Speaker Bios

TSC 2012 gathers experts in the field and top talent for an advanced level screenwriting education.

Sheldon Bull is a TV sitcom writer, producer, and director who has been a story editor or producer for 11 primetime situation comedies. He developed, wrote, and produced the hit CBS comedy series, NEWHART starring Bob Newhart for which he received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series. He wrote and produced the hit ABC comedy series, COACH, and wrote, produced, and directed the hit ABC comedy series, SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH.

Sheldon is the author of ELEPHANT BUCKS: An Insider's Guide to Writing for TV Sitcoms a must read, providing guidelines for picking the right series to spec, choosing the right story for that series, properly structuring your story, and then writing a detailed outline that improves your story, solves your story problems, and frees your imagination for crackling dialogue and jokes.

Dara Marks PH.D. is a leading international script consultant who has specialized in the analysis of the modern screenplays for the past two decades. Creative Screenwriting Magazine has consistently rated her one of the top script consultants in the film industry. She has worked with most major Hollywood studios and many independent filmmakers and is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and seminar leader.

Dara is the author of an exciting new book on screenwriting – INSIDE STORY: The Power of the Transformational Arc. In it she reveals her innovative process that helps writers maintain the artistic integrity of their vision throughout the development of their story. Her unique workshops and seminars are drawing national and international praise. She holds a doctorate degree in Mythological Studies and her groundbreaking work in this field continues to help writers engage more deeply and effectively with their stories.

Patricia Rozema an award-winning writer/ director, is known for her work on Grey Gardens, Kit Kitteridge: An American Girl, Mansfield Park, Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach, When Night is Falling and I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing.

Rozema will present a case study entitled, ‘Serving Two Masters: Giving Reality Good Fictional Form’ which focuses on the adaptation of the Maysles Brothers classic documentary, Grey Gardens (1976), into the HBO feature with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. Rozema's shooting script got the movie greenlit and then resulted in her and Michael Sucsy (director & writer of earlier draft) receiving an Emmy-Nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special. The film won the Emmy for Outstanding Made for Television Movie and the Golden Globe for best TV Movie. Lange also won the Emmy and Barrymore the Golden Globe for Best Actress. Rozema will discuss the choices she made as a writer to bring dramatic structure to a messy reality and finding and releasing the heart of this true story.

* SPECIAL: Every delegate who registers to attend the Toronto Screenwriting Conference will receive a copy of the shooting script for "Grey Gardens”, written by Patricia Rozema and Michael Sucsy.

David F. Shamoon has been writing and producing international award-winning television commercials and other forms of advertising for years, several of them as the head of his own ad agency. Although a relative newcomer to feature film writing, David has already had his scripts optioned by or sold to Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures and actor/director Richard Benjamin (MERMAIDS, MY FAVORITE YEAR).

His first produced film, IN DARKNESS, was directed by renowned two-time Academy Award® Nominee Agnieszka Holland (EUROPA, EUROPA, WASHINGTON SQUARE), and is due for release in 2012 by Sony Pictures Classics in the U.S, and Mongrel Media in Canada. David, who is also Executive Producer of the Canada/Poland/Germany co-production, based his script on a true story set in World War II Poland. The film is an Academy Award® Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, and David is a Nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2012 Genie Awards.

David’s next film is TAKING OFF, a road movie comedy-drama to be directed by Academy Award®
Nominee Paul Morrison. That script is on the Brit List, the U.K.’s answer to Hollywood’s Black List
of the year’s best yet-to-be produced screenplays chosen by a variety of producers, agents and other film industry professionals. David and his family make their home in Toronto, Canada.

Photo Credit: Glen Reichwein

IN DARKNESS
Press Kit: A Writer's Journey by David Shamoon
THEATRICAL RELEASE FEBRUARY 17, 2012 in Toronto - Vancouver - Montreal

Moderator Bios

John Galway's twenty-year career in the Canadian film and television industry began with a position at the Toronto International Film Festival. His interest in development and production led a position with Independent Pictures, and contract work on several film and television projects. He then moved into financing, working with the Ontario Film Investment Program and the CTF. During his time there, he graduated from Schulich School of Business’ MBA program. Afterwards, he worked with Telefilm Canada.

In 2005, he joined Astral’s Harold Greenberg Fund as the English-Language Program President. As a member of The Harold Greenberg Fund’s Board of Directors, he has been involved with investments of more than $20 Million in support of Canadian writers, directors, producers and performers. He has helped develop over 500 feature film and television projects, including Away from Her, One Week and Cairo Time. He is also the co-founder of the Toronto Irish Film Festival, and is currently executive producing a feature film called When West Wind Blows, which is set in Ireland. John is proud to support the visions and works of Canadian filmmakers.

David Barlow is currently a producer-writer on the Showcase series King (Executive Producers Bernie Zukerman and Greg Spottiswood). Previously, he was a producer-writer on the CBC series The Border (White Pine Pictures) - twice nominated for the Best Dramatic Series Gemini. He has co-created two television series - Nothing Good Too for a Cowboy (with Charles Lazer) and Seeing Things (with Louis del Grande). His series credits as a story editor and writer include Durham County, Blue Murder, Cold Squad, and North of 60.

Seeing Things received two Gemini Awards for Best Comedy Series. Barlow’s other awards include a Gemini for Best Writing in a Dramatic Series, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s Margaret Collier Award for his body of work as a screenwriter, and the WGC’s Writer’s Block Award for service to Canadian screenwriters.

Barlow is also a member of the faculty of the Advanced Television and Film and Media Arts programs at Sheridan College, Oakville and has conducted professional screenwriting workshops across Canada, in Singapore, and in Dublin.