Shane Brown, first place winner of the 2015 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition Thriller Category for his screenplay, The Ripper and the Thief, has been approached by Reel FX Studios to develop a synopsis based on an original idea.

On the heels of his win, Fresh Voices submitted Shane's winning script to Reel FX's Director of Development, Nick Oleksiw. The period writing sample about a criminal mastermind working in Victorian London, at the same time Jack the Ripper terrorized the city, was well received by the company. But while period stories are not within their mandate, there was something about Shane’s voice that prompted Nick to bring Shane this opportunity to develop the story with them. The premise is currently being kept under wraps.

Reel FX recently produced Free Bird starring Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler & Woody Harelson as well as the The Book of Life starring Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana. Nick, who is in charge of developing Reel FX’s live action genre films, most recently worked at Agency for the Performing Arts.

Shane Brown lives in Melbourne, Australia and is a prolific writer of nine screenplays. With no formal training in screenwriting, he is a self-described graduate of the School of 10,000 Hours. Fresh Voices was his first Screenplay Competition win. 

The stand-out writing team of Scott Robert Waldvogel and Matt DeMartini have signed with Agency for the Performing Arts and The Gotham Group for agency and management representation respectively.

Scott and Matt entered Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition in 2014 with nine scripts in various genres. What was more remarkable was that all nine scripts read by different judges across different genres and formats advanced to the quarter finals. Four different scripts were named finalists and ultimately three scripts earned honourable mentions in the screenplay competition. Following up with awards and placements in such notable competitions as Page, Final Draft, Stage 32, Austin and Bluecat, their hard work and perseverance paid off last year when their various successes, accolades and achievements landed them both a reputable agent and manager. Great work guys and congratulations!!

2010 Fresh Voices Drama Winner Louise Ransil has set up her winning script and her story of MARLOWE to Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment and The CW Network for CBS Television Studios.

Marlowe is based on the true noir life of Samuel Marlowe, an African American PI in 1930’s Los Angeles who served as the real life inspiration for Raymond Chandler’s famous Philip Marlowe character. Samuel worked for many of the movie studios during the Golden Age of Cinema, protecting and investigating their starlets and working in collusion with the film bosses, mob bosses and the Los Angeles Police Department of the time. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story has been redeveloped as a TV procedural written by Devon Greggory (CSI, New York). Louise Ransil is Executive Producing alongside Aaron Kaplan. Congratulations Louise!!

MPower Pictures Makes Deal on 2012 Competition Winner Megalopolis

Since winning last year's Grand Prize, Fresh Voices circulated Jack's winning screenplay Adventures in Babymaking to leading production companies and ultimately caught the eye of A-List Screenwriter Jeremy Garelick (The Break-Up, The Hangover). Since their first meeting, the two are collaborating on a project with an eye towards Jeremy directing. Jeremy was most recently hired by New Line to write the reboot of the Police Academy franchise.

LOS ANGELES, March 28, 2012- Jack Messitt claimed top honors in the 2011 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition with his drama ADVENTURES IN BABYMAKING. Messitt, a longtime cinematographer turned writer/director, was named the grand prize winner on Wednesday by competition chairman Joel Mendoza.

“Adventures in Babymaking touched me on so many levels” said Mendoza. “I laughed, I cried. It’s a story full of humor and heart and you can’t help but fall in love with the characters on their journey towards parenthood. It is that gem we were looking for. Jack’s unique voice resonates through every page.”

Chosen from close to 1000 scripts read and evaluated over the past 10 months, ADVENTURES IN BABYMAKING is the story of a reluctant father and his persistent wife as they navigate the frustrating and often ridiculous world of trying to have a baby.

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Shawn Ashmore (Iceman from the X:Men movies) and Harry Shum Jr. (Glee) star inAlready Gone by Bill Balas.

As a direct result of placing in the action category of the 2010 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition, producers Peter Katz and Don Le optioned the script for up and coming filmmaker Ross Ching to direct. Joel Mendoza of Fresh Voices and Attraction Entertainment is Executive Producer.

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Shawn Ashmore (Iceman from the X:Men movies) and Harry Shum Jr. (Glee) star inAlready Gone by Bill Balas.

As a direct result of placing in the action category of the 2010 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition, producers Peter Katz and Don Le optioned the script for up and coming filmmaker Ross Ching to direct. Joel Mendoza of Fresh Voices and Attraction Entertainment is Executive Producer.

Originally Published: Mashable.com http://mashable.com/2012/05/02/indie-film-social-trailers/

May 2^nd by Christine Erickson

The film industry is not what it used to be. Gone are the days when writers shopped a script around Hollywood, hoping to catch the eye of major production studios.

Instead, that model has been turned upside down. Films are aiming to captivate an audience first, without the assistance of studios. Technology and social media have made it feasible.

Writer Bill Balas entered his feature-length script into a contest for Fresh Voices, a social network for screenwriters, which captured the attention of producers Peter Katz and Don Le.

Rather than following the traditional path of production, the team used Balas’s script to create Already Gone, a short film about a crook who only robs from other criminals. The three-minute video is directed by Ross Ching, and stars Shawn Ashmore of X-men fame and Harry Shum Jr. from Glee.