Jason Rotolo

I was born and raised in San Diego, California. My dad worked for the phone company for thirty years, and his dad worked for GM for thirty years before him. Both taught me the value of hard work and loyalty. My mom was a noon duty at an elementary school. She taught me compassion and patience. Going to the movies was a big part of my upbringing. Though I was raised Catholic, we stopped going to church once baseball took over my weekends. I was thirteen. Movies always inspired the same kind of awe and wonder in me that church was supposed to, and the best movies—the ones by Spielberg and Lucas and later the Coen Brothers and Tarantino—always left me with more questions than answers.

After my shoulder exploded trying to throw a guy out at second during my software year, a buddy of mine suggested I enter the one-act play competition in the drama department. I had nothing to do but sit and recover anyway, so I gave it a shot. I wrote a dialogue-heavy, Kevin Smith-esque dark comedy and luckily enough, it was chosen to be produced. What a thrill! Being a part of that one-act festival changed my life, and set me on a path toward writing for a living. I was accepted into the film production program at CSUN, and later received my MFA in screenwriting there, as well.

While studying for my master's degree, I worked as a supervisor in the Script Library, where I tutored hundreds of students and helped them complete screenplays of various lengths and genres. Then, I was lucky again to be given the opportunity to teach two semesters of the intro to screenwriting undergrad class. This was another life-changing event. Teaching gave me such amazing insight into my own beliefs about the importance of storytelling, and forced me to think deeply about structure, process, and theme. Hearing the thoughts and dreams of my students constantly inspired me in my own writing, and I learned so much about the craft by teaching it to others.

I also interned at two production companies, where I learned about the fast-paced nature of the industry, and the importance of organization, communication, and creativity. As a script reader, I found reading other people's work to be very insightful, and I discovered that the secret to good writing is readability and truth. The development process excites me and I enjoy discussing the merits of screenplays up for consideration.

Now, I'm looking for work as a writer, a teacher, a writer's assistant, a script reader, a development specialist, a director, or a producer. I bring positive energy, dedication, a love of storytelling, and a passion for collaboration.