Atlantic Canadian Writers Selected for PEI Screenwriters’ Bootcamp
Organizers celebrate five years of coveted screenwriting training.
Charlottetown, June 7, 2011—The PEI Screenwriters’ Bootcamp, now in its fifth year, heralds the introduction of a third workshop, Writing Adaptations. The mentor responsible for the training, Ken Chubb, professional writer/story editor, brings with him a long list of impressive credits for his years working in the Canadian film and television industry. Mr. Chubb joins returning veteran mentors, Tom Shoebridge and Jennifer Podemski, both seasoned professionals who bring expertise and passion to the the group made up of aspiring screenwriters from across Atlantic Canada.
The following sixteen participants were selected by a jury of film and television representatives:
- Nova Scotia: Eva Madden, Chris Cuthbertson, Gillian Everill, Connie Littlefield, and Stephanie Sodero;
- New Brunswick: Jillian Acreman and Christine Leblanc;
- Prince Edward Island: Jodee Samuelson, Dennis Trainor, Robbie Moses, Laurel Smyth, Catherine O’Brien, Steven Mayoff, and Dawn Johnston;
- Newfoundland & Labrador: Julie Lewis and Mark Hoffe.
An afternoon panel discussion on Getting Your Work Produced is planned with guest presenters Jill Golick, President of the Writers’ Guild of Canada, creator of Ruby Skye, P,I and writer for many television series such as Instant Star and Zaboomafoo; Chef Michael Smith, creator and host of Food Country and host of Chef at Home, and Chef Abroad; Gretha Rose of Cellar Door Productions; and Adam Perry, Director of Food Country and Jiggers.
“Every year so far, we’ve explored something new,” remarked Louise Lalonde, Project Coordinator, “and this year, by offering a workshop on adaptations, we’re hoping to create opportunities for authors of a variety of written works to develop or see their work developed for both the big and small screens.”
Louise added that “Thanks to the support offered by our funders Telefilm Canada, Innovation PEI, the Bell Fund, the Independent Production Fund, and Astral Media, sixteen writers will benefit from a week of intensive training in the art of writing for the Canadian screen-based entertainment industry and that’s exciting for all of us.”
The workshops are being held at the Haviland Club in Charlottetown and local producers Periscope Pictures and Beachwalker Films as well as Peter Hall of CBC, and John Galway, President of the Harold Greenberg Fund will be in attendance on day five to hear pitches by the writers. This year also gives birth to the Skype pitch segment where participants will be meeting with producers from their respective provinces via Skype. This process is quickly becoming the way business is done, saving time, money, and energy and creating amazing opportunities for writers and producers to meet without limitations.
Bootcamp is presented in collaboration with Telefilm Canada and representatives from the Federal cultural investment agency will deliver a television and feature film funding information session to participants—important information for anyone looking to see their work come to life on the screen.
For more info:
PEI Screenwriters’ Bootcamp website
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Congrats everyone. It’s a wonderful way to spend a week – up close and personal with your scripts!