I’ve got writing credits in Videogames, Anime, TV, and Print (including DC Comics, McSweeney’s, and the Los Angeles Times newspaper, to name a few.) You can find further details on the various pages of this website.
Much like everyone else in the 310 area code who calls themselves a writer, I’m no stranger to Final Draft (or Scrivener, or Causality, or Celtx, or Scripped etc.) but I’ve also written plenty of scripts on Excel spreadsheets, which is pretty common in Anime and Videogame writing. If the story is good and the writing is strong, the software shouldn’t matter.
I have also done my share of rewriting, script doctoring, and even ghostwriting, sometimes for good money, but too rarely for on-screen credit. I’m also a regular semi-finalist in some of your favorite screenplay competitions such as the Austin Film Festival & Screenplay Competition, The Page competition, and all the others.
I have a stack of completed spec and pilot scripts as well as several others in various states of completion. More specifically, I have SIX half-hour comedy pilots that I’ll pitch to anyone who wants to take a meeting with me, and a few feature scripts are also completed and “available to the industry.”
If you’re an “Industry Person” familiar with Coverfly – you can view my projects HERE.
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UPDATES
[most recent at top]
UPDATE: “Gotta Be McGee” has made the FINALS in the PAGE Awards – International Screenwriting Awards Competition.
UPDATE: “SeaBird” is an “Official Selection” in the HorrorOrigins screenplay writing competition.
UPDATE: “Gotta Be McGee” has made the SEMI-Finals in the PAGE Awards – International Screenwriting Awards Competition.
UPDATE: “Gotta Be McGee” (my Ireland-themed sitcom pilot) made the Quarter-finals in the PAGE Awards – International Screenwriting Awards Competition.
UPDATE: “Gotta Be McGee” (my Ireland-themed sitcom pilot) made the Quarter-finals in the Outstanding Screenplays TV Pilot Competition.
UPDATE: My Ireland-themed sitcom pilot “Gotta Be McGee” made the Quarter-Finals in the Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards, Season 7
UPDATE: “SeaBird” (my horror feature) was a semi-finalist in the “Creative World Awards” screenplay competition.
UPDATE: My horror feature script “SeaBird” landed in the Quarterfinals in the Screencraft Horror Screenplay Competition and the Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Competition.
UPDATE: All three of the scripts I submitted to the Final Draft Screenwriting contest have landed in the “Top 3%” and have been named “Quarter-Finalists.” Sitcom pilot “Queen of Spades” and two features “The Man Who Shot King Kong” and “Rock Hard, Big Dicks.”
UPDATE: The awesome Austin Film Festival and Screenwriting contest has once again named one of my spec sitcom pilots “Queen of Spades” a “second-rounder” landing it in the top 10% of all entries.
UPDATE: Both of the scripts I submitted to the Page Awards were named Quarter-Finalists. TV Pilot “I Love You, Lulu.” and comedy feature “Rock Hard, Big Dick’s.“
UPDATE: Once again my “Ogre Stone” script, which was staged at the WGAw last year (see below) gets recognized in the highly competitive TrackingBoard screenwriting contest, finishing in the ‘Top 25″ for sitcom pilots as well as in the “Top 5% Overall” of ALL submissions.
UPDATE: The WGAw itself hosted an evening of “staged readings” of 2 of my sitcom pilots. It was quite a night – seeing my work directed by an Emmy-winning director and performed by such talented pro actors.
UPDATE: Starting the new year off right. Pilot scripts out to agents. Phone calls actually being returned. I have FIVE sitcom pilots ready to be packaged & sold.
UPDATE: Rewriting & ghostwriting for money these days, one of my favorite things to do. Sure you get the $ but the drag is, you don’t get the credit.
UPDATE: Back to Austin Film Festival again this year as not one, but TWO new “Original Sitcom Pilots” of mine advanced in this year’s competition !!
UPDATE: One of my “Original Sitcom Pilots” advanced in the competition at this year’s Austin Film Festival screenwriting contest. It landed well-inside the top 10% of all (nearly 6000) submissions. This is a fairly big deal to me and it also means that I’m invited to the Festival in October as a guest… and you better believe I’ll be attending. Worth noting: this is not the same ‘original sitcom pilot’ script that did so well in the LA Comedy Shorts Festival screenwriting contest las spring… so that’s 2 good showings by two separate ‘Sitcom pilot’ scripts in just a few months – Someone should be paying attention tothis.
UPDATE: Yet another “Finalist” finish for yet another script in yet another screenwriting contest. This time out, my new sitcom pilot spec “Morley & Leslie” placed in the final “Top 3” in the “Half-hour TV Pilot” category of the 2011 LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival & screenwriting competition. Got the free VIP pass, a stack of software and a check for some cold, hard cash… which is always nice.
UPDATE: A couple of months ago I optioned “RHBD” to an indie producer here in Los Angeles. Thanks to her tireless efforts, the script is finally getting some well-deserved (if I may say so myself) reads all around town. This thrills me. Meanwhile I continue to move on to the “next” things:
- I just completed the 1st draft of my next feature comedy. It is now sitting in the (virtual) drawer so I can look at it with fresh eyes in a few weeks when I start on the 2nd draft.
- I also finished the final polish on a PILOT for a single-camera style half-hour comedy. I wonder who might want to read THAT now? We shall see.
UPDATE: My rock-and-roll Comedy feature screenplay “ROCK HARD, BIG DICK’S” has scooped up another “finalist” mention, this time in the screenwriting competition sponsored by the Canadian International Film Festival… I’ll take it. Thank-you Canada!
PLANET O'CONNOR 