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2024 Missouri Stories Fellowship Winner
Feb. 18, 2025 -- I am pleased to announce that The Missouri Film Commission has named me a 2024 Missouri Stories Fellow for my Missouri-based family sports comedy WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR.
Newest Feature Script Completed
Feb. 7, 2025 -- ASHES is a semi-contained supernatural horror/thriller feature about a woman who, in a desperate bid to escape her abusive boyfriend, rents a house in the country only to find it inhabited by the dangerous, manipulative spirit of a murderer with a seemingly impossible request: go back in time and stop me from killing.
Loosely inspired by the In Cold Blood murders made famous by Truman Capote, ASHES is set primarily in small-town Kansas, with a majority of the script centered in and around a farm house.
Loosely inspired by the In Cold Blood murders made famous by Truman Capote, ASHES is set primarily in small-town Kansas, with a majority of the script centered in and around a farm house.
2nd Short In One Week: Sold. SANCTUARY Festival Appearance Set For Next Week
Dec. 6, 2024 -- For the second time this week I've connected with a UK-based director. HOUSE DIVIDED, a dramedy short, has entered pre-production with Joe Banks tapped to produce and direct. In other news, SANCTUARY, directed by Garrett Adams, produced by Karen "Kay" Ross and Benjamin Mehr will screen on Dec. 13th in the Culver City Film Festival. (UPDATE: SANCTUARY was named "Best YA Short.")
Short Script Optioned
Dec. 1, 2024 -- PLAYING CARS, my short horror centered on a grieving mother and her dead son, was optioned this past week. The project has entered pre-production with UK-based director Louis Haestier set to lead the production.
Short Film Wins Festival Award
Sept. 20, 2024 -- SANCTUARY, written by Paul Knauer, directed by Garrett Adams, and produced by Karen "Kay" Ross and Benjamin Mehr, was recently named "Best Short - Western" after making its World Premiere in the 9th Annual Silicon Beach Film Festival. The festival was held at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Congratulations to the entire team!
Feature Script Optioned, In Pre-Production
May 31, 2024 -- Details coming when authorized.
Production Complete on Thriller Short: Sanctuary
June 1, 2024 -- Directed by Garrett Adams, produced by Karen "Kay" Ross and Benjamin Mehr. The short film now heads out to the festival circuit.
2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist
Aug. 8, 2022 -- WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR, my sports-centric, Disney-style comedy feature, was named a 2022 Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist. Check out the script page here. (Only 359 of 5,526 entries chosen.)
What Others Say About My Work:
“A sharp reinvention of classic themes with charming twists." "Not just an inspired story, it also has a feel good quality that brought a smile to my face as you predicted." "This is a film that should and could be made."
— Steven N., Producer, regarding my family comedy feature WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR
“... one of the very few (scripts we've analyzed) with a high financial prediction." Rated: Greenlight
— ScriptBook.io, regarding my thriller feature 60 FEET UNDER
"Impressive, witty storytelling."
— NPS, Page International judge
“I loved your style.” “The dialogue was first rate...”
— CS, Script analyst
“... a great deal of potential.”
— JPB, Fresh Voices judge
“A beautiful piece.”
— Sikendar Hemani, Director
“A brilliant screenplay.”
— Celeste Hoang, Director
Sample Projects
Features: (Additional features in varied genres available on request.)
A small-town broadcaster hoping to avoid a life running his father's septic business
attempts to lift the downtrodden town and his career prospects by calling the winless
high school basketball team to a mythical championship.
This 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist script is a Disney-style family sports comedy set in 1992. Wait Till Next Year is loosely based on my personal experiences as a small-town play-by-play announcer and is guaranteed
to be unlike any sports comedy you've ever read.
"This was such a fun script to read!"
"...a sharp reinvention of classic themes with charming twists."
"Probably the most original concept I've read since I began analyzing for this fellowship."
"...had me smiling throughout." "I really would like to see this one come to fruition."
"This is a film that should and could be made."
(Comments from various industry readers and professionals)
SCRIPTBOOK RATING: GREENLIGHT
"... one of the very few (scripts we see) with a high financial prediction."
Predicted Domestic ROI of 228% and a Worldwide ROI of 307%.
100% predicted probability of a Domestic Gross of $30-60M.
Desperate to help his anxiety-riddled, claustrophobic daughter,
a father takes her on a road trip, only for them to be kidnapped by an erratic couple
and held in an underground missile silo.
This semi-contained thriller is designed to be made on a smaller budget (ScriptBook analysis: $13.7M).
Limited locations, a small cast and minimal FX required, 60 Feet Under is sure to thrill audiences and producers alike (ScriptBook expected Domestic Gross: $44.8M). Check out the project page here.
"... one of the very few (scripts we see) with a high financial prediction."
Predicted Domestic ROI of 228% and a Worldwide ROI of 307%.
100% predicted probability of a Domestic Gross of $30-60M.
Desperate to help his anxiety-riddled, claustrophobic daughter,
a father takes her on a road trip, only for them to be kidnapped by an erratic couple
and held in an underground missile silo.
This semi-contained thriller is designed to be made on a smaller budget (ScriptBook analysis: $13.7M).
Limited locations, a small cast and minimal FX required, 60 Feet Under is sure to thrill audiences and producers alike (ScriptBook expected Domestic Gross: $44.8M). Check out the project page here.
In this modern extension of the Cain and Abel story, a murderer,
sentenced to life on earth by God, is given a chance at redemption
when God reunites him with his brother --
the man he killed so long ago.
A semi-contained thriller with limited locations and a small cast, The Hand of God builds to a dramatic
and satisfying conclusion. Though centered on strong religious themes, it is written for broad appeal, and would not be considered a strictly-religious script. Check out the project page here.
Sitcom Pilots: (Additional sitcom pilots available on request.)
Edward, an aspiring politician, has a secret: His backyard is now home
to an unauthorized underground survival bunker built and occupied
by his paranoid and fiercely anti-government brother.
This multi-camera sitcom brings a light-hearted look at life in the Midwest.
This script was actually written several years ago, as I was experimenting with different types of sitcom formats.
If you've read my early sitcom scripts, the themes will be familiar. I offer this here as a fun writing sample.
And, for a peek at one step along the evolutionary chain of my concept: 1,000 Reasons I'm Going to Hell.
Shorts: (Additional shorts in varied genres available on request.)
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A gambler's plan to rob a preacher meets unexpected resistance. An 8-page proof-of-concept short for a larger western/horror series or feature. This simple Western with light horror elements is shoot-ready. Locations include interior/exterior saloon shots, two separate bedroom locations, and a nighttime campsite setup. The main cast includes two 30s males and two older males. In addition, the interior saloon scene includes a host of extras. |
Sixty years ago they made a pact to die together. One of them intends to honor it.
This 9-page short is tested and ready to shoot.
A contained drama with slight thriller elements, Blood Brothers is a festival-level script written to help you wrap quickly. All you'll need is a cabin in the woods, 4 seasoned male actors, 1 middle-aged female, and a few easy to find props.
For more details and a link to the full script, check out the project page here. (WARNING: offensive dialogue.)
(NOTE: Dialogue does NOT reflect my views, but is included to represent the dying views
of a generation struggling to adapt to new social norms.)