WRITER PROFILE
It’s always great to get together with a large group of writers and investors and keep up to date on what’s new, the screenplay contest, any recent deals, new dealmaker contacts, agents or managers that are looking and simply encouraging everyone to keep going after every dream in this difficult industry. For the hard working writer we want to do as much as we can to continue the exposure and word of mouth in the investment circles of the industry. Another way we do this is with writer interviews that we send far and wide and showcase at all possible meetings and markets.
We want to encourage your writing spirit, motivate you and again give you the accolades you so deserve.
UP A STEEP GRADE
Written by Carol Hoffman
What motivated you to become a writer?
As a major market radio news director/news anchor, it was my job to inform and entertain the listeners. Whenever I had a lot of great information I couldn’t use, I turned the brief radio stories into magazine and newspaper articles. Then I bought a few screenwriting books and formed Nib Star Productions. I couldn’t afford to make UP A STEEP GRADE, a period project, but I did write, produce and direct an award winning documentary about the main character.
Starting on a blank page is not easy – where does your creativity come from?
My creativity comes from jobs, volunteering, interviews I have done and conversations with family, friends and strangers. When a teenage fast food worker told me he made a prom dress for his girl friend, I used that in one of my romantic comedies. I walk Agatha, my American Eskimo rescue dog, to clear my head and solve writing problems. I played Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap and got Agatha after my Boxer-Shepherd rescue dog, Hitchcock, passed away. I also draw, paint, take pictures (my original plan was to study art, but that’s another story) and drink wine by grapevines in my garden.
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 am aware of the challenges. It depends on the story. There is no getting around the expense of covering years of someone’s life. UP A STEEP GRADE is a biopic about Robert R. Young from 1916 to 1958 during which time the scrapper from Texas makes a fortune on Wall Street and becomes a railroad magnate while battling depression.
What is your dream for this project and what other ancillary revenue do you think it could generate?
When people see the documentary, the first thing they say is, “Wow! What an interesting man. I can’t believe I never heard of him.” My dream is to find an investor who can help me bring to the world this fascinating account of a colorful railroad reformer whose campaign for modernization of the rail system still benefits the nation today. I would welcome the opportunity to be a part of the project in any form. A video game, railroad merchandise and apparel are possibilities for ancillary revenue.
How has your experience been with screenwriting contests for this project so far?
In addition to making the 2021 Capital Fund Screenplay Competition Hot 100, UP A STEEP GRADE has won 1st Place in the Cannes Screenplay Contest, a Bronze Remi at Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival and was a Quarterfinalist in the First 15 Page Turner Screenplay Contest.
If you could stand in a room with investor partners looking at many projects, what would you like them to know about you and this project?
My favorite quote is from Thomas A. Edison. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” While I will never give up, I have reached a stage in my screenwriting career where I need investors who can help me share my big budget stories about survival of the human spirit, believing in yourself, being there for others, sinning and finding redemption, and love and forgiveness. A radio promotion director, a newspaper and magazine editor and a book publisher opened doors for me, so I know the value of a helping hand from someone in the mix. When my documentary “Punk” The Robert R. Young Story was shown at a CSX Railroad Shareholders meeting, those who knew him said they learned a great deal from the program. All agreed once he grabbed hold of something, he couldn’t let go. I’m a lot like Young, and so are all of you because he was always looking for an opportunity and willing to take a chance.
Do you have any website links for your writing credits, background, etc that you would like to share?