What motivated you to become a writer?

When I was a young girl, I lived with my mother, who is African-American, as well as my brother and sister. I was also raised by my white stepfather, Jake, who was not only a film buff, but a member of the Philadelphia Italian Mafia. I would write stories based on stuff he’d share with me about the Mob, but of course, I couldn’t share those stories with anyone. Still, I would write and read books, which gave me much joy. I entered essay contests in grade school, junior high, and high school and won several. When I was ten, my stepfather started taking me to the movies every Sunday. It was our special day. Jake instilled in me the dream that one day I would become a director and a screenwriter. I didn’t believe him at first, but over time his dream became mine. I continued to write throughout high school and on to college, where I worked as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. At La Salle University, I majored in Communications, and several of the courses focused on journalism, film and screenwriting.

Starting on a blank page is not easy- where does your creativity come from?

I’ve had a rough life. After my stepfather died, my mother married another man, who was abusive. At 15, my mother kicked me out the house because of this new man in her life. I was homeless. To survive I had to resort to drugs and prostitution. When I got pregnant, I knew I had to get off the streets, not only for the sake of my unborn child, but to fulfill Jake’s dream. I got clean from drugs, and went back to school. I continued reading and writing. I put the stories of what Jake told me about the Mafia and my experiences on the streets and wrote my memoir, HERE I STAND. It was published in 2012. Creativity for me comes from life. Seeing how people live, survive, and overcome obstacles. How they have resilience, faith, and pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Many great stories there to tell.

Do you write projects knowing that so many other factors need to happen to get it to screen and does that come into your project creation?

I write projects that I will direct. I am careful to keep the budget low, locations to a minimal, little or no special effects, etc. This way I can realistically produce the film. I have a feature film, A Sense of Purpose: Fighting For Our Lives, that was completed late 2018. That movie has won several awards, had a five day theatrical screening in NY, and will be coming out on VOD this year. I’m currently in pre-production for my next movie, entitled A Cup Full of Crazy, a thriller that deals with mental illness. Things came to a halt when the COVID virus hit.

What is your dream for this project and what other ancillary revenue do you think it could generate? Please include script title in reply.

I hope A Cup Full of Crazy gets a run in theaters or picked up by HBO or Netflix. I am seeking to attach a couple of well-known actors and mixed martial arts fighters, since MMA is part of the script. I’ll have to start all over when we’re back to “normal” to find investors.

Logline – An award winning screenwriter, who is recovering from an emotional breakdown, must figure out who is terrorizing her before she goes insane.

How has your experience been with screenwriting contests for this project so far?

I haven’t entered my scripts in any contests because I always direct. But I do have people in the industry read my scripts, give me feedback. However, I do have a couple of other screenplays that I am going to enter into a few contests this year, because I’m not too concerned with directing those. It will be interesting to enter my scripts and see how they do because I am a judge for a screenwriting contest called Set in Philadelphia and I also teach screenwriting classes.

If you could stand in a room full of investor partners looking at many projects what would you like them to know about you and this project?

As a filmmaker, I believe movies should not only entertain audiences, but empower or educate, as well.  A Cup Full of Crazy tackles the serious subject of mental illness.   The U.S. Surgeon General has estimated that 970 million people worldwide suffer from mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar, schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, etc.

I hope my movie will shed more light on this serious issue that plagues everyone from the average man, woman or child to celebrities, professional athletes, politician, musicians, pastors, etc. And the fact that I’ll be able to make this movie entertaining and engaging even while dealing with a tough subject is important to me so audiences can become one with the protagonist and root for her to overcome her mental and emotional demons.

Do you have any website links for your writing, credits, background, etc that you would like to share?

www.jbullockenterprises.com