WGA West Past President Howard A. Rodman on How Hollywood Really Works

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Here at Script, we're big believers in attending screenwriting conferences, especially the small, intimate ones where you have direct access to incredibly generous industry professionals. It's at those close-knit events you learn the real truth behind the life of a writer. One of our favorite events is DePaul School of Cinematic Arts’ annual Courier 12 Screenwriting Conference .

At a recent Courier 12, Brad Riddell spoke with Howard A. Rodman, president of the Writers Guild of America, West, about the complex challenges the WGA faces, how Hollywood really works, and much more. Their unfiltered conversation is a rare look inside the heart of the industry and a must-watch.

Beyond being the WGA president, Howard wrote Savage Grace starring Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne, nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2009 Spirit Awards, and August, starring Josh Hartnett and David Bowie. He also wrote Joe Gould's Secret, the opening night film of the Sundance Film Festival, based on the memoir by famed New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell. His novel Destiny 

Express, set in the pre-War German filmmaking community, was published by Atheneum and was blurbed by Thomas Pynchon, who called it “daringly imagined, darkly romantic--a moral thriller.” Hiscurrent project is an adaptation of Mary Pilon’s bestselling book, The Monopolists.

Howard's newest novel, The Great Eastern, will be available on June 4, 2019. Available for pre-order now! "“An absolutely ingenious premise propels this audacious adventure into surprising and thrilling territory, where history twists and braids itself like the transatlantic cable at the heart of this epic narrative. Howard Rodman’s powers of invention, connective synthesis, and grim humor are matched only by his literary ventriloquism and psychological insight… A ready-made binge-read!” —Steven Soderbergh.

Courier 12 a series of panel discussions with the top writing talent in the entertainment industry. All panels take place in the lower level theater of 247 S. State Street (The Daley Building). Admission is FREE and open to the public, but seats are limited. For more information and dates of upcoming Courier 12 events, go to their Facebook page.

Watch Courier 12 Script magazine panel on surviving being an artist in a complex industry.

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