Southern Breeze Co-Regional Advisors of the acclaimed SCBWI answer your Kidlit questions.

If you are dabbling in KidLit, Co-Regional Advisors Lisa Lowe Stauffer and Melissa Miles want you to know about SCBWI.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is the preeminent membership organization for children’s book creators. A global community of writers, illustrators, translators, publishers, librarians, advocates, and other industry professionals working to establish a more imaginative and inclusive world through the power of children’s literature. The SCBWI mission is to support the creation of an abundance of quality children’s books, so that young people everywhere have the books they need and deserve.

SCBWI offers free online workshops on a variety of topics as well as downloadable publications for those seeking both traditional or self-publishing information. Twice a year SCBWI hosts international conferences in NYC and L.A. or online.

The worldwide regions, including Southern Breeze (GA, AL, FL panhandle) are run by volunteers. At the regional level SCBWI offers members opportunities for networking and connection with fellow creatives, which may include online meetings, discussion groups, free or low-cost, in-person events, scholarships, book promotional opportunities, and contests.

[Recorded May 23, 2023]

Resources:

SCBWI
Southern Breeze SCBWI contest
Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest
Ruth's article "Best Practices for Writing 'Conferencing'"

As a child hiding under the covers to read book after book, Lisa Lowe Stauffer secretly longed to write fiction herself. She also wanted pet monkeys. But first she had to write her way through journalism, marketing, consulting, travel writing, and poetry.

Her work has appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Miami Herald, Literary Mama, Stories for Children, and numerous business websites, brochures, newsletters, press releases and magazine articles.

With the publication of Two By Two (Zonderkidz, 2018), both of her childhood wishes came true . . . although the pet monkeys are two small puppets who claim the book as their own. Check #monkeys2 on Twitter to see their adventures.

Site | Twitter: @LisaLStauffer | Instagram: @LLStauffer

Melissa Miles is a registered nurse and certified K-12 educator as well as a children's book author. She founded the nonprofit Superhero Success Foundation in 2019, and has published two picture books benefitting the nonprofit, which offers scholarships and donates books to children's hospitals. Melissa is a co-Regional Advisor for the Southern Breeze region of SCBWI and is represented by Kristen Terrette o

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Screenwriting contests should not be a mystery. They should be another opportunity for writers to land representation and move their scripts (and career) forward. Understanding what contests do, how they actually work, and what types of scripts typically resonate is essential to any screenwriter looking to compete.

Our Script Pipeline execs have assembled to offer insider tips on writing competitions, the current landscape for film and TV (which is continuously in flux, it seems), and in turn, what we feel tends to spark with industry. All to increase your odds of securing placements and garnering attention from reps and producers.

Pipeline Execs in attendance:

Roni Brown: @_RoniBrown
Spike Scarberry: @SpikeScarberry
Michelle Domanowski: @MDomano428
Ruth Sabin: @RuthSabin1
Matt Misetich: @SPMJM
Jeanne Veillette Bowerman: @jeannevb

[Recorded January 18, 2023]

Pipeline Screenwriting Contests:
Screenwriting | TV Writing | First Look | Pitch Contest

Services: Workshop

Resources from this episode:
Reckless Creatives - Scott Myers: It's Time to Shun the Should
Symposium - Hard Truths: What Film and TV Reps Actually Want

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A special Town Hall event in which two top reps peel back the curtain into the attributes they look for in a potential client. Take out your notepads (digital or otherwise) and get ready for some insider advice ...

Moderators Matt Misetich and Ruth Sabin of Script Pipeline will be joined by John Zaozirny (Bellevue) and Halle Mariner (IAG).

[Recorded August 17, 2022]

Note: There is swearing ... so put the kids in front of the TV.

Hailing from the Midwest, Halle Mariner graduated from Columbia College Chicago in film business before moving out to L.A. Previously, she worked in film sales for Shoreline Entertainment and Preferred Content. Currently, Halle works at IAG as an agent in the Scripted Literary Department. As a honoree of Colour Associates 2019 Next Up List, Halle has been on boards for Women Wednesday’s BIPOC Mentorship Program Committee, #Startwith8 Mentorship program, and HRTSA Committee.

IAG is midsize full service agency repping clients from talent, music, literary across TV, Film and Books, branding, comedy touring and more. Representing clients like Gary Oldman, Melissa Leo, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Regina Hall, Justin Chon (BLUE BAYOU), Ms. Pat, John Carpenter, Derek Kolstad (John Wick Franchise), and many more.

John Zaozirny oversees the feature film production and Literary Management Team for Bellevue Productions. His clients’ writing and directing credits include INFINITE, PARALLEL, ELI, BAD MATCH, BETTER WATCH OUT, HEAVY TRIP, OFFICE UPRISING, SPLINTER, A CROOKED SOMEBODY, amongst others. As well, his clients have had 26 scripts on the last seven Black Lists, the annual list of the best unproduced feature scripts, including BLONDE AMBITION, the number one script on the 2016 Black List, HEADHUNTER, the number one script on the 2020 Black List, and CAULIFLOWER, the number one script on the 2021 Black List.

His clients have also written on TV shows such as SHANTARAM, FBI INTERNATIONAL, BOSCH, MR ROBOT, TRAINING DAY, TINY PRETTY THINGS, HAWAII FIVE-O, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE and HAND OF GOD, amongst others.

He was an executive producer on the feature films ALWAYS WATCHING and PARALLEL and produced ELI, which was released by Netflix. He most recently produced INFINITE, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Mark Wahlberg, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Dylan O’Brien, which was released by Paramount Plus.

Raised in Vancouver, Canada, John is a graduate of the Tisch Film and Television program at New York University.

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Whether a writer is up-and-coming or a pro, they need to know when to ask for feedback and how to handle receiving notes in order to elevate their stories and improve their craft.

Join our panel discussion with Pipeline Execs Michael Owens and Matt Misetich, joined by Doug Richardson (Die Hard 2, Bad Boys, Hostage), and screenwriter Merridith Allen for a live Q&A.

Resources from this episode:
Jeanne's Script Magazine article about slicing pages.
Symposium: Merridith's in-depth workshop on feedback
Doug Richardson's books.

Doug Richardson: @byDougRich
Merridith Allen: @MerridithAllen
Matt Misetich: @SPMJM
Michael Owens: @mikeyaowens

Watch the video of this session here.

[Recorded August 23, 2023]

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Symposium presents a robust one-on-one dialogue between Pipeline Exec Jeanne Veillette Bowerman and screenwriter and author Kevin Jones, whose debut novel, Black Tide, started as a screenplay. Join us as we explore the challenges and benefits of writing in multiple mediums.

[Recorded September 7, 2022]

After graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a degree in film production, KC Jones returned to the Pacific Northwest to focus on a career in screenwriting. He was a three-time Script Pipeline Screenwriting Finalist and won the 2013 Pitch Contest before ultimately making the leap to novels. When not writing, he can usually be found cooking, playing video and board games, or exploring the local wilderness with his wife. Black Tide was his debut novel, based on his 2009 screenplay.

Watch the video recording on Symposium.

Site | Twitter | IG

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Join screenwriting career coach, Lee Jessup, and Bellevue's literary manager, Jeff Portnoy, for a discussion about the post-strike state of the screenwriting industry to better prepare yourself for breaking into the new landscape of Hollywood.

Get your questions answered live!

[Recorded November 5, 2023]

Lee Jessup: @LeeZJessup
Jeff Portnoy: @jeff_portnoy

Resources:
Watch Recording
Chat Transcript
Lee Jessup's Website
Lee's Screenwriters Support Group
"The Secret to Finding a Screenwriting Mentor" by Jeanne V Bowerman

As discussed by Jeff and Lee, loglines are critical in getting a manager's attention. Watch for our Logline Workshop with Merridith Allen, which we run quarterly!

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In Symposium's One-on-One Town Hall series, Pipeline executives sit down for in-depth and personal conversations with our friends in publishing, screenwriting, and filmmaking.

For our next session, Jeanne Veillette Bowerman speaks with New York Times best-selling author L. M. Elliott to unpack the layered process involved in creating accurate and riveting historical fiction.

This candid discussion dives into the challenges of forging back into history, sometimes where no original documents exist, including how to handle both the accuracy of little period details as well as larger historical facts, and where the appropriate line between fact and fiction lies.

The conversation (and wine ...) will flow openly about historical and biographical fiction, an author's process during research and writing, resources and how to organize them, and the importance of accurately depicting the time period and surrounding events in the most entertaining way possible.

Watch our discussion on YouTube.

Find upcoming events and browse our archives.

L. M. Elliott was a senior writer for the Washingtonian magazine, covering women’s issues, mental health, and the performing arts for twenty years before becoming a New York Times best-selling author of historical and biographical fiction. Her twelfth and latest, Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves—set in Tidewater Virginia during the deadly U-boat attacks on our East Coast in 1942—has been called “superb,” “deeply moving,” and “an engrossing must have” in four starred reviews in Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, ALA Booklist, and School Library Journal. Her novels explore a variety of eras (the Italian Renaissance, the American Revolution, WWII, and the Cold War), and are written for a variety of ages. Many have been named NCSS/CBC Notables, Kirkus Bests, Bank Street College Best Books, and Jefferson Cup Honor Books. Her best known works are Under a War-torn Sky and Hamilton and Peggy! To learn more about Laura, follow her on Twitter or Instagram @L_M_Elliott.

Site | Twitter | IG | FB

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Just for the emerging TV writers ... a panel peeling back the curtain of a writer's room. What you should expect, how to prepare, and tips on breaking in and staying in. Part Q&A, and, of course, part therapy session.

Moderated by Pipeline's Jeanne Bowerman and Matt Misetich with three stellar panelists ...

• Roni Brown @_RoniBrown
  Black Dynamite (Adult Swim), Jim Henson's Math Party, Pupstruction (Disney Jr.), Daniel Spellbound (Netflix)
• Sean Collins-Smith @SeanTwoNames
  Field of Dreams (Peacock), Chicago P.D. (NBC)
• Alie Flierl @2degreesofalie
  School Of Rock (Nickelodeon), BoJack Horseman (Netflix), Conan (TBS)

Watch the video on Symposium site. [Recorded June 15, 2022]

Find upcoming events and browse our archives.

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