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.
“Queen of Newburgh”
Written by Lisa Cole Co-written by Ronnie Moody
What motivated you to become a writer?
As a young adult, I was fortunate to travel the world with an educational and performance program of students from 22 countries. I lived with 201 host families in 12 countries in a span of three years. That experience greatly shaped who I am and taught me everyone has a story and we all have more in common than not. When I returned to college I studied film production and began writing with the goal of sharing stories of underrepresented voices like my own. At LMU, I wrote my student thesis film based on my childhood experience of moving with my single mother and brother from Southern California to a small town in rural Arkansas. That short film won the Samuel Arkoff Filmmaking Award and was a Student Academy Awards Regional winner. The recognition fueled my desire to find a way to write.
Starting on a blank page is not easy- where does your creativity come from?
I currently have more pages started than I have time to fill. I’m constantly inspired by true stories and people I meet. I feel many of the best films are inspired by true stories – Capernaum, Norma Rae, The Farewell, The Rider, Dallas Buyers Club, Selma, Roma, The King’s Speech, Hidden Figures… there are countless examples. Eight years ago, I adopted my daughter, who is African American. Daily, I see her searching for reflections of herself in toys, books and media. Raising her has really opened my eyes to how women are portrayed in media, especially women of color. Three years ago, I met a young woman named Ronnie Moody living in a marginalized Afro-Caribbean community in Newburgh, NY. Her story of struggle and success compelled me to want to write a film inspired by her experiences. Luckily, she agreed to collaborate with me on the writing, which I felt was integral to an authentic story and tone. Our collaboration led to “Queen of Newburgh”, a feature screenplay, which has garnered screenwriting awards recognition.
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?
For the past decade, I’ve recorded in a word document my journey to bring “Girl Named Sue” to fruition. This 600+ page account basically details what a roller coaster ride it can be to give birth to a passion project. I sometimes wish my younger self, fresh out of film school, knew more than she did about the business. Then again, blind pursuit of my passion never allowed me to give up. While I know more now and pay attention to the market and trends, I don’t set out to write to any edict. I don’t think that’s smart as you’ll always be behind the curve if you try and chase it. I think the best writing comes from whatever fuels your fire. With so many “no’s” in this industry, you have to be passionate about the pursuit. Otherwise, it’s best to choose a different calling.
The past six months of intense preparation for filming “Girl Named Sue” taught me a lot about economy. Every single thing on the page costs money. I’ve done at least 7 significant production passes on the script to prepare for filming. I told my producer, Laura, she should insist all her writers and directors work together to take at least ten pages out. The exercise forces you to really hone in on what’s essential and makes for a tighter film. You don’t want to waste money filming something that ends up on the cutting room floor.
What is your dream for this project and what other ancillary revenue do you think it could generate? Please include script title in reply.
My dream for “Queen of Newburgh” would be to have it filmed and released so that it’s target audience of marginalized girls and women, who rarely see themselves portrayed authentically in media, will not only be able to see the film (the right distribution plan is crucial to this becoming reality), but will also recognize themselves in the authentic humanity of the film. If the film inspires even one young girl or young woman to feel a little less alone in the world, I’ve achieved my goal.
As for ancillary revenue, we’ve discussed various ways to give back through the film’s outreach and social media campaign as well as creating a couple specific products (with recycling in mind) that have the potential to generate income stream for Ronnie, but also ideally create a fund to benefit other young black female artists. I also plan to feature tracks from local musicians in the film for a kick-ass soundtrack. For example, Ronnie’s younger brother, Jahkeal is a budding rap artist @5ivefrmlmb.
How has your experience been with screenwriting contests for this project so far?
We’ve been blessed to be well received! Currently, we’re the Final Draft Fellow for the Stowe Story Narrative Lab. We also made it to 2nd round of the 2020 Sundance Development Track; Finalist, Film Independent’s Screenwriting Lab; current semi-finalist “Big Vision Empty Wallet Level Up”; Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition; Ojai Film Festival; Quarter-finalist for 2020 Fresh Voices; and Official Selection “Imagine This Women’s Int’l Film Festival”. I’m now armed with new notes and plan to rewrite to turn those close wins into home runs.
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 project is important as it gives voice to young girls and women everywhere who rarely see themselves portrayed authentically in media. Now, more than ever, we need diverse stories that shed light on our shared human experiences and challenge audiences to move beyond preconceived notions of gender, culture and race. This is my passion project and I’ve been working hard to make this my directorial debut. This film can be made for under $1m. I’m ready and looking for the right set of partners who share my vision. Thank you!
Do you have any website links for your writing, credits, background, etc that you would like to share?