Howard Casner

I am the author of eight screenplays and one teleplay, and my book Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader (including my series of essays, What I Learned Reading for Screenplay Competitions) is now available through Amazon.

My screenplay Rough Trade is a semi-finalist in the 2007 Extreme Screenplay Competition; a quarter finalist in the 2007 Screenwritingexpo Competition; a quarterfinalist in the 2009 Champion Screenwriting Competition; and a semifinalist in the Outfest Writer’s Lab. My screenplays Rough Trade and Welcome to L.A. both made the top twelve in the 2011 Great Gay Screenplay Competition (Welcome to L.A. ultimately made the top five and I was informed off the record that Rough Trade was number six). In 2013, Mel and the Adventures of Sad Man made the second round of the Outfest Screenwriting Lab. In 2008 I wrote a straight to DVD, work for hire movie for Regent Entertainment.

Most recently, his screenplay The Last Tree Standing Motel is a semi-finalist in the Page, Austin and All Access screenplay competitions and a finalist in the London and Glendale screenplay competitions.

My screenplays push the envelope, tend to break the rules and are often sexually frank, dark and provocative. I deal with the universal themes of how do we create meaning in a world that seems to have no inherent meaning and how does one live in a universe that often seems illogical and perverse. Some filmmakers that come to mind in relation to my work are David Lynch, Gregg Araki, Pedro Almodόvar and Michael Haneke.

For the past several years, I have provided coverage and screenplay consultation for the various Slamdance Screenplay Competitions; the Final Draft Big Break Screenplay Competition; Budget Cheetah; Creative World Awards; Coverageink; Screenplay Readers and others. I also began reading for Here! Networks in 2003 and became a reader for their parent company Regent Entertainment.

Prior to my arrival in L.A., my main emphasis had been on writing for the stage. My plays have been seen in Chicago, New York and L.A. My most recent L.A. production was for My dark comedy Queen Christina Goes Roman and in 2002, I received a GLAAD nomination for best L.A. production for his play A Cold Coming We Had of It.