#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Emma Jeszke – Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Every Monday we will be profiling a member of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting 2020 graduating class. This exciting, fresh crop of writers are the future of the industry and are going on to do BIG things, so get to know them now! 

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Emma Jeszke

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Emma Jeszke

Emma Jeszke is a dramedy writer, with a focus on coming-of-age stories that challenge and expand typical narratives about girlhood, young adulthood, and motherhood. She has a special talent for keeping you laughing till you’re crying.

Her television pilot Postpartum, about the joys and struggles of being a new mom, was a top-ten finalist in the Women Writing Competition at Series Fest. She is the author of the feature screenplays Wildflower, a forbidden love story about a soldier and an antiwar activist set in 2004, and Bobbi Malone, which follows a thirty-something as she reconnects with her estranged grandmother through a theater troupe. She’s also the author of several stage plays, and the creator of the forthcoming web series Holly & Gem, about two sisters who reconnect after one escapes a cult.

Her plays have been performed regionally in places such as the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival and the Blank Theatre in Los Angeles. She is a book editor at Theatre Communications Group, the foremost publisher of theatrical literature, where she’s spent eight years working with world-renowned playwrights. She’s currently finishing her MFA in TV & Screenwriting at Stephens College.


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Listen to the latest “How I Wrote That” Podcast with Screenwriter Julie Hébert from ‘American Crime’ and ‘Man in the High Castle’

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Julie Hébert started her creative life as a theater director and playwright (Ruby’s Bucket of Blood).  She’s written and directed for the Magic Theater, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, LaMaMa, The Women’s Project, Cornerstone and many more.  Her plays were honored twice with the Pen Award for Drama. Moving into television, Julie has written and directed for some of the most respected shows in television including American Crime, The Good Wife, Boss, Numb3rs and The West Wing. Her films have been praised as “intriguingly complex” (Variety) and “pulsing with veracity” (LA Times), with “a raw power that is impossible to dismiss” (Roger Ebert).  She blogs occasionally at JulieHébert.com.

“I honor the depth inside and the stories that really want to be told because often in television you can get away with topline chatter, but to really hit on something that has meaning for you, that will have meaning for someone hearing the story, it has to come from a deeper place.” -Julie Hébert

Presented by Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting


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#MentorMonday 8 - Dawn Comer Jefferson - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

A Photographic February for Stephens MFA in TV and Screenwriting

February was a month of sharing the marvelous photos from all the guest lectures who graced the January Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting workshop with their talent and inspiration… (plus a quick shot of my upcoming book on Films of the Civil War).

February at Stephens MFA in TV and Screenwriting


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Write Your Family’s Stories! – Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Sometimes the best scripts are hidden in our own families – call relatives, have dinners, write letters.

Then come to the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting to learn how to Write, Reach, and Represent all those hidden stories.Write Your Family's Stories! - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Charles M. Schulz Museum

💪🍪 We honor the great women who have gone ahead of us and who walk beside us every day on this #InternationalWomensDay. This Peanuts strip was first published on November 11, 1976⁠.⁠⁠


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#FacultyFriday: Phillip LaZebnik – Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

#FacultyFriday: Phil LaZebnik - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

The Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting would like to celebrate one of our mentors Philip LaZebnik, whose musical THE PRINCE OF EGYPT just opened on the West End! Congratulations Philip! #FacultyFriday

Philip Lazebnik has written numerous television episodes and motion picture screenplays in Los Angeles and Europe. His screenwriting credits include Disney’s Pocahontas and Mulan, and DreamWorks’ Prince of Egypt and The Legend of El Dorado. For the past several years, LaZebnik has lived in Denmark, where he has written movies and television shows throughout Europe and the U.S. His produced movies include the three Treasure of the Templar Knights movies in Denmark and The Three Investigators: The Secret of Skeleton Island and The Three Investigators: The Mystery of Terror Castle for Studio Hamburg; the Danish film Emma and Santa Claus; the English screenplay for Asterix and the Vikings and Asterix and the Domain of the Gods. He also wrote the TV mini-series Hindenburg in Germany, the Christmas TV series Ludvig and Santa Claus for TV2 in Denmark, and the book for Fairytale, a theatrical musical about H.C. Andersen with songs by Stephen Schwartz. Most recently he wrote the book for the musical theatrical version of Prince of Egypt with Stephen Schwartz, which opens in London’s West End on February 25, 2020.


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#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Antonio Zarro – Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Every Monday we will be profiling a member of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting 2020 graduating class. This exciting, fresh crop of writers are the future of the industry and are going on to do BIG things, so get to know them now! 

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Antonio Zarro

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Antonio Zarro

Antonio Zarro is a director and actor for film and television. He created Aria Pictures, a media production company through which he produced and directed over 300 films, commercials and training dramas. His productions have played in Hollywood, Cannes and Europe, and have shown on Showtime, HBO, Cinemax and the Family Channel.

His work has screened at the NY Film Festival, the Chicago Film Festival, the Virginia Festival of American Film, the Columbus Film Festival and Worldfest-Houston. A few of Zarro’s awards include: A Cine Golden Eagle, Telly, Addy, and Aurora Award. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, acting in movies, television and the theatre. Zarro received a B.A. from the University of Tulsa and an M.A. from Regent University.

At the graduate level, he wrote and directed Bird in a Cage, which won a Student Academy Award.


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New Event: Beyond the Books: Writing TV Shows Based on Novels – Writers Guild Foundation – April 7, 2020

Beyond the Books: Writing TV Shows Based on Novels

Tuesday, April 7, 2020
7:30 PM  9:00 PM
The Writers Guild Foundation7000 West 3rd Street, 2nd floor, Los Angeles, CA, 90048

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New Event: Beyond the Books: Writing TV Shows Based on Novels - Writers Guild Foundation - April 7, 2020

What do you do when your series continues beyond the original book upon which the show is based? On this special evening, we join forces with Columbia College Chicago to welcome a panel of TV writers who’ll discuss how they navigate the uncharted territory of writing for a show that has diverged from the original novel.

Panelists:

  • Marissa Jo Cerar – Writer, Supervising Producer, The Handmaid’s Tale, 13 Reasons Why
  • I. Marlene King – Writer, Executive Producer, Pretty Little Liars
  • Stacy Osei-Kuffour – Writer, Watchmen
  • Anthony Sparks – Writer, Executive Producer, Queen Sugar
  • Moderated by Dr. Rosanne Welch.

Event Sponsored By

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Liza Donnelly is live-drawing and tweeting the Athena Film Festival — Valerie Woods and Ken LaZebnik of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

One of the best parts of my gig as Executive Director of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting is sending very good friends like Valerie Woods (@vcwoods24) to very good festivals like the 10th Annual Athena Film Festival!Liza Donnelly is live-drawing and tweeting the Athena Film Festival - -Valerie Wood and Ken LaZebnik of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Liza Donnelly is live-drawing and tweeting the Athena Film Festival - -Valerie Wood and Ken LaZebnik of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Liza Donnelly is live-drawing and tweeting the Athena Film Festival

 


Questions about the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting?

Leave a comment here or email me, Executive Director, Dr. Rosanne Welch and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.


Visit Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for more information.
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Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival

The Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting is always proud to help sponsor the Athena film festival. This year we were happy to send mentor Valerie Woods to discuss her career and love of writing.

Val’s ability to share that love makes her a treasured mentor in our program.

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival


Questions about the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting?

Leave a comment here or email me, Executive Director, Dr. Rosanne Welch and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.


Visit Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for more information.
Follow @StephensMFA on Instagram

Follow and Like the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting#MentorMonday 8 - Dawn Comer Jefferson - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Students Brainstorm During Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Winter Workshop via Instagram

Brainstorm During Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Winter Workshop

Brainstorm During Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Winter Workshop via Instagram

First year MFA candidates Marco Antonio Rodriguez and Doreene Hamilton brainstorm together during January’s workshop.


Questions about the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting?

Leave a comment here or email me, Executive Director, Dr. Rosanne Welch and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.


Visit Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for more information.
Follow @StephensMFA on Instagram

Follow and Like the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting#MentorMonday 8 - Dawn Comer Jefferson - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting