"The Book of Eli," Gary Whitta's story starring Denzel Washington, is due for release in January, 2010
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"""Band of Brothers," the HBO series which Expo Writer-guest Erik Bork received Emmy and Golden Globe awards
|  William Goldman's screenplay interpreted Stephen King's book, "Hearts In Atlantis," for the silver screen
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CSI Miami: Creator David Zuiker
is a Guest of Honor
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Working Writers At The
2010 Screenwriting Expo
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This is A Partial And Subjective List Of Produced Working
Writers, Writer-Directors, and Writer-Producers On The Program Of The 2010 Screenwriting Expo,
Based On Our Knowledge And/Or Credits Found On IMDB.com
(Also
see the Guests
of Honor list)
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 HAL ACKERMAN Also a produced playwright
(recent winner of the William Saroyan Award), and teacher, Hal
has
sold three scripts, including
the produced feature, 'second Wind." Hal has sold
material
to major studios, independents, and the three networks. Some
of
his biggest successes have been as a teacher; he has taught and
mentored the writers of several major motion pictures.
WILLIAM M AKERS,
author of Your Screenplay Sucks!, 100 Ways To Make It Great, is a
Lifetime Member of the WGA and has had three feature films produced
from his screenplays. Akers has written for studios, independent
producers, and the major television networks. He teaches screenwriting
at Vanderbilt University and gives writing seminars around the world.
HOWARD ALLEN has worked for many years as a professional actor, playwright,
director, screenwriter,and literary manager/dramaturg, as well as a
reporter, reviewer,and editor in his journalistic career.
Credits: co-writer on screenplays "Renaissance " top 10% at Heart of
Austin Film Festival and "Line In the Sand" has just been optioned;
Script Consultant and actor in 2007 Arizona Western "The
Decoy"
and 2010 film noir "Red 71."
 GLENN BENEST
is an award-winning writer/producer who has written seven produced
films. Mr. Benest has taught for many years at UCLA Extension and The
American Film Institute. He now teaches private professional level
workshops in the Los Angeles. 5 films have been launched from these
workshops including 'scream "Event Horizon " and "Andre."His
latest effort "Monkey Boys " will begin production
in March
of 2010.
SHANE BLACK is currently writing Lethal Weapon 5, slated
for 2012 release, and is lined up to direct Cold Warrior (2010), about
a retired Cold War-era spy who helps a younger agent track down a
terrorist. Considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the
action genre, Black sold his first screenplay Lethal Weapon (1987) at
the age of 23 for $250,000 and was paid $125,000 as a co-writer of
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989). He received $1.75 million for his screenplay
the Last Boyscout (1991), and $1 million for the
McTiernan/Schwarzenegger Last Action Hero (1993) script. He contributed
to Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). Black
is one of the highest paid screenwriters in Hollywood movie industry
history, making $4 million for penning the Long Kiss Goodnight (1996),
which he also produced. Black was the writer and director for Kiss
Kiss, Bang Bang (2005), the noir comedy, inspired by the Michael Shayne
Mystery Series (circa 1941). Shane has also acted in many films,
including Predator (1987), Robocop 3 (1993) and as Good as it Gets
(I997). In 2005, Black received the Best Original Screenplay
Award from the San Diego Film Critics Association and five Saturn Award
nominations for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. In 2006, Black received the
Distinguished Screenwriter Award from the Austin Film Festival, The
Filmmaker’s Showcase Award from the Academy of Science
Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films and a nomination for a London Critics
Circle Film Award, also for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
 ERIK BORK received
Emmy and Golden Globe Awards as a writer-producer on the HBO miniseries
'Band Of Brothers' and 'From The Earth to The Moon'. He has
written features on assignment, worked on two series staffs, and
written multiple drama series pilots from pitches he sold to NBC and
Fox.
SARIT CATZ
has two original screenplays currently under option to producers. She
has won three Writers Guild of America Awards and teaches sitcom
writing at the People’s Improv Theater
in New York City and at Columbia University’s Graduate School of
Filmmaking. In television her credits include Coach, Full House,
Soul Man, Talk to Me, The Crew, Café Americain, Honey, I Shrunk
The Kids and many other series. Sarit created two original series,
Girls’ Night for UPN and Click for Big Ticket Television.
She is currently the Host, Head Writer and Producer of After Hours with
Sarit Catz, a latenight comedy-variety show. Sarit wrote and produced
two indie short films, What She’s Having, a selection to the New
York Television Festival and the Big Apple Film Festival, and Comic
Belief, part of the New FilmMakers NYC Screening Series and winner of
the Windsor Prize for Arts in Film. Sarit’s latest indie TV
pilot, Marino’s, is under network consideration for the fall 2010
season. Sarit is also a stand-up comic who’s played numerous
comedy clubs including The Comic Strip, Stand-Up New York, Gotham
Comedy Club, New York Comedy Club, Boston Comedy Club, and many, many
others not worth mentioning. She has won “Clash of the
Comics” three times and was a semi-finalist in “The Great
Canadian Laugh-Off” - and she’s not even Canadian!
www.PrincessOfComedy.com
PAUL CHITLIK:
We didn't find recent credits for Paul on IMDB, but he's listed among
the writers on the program because he has so many credits,
including "V.I.P." (1 episode, 1999);...aka "V.I.P. - Die
Bodyguards" (Germany); - Raging Val (1999) TV episode (story); Alien
Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998) (TV) (teleplay);...aka Alien
Abduction: The McPherson Tape (UK);...aka Incident in Lake County;
"Perfect Strangers" (1 episode, 1990); - Here Comes the Judge (1990) TV
episode (story); ; "The Twilight Zone" (6 episodes, 1986-1989);...aka
"The New Twilight Zone" (Australia); - Father & Son Game (1989) TV
episode (written by); - Room 2426 (1989) TV episode (written by); -
Stranger in Possum Meadows (1989) TV episode (writer); - The Trunk
(1988) TV episode (written by); - The Hunters (1988) TV episode
(written by); (1 more); "Small Wonder" (5 episodes, 1988-1989); -
Hooray for Hollyweird! (1989) TV episode (written by); - More About
L.E.S. (1989) TV episode (written by); - Riches to Rags (1989) TV
episode (written by); - The Sheik (1988) TV episode (written by); -
Love at First Byte (1988) TV episode (written by); "Who's the Boss?" (1
episode, 1987); - Car and Driver (1987) TV episode (story); "Amen"
(1986) TV series (unknown episodes); "Brothers" (1 episode, 1986); -
Goodbye, Cliffie (1986) TV episode (written by).
JOHN CLEESE was born and brought up in Weston-super-Mare. However, he recovered to win a place to study  science
at Cambridge. After sampling the conversation in the Chemistry
laboratories, he switched to Law. The success of the 1963
Cambridge Footlights Revue, which played in the West End and on
Broadway, saved him from a legal career. He first shot to fame in
England with The Frost Report in 1966 and in 1969 co-created Monty
Python’s Flying Circus. The team went on to conquer the
world with four cult TV series and four hugely successful films, And
Now For Something Completely Different (1971), Monty Python and the
Holy Grail (1974), The Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of
Life (1983). After leaving Python, Cleese moved on to create
Basil Fawlty, the hotel manager from hell in Fawlty Towers. As
one of the most successful TV series ever made, the 12 episodes of
Fawlty Towers have been repeated on the BBC many times. In
1988, he starred in and co-wrote A Fish Called Wanda. He reunited
the stars of Wanda in 1996 to make Fierce Creatures, a film about
a zoo, which went on worldwide release in 1997. As well as
his work with Monty Python, Cleese’s film credits as an actor
include The Great Muppet Caper (1980), Time Bandits (1980),
Privates on Parade (1982) Silverado (1984), Clockwise (1986),
Terry Jones’ Erik the Viking, Eric Idle’s Splitting
Heirs (1992), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), The
Jungle Book (1995), The Wind in the Willows (1996), The Out-of-Towners
(1999), and Rat Race (2001) Less well known is the fact that John
Cleese co-wrote (with Robin Skynner) two best selling books on
psychology, Families and How to Survive Them, and Life and How to
Survive It. He also co-founded Video Arts in 1972, which
became the largest producer of management and sales training films
outside the United States. Video Arts was sold in 1991.
John started the Secret Policeman’s Ball concerts for Amnesty
International, and has continued to do a lot of charity work, much
of it, like The Human Face (2001), for the BBC. In his twilight
years he passes his time writing film scripts, making speeches to
business audiences, doing seminars on creativity, teaching at Cornell
and UCSB, playing “The Kin” in the Shrek movies,
constructing a virtual reality (his website, www.thejohncleese.com),
raising chickens, and, of course, trying to grow a decent tomato.
JAMES DALESSANDRO is
a 23-year veteran of the WGA whose novel and
screenplay "1906", an epic of the great San Francisco Earthquake, is
being directed by The Incredibles’ Brad Bird and will be
Pixar’s first live-action release. He is also author and
screenwriter of "Citizen Jane" for Wolper Productions/Warner Brothers
Television, the story of a Marin County woman who has solved 20 cold
case murders, and writer/director/producer of the documentary film,
"The Damnedest, Finest Ruins." Lew Hunter, co-Dean of the UCLA
Screenwriting program, calls him one of the best screenwriting
lecturers in the world. He lives in San Francisco.
MADELINE DIMAGGIO
Writer/producer Currently at Honest Engine Films, DiMaggio produced
Surviving Eden starring Peter Dinklage Jane Lynch
Sheri Oteri and Michael Payne (release 06) and the documentaries
Stir It Up (release 06) and Humble Beauty. She has worked as a creative
consultant and story editor to Paramount Studios and has written over
40 hours of produced film in: prime-time sitcoms one hour
dramas TV pilots soaps animation and feature
films. She co-wrote the M.O.W. Alibi starring Tori Spelling
and the feature film If the Shoe Fits starring Rob Lowe and Jennifer
Grey. Her book to film feature Catherine Called Birdy with
co-writer Pamela Wallace (Witness) was developed and sold to Ben Myron
Productions and the screenplay Murder with Privilege a true
crime to Showtime. DiMaggio currently has 5 scripts under option.
She presents workshops throughout the US and Europe. In 2006 and 2007
she was hired by MediaCorp in Singapore to teach TV and film writing to
'in house' professional television writers. DiMaggio was voted the
Members Choice Award for Best Screenwriting Seminar and Script
Consultant by the National Screenwriters Forum./producer. Currently at
Honest
Engine Films, DiMaggio produced 'surviving Eden," starring
Peter Dinklage ,Jane Lynch, Sheri Oteri, and Michael Payne,
and the documentaries 'stir It Up, and "Humble Beauty.". She has worked
as a creative consultant and story editor to Paramount Studios and has
written over 40 hours of produced film in prime-time sitcoms, one-hour
dramas, TV pilots, soaps, animation, and feature films. She
co-wrote . "Alibi," starring Tori Spelling, and the
feature film, "If the Shoe Fits," starring Rob Lowe and Jennifer Grey.
Her book-to-film feature, "Catherine Called Birdy," with
co-writer Pamela Wallace (Witness) was developed and sold to Ben Myron
Productions, and the screenplay "Murder with Privilege," a
true crime, to Showtime.
 WILLIAM GOLDMAN: For the fifth straight
year, Oscar
winner William Goldman is coming back to the
Expo as the Sunday Guest of Honor. As a screenwriter, novelist, and
playwright, he has won two Oscars, two Edgars, a WGA award, and a
BAFTA. Among his original creations are Butch Cassidy and
the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride,
and Marathon Man. His numerous adaptations
include the classic All the President’s Men
as well as Misery and Hearts in
Atlantis. He has also written the popular book Adventures
in the Screen Trade, in which he penned the most famous line
in Hollywood that didn’t come from the Silver Screen:
“Nobody knows anything.”
 BRIAN HERSKOWITZ
has many features currently in development. Among his TV credits:
Blossom Hercules Dream On Tour of
Duty and
punch up on Listen Up. Brian heads Boston University's prestigious
Hollywood Internship program for Screenwriters. He teaches
screenwriting online for UCLA Extension and was the sitcom instructor
for Writer's Boot Camp. His DVD on Crafting the Outline is available
through Creative Screenwriting and his text book Process to Product is
soon to be published by Halcyon Press.
HORROR WRITERS' PANEL DISCUSSION, hosted by Jenelle Riley. EDUARDO
SANCHEZ co-wrote, co-edited and co-directed famous breakthrough
virally-marketed the Blair Witch Project, which grossed over $140
million theatrically in North America. He also designed and built the
original blairwitch.com website and co-directed the TV special Curse of
the Blair Witch for The Sci-FI Channel. He directed the feature film
Altered, which was distributed on DVD in the United States and United
Kingdom by Universal Home Entertainment in 2005. His third feature
film, Seventh  Moon, stars Amy Smart and is being released by Ghosthouse
Underground in October of 2010. He lives with his wife, Stefanie, their
three children, Bianca, Lucas and Lennon, in Urbana, Maryland. TI WEST,
writer, director and editor, marks his fourth feature with the House of
the Devil following such cult hits as the Roost and Trigger Man and the
forthcoming Lionsgate release Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. He is
represented by Artists & Directors Cooperative and ICM. ADAM GREEN
made is first feature film, the comedy Coffee & Doughnuts, for a
mere $400 in the summer of 1999. In 2003 the movie was bought by Walt
Disney Studios/Touchstone TV and developed as a sit-com for UPN with
Green writing the pilot. He wrote and directed the feature film Hatchet
, which won numerous awards, including the Audience Choice Award for
“Best Picture” in three countries and placement in both MTV's and Ain't
It Cool News' Top 10 Films of the Year lists. Hatchet saw a successful
nationwide theatrical release in September of 2007. His next film, the
award-winning Spiral, saw a US theatrical release in February of 2008.
He also produced the disturbing and horrifying thriller Grace, and just
completed writing the animated Aquaman movie for Warner Brothers/D.C.
Comics and just wrapped production on his new snowy thriller Frozen,
due out in theaters in February of 2010. RYAN SCHIFRIN was touted on
ABC News as the future of horror after his critically acclaimed and
award-winning feature film Abominable premiered in New York. Its world
TV premiere on cable's SCI-FI Channel was the top-rated broadcast on
the network the week it aired. His screenplay Wimpy sold to Warner
Bros.-based Alcon Pictures for Neal Moritz (I Am Legend, Prison Break)
to produce. Last year, Ryan created the hit comic book series Spooks,
and co-wrote it with Larry Hama (Gi Joe) and New York Times best
selling author R.A. Salvatore (Forgotten Realms). His new comic series,
the Devil's Handshake, and is being released this October. He is a
graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema.
 KAREY KIRKPATRICK
has a string of major-studio animation and live-action movies under his
belt. He is the co-writer/director of the hit 2006 animated film
Over the Hedge. He has also written or co-written the screenplays to
Chicken Run, The darkly visionary 2008 Spiderwick Chronicles, the 2006
Charlotte’s Web, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Kirkpatrick got his start at Walt Disney’s Touchstone Pictures,
where he was credited with co-writing the 1990 hit The Rescuers Down
Under. He next penned the screenplay for the critically acclaimed
James and The Giant Peach. He made his live action writing debut
with 1997’s Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. 2010 saw the release of
Kirkpatrick’s live-action directorial debut, the Eddie Murphy
family comedy Imagine That. He has credits as a producer on The
Spiderwick Chronicles and on the 2007comedy, Flakes, starring Zooey
Deschanel, which he co-wrote with Chris Poche. Small world that
it is, Guest of Honor John Cleese played the role of The Sheep in his
adaptation of Charlotte’s Web.
BILL LUNDY
is a working screenwriter and Chairman Emeritus of the Scriptwriters
Network. Has written two movies for the Sci-Fi Channel and currently
has three projects being packaged for production.
 JAMES MANOS JR won an Emmy Award for his College episode of The Sopranos. He served for two seasons as Consulting
Producer on The Shield, and created the TV series Dexter,
Showtime’s premiere one-hour drama, now in its fourth season. He
most recently wrote a new dramatic pilot for Fox 21
Television. Jim successfully produced the award-winning
movie The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas
Cheerleader-Murdering Mom, starring Holly Hunter and Beau Bridges, for
HBO. The movie was nominated for six Emmys and won three. Additionally,
it won the Cable Ace Award for Best Picture of the year. He also
produced the critically acclaimed Apollo 11 and The Ditchdigger’s
Daughters, which was nominated for 3 Cable Ace awards, including Best
Picture.
 PAUL MARGOLIS
has been a successful writer and producer, both in film and television,
for more than two decades. He has written screenplays for every
major movie studio in Hollywood, including work on Phantoms starring
Ben Affleck and Peter O’Toole, Live Wire starring Pierce Brosnan
and Ticker, starring Steven Segal and Dennis Hopper. His many TV
credits include such critically-acclaimed dramas as I’ll Fly
Away, The Sentinel and MacGyver, for which he won a Genesis Award. A
member of the film faculty at Brooks Institute in Ventura, California,
Paul also teaches a master class for professional screenwriters in New
Zealand each year. His newest project is an original
feature script which is in development, called the 13th Apostle.
 BILL MARSILII
co-wrote (with Terry Rossio) the romantic time-travel thriller DEJA VU,
which sold to Jerry Bruckheimer and Touchstone Pictures in June 2004
for $5 million in a pre-emptive bid. Starring Denzel Washington and
directed by Tony Scott, the film opened Thanksgiving 2006 and went on
to gross over $180 million worldwide. An accomplished comedy
writer/performer, Bill was in the original Off-Broadway cast of Tony 'N
Tina's Wedding, and has been featured at Caroline's on Broadway, Catch
a Rising Star and numerous other theatrical venues. His
television work includes writing and starring
in two comedy pilots for the Hallmark Channel, as well as several
episodes of the Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss and Courage the Cowardly
Dog, all of which give lazy Internet dweebs ammo to talk smack about
him. He has also written feature scripts for The Samuel Goldwyn
Company, TriStar, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures. Bill's
next feature is 20,000 Leagues under the Sea: Captain Nemo, which he
sold on a pitch to Walt Disney Pictures in Spring 2007. Directed
by McG, the movie is now in pre-production and slated for release in
2011. Bill is also currently writing another sci-fi spec with
Terry Rossio.
CATHY MCCARTHY's
screenplay 'Oh Brother' was optioned by Gold Circle Productions in 2008
and is currently in development and is slated for production in 2010.
She is represented by the Safran Company in LA and currently resides in
Phoenix, Ariz.
GREG ROACH is a
patent-holding inventor, new-media designer and writer. He wrote,
designed and directed, The X-Files Game, Quantum Gate, The Vortex and
The Madness of Roland. Most recently he was writer and design
consultant for Lars von Trier’s interactive 'The Kingdom Within'
and Ubsisoft’s upcoming AAA Wii game 'Red Steel 2.'
ELLEN SANDLER is an Emmy nominated television writer/producer. She was Co-Executive  Producer
of the CBS hit Everybody Loves Raymond and the popular ABC series
Coach as well as 25 prime time sitcoms. Ellen has created pilots
for ABC CBS NBC Fox Family Disney Oxygen
and the Australian Broadcasting Company. She is the author of The
TV Writers Workbook: A Creative Approach to Television Scripts
published by Bantam/Dell. DEVORAH CUTLER-RUBENSTEIN is a former
studio exec who has produced films plays and television
including the feature franchise The Substitute and most recently Tattoo
U for FX Channel. Her writing credits include a variety of genres for
indie and major companies including ABC and Columbia Pictures.
She also recently published Whats the Big Idea: Writing Shorts.
ROBERT N. SKIR has written a variety of animation series, ranging from action-adventure (X-Men, Batman,
Superman) to wacky comedies (Beetlejuice, Sam & Max, Jim Henson's
Dog City) since 1991. He has served as Story Editor on such shows as
Extreme Ghostbusters Godzilla, and The Mask, developed X-Men:
Evolution, and served as Head Writer on Transformers: Beast Machines
and Action Man. He also teaches Animation Writing at UCLA School of
Film, Television, & Digiital Arts.
 CHRIS SOTH
sold his USC thesis screenplay for $750,000. He received sole
credit on the film, Firestorm and has gone on to make the movie
Outrage. This year he will direct his own screenplay, Dead Man's
Hand. He teaches his own proprietary structure and story method
through MillionDollarScreenwriting.com and via teleseminar at
ScreenplayByPhone.com. Chris is the author of the Internet
Best-Seller: Million-Dollar Screenwriting: The Mini-Movie
Method as well as the star of Sold! How I Set Up Three Pitches in
Hollywood, the Writer's Store pitching best-selling DVD. He has
taught at USC and UCLA and mentors screenwriters throughout the world
at YourScreenplayMentor.com
 GARY WHITTA sold
his original screenplay "The Book of Eli" to Warner Bros in 2007.
Produced by Joel Silver, the $80m sci-fi thriller will be released in
January and stars Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis and
Michael Gambon. Gary has since worked on several A-list studio
assignments, including the live-action adaptations of the classic
Japanese graphic novel "Akira" for Warner Bros and the blockbuster game
franchise "Warcraft" for Legendary Pictures. He is currently
writing the sci-fi adventure "The Defenders" for DreamWorks with Alex
Kurtzman and Roberto Orci producing. His most recent film, the
supernatural thriller "Undying" (based on his original spec) goes into
production later this year for release in 2010.
 ANTHONY
E. ZUIKER is one of the most creative and multifaceted individuals
working in Hollywood today. He is the creator of television's
successful CSI franchise, which now includes CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York. With its tenth
season debuting this September, the original CSI has received
widespread critical acclaim and has earned distinction as the highest
rated drama on television reaching 75 million viewers per week.
CSI accumulated an astounding 28 Emmy Award Nominations, four Emmy
Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Golden Globe
nominations for Best Television Series (Drama). Produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer Productions, Zuiker serves as Executive Producer of the CSI
franchise. Zuiker also created and executive produces CSI: Miami
starring David Caruso. With an eighth season lined up for
September, CSI: Miami continues to dominate in its timeslot in the
United States and around the world. He is also an Executive
Producer for the series third installment CSI: New York, which
premiered in the fall of 2004 and stars Gary Sinise and Melina
Kanakaredes. He was the showrunner for five seasons. In
addition to expanding on his film and television efforts, Zuiker
continues to delve into the worlds of gaming, publishing and
cross-platform storytelling with the formation of his Dare to Pass
production company. Regarding publishing, he has created the
industry redefining multi-platform media property coined a
'Digi-Novel.' Published by Dutton, the first 'Digi-Novel' in this crime
series is titled 'Level 26-Dark Orgins' which, is the first in a series
of crime novels to be published by Dutton, will revolutionize modern
storytelling by allowing readers to move seamlessly from books to film
to the Web, an unprecedented undertaking in the publishing
industry. It will be in stores on September 8, 2010. All
Cyberbridges were written, produced and directed by Zuiker.
Zuiker also closed a deal with publisher HarperCollins for his memoir
tentatively titled "Mr. CSI". In the book, Zuiker maps out
his journey as an aspiring writer working as a tram driver at Las
Vegas' famed Mirage Hotel to becoming one of the most coveted screen
and television writers in the business.
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