After the economic collapse of 2008 and a devastating writers strike, selling an original screenplay in Hollywood became a more difficult proposition than ever before. Dikran Ornekian and his partner Rylend Grant will talk about how this harsh environment pushed them into trying something different — testing their script ideas as short stories — and how this new approach opened more doors for them than any screenplay ever had.

2. STONE VILLAGE SNAPS UP ‘LOBO’ SPEC
“Scott Steindorff’s Stone Village has acquired “Lobo,”
a spec script for an action thriller by Dikran Ornekian
and Ryan Colucci about a colony of werewolves in
Brazil. Ezna Sands has been set to direct.
The film has been fast-tracked for an Oct. 15
production start and will shoot outside Rio de Janeiro.
Pic’s under-$15 million budget will be financed
independently.”
--Variety: August 11th, 2008

4. WGA Strike

5. IP

6. DENZEL
J-LAW
CRUISE
SCAR-JO
LEO
THE ROCK
HANKS
CLOONEY
JOLIE
SPIELBEG
SCORCESE
NOLAN
LIN
CUARON
INNARITU
FINCHER
BIGELOW
JJ

8. Lean

9. Screenplay = 6 months
Novel = 1 year
Short Story = 1 month

10. OUR STORY
+
A-LIST STAR =

11. The Pitch

12. Nope.

17. FAST & FURIOUS 6 HAD THE BIGGEST
OPENING WEEKEND IN UNIVERSAL
STUDIOS’ HISTORY

18. OPTION PERIOD CAN =