TAYLOR VAN ARSDALE
Taylor Van Arsdale (a native Long Islander) is a writer/producer and independent script consultant at Tailfish Productions. She is currently in pre-production on EARTHBOUND – with Dwight Yoakam attached to direct and William Morris packaging.

Her students include an Austin Film Festival Best Comedy Screenplay winner (2004), a Thrills & Chills Horror Winner (2005) and a Nicholls Semi-Finalist (2005). She worked at HBO Pictures in development on projects such as DON KING: ONLY IN AMERICA, GIA and INTRODUCING DOROTHY DANDRIDGE before leaving to pursue successful avenues in writing and script consultation.

She has managed the development of the following Feature Film & Cable Television projects:

• EARTHBOUND – Dwight Yoakam attached to direct; William Morris packaging agent
• THE SECOND AGENDA – Action/thriller optioned to Davis Classics Entertainment
• BLOODWORK – For USA FILMS
• FORDHAM BOYS INCIDENT – For SHOWTIME; Ian Biederman (Crossing Jordan) attached to write script
• WICKAPOGUE WITCHES – For Minkoff-Clark
• DIAMOND KINGS – Staged reading at Electric Lodge Theatre (2003) raised funds for The Guardians of the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging.
• SOAPBOX SUMMER – Treatment written by Scott Abbott (Queen of the Dammed)

Commissioned Adaptations Include:

• FIRE UP YOUR LIFE – Treatment from the true-life biography by Donna Hartley
• THE GOLDEN TIMES – (with writing partner, Marla Young); screenplay adaptation from CNN War Correspondent’s true-life story set in post war Germany
• CODE OF CONDUCT – Ghostwriter True-Life story, from the biography by Karen Black
• BODY BROKERS – 2-hour woman-in-peril; dealing with black-market kidney removal
• ON ICE – 2-hour television pilot that follows the exploits of a team of Antarctic scientists
• ON ICE – “Beneath Thin Ice” - 2nd Episode
• ON ICE – “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – Thanksgiving Episode
• DIAMOND KINGS – Bittersweet comedy involving a jewelry store heist gone wrong
• THE BACHELOR PORTRAITS – Epic saga from the novel by James I. Kruger
• HEART BEATS LEFT – Political action/adventure set in Germany during the fall of Berlin Wall

Script Development Consultant:

• EARTHBOUND – Written by Marla Young, Nicholl Fellowships Semi-Finalist
• MUSIC ROW – Written by Jim Falletta, Finalist in Spec Scriptacular
• THE STRIP – Written by Jeff Wilber, 1-hour pilot purchased by HBO Original Programming
• NOTHING EVER HAPPENS TO ME – Written by Joanne Storkan (Produced in 2004 through Cineville, Inc. as SURVIVING EDEN)
• REMEMBER THE SLAVE – Written by Lorin B. Coleman (2001 DGA African-American Student Film Award Co-Winner)

In addition to private instruction, Taylor teaches both Beginning Screenwriting and Intermediate/Advanced Screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University, where she has been teaching for the past 6 years.

Most recently she was hired as an instructor/script consultant for NBC's new Writers on the Verge Diversity Workshop facilitating the development of and overseeing the content for 1-hour drama & 1/2-hour comedy series, evaluating the writer's adaptability and potential fit for network staffing. Two of her writers from the program were staffed on COLD CASE.

Taylor has guest lectured at:

• UCLA Film Program
• LMU International MBA Program
• San Diego State University 21st Annual Writers’ Conference
• Screenwriter’s Association of Santa Barbara
• Monterey County Film Commission – Screenwriters Conference
• Screenwriting Expo 5 (coming November 2005)
• Film Actor’s Boot Camp – Industry Showcase for Screenwriters

JIM FALLETTA
Jim Falletta (a native Californian) has spent the last several years focusing on his writing. His scripts have made their way into the hands of Robert Levy (WEDDING CRASHERS) and Robert Dinozzi (FLIGHTPLAN), and companies such as VH1 and MTV among others. He has worked as a script consultant for numerous screenwriting contests, management and production companies. In addition, Jim has published two articles in Script magazine discussing his life as a writer and a reader in Hollywood.

Accolades and Awards:

• Finalist - Acclaim Film and TV
• Finalist - The Writer’s Place Short Scripts Competition
• Finalist (top 6 scripts) - TV Writer Comedy Spec Scriptacular
• Top 50 Finalist - Red Inkworks Screenplay Competition
• Semi-Finalist - WriteMovies.com Screenwriting Competition
• Top 3% - Chesterfield Writer’s Project
• Top 100 - American Gem Short Script Competition
• Quarterfinalist (of 321 scripts out of 2,947) - Scriptapalooza
• Special Honor List - Filmmakers.com/Radmin Company Contest

Short Films:

THE REALLY, REALLY NEAT LIFE OF TREVOR
This film premiered at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival in September 2005, and went on to receive air-time for New Screen TV.

Script Development Consultant:

• Scriptapalooza
• American Accolades Competition
• Academy Writers Clinic
• Graup Entertainment
• Roundtable Management
• Torque Entertainment
• Catchfire Films

MARLA YOUNG
Marla Young is a produced and credited writer of CHALLENGE THE WIND and Associate Producer of the PBS award-winning documentary, BEYOND BARBED WIRE. Her screenplay, EARTHBOUND, a Nicholls Fellowship Semi-Finalist, is currently in pre-production with Dwight Yoakam attached to direct, act and co-produce; packaged through the William Morris Agency.

Marla began her career in print, writing for magazines such as THE ATLANTA MAGAZINE, SOUTHERN HOMES, and MONTEREY BAY. She has also worked as a Promotions Writer/Producer for an ABC affiliate television station, and over the years, has contracted writing assignments in both print and broadcast for numerous advertising, marketing and promotional clients.

Early in her profession, Marla was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with John Irving (The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules) and the late John Gardner (Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, Nickel Mountain, October Light, Mickelsson’s Ghosts, etc.), noted authors who had a great impact on her writing. She was the winning Finalist of the 10th Annual Monterey Film Commission’s Screenwriting Competiton.

She has also freelanced for Sparkhill Productions, writing DVD Feature introductions for film critic Leonard Maltin on such classics as John Wayne’s “Island In The Sky” and “The High and the Mighty”, along with many Disney titles.

Her career has always centered on writing and has spanned a variety of mediums.