Year-End News and Notes
Stowe Story Labs guides top emerging screenwriters, filmmakers and creative producers through a process of workshops and mentoring to get work made and seen.
This note highlights some recent alumni success and ongoing works. What better way to send best holiday wishes and to express high hopes for a wonderful new year!
Melody Cooper being awarded Stowe Story Labs / Tangerine Entertainment Fellowship, Fall 2017, with Stowe Story Labs Founders David Pope and David Rocchio
Feature Films
MELODY COOPER
Repped by Circle of Confusion, Melody has had tremendous recent success. In addition to signing to rewrite and direct a feature for Tandem Pictures in Fall 2018, she has just been selected for a month-long Spring 2018 writer's residency by the La Napoule Foundation in Cote D'Azur, France.
TISHA ROBINSON-DALY
Tisha has been invited to take her feature project HIGH (writer/director) to the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive in Philadelphia. We loved working on HIGH with Tisha in Stowe and wish her great success with the project.
Tisha had this to say about her time in Stowe: "Stowe Story Labs is a haven for creativity and confidence. I highly recommend it to anyone who is ready to take their work to the next level."
ELISE SALOMON
Elise’s documentary film LOS WILD ONES (director) is now on Amazon Prime. It stars Luis Arriaga, Gizzelle Bercera, and Reb Kennedy. The documentary is about Wild Records. “An LA indie music label comprised of young Hispanic musicians has to reconfigure its business model to continue growing.”
And while you’re perusing Amazon, check out her other films SMASHED (co-producer) and PAPER HEART (producer).
MARIA MATTEOLI
Maria’s film THE WINE OF SUMMER (writer/director) is now available on Amazon Prime. The romantic drama stars Kelsey Asbille, Elsa Pataky, and Marcia Gay Harden. “A frustrated actor travels to Spain in search of a playwright, a trip that unexpectedly binds him to a group of five previously unconnected people.”
JEREMY MACKENZIE
After winning gold in the Page International Screenwriting Awards in 2015, Jeremy collaborated with Page Screenwriting judge and Stowe Story Labs mentor Julie Pacino to produce his latest film HIDDEN BLUEPRINTS, which won the James Goldstone “Emerging Vermont Filmmaker” award this October.
CARYLANNA TAYLOR
Carylanna Taylor and her partner, Jacob Okada, are currently editing their original feature film, NARWHAL-AMERICAN (a.k.a. HUMAN AMONG HUMANS), shot last summer in New York City and Pittsburgh. NARWHAL-AMERICAN, workshopped with Stowe Story Labs, is a quirky cross-cultural love story about a couple who turn to a geneticist for help overcoming infertility only to find themselves and their secretive community at ground zero of a major discovery.
DIANE HANKS
Repped by Woolf + Lapin, Diane’s screenplay PARAGRAPH 175 is gaining recognition. After being featured on The Black List, it just made the coveted 2017 Tracking Board Hit List. Matthew Newton, director of the critically acclaimed film FROM NOWHERE, is attached to direct.
Short Films
VIA BIA
THESE COLORS DON’T RUN (writer/director), a short comedic drama shot on Kodak Super 16 film (thank you for being our point person, Anne Hubbell! (August Creative Producer and Stowe Story Lab mentor!) screened this Fall at the DC Shorts Film Festival, the New York Latino Film Festival, the High Falls Film Festival, the Cucalorus Festival, and the Austin Film Festival - the city where TCDR was shot.
While at the Austin Film Festival, Via was fortunate to have a number of super supportive Stowe alums in attendance, as well as cast and crew. Viva Stowe!
AUSTIN KASE
TO MY SON (writer/director/producer/editor) was a Top 10 Finalist in The Producers Guild of America Make Your Mark Competition. The entry was judged by superstar producers including Kathy Bates, Gary Goetzman, Lori McCreary, Chris Moore, Gary Lucchesi, and Jon Bence.
Austin’s short ANOTHER GIRL (writer/director/editor) was an Official Selection of LA Comedy Fest, The Bahamas International Film Festival, and the Tallgrass Film Festival.
SHOSHANA ROSENBAUM
HIDE AND SEEK (writer/director) had a friends-and-family premiere in Washington, D.C., which included cast, crew, and many crowdfunding supporters. The short film was made with a 75% female crew, with women in most of the key crew roles (writer/director, producer, director of photography). The script had a staged reading in April 2016 as a finalist in the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival, and was also a finalist in the Hollyshorts Film Festival Screenplay Competition.
CLARE SLADDEN
Clare’s timely short film CONSENT (writer/director/producer) is now available to watch on Seed&Spark. “After meeting online, a woman invites a man into her home. While the stakes are gradually raised, they face the realities of agency and the ability to change one's mind (or not).”
Clare’s work continues to be recognized in the U.S. and her native Australia. She starts production on her female-driven, comedy web series, FREUDIAN SLIP, in mid-December. Also, Clare's feature script BROKEN HEAD is winning at competitions everywhere and will soon be in pre-production.
Clare offered us these kind words about our work with her and her time in Stowe: "The generosity at Stowe, both from the mentors and the other writers, was phenomenal. I walked away with not only great notes and a renewed sense of direction for my project, but with a fantastic community of like-minded creatives."
CARRIE WACHOB
Carrie’s short film CRAZY CAT LADY (writer/co-director/co-producer) is in post-production as part of the "Impact50" Film project.
“When Betty can’t make it home to her darling Waffles, she must find another way to spend her last hour on earth.”
And please send a loving shout-out to alum Carrie for pulling together this Alumni Update!!
Television
DAGMAR BLOMMAERT
Dagmar was recently hired as a staff writer for the beloved Flemish series FAMILIE. The show is Belgium’s longest running soap – 26 years and counting!
Previously she wrote for the exploration game MARIE’S ROOM and the children’s game KWEETET.
J. FAYE YUAN
Faye’s TV pilot BENEFITS WITH FRIENDS (producer) screened at NYTVF in October. “When Wendy gets diagnosed with cancer and loses her health insurance, Tina saves the day by agreeing to marry her, leaving Jillian in a lurch. A life is saved but will their friendship flatline?”
Faye and her team are looking for executive producers and investors who can help them finish making the first season.
Other Writing
JULIE AITCHESON
Julie’s delightful young adult novel BEING ROY was released Oct. 3, 2017 by Harmony Ink Press.
MATTHEW MINSON
Matthew’s book, "The Young Entrepreneur's Club" is being published by Inkshares in 2018. The protagonist neutralizes a school shooter only to reveal his own lengthy history of murder. It takes on a larger strategic estimation of violence (sexual, social and physical) and our hypocrisy, fascination and even fetishism of violence in all forms. The novel is based on a science paper Matt co-authored. The Paper addresses the epidemic of mass shootings and bombings.
Newsworthy
MELODY COOPER
Indieactivity interview with 2017 Stowe Story Labs Tangerine Entertainment fellow Melody Cooper.
NICOLE KEMPSKIE
October interview with 2017 Stowe Story Labs NewEnglandFilm.com fellow Nicole Kempskie.
CLIFFORD DANIEL-YOST
Nice Stowe Story Labs shout out by Clifford Daniel Yost, 2017 Stowe alumni and two-time PAGE Award winner. Check out Clifford's article "The Quest to be Better" in the latest PAGE e-zine.
STACEY DAVIS
DR. BRINKS & DR. BRINKS (Production Counsel) was an official selection at the 2017 Austin Film Festival, BendFilm, and Cucalorus Film Festival.
Contest Winners & Finalists
Susan Brunig – PAGE Awards finalist with HARD IS THE GOOD
Alfred Thomas Catalfo – Austin Film Festival finalist with OIL AND WATER
Mugs Cahill – Roadmap Writers Wise Words finalist with JOOK
Cat Dale – Shore Scripts Pilot Contest winner, WeScreenplay Television Competition top four, and TV Script Contest finalist with MOUNT PLEASANT
Stacey Davis – Best Feature Screenplay winner at the 2017 Broad Humor Film Festival with BURYING THE LEAD
Kim Dempster - Writers Lab (Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey) finalist with THE COLOR OF MOURNING
Nelson Downend – PAGE Awards finalist with DIVINITY; ScreenCraft Action/Thriller semi-finalist with IN CHRYSALIS; Table Read My Screenplay, Park City semi-finalist with IN CHRYSALIS
Suzanne Griffin – Austin Film Festival Finalist with THE CHOCOLATE KANDINSKY
Brennig Hayden – Final Draft Big Break finalist with RED IN TOOTH AND CLAW
Debra Kirschner - Writers Lab (Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey) finalist with MALLWALKERS
Emily Lobsenz – Oaxaca Film Festival Global Script Challenge winner with ALL THAT FOLLOWS
Maria Matteoli – Academy Nicholl quarter-finalist with LADY OF THE CANYON
Matthew Minson – Top 25, Tracking Board Launch Pad Manuscript Competition with THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR’S CLUB
Kahlil Maskati – Winner, Roadmap Screenwriters November Diversity Award
Susan Nash Polk – Table Read My Screenplay (Chicago) finalist with BECOMING TERPSICHORE
Jackie Perez - Screamfest Horror Film Festival winner Best Unproduced Screenplay with U-666
Cornelia Ravenal – Writers Lab (Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey) finalist with her script THE INTIMATES.
David Rocchio – Table Read My Screenplay (Chicago) Finalist with HOOK
April Sanchez - Academy Nicholl quarter-finalist and Writers Lab (Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey) finalist with her script DAUGHTERS LOST TO THE DESERT
Melanie Schiele - TV Script Contest finalist with OFFSPRING
Clare Sladden - Best Screenplay winner, Byron Bay Film Festival Screenplay Competition with BROKEN HEAD
Terri Viana - Roadmap Writers Iconic Characters Finalist with HANGRY; Oil City Film Festival finalist with GENUINE.
Carrie Wachob - Create50/Impact50 screenplay winner with CRAZY CAT LADY
Jen West - Table Read My Screenplay, Park City semi-finalist with ELECTRIC BLEAU
Debi Yazbeck - Roadmap Writers Wise Words finalist with BLIND PURSUIT
Clifford Daniel Yost – PAGE Awards Gold winner with MALCOLM X & JFK
And the last word goes to Melody Cooper:
“Stowe Story Labs was absolutely the right Lab at the right time for me. Not only did it help me face my fear of pitching my work, I actually learned to love the challenge. I had a great time with the mentors and fellow writers who were all highly supportive. And it was fantastic there were so many women at the lab. It inspired me to create a group of incredibly talented women TV and film writers, who in the spirit of Stowe Labs, encourage and challenge each other to do our best work.”
— Melody Cooper, 2017 Stowe Story Labs Tangerine Entertainment Fellow
