Be A Screenwriter.
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Paul Ashton runs the team who act as the first line of defence for the BBC as they endure the constant seige of scripts from hopeful screenwriters. In their search for new talent they receive, consider, and respond to around 10,000 screenplays every year. Can there be many people in the world with such a wide experience of the pitfalls committed by new screenwriters? And Sally Brockway asks him all the questions you would ever want answering about that. If you've ever sent a script off anywhere, this 40 minutes+ downloadable interview is simply unmissable. 
Silvia Manning is an American actress who decided she was going to write her own sit com, and was going to get it on screen, and nothing was going to stop her. Listen to her in conversation with Sally Brockway as she describes the process, from those early days of having an idea and nothing else, all the way through to selling the thing to a network and getting it all in the can. 
This is a great downloadable interview with Vanessa Haynes, who at the time of interview was the Head of Development at Baby Cow. If you don't know of Baby Cow this is one of THE great UK comedy production companies. The company is owned by Steve Coogan (who is probably best known for creating and playing a character called Alan Partridge), and over the last decade has produced shows including Gavin & Stacey, The Mighty Boosh, Ideal, Human Remains, Nighty Night, Saxondale, Marion and Geoff - and many many more. In this interview Vanessa talks to Sally Brockway of Screenwriting Goldmine about the best way to get her attention as a writer! 
Eastenders is one of the three most popular television dramas in the UK. In this special, extended length, audio interview, Richard Lazarus talks about his journey from own label baked beans to being a core writer on this four times a week slice of urban naturalism. (Er... that's a technical term for "kitchen sink drama" - the sort of thing that we Brits do so well.) He gives the inside story on how the whole writing process works. Serial dramas like this, with their 200 + episodes a year and their constant hunger for new writers, often act as the gateway to the industry, so if you have any ambition to work as a screenwriter you could do worse than to put aside an hour and listen to this in depth analysis of how he does what he does.
"I finally got it together and managed to conquer all my demons and sent my screenplay out to an agency/production company/external reader. They said the story was weak/the dialogue was bland/ trashed it completely/ suggested I should give up writing. I'm really hurt by this. I'm not so crazy that I thought my very first submission would get bought, but I'm finding the negative criticism really hard to throw off. Now I'm even not sure I have it in me to be a writer. What do I do?"
The BEST practical way of dealing with rejection. A short, sharp, pep talk that goes against most conventional wisdom. Easy to Follow, Step By Step, Fully Professional Screenwriting Course:
Since 1995 Phil Gladwin has written or edited screenplays for all of these people:
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Sound Bites
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"Nothing I write about my journey with Phil can adequately describe his patience, diligence and the wonderful way he has coached and counselled me in all aspects of screenwriting. Phil is an amazing person to work with because if he thinks your work good he tells you so and if not, well he tells you that too, but then immediately goes about working with you to improve. I've learned so much. Thanks Phil." Bev McMullen, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada "As senior media executive in the states with over 20 years experience producing TV and running a major TV/Recording Studio I've recently dedicated myself to writing full time... I'm incorporating Phil's work into my original feature projects, and already can see and feel an improvement. And this is just the start for me... I'm thrilled I found Phil... You will be too! Best to all of you..." Andy Kadison, New York, NY "Phil Gladwin shares to the point technical tips. He joins these with even more valuable insights into how to "tap into" your heart and soul writing. Proven & tested real time exercises get you jump started WHENEVER you need it. Thanks Phil" John Harrison, Castle Rock, Colorado "The screenwriting goldmine newsletter from Phil Gladwin is the single most useful tool for a screenwriter to have for its straightforward and clear attention to the details of screenwriting that I haven't found in any other workshop or book on the subject. " Keith Tracy, Punta Gorda, FL, USA
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