The Screenplay Mechanic, aka Andrew Hilton, was born and raised in the UK. He studied film at the university level in the Southwest of England then attended the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. In the late 1990s, he transferred to Cal State Northridge so he could begin working in Hollywood while finishing his education.
After working on Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation project, Andrew entered the world of feature development at Universal Pictures. A long-time fan of the action genre, he soon segued to a position with Silver Pictures (DIE HARD, LETHAL WEAPON, PREDATOR), based at Warner Bros. From there, he worked as a Story Editor for producer Mario Kassar (FIRST BLOOD, BASIC INSTINCT) at Paramount, then spent the next decade as the Senior Story Analyst for New Regency Productions (SE7EN, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL) at 20th Century Fox.
Today, Andrew works exclusively as an independent consultant and screenplay analyst for producers, writers, directors and film financiers based all over the world. From animation studios in the Ukraine to screenwriters in Iraq, UK, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, etc., his clientele is incredibly diverse.
When he's not helping clients, Andrew is a professional screenwriter and an active member of the WGC (Writers Guild of Canada). In 2006, his first produced feature FATAL TRUST aired on Lifetime television to record-setting ratings and, in 2008, Legendary Pictures acquired his WWII horror screenplay THE LOST PATROL. Almost every piece of material he's written has been optioned to producers including Mark Gordon (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, SPEED, GREY'S ANATOMY), Nicholas Chartier (THE HURT LOCKER, DALLAS BUYER'S CLUB), John Baldecchi (POINT BREAK, THE MEXICAN), Jon Shestack (AIR FORCE ONE), Rick Porras & Steve Boyd (THE LORD OF THE RINGS, POLAR EXPRESS) and many more.
Andrew is represented by the Gersh Agency (310) 274-6611 and Magnet Management (424) 208-7691.
In addition to his work as a screenwriter and script analyst, Andrew is also a film producer. He earned his first producing credit (and did a ghost rewrite) on the action-thriller BRAKE in 2012, released by IFC Films. Andrew also serves as Co-Executive Producer on the hit motorcycle documentary WHY WE RIDE and is attached to several more feature projects at various stages of development (BULLET RUN, FULL THROTTLE, and MIRROR LAKE). He is currently focused on producing his action-thriller THE GUNS OF CHRISTMAS PAST with producer Navid McIlhargey (ROCK N ROLLA).
Andrew is married to a beautiful culinary instructor and nutritionist and they reside in Culver City, California with their daughter, and two mischievous Yorkshire terriers. In those rare moments when Andrew’s not reading or writing, he likes to surf, play basketball, fix-up old VWs, listen to music, enjoy a good bottle of wine or craft beer.
Andrew can be contacted at screenplaymechanic@
The Guns Of Christmas Past
(
Film
(Action)
Writer / Producer A retired hitman named Ebb storms a Chicago high-rise on Christmas Eve to avenge the murder of his partner, Marley, and must face adversaries from his past, present and future to kill his nemesis and save the woman he loves.
Bullet Run
(
Film
by Voltage Pictures (Action)
Writer / Co-Producer (In Turnaround)
Four years after their daughter is killed during a hit that went awry, an ex-FBI agent and her husband – the leader of a private protection team – locate the man responsible. Determined to avenge their daughter’s death, they plan a mission that will take them deep into the wild-west of China to kidnap their target and bring him back to America. Unfortunately though, their simple “smash-and-grab” mission turns out to be anything but simple and they must face 1000 miles and 10,000 bullets while keeping alive the one man they would love to kill…
Why We Ride
(
Film
by Walking West
Co-Executive Producer
Brake
(
Film
by Walking West
Co-Producer / Writer (uncredited)
Fatal Trust
(
Film
by Lifetime Television
Writer