We are thrilled to announce the Grand Prize Winner of the 2020 Write LA screenwriting competition.
The 2020 Write LA Grand Prize Winner
Nathan Dame – Fräulein Schreiber’s Mixtape | comedy pilot
A spirited young musician chases her dream of becoming a rock star, but she struggles to be taken seriously by the beatnik-hipster boys who rule the music scene in 1820s Vienna.
Congratulations, Nathan! For Mr. Dame’s modified Grand Prize (because 2020), he’ll get to see his work read via Zoom by working actors, professionally edited together, and posted online for the world to enjoy. We’ll also set up two Zoom Q&A meetings for Nathan with Industry Insiders who can share insights and advice specific to his career goals. And that’s in addition to the free copy of Final Draft 11 from Final Draft, three screenwriting books from Michael Wiese Productions, and consideration by targeted reps through Roadmap Writers.
Congratulations are also in order for the wonderful writers who reached the Semifinals and Finals this year. Below please find the loglines for each writer’s advancing script. If any industry professionals would like to learn more about these scripts, please contact Tim Schildberger at tim@write-la.com.
The 2020 Write LA Finalists
Johnny Gilligan – Savant | sci-fi pilot
When a troubled sketch artist with synesthesia begins seeing events from the past as holographic images, he teams up with a rough-and-ready private eye to crack unsolved cases — but an infamous physicist with similar powers has bigger plans for him.
Jackie Hedeman & Molly Olguin – Without Apology | drama feature
In 1944 England, a 16-year-old orphan just beginning to discover her true self is cast out of her best friend’s home, ending up in the employ of an aging aristocrat who infamously had an affair with Oscar Wilde.
Justin Olson – Ephemeral | sci-fi pilot
A guilt-ridden physicist resurrects the hometown he destroyed decades ago inside a massive Time Sphere, giving himself just 27 hours to save his wife and son from nuclear catastrophe.
Matthew White – Tension | thriller feature
Stranded at the top of a 2,000-foot TV tower when a cable snaps, a by-the-book trainee must get herself and her injured instructor to safety before the whole tower comes down.
The 2020 Write LA Semifinalists
Carmela Corbett – The Stand-In | comedy pilot
A British actress and accidental murderer gets blackmailed into the role of a lifetime as the First Lady’s body double at the White House.
Rhonda Deskins – Ellie’s Tale | horror feature
Inspired by true events, a free Black woman in antebellum New Orleans must summon all her strength when the city’s most infamous slave owner traps her in a house of horrors.
James Foye – Revolutionary Spy | historical feature
Based on a true story from the Revolutionary War, a heroic slave agrees to act as Lafayette’s spy behind British enemy lines.
Steve Garvin – Hunter Killer | drama pilot
Assigned to a new unit following D-Day, a war-weary captain must pinpoint which of his new soldiers is a ruthless serial killer — before the killer comes after him.
Clark Kosene – Holy Land | comedy pilot
At the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem — one of the holiest sites in Christianity — an Ethiopian Orthodox monk tries to get the various faith leaders who share the building to agree on much-needed renovations, but no one has agreed on anything in about 800 years.
Gabriela Ortega – Accidental Feminist | comedy pilot
Rejected from her dream job at a news magazine for not having enough “edge,” a model-minority rule follower takes a gig at a radical feminist magazine and quickly learns that rule-breaking is easier said than done.
Deborah Riley – A Couple of Months | drama feature
A young couple struggles to accept the death of their toddler to leukemia — and the unplanned conception of a new baby.
Tom Savage – Moving the Goalposts | sports feature
A team of semi-pro English footballers head to the smallest island nation in the world to help launch a national team, but things become more complicated when they learn that the island’s best player is imprisoned in an offshore immigration detention center.
Andrew Stussie – Jump | action comedy feature
In the near future, a wise-cracking cop with a reckless streak must teleport across the globe when someone he wronged kidnaps his wife.
Michael Webber – Organics | comedy pilot
Stuck on survivor hunting duty in the American Southwest, two dysfunctional robots stumble upon a group of humans who are way cooler than their overlords led them to believe, so they decide to switch sides.
Congratulations again to the Top 15 and to Nathan Dame! We’ll share more details about the Grand Prize Live Read in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!