Short Film Table Read, "Suicide at Noon" by Merrit Chelsey Schmidt
Release Date: 04/24/2025
Conor Dowling on Breaking into Screenwriting & Filmmaking in Ireland (Emerging Screenwriter)
The ISA Podcast
Conor spent most of his youth in Ireland gigging in rock bands, working in a video store and reading too many Stephen King novels. Eventually, he knew he had to course correct and follow his dreams. Conor is a writer, filmmaker and award winning podcaster from Dublin with a masters in film production from Staffordshire University. Conor writes about misfits, monsters and broken hearts, and his writing is infused with folklore, horror and comedy. After writing episodes of the popular animation series STORIES FROM BACKWOODS, Conor was hired to develop an adult animated series with Irish...
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Author/Showrunner DJ MacHale on Unlocking Stories & Taking Control of Your Writing Career
The ISA Podcast
Join us for a captivating evening with D.J. MacHale, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pendragon series and creator of the cult-favorite TV show "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" From bestselling books to iconic screen moments, D.J. has spent his career crafting stories that resonate across generations. In this exclusive event, he’ll share how he bridges the worlds of publishing and television — revealing the creative decisions, challenges, and unexpected turns that come with telling stories across different mediums. Whether you’re a writer hoping to sharpen your skills or a...
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Yazmin Monet Watkins: Poetry, Roller Skates & Speaking Truth
The ISA Podcast
Yazmin Monet Watkins is a poet, comedian, screenwriter, actress, organizer, avid roller skater and adventurer. She can be seen on season two of Grand Crew on NBC, Comedy Central and has co-developed and written pilots for Netflix & Comedy Central.
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The Truth About Agents
The ISA Podcast
How Writers Really Get Repped (The 90/10 Rule You Need to Know), Take 10 with ISA Founder Craig James
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Allegra Oxborough, Table Read My Screenplay Grand Prize Winner & Director Paul Lindsay
The ISA Podcast
The most recent Table Read My Screenplay contest brought the grand prize winner to the South of France during the Cannes Film Festival. Hear from screenwriter Allegra Oxborough & director Paul Lindsay.
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Jen Butler, Emerging Screenwriter Interview Series
The ISA Podcast
Jen Butler is a comedian and storyteller who specializes in writing feature-length, multi-layered dark comedy screenplays focusing on the complex nature of humans as they navigate spiritual and emotional awakenings. When not writing screenplays, Jen tells comedic real-talk stories to her 275,000 online followers (@jenbutlersays IG, TikTok, & Threads), performs improv and stand-up comedy, practices martial arts and ballroom dance, and rewatches The Matrix for the 900th time. Find more about Jen here: https://www.networkisa.org/profile/jenbutler
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Screenwriter Update! AJ Bermudez, author & co-writer of "My Dead Friend Zoe"
The ISA Podcast
A. J. BERMUDEZ is an award-winning author and filmmaker based in Los Angeles and New York. Her first book, Stories No One Hopes Are About Them, won the 2022 Iowa Short Fiction Award and was a 2023 Lambda Award Finalist. Her most recent feature film project, My Dead Friend Zoe (co-written with director Kyle-Hausmann Stokes, starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman), premiered at SXSW and won the Narrative Spotlight Audience Award in 2024. Her work has been honored at Sundance, the LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival, the Yale Center for British Art, and elsewhere. She...
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Stephanie Bast, Emerging Screenwriter Interview
The ISA Podcast
Stephanie Bast was abandoned in Korea, adopted by Italians and raised in a town so small and white, someone asked: “How are you gonna understand her when she starts speaking?” Fiercely loved and protected, she was taught to fear “the other” while knowing “the other” was herself. She started to write comedy to heal a wound. Now she writes to heal others, creating characters who think they’re not enough, desperate to prove they’re worthy of being saved. Stephanie lives in Los Angeles and is currently ISA’s Story Farm fellow, Roadmap’s Diversity Fellow, studied at UCLA...
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Short Film Table Read, "Suicide at Noon" by Merrit Chelsey Schmidt
The ISA Podcast
Suicide at Noon Logline: A newly organized but suicidal woman must withstand the various objections of her friends and family and convince them to support her or be forced to cancel her perfectly scheduled upcoming suicide.
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Script Consultant Pioneer Linda Seger discusses her latest book, "Unpacking"
The ISA Podcast
There's a lot to unpack here as Linda Seger is full of interesting stories and lessons learned along the way. As a pioneering female entrepreneur, she was on the cutting edge of a new type of business - being a screenplay consultant. Her passion, drive, and wiliness to dive into every opportunity took her from small town Wisconsin to lecturing around the world and collaborating with massive Hollywood stars, all while her midwest roots kept her grounded and working hard. Find her book on Amazon, available now.
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