Featured Presentations

Friday, April 25 | 6:00pm – 9:00pm

SCREENING:

Dark Winds Screening/Q&A with Billy Luther

Screening Description

Friday will kick-off the conference with a screening of an episode of AMC’s Dark Winds followed by a discussion with writer/director Billy Luther. We will delve into his extraordinary career and discuss the craft and business of screenwriting followed by a Q&A

 

Billy Luther (Navajo, Hopi and Laguna Pueblo) is the writer/director of the award-winning feature film Frybread Face and Me, executive produced by Taika Waititi, and distributed by Ava DuVernay’s company, Array, for Netflix. The film was selected as part of SXSW 2023’s Narrative Spotlight and TIFF 2023’s Discovery and New Wave Selects. His feature documentary, Miss Navajo, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and aired nationally on PBS’ Independent Lens that same year. His second documentary feature, Grab, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was screened at over 80 film festivals around the world. His short documentary film, Red Lake, had its world premiere at the 2016 LA Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the 2016 International Documentary Association Awards. In 2018, he launched his web series alter-NATIVE for PBS’ IndieLens StoryCast. He is currently a writer and director for the AMC series Dark Winds, which also streams on Netflix He is repped by CAA

Saturday, April 26 | 8:00am – 5:00pm

Discovering & Building YOUR Unique Screenwriting Career

Seminar Description

No two screenwriting careers are made the same. While many writers are eager to break into any area or genre of screenwriting in the name of building a screenwriting career, it’s those writers who understand the screenwriting career they want and are best suited for both in sensibility and geographically. With that in mind, this talk will explore the variety of paths available for screenwriters building careers in today’s complex industry space with the hopes of identifying the specific path that works best for you.

BREAKOUT SESSION:

From Novel to Screenplay

Class Description

Writers write, right? Whether it be prose, novel, short story, plays or screenplays…a writer writes. But how does one transform that novel to the big screen? Is there a magical formula? Is there some special thing you have to do or do you just take the words on the page of your novel and plop them onto the page and call it a day?

 

Join Bob Saenz (screenwriter, actor and author) as he sets the record straight on transforming your novel to a script. While it is true that writers write…novel writing and screenwriting are two different art forms with two different sets of rules.

 

The topics of the day include:

• Comparative Length
• Voice / The difference of POV
• Remember a Screenplay is only what can be seen and heard.
• It’s NOT the same as writing a Novel AT ALL.
• What to save, what to combine, what to get rid of.

If you have written a novel, wanted to write a novel, or thought about writing novels and ever wondered how to turn that 250-page book into a screenplay, you will not want to miss this class

BREAKOUT SESSION:

The Antagonist’s Journey

Class Description

A hero can’t rise without an equally strong, complex antagonist to rise against. And to craft a strong “bad guy”, you have to know the key elements of memorable antagonists. Using examples of Hollywood’s greatest villains, we will go over the pathology of antagonists, how to take popular villain archetypes to the next level, how to create relatable motivations, powerful backstories, and follow the Antagonist’s Journey beat sheet to make your bad guys oh so good!

WORKSHOP:

Crafting a Superior Logline

Workshop Description

Join WME Story Editor Chris Lockhart for this interactive workshop where he will  teach you the crucial elements of that short but vital summary of a script – the logline. Competition is greater than ever in the film industry, and your logline might be the only way to attract the attention of someone in a position to buy your script. Learn the differences between a premise and a logline, how to communicate the central conflict, identify a hook, and much more.  At the end of the workshop, students will break into groups and create their own loglines for a popular movie. These will be discussed and critiqued by Chris.

The Five Elements of A Commercial Script That Will Attract A-List Talent

Seminar Description

Do you want to see your script on the big screen?

 

Do you want to write the kind of script that makes A-list actors want to attach themselves to? A script that agents and managers fight to represent and sell?

 

Then you need a commercial script.

WME executive Chris Lockhart has read thousands of scripts and has been tasked with finding the next hit project for talent like Denzel Washington, Michelle Pfeiffer, Liam Neeson, Robert Downey Jr., and many more.

In this presentation, Chris will show you the key elements he believes need to be in a script to know if it will grab the attention of executives and talent and how to utilize these elements correctly.

You’ll cover what a commercial script is, the concepts that sell, how to write this type of script, and how to bring your voice into the script so that it reads like an exciting and fresh piece of material that only you could have written. Chris will be using the script from Top Gun: Maverick as his main example to further dissect these critical elements. 

BREAKOUT SESSION:

Scene Workshop

Workshop Description

The two-hour class will be part instructional and part workshop. Bob will discuss the elements that go into making a dynamic scene and then take those lessons and help students apply them as you work on scene from scratch. He will give you some prompts and you will create a scene. He and students will then read a few out loud and discuss what did and did not work. ked and what did not work.

BREAKOUT SESSION:

Dramatic Structure for Storytellers

Class Description

From ancient folklore to the modern television series, a good story well-told has the power to captivate the hearts and imaginations of any audience. But how does a storyteller plot a compelling narrative from start to finish? In this interactive lecture, produced screenwriter, published novelist, and ASU professor Brian McAuley shares the lessons and tools that have served him as a professional writer across every medium and genre. By analyzing feature-length film structures, television season arcs and dramatic scene dynamics, you’ll walk away with the critical and creative skillset to tackle any tale.​​​

ROUNDTABLE:

Tales from the Trenches

Roundtable Description

Join Danny Manus, Lee Jessup, and Chris Lockhart to hear how they got their start in the business, the ups and downs of working for Hollywood, and how you can chart your career in the entertainment business.  With advice on making connections and getting noticed, Tales from the Trenches will illuminate how you can get your foot in the door as well as obtain consistent work in one of the most difficult jobs in the industry.

Sunday, April 27 | 9:00am – 3:00pm

Get Repped

Seminar Description

Manager Chris Deckard discusses how to get an agent and keep them. Kicking things off with an overview of the representation industry and its key players, Deckard will delve into what is an agent/manager; how to get repped; and the role a rep plays in developing a screenwriter’s career and getting them work.

BREAKOUT SESSION:

Screenwriter –
Rep Relationship

Class Description

Manager Chris Deckard and screenwriter Chris Lamont (whom Deckard represents), have a sitdown chat about the representative – screenwriter relationship. Find out how they found each other, and how Deckard works with studios and producers to get Lamont’s work made and get Lamont paid. This is a special behind-the-scenes glimpse of how screenwriters and reps collaborate and build relationships.

Pitch Contest

Workshop Description

Special pitch contest. A pitch contest will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 9: 30 AM to 11:00. Writers will have the opportunity to pitch their script in front of the conference attendees on stage. Pitch fee is $20.00 Pitch length is limited to 5 minutes. A limit of 12 submissions will be accepted. The audience will vote for their favorite pitch via a rating ballot handed out at the beginning of the event. 

Simple vote ranking will determine 1st, 2^nd, and 3rd place winners. In the event of a tie, both writers will be awarded the higher of the rankings—ex.: if tied for first, both share 1st place and will be listed as “Tied for 1st Place.” Winners will be announced and presented with awards on Sunday, April 27 at 3:45 PM. 1st Place winner will receive a trophy. Top three winners will receive a certificate along with a photo with the PSA President, which will be posted on the PSA site for a year. A link to winners’ professional website (if applicable) will also be posted on PSA’s website for the year to help promote winners.

To register for the contest, please complete the separate pitch registration form along with the NAME of your script and pay the additional fee when registering. Thanks and Good Luck!

This conference is partially funded by the City of Tempe – Community Arts Grant