Jonathan Westbrook's Lounge Discussions

Hello my fellow creatives... First of all, a huge THAK YOU to Richard "RB" Botto  for having the vision of Stage32 and keeping us together all this time!  

Like many of you, I'm grateful to be following my passion for storytelling. My specialty is creating and producing emotionally moving digital content.

Although I wear many hats, I am Senior Creative Executive at Cruz Multimedia Productions LLC and Founder of TheActorsConference.com.  I have always prioritizing myself as an actress and creator.  I take every opportunity to push myself to be better at what I do.  I enjoy connecting, connecting others and learning from passionate people.  

One of my goals this year is to keep the focus on my acting skills and career, as well as producing primarily female-character driven features and tv series with themes of self healing.  Lets connect, create and make this world a better place than yesterday.  Sending all of you good vibes and joy.

Greetings Everyone. I wanted to respond to RB's call to introduce ourselves, so here goes. I've written three marketable feature length screenplays and a whole bunch of shorts so far since I made the decision to be a screenwriter, and I’m very excited about my feature horror, THE HAUNTING ON LOVELY STREET, and I'd like to share with you how I came up with the premise. Logline: Based on true events, a pastor and his family live a peaceful life in a rural Connecticut town, until they find themselves terrorized by an insane asylum escapee who is possessed by the demon Beelzebub. Lovely Street was just a dirt track back in the 1920's, named this by local lovebirds for it's tranquillity, seclusion, and charm. But, when it became a paved roadway, my town renamed it to Beelzebub Road, and it remains so to this day. My parents lived on this road for a time before I was born, and I always wondered why my town would name a road after the right-hand man to Lucifer? Research suggests it may have been named after Walter Green, who lived on Lovely Street. He was known as a sour individual with a foul mouth who would “whip his horse up and down the street.” His mother, Elmina, went missing and her partial remains were never found until 8 years later. During the years following her disappearance, seances and search parties were held. Some said Walter had killed her and they began to call him Beelzebub behind his back. I also found in a newspaper article that Walter had been institutionalized in a mental hospital for a spell only to escape from it. So, is this why my town named a road Beelzebub? After a sour man who may have killed his mother? There is also a church on the corner of Beelzebub, which was originally built in the sixties. Acting as a guardian against evil perhaps? It has been rebuilt at least once to my knowledge, because during my lifetime, it had burned to the ground. This can't be a coincidence! I couldn't find actual answers to my questions, so THE HAUNTING ON LOVELY STREET is my attempt to solve the mystery. I decided to make the naming of Beelzebub Road a warning to locals and visitors alike, “Beware this area, for it was once visited by demons.” And it could be again. If you'd like, please check out my 3 minute trailer and pitch... https://youtu.be/zYenR9TxNis

Hi All,

I recently won a short-film screenplay contest called Get It Made, where they will be making my screenplay, Language Of Love, into a movie! As you can imagine, I am thrilled beyond belief. Along with winning, I’m being asked to come to the production set to be their script consultant during the shoot. I have already consulted long distance on location choices and they are asking me to help with the casting too. They enjoyed my short so much that they requested to read one of my features! So I recommend to any writer, first, keeping writing, and second, I know it can be hard to consistently put yourself out there, but it's the only way if you want your words to ever be shown on film. Persistence and perseverance are key. Don't give up. Enter contests. Hone your elevator pitches. Learn from any feedback you receive, especially the rejections. But most of all, be confident in yourself and believe in your work.

Regards,

Jonathan

Hello All, I am an author of 3 novels, you can find me on Amazon, but I would love to mix in the title of screenwriter. I have adapted one of my books into a screenplay and have completed another not having anything to do with my books. Here are the log lines... A Legend in Time (action-adventure with a little bit of sci-fi) After James discovers he has been given the ability to go back in time, the allure of travelling 400 years into the past is too strong for him to ignore. But when he is captured by a tribe of American Indians and can't return home, he ends up changing the past when he falls in love with a princess and she becomes A Legend in Time. The Modern Medusa (sci-fi) Medusa still lives. The head of the Gorgon has survived the ages since Perseus sliced it off, having been kept alive by a cult of women who worship her until the time when they have discovered a way to regenerate her body. Now it is up to a small town sheriff, his deputies, and his daughter, to defeat the cult army led by the modern Medusa. If you are a licensed agent, director, producer with experience and sales, and are interested in one or both of these projects, please contact me. I am not interested in paying a reading fee or entering any contest. Thank you. Sincerely, Jon