Mark Meinhardt: Screenwriter in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Hi! Has anybody around here used the pitching sessions? I´m curious!

Any successful case or anyone experienced the process?

If they decide to move forward, how doe sit work?

If they don´t would they let you know?

Thanks!

Hope all of you are well and safe.

I'm fortunate in that my day job allows for work from home. But I'm driving my wife crazy. She already works from home as a novelist and is trying to release a new book. (shameless promotion: If you like Romance - check her out, Shelly Thacker). Adding our two teens to the bunker is only driving everyone a little stir crazy.

As for me, I've completed 4 feature-length screenplays: Three DCOMs ("Disney Channel Original Movie" for the uninitiated), and one Female-Driven R-Rated Comedy.

I took one of my DCOMs and edited it into a 45 min play which I produced and directed in the Minnesota Fringe Festival last summer. A crazy, exhausting, yet rewarding experience.

My R-Rated Comedy is set in MN (and ND, IA, and Las Vegas). It's called "Poker Princesses."

My current goal is finishing my Christmas script. It has an "It's a Wonderful Life"-type plot.

Well, Fringe is over and it was quite a ride. I produced and directed a stage adaptation of my screenplay "Best Friend for Hire".

We started out a bit shaky. I recruited actors from my daughters Performing Arts academy, but only got just enough try-outs to fill out the teen roles. I filled the rest with applicants from Minnesota Playlist. I have one drop out right away and another later. I didn't have the luxury of extra roles that could fill in. Between schedule difficulties and illness, I never had everyone together until opening night.

One of my teen actors had some issues with direction and focus. She even showed up to one performance and forgot her costume. Of course, it was the night I paid to have it videotaped.

But, we goth through and all showed up for all 5 performances. I got some good reviews and a memorable experience. Would I do it again?

(long pause)

Perhaps.

Be careful what you wish for ...

The stage version of my screenplay "Best Friend for Hire" has been accepted by the 2019 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Right now, I'm working on securing a director and rehearsal space. It's exciting and scary at the same time. Wish me luck.

I am preparing to enter a stage play version of my family screenplay "Best Friend for Hire" in the Minnesota Fringe Festival. I will be entering in both the general festival and the juried Family Fringe. Hopefully, I will get accepted into one of them.

My name is Mark and I'm coming in late to screenwriting having been born (barely) during the Eisenhower Administration.

As an older dad, I was inspired to write three teen/tween screenplays. I've entered the first one in a couple of contests and am working on revising the other two. I also am working on an adult, raunchy, female comedy because there just aren't enough old white guys writing the female experience out there.

Interested in meeting other screenwriters from MN. I'll buy you a drink if you're near Eagan and we can commiserate.

Back on after some technical difficulties. Working on my latest script, an adult comedy.

Hi Mark. I'm RB, Founder and CEO of Stage 32. As a screenwriter, producer, actor and filmmaker, I know first-hand the challenges all creatives face finding work, landing representation, launching projects, securing funding and simply making the connections that will make a difference in their careers. That's why I created Stage 32. Since our launch in September of 2011, the community has grown to 1,000,000+ members representing every country on the planet making Stage 32 the social network uniquely populated with the most creative people on Earth.

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