What motivated you to become a writer?

My fourth grade teacher held a writing contest which I entered and won. When she read my story to the entire class this gave me confidence and brought me out of my shell. While my parents didn’t quite absorb the magnitude of what seemed to me as a monumental achievement I used this experience to fuel my desire to tell stories and write.

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

My creativity comes from recalling either a word, phase or a unique situation that takes place during a conversation or sometimes it is derived from a piece of literature or from a current event. I jot whatever it is down on a post-it and I have a little bin at my desk for collecting these notes. I’ll run through my sticky notes from time to time to spur my creativity.

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 always take factors into consideration when it comes to projects. The main one being budget and this has motivated me to choose what I want to write about and how I would tell my story. I especially like to think like a producer when I’m working on rewrites. My first job on set was as a script supervisor and eventually I transitioned into an office job working in film distribution, both these roles were less creative then I preferred however, they gave me valuable insight on how to see a project through and have it reach the screen.

What is your dream for this project and what other ancillary revenue do you think it could generate?

My dream for this project is seeing Sushi Cowboy produced and having international box office success enabling it to reach super fandom. Sushi Cowboy is the first of a trilogy of West goes East “sagas”. It takes place in the late 80’s, Peeking Cowgirl in 1999 and the third Saddle UP And Wait, in 2020. The ancillary revenue would relate to an inclusive theme park or (parks) that are complete with beautiful gardens, sublime Buddhas and majestic coy ponds, juxtaposed with the gritty main streets of the old west and mechanical bulls. Given that fashion is showcased in all three stories, there is huge marketing potential for brand collaboration. It’s feasible that this project could also garner interest in a YA book series adaptation.

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

I entered Sushi Cowboy into the Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting but I did not place. I have several other screenplays and therefore I set a limit of only two contests per script. I have used Sushi Cowboy as a “show” script in order to throw my hat into the ring for writing gigs, which has proven fruitful on two occasions. The first time, I was hired by an Iraq war hero, to adapt his life story into a screenplay. The second time I was hired to pen a biography based on the life of James Blakeley III, an iconic 20th Century Fox TV and Film Executive. As a member of ISA my submission of Sushi Cowboy to an Industry Producer is also up for consideration, while not a contest per se I feel my experience has been overall positive.

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?

This is a story about an underdog who bucks the odds and eventually, somehow emerges triumphant. Sushi Cowboy is Rocky on a bull. This “fish out of water” tale is one I lived when I was offered a modeling contract right after college and soon found myself “lost in translation” and clueless in foreign cities. Now, decades later my experiences have shifted but I still love to write stories that are visually stunning and remind audiences that the human condition exists in all of us no matter where we live and it is these central feelings that make us all feel connected and alive.

Do you have any website links for your writing, credits, background, etc that you would like to share?
www.DeRuse-Moore.com