Script File
IVFU
IVFU is a serialized half-hour dramedy, inspired by the podcast of the same name, following a passionate female rock musician and her powder-keg, screenwriter husband as they struggle to make a baby through invasive fertility treatments without compromising the pursuit of their career dreams – giving new meaning to the saying “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.”
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Samantha ShaberWriter
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Project Type:Television Script
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Number of Pages:33
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:Yes
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Student Project:No
Samantha Shaber, daughter of screenwriter David Shaber (THE WARRIORS, HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER), is a singer-songwriter/storyteller/podcaster/screenwriter, currently based in Los Angeles. She’s released 12 independent albums and racked up over 200,000 touring miles across the world. Shaber is also an award-winning live storyteller, Moth winner and UCB host, whose one-woman original musical Sam Shaber: Life, Death & Duran Duran debuted at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it earned five-star reviews and Pick of the Fringe, then went on to fill houses and win awards in New York and Los Angeles. Shaber is currently creator/host of the acclaimed IVFU podcast, a series of intimate, uninhibited interviews about the pain, joy, angst and love of trying to make a family the “new-fashioned” way.
My father was screenwriter David Shaber and my husband is writer-producer George Strayton (XENA, TRANSFORMERS, OCTOBER FACTION), and perhaps through genetics or love, I’ve always been a writer myself. IVFU is my first screenplay. (Though I'm 80% done with my second now and continuing to push through!) I’m grateful to call many top writers, producers and development execs my closest friends, including Brooke Bowman (Fox Head of Drama), Michael McDonald (HBOMax, Amazon), Allison Silverman (RUSSIAN DOLL, THE OFFICE), David McMillan (DAHMER), Joy Blake (OUTLANDER, HEROES, CRIMINAL MINDS), Melissa Blake (ONE MISSISSIPPI, GHOST WHISPERER, and THE WILDS), the late Bob Orci (TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK), and I'm grateful to have been read and gotten great notes from all of them. I've also had the experience of building and doing a pitch for this show, brought so far to Hello Sunshine and Ryan Seacrest, and it was brutal but invaluable to be forced to go beyond the pilot and nail down the entire series and then to communicate that to a buyer. I've also been on set several times as a guest of George or other friends, and I find the experience intoxicating and inspiring in its sense of collaboration, professionalism, and common goal.
I'm hoping to expand my portfolio and my network of peers with the goal of launching a solid screenwriting career. Long-term, I hope to sell both pilots and features, and to be part of a writing and producing team. Much of my music career has been a solo experience – always being the main songwriter, often also the producer, booking agent, promoter, driver-- you name it. But all I've wanted for ages is to work WITH other people, bandmates, writing staffs, cast members, to be inspired by their creative brains and collaborate on projects that are bigger as a result of our teamwork and combined talents. I know it's not always perfect - I've heard as many horror stories as happy ones - but I long to experience all sides of this industry that I know can be as insane as it is rewarding.
