Michael Tabb

My screenwriter website is my name plus "WGA" with no spaces, dot com.

Michael just completed principal photography, directing the feature film WINTER BREAKS, based on his award-winning Best Screenplay.

Michael Tabb started as a SAG-AFTRA ACTOR and has been nominated for several awards at multiple film festivals for his performances as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, playing everything from Wild West sci-fi space-cowboy bandit leader to a grown physical abuse survivor bowling alley attendant deciding to bring vigilante justice for the clearly abused kids he sees in his work.

As a decade-long WGA SCREENWRITER, Michael finished writing his second consecutive screenplay for Universal Studios and is currently developing multiple episodic series projects with other name producers, directors, and talent in town for television/streaming.

In the recent past, Michael finished a director's draft of his original script THE UNCATCHABLE COWGIRL BANDITS OF NOTTINGHAM, TEXAS on which he has been the only writer for Producers Paul Schiff (YOUNG GUNS, RUSHMORE, MONA LISA SMILE), Katherine Brown-Ryan and Intrepid Pictures (THE STRANGERS, deal with Rogue and Universal), set to star Leighton Meester (GOSSIP GIRL) and Amber Heard (RUM DIARY). Before that, he wrote film scripts for VULTURES based on a Robert E. Howard short story for Paradox Studios (CONAN THE BARBARIAN) and adapted the best-selling Russian sci-fi adventure novel KNIGHTS OF THE FORTY ISLANDS by Sergey Lukyanenko (the newly translated book from the author of the NIGHT WATCH series) for Run Entertainment, Ltd.

Before that, Michael developed projects for Disney Feature Animation, The Canton Company at Warner Brothers, Producer Lawrence Bender, comic book icon Stan Lee, Director Mike Newell and actor/producer Dustin Hoffman to name a few.

Michael believes in giving back. He has lectured on screenwriting at StoryExpo, Screenwriters World Conference, Florida's and San Diego’s Writers Conference and in classrooms at FSU and USC invited by friends, instructors and associates. He has spoken on and moderated web-casts and industry panels about screenwriting for local film festivals, film schools including NYU alumni, and the WGA. He's currently assisting EEI Creative Arts' School of Film and Entertainment as a program advisor.

He is a member of the WGA, serves on WGA’s Writer’s Education Committee and WGA’s New Members Committee with David Shore & Billy Ray among others, where he supervises the new Mentor Program with WGA staffer Robert Disney (mentors in this program include: David S. Goyer, Eric Roth, Ted Elliott, Craig Mazin, Marc Guggenheim, Bill Prady, Jeff Melvoin, Katherine Fugate just to name a few). Michael has also assisted the Writers’ Guild Foundation Community Outreach Program guest instructing on his craft to underprivileged youths in the Los Angeles area. He originated the column in Ingénue Magazine about the business of screenwriting entitled “Script Notes”.

Michael was raised behind the Orange Curtain (The OC), does business under the banner of his company Burning Tree Films, Inc., and is a co-founder of the scripted web-series site made for Hollywood professionals, www.strike.tv. His education includes two years as a USC undergrad, a B.F.A. from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and a Masters from UCLA’s School of Film and Television, professional program.

His pet project is to direct his fun, coming of age feature film screenplay A MISFITS’ CHRISTMAS, which recently won the top prize in the screenplay competition at the 2011 New Mexico International Film Festival (the only festival to which he submitted it).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Current Reps:
Ryan Saul - THE CARTEL HQ (the former agent from APA and Paradigm turned manager-producer)
Darren Trattner (attorney) – Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer et al – (310) 553-0305