We're having a very special workshop tomorrow with our own @Lena Lieuvin leading us through a workshop on how to build a social media presence. This can be incredibly important today for creatives, as bringing a pre-existing audience to your film or book is something agents, producers and publicists absolutely look for. Lena is a fantastic creative out of Paris, and I am thrilled that she's volunteered to lead this workshop, based on her experience in the field. All members are welcome! Link: Building Visibility on Social Media. Wednesday, April 22 at 10 am Pacific

There’s gold in them… Coaching Calls It’s priceless to bring your pages, have them performed, and then get feedback from David Stem and the community that not only asks and answers the important questions that we have about our pages but also reveals the ones we hadn’t thought to ask because we’re too close to our work. Come and experience professional coaching live and learn how to write like a pro. Bring your pages and also, please reach out to members and cast your characters Here’s the link to where you put up your casting and your pages. Here’s the link for the Tuesday, April 14th Premium Coach Call. Here’s the link for the Friday, April 17th Premium Coach Call.

Apple just approved it. This is the moment. Here's what ScriptReader does: it performs your screenplay aloud to you. Your characters. Your dialogue. Your scenes. With distinct voices for every role. You stop reading your script and start hearing it — which means you catch what your eye skips right over. I built this for you. For us. And right now, the beta is open. First 50 people get to try it free. That's it. No waitlist after that. Here's all you do: Step 1 — Download TestFlight. It's Apple's free beta testing app (iOS only — Android coming later.). Takes 30 seconds. → https://apps.apple.com/us/app/testflight/id899247664 Step 2 — Once TestFlight is on your phone, tap this link to join the beta: → https://testflight.apple.com/join/BVXKtFRD You get 30 minutes free. Use every second. Then come back and tell me everything — good, bad, whatever you actually think. That's the deal if you're one of the 50 who downloads. That feedback shapes what this becomes. Also, these 3 questions are hugely important: 1. Did it work? Could you get your script in and hear it play back without hitting a wall? Yes or no — and if no, where did it break? 2. What surprised you? Good or bad. What did you learn about your script? 3. Would you pay for this? Based on what this cost me, I cannot give this away for free. So if yes, what's a fair monthly price? The link is live. The clock is running. Don't download unless you're committed to giving feedback. If you are, comment: 🔥 below. And let's get to work! Go. 🎬 Edit: there are def some spacing issues with how it differentiates between characters and action. They sometimes run together. This is something I’m addressing in the next build. This build is more about… does it work at all. And don’t forget to try the Forge Analysis and see how that reads.

Edit: Based on your notes, a Hybrid Model has been created! It's below, after Version 3. I can't change the poll since it's already gotten votes, but @Shauna G vouches for it. So, see ya'll. I take notes too! Original Post: People, people, I've been obsessing over the About Page — the first thing a potential member sees before deciding whether to join. I've got three versions. I know which one I prefer. Drop your vote below. And if you want to tell me why, even better. Which would make you want to join? And which sounds the most like me? That's the kind of feedback that actually helps. Thanks, Dave Version 1: A great script isn't a story. It's a magic trick. The books can't teach you this. Because most of those writers haven't lived it. A great script is a seduction from Page One. An invitation to forget every other script in the pile and lose yourself completely. When an agent sits down to read, they're not hoping to love it — they're hoping to hate it as fast as possible so they can press delete and move tf on. The last thing they expect is to be surprised. To feel. To, dare we say it, laugh & cry. If you can do that — you separate yourself from formulaic Save the Cat journeys that reads like they were assembled in a lab, not breathed into existence by someone that gives a damn. Someone an agent can't wait to meet. I'm J. David Stem — Shrek 2, $2.5B in box office. ✅ Live Hot Seat coaching ✅ The Emotional Authorship framework ✅ Real feedback from someone who sells for a living ✅ A real community that gives a damn and is growing together Join now. Serious writers only. Spots, like talent, are limited. Version 2: For serious writers who want to write work that actually feels alive — not just follow formulas. Inside this community you’ll learn how professional writers develop characters, voice, and story from the inside out — so your scripts hit with emotional impact that separates you from the crowd of formulaic Save the Cat clones.

@Alan Brash @David Hinnebusch @Chris Dyer We talked about this in the New Member Coaching today... a YouTube short that broke out and was part of what lead Danny and Michael Philippou aka Rackaracka to break into making mainstream horror like the fantastically dark Talk to Me. This is intense, so you've been warned!