They all do their part and do it well, and make invaluable contributions to AWG.

As your new president, Demetrious is poised to take AWG to new heights. We’ve got the short script contest coming, a stronger presence than ever at the Screenwriting Expo, and plans for an even bigger PitchFest in 2009. But he can’t do it alone, and I hope that you’ll offer your assistance in the months to come. Many hands make for light work, so the more of you who volunteer, the easier the work will be for all and the more we can do as a group.

You can find me on Facebook and reach me via e-mail at chrisdc@mac.com. I don’t know if I’ll find a writers’ group in New York, but I’m sure that I can’t find one that will mean as much to me as AWG. Thanks to all of you, and best of luck.

Now get back to writing!

AWG is taking another step to promote its writers. This fall, AWG will sponsor a short film competition for its members. Details are still being ironed out, but basically we’ll accept submissions from any AWG member, have a panel of our industry friends select the best script, and then produce the script ourselves to promote AWG.

To that end, for our September GMM we’ll invite in a panel of short filmmakers — or rather, short film makers — to speak on the particularities of this form. It’ll be a great opportunity for members to learn what it takes to make a solid short script and film. So start thinking of those ten-pages-or-less ideas, and mark your calendars for Saturday, September 6.

Each year, thousands of screenwriters apply for the Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, or colloquially “the Nicholls,” which is administered by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. The Academy announced the quarterfinalists this week, and we’ve already heard of one AWG member who’s made the cut.

Congratulations to Kim Townsel, my predecessor at The Working Title. Her screenplay Jet Lag has made it to the quarterfinals, roughly the top five percent of all entrants. Here’s a logline:

Morgan Campbell is a bored teacher looking for adventures she can control without disturbing her carefully arranged life. When love and passion arrive with musician Scottie Lane, the two are almost destroyed by his heroin addiction and her alcoholism. As the world discovers their secret affair, she fights to keep her career, her privacy, and the man she loves

Just making the quarterfinals is quite an accomplishment, and we look forward to hearing more good news from Kim and other members in “the Nicholls.”

At our DIY panel a few months back, Michael Lent and Brian McCarthy told us about their new graphic novel project, the western-themed horror tale Brimstone. Not only have the pair finished their graphic novel, but last weekend they attended Comic-Con in San Diego to sign copies of their masterpiece.

Michael and Brian teamed with panel artist Mike Kim, and their cover art was created by Kody Chamberlain of 30 Days of Night. Congrats to all, and particularly to Michael and Brian for truly embodying that DIY spirit.

Brimstone will be released in 2009. You can learn more about Brimstone — including art galleries and artist bios — at http://brimstoneonline.com.

Creative Screenwriting magazine is running a story in an upcoming issue about writers groups, and AWG will be featured in the piece.

They’ve asked for photographs of our members in action, so if any of you have photos of our members in action, be it from the SIGs or GMMs, then please e-mail them to me by this Thursday.

Marilyn Mallory’s script The Sunshine Blonde has made it to the quarter finals in the Page International screenplay contest, out of almost 4000 scripts worldwide.  On Aug. 1 she’ll hear if she’s made it to the semi-finals, and we wish her the best of luck.

Marilyn also reports that she attended the Great American Pitch Fest in June, and one producer to whom she pitched has already contacted me about the script that she pitched. I know that several of our members also attended Great American with similar succes, and congrats to them all.

We’ve lost our venue for the Act One SIG, and haven’t yet been able to find a new one. Looks like we’ll have to cancel this month’s meeting, but if we find a place then you’ll get an e-mail through Zoji.

If you have any leads on good replacement venues, then please e-mail me. Act One SIG meets the third Monday of each month from 7-10 pm.

AWG member Ted Fekula has started his own film financing group on Meetup.com, and he’s inviting all members to join up. From Ted’s writeup on Meetup:

“Each member will be allocated three minutes to present their project for financing. Each member will present 100 word advertisement to fund their project.

Immediately after each presentation, all members will be provided the opportunity to critique the presentation.”

This isn’t an official AWG event, but we’re happy to promote and encourage our members’ independent efforts to advance in the craft and business of writing.

Investing in Film meets this Saturday at Ted’s place, 32960 Stagecoach Road in Nuevo, CA. You can get directions at Mapquest.com. For details on the gathering visit Meetup.com and search for Investing in Film in Nuevo, CA 92567, or you can e-mail Ted.

Thanks very much to all who attended our first-ever PitchFest this past Saturday. We’re all grateful for the producers who came to hear our pitches: Susan Johnston of Select Services Films; Will and Rosa Graham of Find the Funny; Edward Plumb and our own Jeff Szalay; Judd Taylor of Michael Black Management; and my predecessor Marc Cushman. Special thanks go to Jeff for first proposing the PitchFest, and to Marc for getting here depsite his car breaking down that morning!

Of course, I’m grateful for all the work that the Board did in planning and running such a smooth operation. And it couldn’t have gone as well as it did without the professionalism of our members who pitched.

Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive, though your Board already has several plans for a bigger and better event next year. If you have any suggestions for improving PitchFest, email Yours Truly.

Don’t forget to follow up with any producers who asked to see material from you, and best of luck in the business and craft of writing!