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.

All Is Calm

Written by Matthew Beier

What motivated you to become a writer?

I’ve been writing stories since early childhood, but I took my first stab at writing “novels” and “screenplays” in my early teenage years. After growing up, I realized how truly powerful stories are. They can affect the deepest parts of people’s minds and influence culture in ways few other things can, and the prospect of playing a role in this, however small, is what motivates me to leave whatever positive mark I can while I’m alive.

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

My writing sweet spot is the intersection between social issues and exploration of the unknown. I’ve found that the things that fascinate me as a person—life, death, the nature of reality, quantum physics, and the social constructs that allow people to be cognitively dissonant about the big questions such topics pose—provide an endless array of storytelling opportunities. I typically tackle the blank page once I’ve taken notes on an idea and have a general sense of how the story starts, progresses, and ends. I always envision what it would be like to experience my project as a final product, and how that final product would make me feel. That feeling becomes my north star while writing.

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 chose to pursue screenwriting in earnest four years ago, which led me to purchase coverage for two of my TV pilots. After reading that coverage, I began writing everything with budget, production, actors, and marketing in mind. I figure that I’ll have to cross this bridge eventually, so I now try to build it into my creative process. I’ve actually found that this offers new routes for creativity, because telling a story in context of possible limitations becomes an entirely new sort of mental exercise. All this said, I have never let these factors stop me from writing a script I’m truly passionate about.

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

While I placed in this contest with my feature script All Is Calm, I have another TV project titled The Extraordinary Life of Angelina Mulberry that has been considered at big companies, including Paramount Plus and Amazon. Given that this series was not based on established IP, I’ve begun writing it as a series of novels, for which I will seek traditional publication. I also dream of seeing it in graphic novel form, as the story and characters lend itself to that format. The show would also have spinoff opportunities, given that it explores the multiverse concept.

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

The project mentioned above, The Extraordinary Life of Angelina Mulberry, has placed as semifinalist and finalist in multiple contests. It has also earned me a few general meetings via the website Stage 32. Overall, the experience has been very encouraging, because it has helped me understand what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong in context of how it might be viewed from a business perspective. I’ve been able to take feedback and make adjustments to the script and series bible, which always make both work better. I also had a meeting where I discussed it as a piece of IP, and that inspired me to write it as a book series. This has actually added new angles to the story I didn’t expect, which has been incredibly fun.

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?

I would like investors to know that my goal as a writer is to write projects that 1) have commercial appeal and 2) challenge viewers to think in new ways—something that I think works for the benefit of a project’s long-term appeal and monetization. The Extraordinary Life of Angelina Mulberry doesn’t spend its time focusing on the “Wow!” factor of the multiverse, as most modern takes on the topic do. It digs deep into the social ramifications of what an understanding of that deeper reality might mean for people longer term. In a multiverse of infinite possibilities, does choice matter? If so, why, and does it imply that life has some deeper meaning? Overall, I’d like investors to know that I aim to be the type of writer or “auteur” that lingers in people’s minds and keeps them coming back for each new project.

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

My film/TV/book website is www.matthewjbeier.com, and my professional creative portfolio is www.matthewbeier.com.