In this rewind episode, we talk with Kristin Overn, the Founder and Executive Director of the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards competition. Kristin began her film career as a producer's assistant and script reader at companies like Davis Entertainment, Bonneville Worldwide, and 20th Century Fox. Since then, she has consulted, collaborated, and developed screenplays with dozens of writers, producers, and production companies. Kristin also has extensive experience in production and has served as a producer, line producer, and UPM on various independent features, original sitcom pilots, and several award-winning short films, TV commercials, and videos. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America.

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

👍 If you enjoy the show, please remember to follow us and leave a review where you listen to podcasts. 

📸 Check out our IG for photos @thewritershangoutpodcast

💙 If you have an idea for the podcast or would like to make a comment please contact us @[email protected] 

Sandy and Terry delve into the latest plagiarism controversy. The Alexander Payne-directed film The Holdovers didn’t win for the Best Original Screenplay at the 96th Oscars, but Da’Vine Joy Randolph did take home the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film is highly regarded by critics and audiences alike. In early March 2024, reporter Tatiana Siegel at Variety published a report on allegations made by Simon Stephenson, a screenwriter who worked on films such as Luca and Paddington 2. In a 33-page document, Simon claims that The Holdovers, written by David Hemingson, was transposed from his unproduced script, Frisco and that the similarities are “line-by-line” and have been routinely described as “brazen.” 

Research for this episode includes: 

Variety’s Tatiana Siegel article, Alexander Payne’s ‘The Holdovers’ Accused of Plagiarism by ‘Luca’ Writer (EXCLUSIVE)https://variety.com/2024/film/news/the-holdovers-accused-plagiarism-luca-writer-1235935605/

The Wrap’s Mike Roe article, Prominent Screenwriters Skeptical of Claims ‘The Holdovers’ Was Plagiarized https://www.thewrap.com/the-holdovers-plagiarized-luca-writer-claims-robert-king/

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]

 👍 If you enjoy the show, please remember to follow us and leave a review where you listen to podcasts. 

📸 Check out our IG for photos @thewritershangoutpodcast💙 If you have an idea for the podcast or would like to comment, please get in touch with us @[email protected] 

After watching "Quiet On Set," the Max documentary about allegations against producer Dan Schneider, who is accused of creating a toxic work environment on his Nickelodeon shows and engaging in inappropriate behavior, Sandy can't stop thinking about it. It reminds her of the story she shared with you in Episode 86, about her time writing for ABC/Disney's RECCES entitled "Harassed and Pitching," a Humanities Prize-nominated script.

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]

 👍 If you enjoy the show, please remember to follow us and leave a review where you listen to podcasts. 

📸 Check out our IG for photos @thewritershangoutpodcast💙 If you have an idea for the podcast or would like to comment, please get in touch with us @[email protected] 

Sandy and Terry delve into 4 impactful quotes by screenwriter, producer and director, John Hughes. One of the most successful and influential filmmakers in Hollywood history, John has helped launch the careers of Andrew McCarthy, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Macaulay Culkin, Judd Nelson, and John Candy.

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]

Sandy hangs out with the award-winning actress, musician, and screenwriter Lucy Walsh.

 When Lucy was seventeen, she was given sixty-three of the love letters her Grandfather Dale wrote her Grandmother Wanda while he was in World War II. A dozen years later, life-changing events compelled Lucy to fly from Los Angeles to tiny Newman, Illinois, to spend three days talking with Wanda, which ended up being their final conversations. Lucy transformed her journey into a masterclass on humanity, chronicled in her new book Remember Me As Human: What Three Final Days with My Grandmother Wanda Taught Me About Truly Living

Remember Me As Human is available for pre-order now and everywhere else on March 12th: https://www.amazon.com/Remember-Me-As-Human-Grandmother/dp/B0CT9PZ88L/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2V59GXX3GWBQ0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NfoI3cOAS6ut7cmEyM0Lfw.dJX3Q_AVWZreCyfC3V70dueQZHy8a9JuL4jD0OJSH1o&dib_tag=se&keywords=remember+me+as+human+lucy+walsh&qid=1710072024&sprefix=Remember+me+as+human%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]

Terry recently received a phone call from a childhood friend who asked for help. The friend, has a friend, who was offered a huge deal for something they had written, and would Terry get him up to speed on "Hollywood" deal making. However, as Terry spoke with the friend, he began to suspect that the whole thing might be a scam. Unfortunately, this is not a new problem. Scammers often prey on vulnerable artists, especially screenwriters, by making false promises to them.

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]

We are thrilled to have a special guest, Stan Zimmerman, who is a renowned film and television writer. He has been nominated for two WGA Awards for Best Comedy Episodic Writing for his work on The Golden Girls and Roseanne. Stan talks about his new book, The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+girls+stan+zimmerman&crid=2D56CM0FL6JH2&sprefix=stan+zimmer%2Caps%2C415&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_11

 We loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in writing for television or what happens behind the scenes.  

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]

One of the biggest challenges for new and seasoned writers is to sit down and start writing their screenplay. It's common for writers to have an excellent idea for a script for months but not put anything down on paper. To make matters worse, they might see a movie trailer that looks exactly like the movie they have in their head, causing them to feel discouraged and frustrated.

In this episode, Sandy and Terry Writers focus on "how to begin" with tips by Dean Orion. He wrote the book Live To Write Another Day, A Survival Guide for Screenwriters and Creative Storytellers. You can find Dean's book on Amazon. 

We pick a card from the Woracle Deck, created by writers for writers; the Woracle Cards are an essential tool to help writers generate ideas for new or existing stories. The cards aim to inspire and rejuvenate the creative juices to get the words flowing back on the page.

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]

For screenwriters, the Public Domain can be a treasure trove of inspiration and material. Hollywood is obsessed with Intellectual Property (IP) and buying the rights to the latest hit book or graphic novel can be expensive and out of reach for most screenwriters. By tapping into the public domain, screenwriters can find stories, characters, and themes that are already known and loved, and put their own spin on them. On January 1, 2024, a version of Mickey Mouse will enter the public domain in the United States, after almost a century of copyright protection. The public domain refers to all creative works for which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply, either due to copyright expiration, copyright loss because of loopholes and mistakes, death of the copyright owner, or failure of the copyright owner to file for the rights or extension to those rights. Since no one holds exclusive rights, anyone can legally use or reference those works without permission. For example, starting in 2024, the Steam Boat version of Mickey Mouse can be utilized.

REARCH INCLUDED:

Wikipedia

IMDB
 http://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/mickey/

 https://historydaily.org/steamboat-willie-facts-stories-trivia-mickey/3

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]

Did Taylor Swift pen the spy thriller that inspired the new film ARGYLLE? 

 Hang out with Sandy and Terry, who explores how the internet built a conspiracy theory that Taylor Swift secretly wrote the spy thriller ARGYLLE.

Matthew Vaughn directs ARGYLLE, which stars Henry Cavill, Ariana DeBose, Bryan Cranston, Dua Lipa, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway.

Plus, in honor of Super Bowl LVIII, Terry takes a quiz on football movies.  

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Contact us at the [email protected]