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Annual Literary Agents Panel: What Writers Must Know About Working With Representation Today — and Tomorrow

Panel
Annual Literary Agents Panel:
What Writers Must Know About Working With Representation Today — and Tomorrow

Monday, April 28, 2014

In a fast-changing marketplace, it’s more important than ever to have an advocate to fight for you when going the route of traditional publishing.

This annual program again presents writers with a panel of stellar Southern California agents who will provide a look at their world today.

We’ll cover what you need to know to find the right representative, how to get their attention, “do’s and don’ts,” what kind of feedback you can expect to receive, and the steps you should take to create the strongest and longest-lasting relationships with writers and editors — as well as touch on what the future of the author/agent relationship will be in our new era of publishing, film/cable, and technology.

We will also have a top Hollywood motion picture and TV agent who specializes in working with newer writers, for those who are pursuing screenwriting rather than (or in addition to) book writing. And we’ll be examining the E-book factor, transitioning from self-publishing to traditional publishing, book-to-film deals, and more. Come join us!

Our stellar lineup of panelists includes:

Toni Lopopolo
Toni Lopopolo

TONI LOPOPOLO, founder and president of Toni Lopopolo Literary Management, has a book-publishing resume that began in 1970 in the publicity department of Bantam Books. As executive editor at both Macmillan and later St. Martins, she published Judy Mazel’s Beverly Hills Diet and popular best-selling women’s fiction by Barbara Raskin and Kate Coscarelli.

Her literary agency was founded in 1991. She has made deals for authors such as novelist/nonfiction author Sol Stein (Stein on Writing), novelist/nonfiction author Shelly Lowenkopf (The Fiction Writer’s Handbook), gritty Chicano noir mystery writer Manuel Ramos (Brown-on-Brown: A Luis Montez Mystery), and romance author Flo Fitzgerald (Ghost of a Chance), and worked with Hollywood legends like Jacqueline Susann, Hermione Gingold, and Robert Stack.

Toni looks for well-written, well-edited fiction: mysteries/thrillers, mainstream fiction with proactive female protagonists, and ethnic writers (including Hispanic.) In nonfiction, she is interested in memoir with a message, family-oriented subjects, health, coping with special problems, and topical subjects. Toni conducts workshops for novelists and memoirists, and offers coaching on creating irresistible pitches and book proposals.

EDDIE PIETZAK, an agent with the legendary Alan Nevins’ Renaissance Literary & Talent Agency of Hollywood, has spent the past four years of his career working for Renaissance, and currently manages all areas of the operation.

Eddie is instrumental in identifying new talent for the core publishing business and conducts the day-to-day foreign rights licensing for the company.

After receiving his degree in television and politics from Ithaca College, Pietzak moved to the West Coast to start his career at Abrams Artists Agency, where he spent time learning the trade and developed a passion for talent representation. It was from that point he felt his true calling for the literary world and decided to join Renaissance Literary & Talent.

An avid reader and lover of books, Pietzak includes biography, memoir, historical fiction, science fiction, pop culture, business, culinary, political, self-help, and humor among his wide-ranging reading interests.

Dana Newman
Dana Newman

DANA NEWMAN, president and founder of Dana Newman Literary, is an experienced contracts and intellectual property attorney, and longtime LA-based literary agent.

She combines her professional insight gained from working in the entertainment industry during the tumultuous transition from analog to digital platforms in film and audio with an educational background including a B.A. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley and her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco, and a lifelong love of reading to provide a sophisticated and innovative approach to her role as a literary agent.

Dana focuses on both practical and narrative nonfiction in the areas of memoir/biography, pop culture, business, current affairs, health and wellness, and sports, as well as a select amount of commercial literary fiction.

BJ Robbins
BJ Robbins

BJ ROBBINS, BJ Robbins Literary Agency, began her book publishing career in the P\publicity department at Simon & Schuster and later moved to Harcourt, where she was Director of Marketing and then Senior Editor. In 1992, she started her own Los Angeles-based literary agency.

Her client list includes novelists James D. Houston (Bird of Another Heaven), CBS TV Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson (Between the Bridge and the River), and Nafisa Haji (The Sweetness of Tears); memoirists Wendy Werris (An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the World of Books) and Carol Ann Harris (Storms: My Life with Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac); nonfiction writer Roger Love (Love Your Voice); and travel writer J. Maarten Troost (The Sex Lives of Cannibals).

Her agency represents quality fiction and general nonfiction, with a particular interest in literary fiction, mystery, commercial fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, offbeat/quirky memoir, history, sports, medicine, current affairs, business, psychology and health.

Tim Lambert
Tim Lambert

TIM LAMBERT is the president and founder of Abbot Entertainment, a full-service agency providing complete coverage, consultation, and representation for motion picture and TV writers.

Tim has worked in the development departments of Spyglass Entertainment, Ithaca Films, Twenty Two Productions, Teatown Communications Group, and Goldcrest. After graduating from Cornell University, Tim moved to New York City where he produced television commercials and supervised multi-million-dollar film buys.

 

Seeking a career focused on new and emerging technologies and their applications in motion picture and television production (as well as warmer winters!), Tim relocated to Southern California, founding Abbot Entertainment in 2008.

Moderator

Telly Davidson
Telly Davidson

TELLY DAVIDSON is author of the acclaimed media tie-in book TV’s Grooviest Variety Shows, cited as a Book of the Year by the TV Academy, and the forthcoming satirical novel Pop Culture.

For two years he was senior “Culture Columnist” for David Frum’s enormously popular FrumForum.com, and his writing has appeared in over a dozen commercial publications and websites including AllAboutJazz, FilmStew, YahooMovies, the Los Angeles Daily News, Entertainment Today, and on the TV specials “Pioneers of Television,” “Most Outrageous Game Show Moments,” and as associate producer for KCET’s “The WRITE Environment.”

Currently, Telly is working with veteran film producers’ representative Jeff Porter in acquisitions and research for his company, Porter Pictures, and on the launch of their new online streaming cable network in partnership with Open Vision Networks, True Indie TV.

Telly is a proud and active member of IWOSC and PEN-USA, having hosted or served on several IWOSC panels including “Books-to-Film,” “Biographies & Memoirs,” and earlier “Trends in Publishing” programs.

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Annual Literary Agents Panel: What Writers Must Know About Working With Representation Today — and Tomorrow

Panel
Annual Literary Agents Panel:
What Writers Must Know About Working With Representation Today — and Tomorrow

Monday, April 28, 2014

In a fast-changing marketplace, it’s more important than ever to have an advocate to fight for you when going the route of traditional publishing.

This annual program again presents writers with a panel of stellar Southern California agents who will provide a look at their world today.

We’ll cover what you need to know to find the right representative, how to get their attention, “do’s and don’ts,” what kind of feedback you can expect to receive, and the steps you should take to create the strongest and longest-lasting relationships with writers and editors — as well as touch on what the future of the author/agent relationship will be in our new era of publishing, film/cable, and technology.

We will also have a top Hollywood motion picture and TV agent who specializes in working with newer writers, for those who are pursuing screenwriting rather than (or in addition to) book writing. And we’ll be examining the E-book factor, transitioning from self-publishing to traditional publishing, book-to-film deals, and more. Come join us!

Our stellar lineup of panelists includes:

Toni Lopopolo
Toni Lopopolo

TONI LOPOPOLO, founder and president of Toni Lopopolo Literary Management, has a book-publishing resume that began in 1970 in the publicity department of Bantam Books. As executive editor at both Macmillan and later St. Martins, she published Judy Mazel’s Beverly Hills Diet and popular best-selling women’s fiction by Barbara Raskin and Kate Coscarelli.

Her literary agency was founded in 1991. She has made deals for authors such as novelist/nonfiction author Sol Stein (Stein on Writing), novelist/nonfiction author Shelly Lowenkopf (The Fiction Writer’s Handbook), gritty Chicano noir mystery writer Manuel Ramos (Brown-on-Brown: A Luis Montez Mystery), and romance author Flo Fitzgerald (Ghost of a Chance), and worked with Hollywood legends like Jacqueline Susann, Hermione Gingold, and Robert Stack.

Toni looks for well-written, well-edited fiction: mysteries/thrillers, mainstream fiction with proactive female protagonists, and ethnic writers (including Hispanic.) In nonfiction, she is interested in memoir with a message, family-oriented subjects, health, coping with special problems, and topical subjects. Toni conducts workshops for novelists and memoirists, and offers coaching on creating irresistible pitches and book proposals.

EDDIE PIETZAK, an agent with the legendary Alan Nevins’ Renaissance Literary & Talent Agency of Hollywood, has spent the past four years of his career working for Renaissance, and currently manages all areas of the operation.

Eddie is instrumental in identifying new talent for the core publishing business and conducts the day-to-day foreign rights licensing for the company.

After receiving his degree in television and politics from Ithaca College, Pietzak moved to the West Coast to start his career at Abrams Artists Agency, where he spent time learning the trade and developed a passion for talent representation. It was from that point he felt his true calling for the literary world and decided to join Renaissance Literary & Talent.

An avid reader and lover of books, Pietzak includes biography, memoir, historical fiction, science fiction, pop culture, business, culinary, political, self-help, and humor among his wide-ranging reading interests.

Dana Newman
Dana Newman

DANA NEWMAN, president and founder of Dana Newman Literary, is an experienced contracts and intellectual property attorney, and longtime LA-based literary agent.

She combines her professional insight gained from working in the entertainment industry during the tumultuous transition from analog to digital platforms in film and audio with an educational background including a B.A. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley and her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco, and a lifelong love of reading to provide a sophisticated and innovative approach to her role as a literary agent.

Dana focuses on both practical and narrative nonfiction in the areas of memoir/biography, pop culture, business, current affairs, health and wellness, and sports, as well as a select amount of commercial literary fiction.

BJ Robbins
BJ Robbins

BJ ROBBINS, BJ Robbins Literary Agency, began her book publishing career in the P\publicity department at Simon & Schuster and later moved to Harcourt, where she was Director of Marketing and then Senior Editor. In 1992, she started her own Los Angeles-based literary agency.

Her client list includes novelists James D. Houston (Bird of Another Heaven), CBS TV Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson (Between the Bridge and the River), and Nafisa Haji (The Sweetness of Tears); memoirists Wendy Werris (An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the World of Books) and Carol Ann Harris (Storms: My Life with Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac); nonfiction writer Roger Love (Love Your Voice); and travel writer J. Maarten Troost (The Sex Lives of Cannibals).

Her agency represents quality fiction and general nonfiction, with a particular interest in literary fiction, mystery, commercial fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, offbeat/quirky memoir, history, sports, medicine, current affairs, business, psychology and health.

Tim Lambert
Tim Lambert

TIM LAMBERT is the president and founder of Abbot Entertainment, a full-service agency providing complete coverage, consultation, and representation for motion picture and TV writers.

Tim has worked in the development departments of Spyglass Entertainment, Ithaca Films, Twenty Two Productions, Teatown Communications Group, and Goldcrest. After graduating from Cornell University, Tim moved to New York City where he produced television commercials and supervised multi-million-dollar film buys.

 

Seeking a career focused on new and emerging technologies and their applications in motion picture and television production (as well as warmer winters!), Tim relocated to Southern California, founding Abbot Entertainment in 2008.

Moderator

Telly Davidson
Telly Davidson

TELLY DAVIDSON is author of the acclaimed media tie-in book TV’s Grooviest Variety Shows, cited as a Book of the Year by the TV Academy, and the forthcoming satirical novel Pop Culture.

For two years he was senior “Culture Columnist” for David Frum’s enormously popular FrumForum.com, and his writing has appeared in over a dozen commercial publications and websites including AllAboutJazz, FilmStew, YahooMovies, the Los Angeles Daily News, Entertainment Today, and on the TV specials “Pioneers of Television,” “Most Outrageous Game Show Moments,” and as associate producer for KCET’s “The WRITE Environment.”

Currently, Telly is working with veteran film producers’ representative Jeff Porter in acquisitions and research for his company, Porter Pictures, and on the launch of their new online streaming cable network in partnership with Open Vision Networks, True Indie TV.

Telly is a proud and active member of IWOSC and PEN-USA, having hosted or served on several IWOSC panels including “Books-to-Film,” “Biographies & Memoirs,” and earlier “Trends in Publishing” programs.

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Quality Queries & Powerful Proposals: What Do Agents and Publishers REALLY Want?

Seminar
Quality Queries & Powerful Proposals: What Do Agents and Publishers REALLY Want?

Saturday, April 26, 2014
10:30 am to 1:00 p.m.

In this interactive seminar, we’ll look at why a great query and proposal are crucial for any author who’s seeking a traditional publishing deal — and almost as important for authors who want to self-publish.

We’ll focus on:

  • Queries and proposals: where the creative and business aspects of publishing meet
  • How to think like an agent
  • Are proposals necessary for fiction?
  • Using queries and proposals to enhance your creative process
  • Why queries and proposals are important even if you want to self-publish

Our presenter: MONICA FAULKNER.

Monica Faulkner
Monica Faulkner

In today’s competitive and fast-changing marketplace, it isn’t just about “the book” — it’s even more about building a career. Editor and publishing consultant Monica Faulkner is dedicated to helping authors maximize the creative and commercial potential of their fiction, nonfiction, screenplays, and other writing projects.

A published author with a journalism background, she offers a complete range of editing services, including: manuscript analyses and evaluations; developmental editing, with a special emphasis on one-on-one coaching through rewrites; copyediting, line editing, and proofreading; strategic planning about the most effective ways to self-publish or get published; submissions to agents and established traditional publishers for author clients; complete project management, from editorial through design and production for authors who want to independently publish, market, and promote their own projects; and working with authors to turn their expertise and knowledge into a rewarding and profitable speaking career.

To learn more, visit her at MonicaFaulkner.com.

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Magazines and Periodicals — Digital and Print: How to Get Editors’ Attention

Panel
Magazines and Periodicals — Digital and Print: How to Get Editors’ Attention

Monday, March 31, 2014

As with all phase of publishing, the magazine is in flux, switching from print to online and back to both. It’s almost a brand-new field.

Magazines are plentiful. It always seems as if they are starving for content but not eager to receive content, or are secretive about the process. We will draw back the curtain a bit and offer insight into the sometimes mystical but actually very practical art of magazine and newspaper submission.

Not all magazines and papers pay well; some do not all pay at all. But sometimes the article practically writes itself, and other times the resume credit is worth the effort, even if the money does not fit. And sometimes there are other valuable perks that you might not have considered.

Several magazine and newspaper editors and representatives will tell you:

  • How to get the attention of magazines and newspapers
  • How to contact the magazines and papers
  • What they look for
  • A calendar of upcoming topics
  • What to submit
  • What not to do
  • How to protect your work
  • Perks associated with magazine and newspaper writing
  • Answers to your own questions

If you have ideas, here’s where they can find a home.

Our Panel:

LAWRENCE DAVIS started his first business at age 17 and has been
self-employed since that time. He founded and has been publishing Splash Magazines Worldwide for over 12 years. Splash Magazines is a group of 21 online worldwide city magazines specializing in lifestyle entertainment, offering 10 main sections and 75 subsections including Style & Fashion, Travel Leisure, Entertainment and Food & Beverage, and more. His magazines have covered fashion shows in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Milan, Sydney, Dubai and other cities around the world. They have allowed him to travel around the world, including Machu Picchu in Peru. As well as covering well-known celebrities in his Entertainment & Culture sections, Davis enjoys giving undiscovered new upcoming talent opportunities to expose their work to his readers. Splash offers freelance opportunities to hundreds of journalists not only in LA but all over the world. The biggest editions are Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.

LINDA GRASSO is a well-known digital, print and TV journalist. She co-founded and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Ventura Blvd magazine. The publication, published every six weeks, covers lifestyle in the San Fernando Valley. Linda is also a well-respected media consultant, providing customized on-air training and media strategy services for TV and digital. In her early career, Linda worked for seven years as a correspondent/host for E! Entertainment Television and, before that, as a news reporter for KTTV and WNBC here in LA.

ABIGAIL LEWIS Following a lukewarm acting career in which she mostly purveyed grocery items that would never darken the door of Whole Foods to a TV-watching audience she would have preferred to serve by encouraging them to get off the couch and exercise, Abigail became editor of a flailing publication that remedied those errors. More than a decade later, having acquired, restored and sold the by-then-flourishing holistic magazine Whole Life Times, she discovered the challenges of freelancing. Now back happily editing at WLT, she is thrilled to be able to brainstorm, assign and edit compelling narrative stories about sustainability, alternative health and evolving spirituality.

MENDE SMITH is a freelance editor, published author and widely published poet, living and working in Los Angeles. Smith is taking up the reins of the LA FreeP where publisher Steven M. Finger has placed them into cyberspace. A virtual newsroom of staff writers, contributors, creatives, and techies has assembled to restore the mission and the Los Angeles Free Press. The LA FreeP is the iconic counterculture newspaper that originated in the 1960s, and the new prime push for the “free press” movement in America.

JASON DEAN, Managing Editor, C-Suite Quarterly. Jason Dean earned his BAA in Journalism from Central Michigan University. He spent a year covering the arts and entertainment scene for his hometown newspaper, The Bay City Times, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. He recorded and self-released two albums before shifting his full-time focus back to journalism. Jason spent four years as a senior production editor in the journals division at SAGE Publications. He also served as assistant managing editor for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. He joined C-Suite Quarterly in 2010 as a senior writer and has served as the publication’s managing editor since 2011.

Moderator:
LAURA MEYERS, is a longtime journalist who has written for many national and local magazines, including Money, Parade, Playgirl, Art Business News, Town & Country, Los Angeles Magazine, Angeleno, and Variety’s “V Life.” She got her start as a “stringer” (reporter) for Time Magazine. She is an IWOSC co-founder and past president.

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Magazines and Periodicals — Digital and Print: How to Get Editors’ Attention

Panel
Magazines and Periodicals — Digital and Print: How to Get Editors’ Attention

Monday, March 31, 2014

As with all phase of publishing, the magazine is in flux, switching from print to online and back to both. It’s almost a brand-new field.

Magazines are plentiful. It always seems as if they are starving for content but not eager to receive content, or are secretive about the process. We will draw back the curtain a bit and offer insight into the sometimes mystical but actually very practical art of magazine and newspaper submission.

Not all magazines and papers pay well; some do not all pay at all. But sometimes the article practically writes itself, and other times the resume credit is worth the effort, even if the money does not fit. And sometimes there are other valuable perks that you might not have considered.

Several magazine and newspaper editors and representatives will tell you:

  • How to get the attention of magazines and newspapers
  • How to contact the magazines and papers
  • What they look for
  • A calendar of upcoming topics
  • What to submit
  • What not to do
  • How to protect your work
  • Perks associated with magazine and newspaper writing
  • Answers to your own questions

If you have ideas, here’s where they can find a home.

Our Panel:

LAWRENCE DAVIS started his first business at age 17 and has been
self-employed since that time. He founded and has been publishing Splash Magazines Worldwide for over 12 years. Splash Magazines is a group of 21 online worldwide city magazines specializing in lifestyle entertainment, offering 10 main sections and 75 subsections including Style & Fashion, Travel Leisure, Entertainment and Food & Beverage, and more. His magazines have covered fashion shows in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Milan, Sydney, Dubai and other cities around the world. They have allowed him to travel around the world, including Machu Picchu in Peru. As well as covering well-known celebrities in his Entertainment & Culture sections, Davis enjoys giving undiscovered new upcoming talent opportunities to expose their work to his readers. Splash offers freelance opportunities to hundreds of journalists not only in LA but all over the world. The biggest editions are Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.

LINDA GRASSO is a well-known digital, print and TV journalist. She co-founded and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Ventura Blvd magazine. The publication, published every six weeks, covers lifestyle in the San Fernando Valley. Linda is also a well-respected media consultant, providing customized on-air training and media strategy services for TV and digital. In her early career, Linda worked for seven years as a correspondent/host for E! Entertainment Television and, before that, as a news reporter for KTTV and WNBC here in LA.

ABIGAIL LEWIS Following a lukewarm acting career in which she mostly purveyed grocery items that would never darken the door of Whole Foods to a TV-watching audience she would have preferred to serve by encouraging them to get off the couch and exercise, Abigail became editor of a flailing publication that remedied those errors. More than a decade later, having acquired, restored and sold the by-then-flourishing holistic magazine Whole Life Times, she discovered the challenges of freelancing. Now back happily editing at WLT, she is thrilled to be able to brainstorm, assign and edit compelling narrative stories about sustainability, alternative health and evolving spirituality.

MENDE SMITH is a freelance editor, published author and widely published poet, living and working in Los Angeles. Smith is taking up the reins of the LA FreeP where publisher Steven M. Finger has placed them into cyberspace. A virtual newsroom of staff writers, contributors, creatives, and techies has assembled to restore the mission and the Los Angeles Free Press. The LA FreeP is the iconic counterculture newspaper that originated in the 1960s, and the new prime push for the “free press” movement in America.

JASON DEAN, Managing Editor, C-Suite Quarterly. Jason Dean earned his BAA in Journalism from Central Michigan University. He spent a year covering the arts and entertainment scene for his hometown newspaper, The Bay City Times, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. He recorded and self-released two albums before shifting his full-time focus back to journalism. Jason spent four years as a senior production editor in the journals division at SAGE Publications. He also served as assistant managing editor for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. He joined C-Suite Quarterly in 2010 as a senior writer and has served as the publication’s managing editor since 2011.

Moderator:
LAURA MEYERS, is a longtime journalist who has written for many national and local magazines, including Money, Parade, Playgirl, Art Business News, Town & Country, Los Angeles Magazine, Angeleno, and Variety’s “V Life.” She got her start as a “stringer” (reporter) for Time Magazine. She is an IWOSC co-founder and past president.

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IWOSC Reads Its Own – March 2014

IWOSC Reads Its Own

A great group joined us for a afternoon of eclectic, eccentric, and exemplary works — from poems to true stories to hilarious monologues and beyond — read aloud by the following distinguished IWOSC scribes.

  • HILDA BOULWARE
  • SUNNY HILDEN
  • G. L. HELM
  • TINKER LINDSAY
  • LOIS ROSE ROSE
  • MICHELLE NEWMAN
  • DIANE WILLIAMS
  • SUSAN ZEIDLER
  • GERALD EVERETT JONES
  • LISA-CATHERINE COHEN
  • PAMELA LANE
  • TELLY DAVIDSON
  • LEE GALE GRUEN
  • MARVIN J. WOLF
  • RUTH FRECHMAN

At the beautiful independent bookstore, Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, California.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Free to all
Plenty of parking on Colorado and neighboring streets.

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Method Writing: An Organic Approach to Writing” with Presenter Jack Grapes

Seminar
Method Writing: An Organic Approach to Writing”
with Presenter Jack Grapes

Saturday, March 15, 2014

“Method Writing” is an organic approach to writing, much as method acting is an organic approach to acting, stressing inner process and deep voice. “Method Writing” consists of various concepts that take the writer through techniques designed to make the writing more compelling and more effective, publishable and productive.

Back by popular demand, Jack Grapes will present this overview of the writer’s creative process,
focusing on his book “METHOD WRITING,” a technique he’s developed and used in his writing workshops over the last 35 years. Jack will discuss the nature of the creative process, and how that applies to “Method Writing.” So bring something to write on: paper and pen, parchment and quill, stone and chisel — whatever works.
He will lead the group in a writing prompt, time permitting.

Our writing presenter:

Jack Grapes
Jack Grapes

JACK GRAPES, an award-winning poet, playwright, actor, teacher, and the editor and publisher of “ONTHEBUS,” one of the top literary journals in the country. He has received three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and nine artist-in-residence grants from the California Arts Council to teach writing in various schools throughout Los Angeles. Grapes is the author of 13 books of poetry, including “The Naked Eye: New and Selected Poems, 1989-2012.” His book “Method Writing” is based on concepts he’s developed over the last 35 years teaching writing workshops.

His recent books, available on Amazon are: “The Naked Eye;” “Poems So Far;” “The Tender Agonies of Charles Bukowski;” based on his long time friendship and literary correspondence; and “How to Read Like a Writer,” a unique approach to discovering the deep elements of a writer’s style.

Jack Grapes was featured on the cover of the Directory of American Poets and Writers, along with Robert Creeley and Tobias Wolff. Over the last 30 years, he has taught over two thousand poets and writers. He was a board member for PEN Center USA West. His website is JackGrapes.com.

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Behind the Screen: Writing for TV Today – and Tomorrow

Panel
Behind the Screen: Writing for TV Today – and Tomorrow

Monday, February 24, 2014

In the past decade, primetime TV has transformed itself from what critics once derided as a “vast wasteland” to the long-form equivalent of Oscar-winning movies and indie films.

There’s the edgy stylishness of “CSI,” “ER,” and “Game of Thrones”; the nuance and subtext of “Mad Men,” “Downton Abbey,” and “The Good Wife”; and the machine-gun dialogue of “24,” “Homeland,” and “House of Cards.”

There were decade-definers like “Lost” and “The Sopranos,” and anti-heroes like “House,” “Dexter,” and “The Mentalist.”

But what does it all mean for the people who actually write and create these shows?

How does a writer get a chance to write for today’s TV shows, anyway?

And how will TV adapt — or fail to adapt — to the massive technological changes that have already taken their tolls on print magazines, bookstores, and home video?
How will the new business models of “binge watching” TV shows on Netflix or DVD change how TV is written — and watched?

And in today’s era of self-publishing, blogging, indie filmmaking, and YouTube – can you have your own “TV show”, without having to go through a network or cable gatekeeper?

All this and more will be revealed.

Our Panel:

DAVID RAMBO is the author of the plays “The Lady with All the Answers” (off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre starring Judith Ivey; Lortel nomination), “God’s Man in Texas,” “The Ice-Breaker,” “Babbitt,” an all-new book for Lerner and Loewe’s “Paint Your Wagon,” and “The Lifeguard: Ronald Reagan and his Story.” His plays have been widely produced at regional theatres throughout the country, including Actors Theatre of Louisville, Geffen Playhouse, Old Globe, Denver Center Theatre, Alliance Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse. He has adapted several classic screenplays for live performance, including “All About Eve,” “Casablanca,” “Adam’s Rib,” and “Sunset Boulevard,” produced at the Hollywood Bowl. For television, David is currently a co-executive producer and writer of the NBC series “Revolution,” produced by J.J. Abrams. Among other TV credits, David spent seven seasons writing and producing “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of N. Carolina School of the Arts.

JULIA COX is a film and television writer and graduate of USC’s MFA program in screenwriting. She is the writers assistant on this past season of “Parenthood” (NBC) and she previously worked on “Cult” (CW) and “Luck” for HBO. She currently has a feature in development with DiNovi (“Monte Carlo,” ”The Lucky One,” “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” “Catwoman,” “A Walk to Remember”), and Cox is currently co-writing a pilot with McG (“The O.C.,” “Chuck,” “Supernatural,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Terminator Salvation”).

JACK P. MOORE is a staff writer on Fox’s hit sitcom “Us & Them,” a gig he got the Internet-era, do-it-yourself way in part from being the snarky co-creator of the ultra-popular Twitter-comedy, “Modern Seinfeld.” He has performed in standup comedy at several top New York clubs, was a sports columnist for BuzzFeed and appeared as a “talking head” on numerous cable TV sports and political shows. Additionally, the all-over-the-place Moore has produced several hilarious and high-rated YouTube comedy videos and clips, and authored (among others) the hilariously transgressive satirical play, “Killing John Grisham.”

JEFF PORTER is founder, President, and CEO of Porter Pictures, one of the leading producers services agencies in Beverly Hills, having successfully sold projects to HBO, Showtime, Starz/Encore, Cinemax, Discovery, BET, and countless international outlets. Prior to that, Jeff was Vice President in charge of sales at another leading producers’ rep, where he found placement for over 75 independent feature films, documentaries, TV formats, and financing or completion-funding deals for films. Additionally, Jeff is a principal of Open Vision Networks, a launching, free worldwide cable network for WiFi and mobile devices (smartphones, Kindles, iPads, laptops, WiFi TVs, etc).

JASON SCOGGINS is a veteran literary agent and Founder of SpecScout.com, the site that combines a screenplay coverage library with a scoring system in order to highlight the best scripts circulating Hollywood. Jason got his start at ICM, which led to stints as a TV Literary agent at The Gersh Agency and Writers & Artists Agency. He founded the film development database company ItsOnTheGrid.com, which he sold to The Wrap News, Inc., and most recently joined Baseline as General Manager of Signal, an entertainment marketing service for ad agencies and brands. His weekly newsletter, The Scoggins Report, covers the feature spec script and pitch markets with circulation of nearly 5000 entertainment industry executives and creatives.

Moderator:
TELLY DAVIDSON has written on film, TV, and culture for numerous publications, including Yahoo Movies, FilmStew, 213 Magazine, Guitar Player, the American Film Institute, Entertainment Today — even The Frum Forum (on the right) and Progressive Populist (on the left). His book “TV’s Grooviest Variety Shows” was honored by the Television Academy, and he has worked on several TV specials for NBC and PBS including “Pioneers of Television II.” He is an active member of IWOSC and PEN and has served on several IWOSCS panels including “Biographies & Memoirs,” “Trends in Publishing,” “Covering the Celebrity Beat,” “Don’t Get Scammed,” and “Books to Film.”

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Grammar for Grownups: Painless Grammar and Punctuation Review for Writers

Seminar
Grammar for Grownups: Painless Grammar and Punctuation Review for Writers

With presenter Flo Selfman

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Back by popular demand is a grammar and punctuation review offered by Independent Writers of Southern California.

Presenter Flo Selfman, public relations consultant, proofreader-copyeditor, and IWOSC president, calls herself a “professional nitpicker” who conducts lively on-site grammar workshops for organizations and companies.

Has the lazy language of email made your professional communications sloppy?
Do you agonize over articles and query letters?
Do you fear grammatical errors?
Have you forgotten the rules you learned in school?
And do they still apply?

Participants will gain grammar confidence with a review of simple rules to correct dozens of commonly made errors.

Topics include:

  • 10 common grammar and punctuation errors
  • How to error-proof a manuscript
  • Why spell-check isn’t enough
  • Why grammar and punctuation matter
  • My computer has a dictionary; what else do I need?
  • Coping with current trends in language
  • And more!

The seminar will combine class exercises and useful handouts with the opportunity to have your grammatical questions answered.

Presenter:

FLO SELFMAN: is a public relations and marketing consultant with more than twenty years experience creating and implementing PR campaigns for celebrities, authors, and events. Her press kits have received awards. She copyedits books and manuscripts and is a consultant on all aspects of publishing, marketing and publicity for self-published authors and small publishing companies. A native of Ohio, Selfman has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UCLA, a California Secondary Teaching Credential, and the Instructor Development Certificate from UCLA Extension. She has served as IWOSC President since 2003.
For more information about Flo’s services, visit wordsalamode.com.