Passion... I'm passionate about the stories I write, the relationships I create throughout the film-making process and devotion to the craft. I am a seeker of truth... challenging audiences to discover some truth within themselves.
JoAnn Hess is a multi-award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker and voiceover actress. Named as one of the industry’s Most Recommended Writers, JoAnn writes character-driven stories that revolve around the socially-disenfranchised, those whom society has forgotten, who struggle to find their place in the world.
JoAnn is a highly sought out writer of feature films and television as her work has been optioned and contracted for-hire by producers in both the US, UK, and Australia. JoAnn’s project STAR QUEST was a 2018 Torino ScriptLab selection, one of only eight projects chosen. In 2019, she was inducted into the International Indie Hall of Fame.
JoAnn’s scripts have placed in numerous, prestigious award competitions including a PAGE Awards FINALIST, AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL 2nd Rounder, Final Draft’s BIG BREAK Semifinalist, AUSTIN REVOLUTION FILM FESTIVAL WINNER for Best TV Pilot - Drama; New Hope Film Festival WINNER; LONDON FILM AWARDS 3rd Place; ACTION ON FILM Festival WINNER for Best Script, Best TV Pilot as well as the Arthur Rosenfeld Award for Excellence in Dramatic Writing; and many more.
Along with FRAMER (AAIG, LLC), THE DEVIL’S DANDRUFF (JC Productions, Ltd) is in Pre-Production with Peter Field (World War Z, Edge of Tomorrow) directing. THE YIN YANG and the TREASURE has Prachya Pinkaew (ONG-BAK: The Thai Warrior) attached to direct. She has produced three short films, DEBRIS (2015) and the multiple award-winning, OUR FATHER (2014), starring Michael Gross and, the horror/thriller RESURRECTED which she also co-wrote.
After spending over a decade in the corporate world in marketing and international finance manager for a Fortune 500 company, JoAnn took a break when she started her family and spent the next two decades studying and honing her craft. In 2016, JoAnn attained a MASTER SCREENWRITER certification from ScreenwritingU’s Master Screenwriting Program and holds an MBA (Finance) and BA (Economics).
Top 50 - TV Pilots
Go Ask Alice
Roadmap Writers, JumpStart Competition
2020
Best Television Script
Star Quest
Los Angeles Film Awards
Los Angeles, CA
2019
Best Sci-Fi script
Star Quest
Los Angeles Film and Script Festival
Los Angeles, CA
2019
2nd Place, TV Pilot
Star Quest
The International Horror Hotel
Cleveland, OH
2019
Northern Lights Emerging Talent Award. Best Screenplay.
Star Quest
Alaska International Film Awards
Ancorage, AK
2019
Finalist
Star Quest
Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay
New York, NY
2019
Won Best Special Effects
Resurrected
Cleveland 48r Horror Film Project
Cleveland
2019
FINALIST - 1hr TV Pilot
Go Ask Alice
Screenplay Festival
2019
Semifinalist - TV Drama
Go Ask Alice
PAGE Awards
2019
Winner, Best TV Pilot
Go Ask Alice
Austin Revolution Festival
Austin, TX
2019
Quarterfinalist
Go Ask Alice
WeScreenplay TV Pilot Competition
Los Angeles, CA
2018
Best Dramatic Short
Go Ask Alice
Action on Film Festival
Las Vegas, NV
2018
2nd Rounder
Go Ask Alice
Austin Film Fstival
Austin, TX
2018
1st Place, Crime-Drama
The Devil's Dandruff
International Indie Gathering
Cleveland, OH
2018
Best Script
The Devil's Dandruff
Action on Film Festival
Las Vegas, NV
2018
Finalist
Framer
Austin Revolution Film Festival
Austin, TX
2018
1st Place, Suspense/Thriller
Framer
International Indie Gathering Film Festival
Cleveland, OH
2018
2nd Place Suspense/Thriller
Framer
The International Horror Hotel
Cleveland, OH
2018
2nd Place
Grandfella
National Screenwriters Day Competition
Los Angeles, CA
2018
3rd Place
The Devil's Dandruff
London Film Awards
London, UK
2017
1st Scene Screenplay Winner
Framer
Thriller/Suspense Festival
2017
1st Place
Grandfella
Tribal Film Festival
Talequah, OK
2017
Quarterfinalist
Grandfella
Stage 32 Comedy
Los Angeles , CA
2017
Best Dialogue
Grandfella
Action of Film International Film Festival
Las Vegas, NV
2017
Finalist
Grandfella
Page Awards - 2017
Los Angeles, CA
2017
Quarterfinalist
Grandfella
Screencraft - Comedy
Beverly Hills, CA
2016
Best Feature script; 1st place Dramatic comedy
Grandfella
Cleveland International Indiegathering Film Festival
Cleveland, OH
2016
Semifinalist
Grandfella
Final Draft BIG BREAK
Los Angeles, CA
2016
Semi-Finalist
Grandfella
Page Awards - 2016
Los Angeles, CA
2016
College
University of California, San Diego
Economics
19821985
College
Kent State University
Master in Business Administration
19921995
Passion... I'm passionate about the stories I write, the relationships I create throughout the film-making process and devotion to the craft. I am a seeker of truth... challenging audiences to discover some truth within themselves.
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