KEYS

John started as a professional actor. Between engagements, he studied acting in professional workshops and at universities. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach summa cum laude with a B.A. in acting and directing. After Long Beach State, John was whisked away for a three-year fellowship to Cornell University, where he worked toward a master of fine arts degree in directing. In 1987, John started writing screenplays. The acting background gave him the facility to develop characters and write effective dialogue. His directing background enabled him to see the larger picture, the scope, structure, and through-line of a story, as well as tone and thematic development. His life experience of working in almost every type of service employment available gave him stories for a lifetime of writing. Then John became the associate to Ken Rotcop, who had produced many Hollywood features and TV movies. He had been a writer in the film industry for 35 years and won the Writers’ Guild award for best script. He had also been head of the creative department for three different studios. He is the author of the best-selling book, “The Perfect Pitch.” He tutored John on how to write screenplays that sell, and all of John’s acting and directing experience gave him the ability to analyze dramatic writing with a fine eye and ear. As a result, he not only become a script consultant in high demand, but he has also taken numerous options (deals) on many of his own spec screenplays. He is told frequently that his scripts are easy reads and he attribute that to the writing style that he has developed, which he shares with his clients, as well as his stories. Even if producers turn down one of his scripts, they frequently ask for other scripts that he has written. He has been through many development (rewriting with producer) processes. Taking assignments and doing rewrites have been exciting creative measures of his craft. Currently, he has two scripts in preproduction. Sharing his knowledge with others as a lecturer on campuses, in writers’ workshops, festivals, seminars, and screenwriters’ expos, as well as in private consulting, is always a great pleasure for him. There’s room for anyone who wants to work hard to become a professional screenwriter, and John wants to help those who are willing to do the work to get their stories on the market. His greatest joy is watching someone he has assisted become a professional screenwriter. Although John lives by the ocean in Redondo Beach CA., he has clients around the world that have proven that one does not need to live in Los Angeles to be a
professional screenwriter. Whether you live in Los Angeles, New York, Florida, Texas, Europe, Asia, or anywhere else, John can work successfully with you. He looks forward to reading your script.