Introduce Yourself : Hi, I'm Amanda. by Amanda Toney

Hi, Amanda Toney. Hope you're doing great. Thanks for everything you do for the community! It's a lot! Office Space inspired me the most to want to pursue screenwriting. Not the movie but the script. I found part of the script online (and a screenwriting article or two) and wanted to write scripts.

It was more a moment for me: seeing Ben and Matt up onstage at the Oscars for writing 'Good Will Hunting'. That's what planted the seed, "if they can do it, so can I." The show that probably kept it going for me was 'Entourage'.

Hey Amanda -

I'd have to say it was Bad Taste by Peter Jackson. That inspired me to do my own thing and not worry about protocols.

Hi Amanda!

For me, it was KILLING EVE, the TV Show. It was so well written and performed that my creativity grow! But what really made me begin my screenwriting was the end of the show. It was so disappointing after so many good seasons that I made myself write to make compelling endings.

Hey Amanda Toney! WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT blew my socks off and the magic made me fully commit to pursing a life in production but a few years prior it was seeing Spike Lee's SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT in the theater that made me think it was possible to begin with. Excited to hear what inspired everyone else.

Marvel comic books motivated me to entertain before any movie or TV show back in 1966 when my mom bought me a stack when I was in the hospital getting my tonsils taken out.

Amanda Toney, I love this question! My television obsession originated with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To say I was obsessed as a kid would be an understatement. I started watching the show at 4 years old and never missed an episode week to week. I collected all of the DVD box sets, had the books, comics, and listened to the Once More With Feeling soundtrack so many times that I completely destroyed my dad's CD. My parents would even ground me by taking away my Buffy DVDs when I got in trouble- though sometimes they took whatever book I was reading at the time instead because they knew it would drive me crazy not to be able to finish it right away.

And then there’s the memory that haunts me to this day- when I was about 9, I embarrassingly performed two different songs from Buffy’s Once More With Feeling episode at a summer camp talent show. I am NOT a good singer. It was a moment of pure cringe, but my love for Buffy was just that strong.

That show shaped so much of my love for storytelling. The way it balanced genre elements with deep character work, humor, and emotional storytelling was masterful. It made me want to tell stories that resonate with people on that same level.

Don't laugh, but I would say it was Little Mermaid. Music was already my first love since I was six years old starting to learn piano. But when I traveled to Disneyland with my high school band and got to play the score to Little Mermaid while the movie played silently and we filled in the sound, I got goosebumps. That was my first experience with sync licensing (though I had no idea what that term was at the time), or that someday my own music would be used in TV and film.

hello Amanda good morning my obsession for writing started when I was a kid made me start writing them any word so I've written many novels and Many story lines I've written many movies but my latest script shadow protocol I just concluded it recently and I wanted to sell it because it's a high and effective movie, I'm in Nigeria here in Nigeria you can't do anything because my dreams is to have my own industry and starts hiring actors thank you and again if you can help me I'll be very very grateful thank you Amanda

That's awesome, Kat Spencer! What an incredible experience to look back on. And Little Mermaid is an absolute bop every time.