If readers aren’t grabbed by your story in the first 15 pages, they may not keep reading. Submit the first 15 pages of your script and have a 15-minute story notes call with the executive of your choice. This call will help you create a strong opening/act one to keep readers going until FADE OUT.
Questions? Email terra@roadmapwriters.com
We all (myself included!) have to have a polished professional pitch up our sleeves, but when working with writers I prefer things to be very conversational. I'm not something you have to 'pitch to' outside of a structure pitch session, rather I'm interested in digging in on the story elements and really getting to the heart of things. I find this approach inevitably impacts the way a writer would pitch the project, anyway, so tends to organically lead us to an improved version of their presentational pitch.
My slate is overwhelmingly female-focused both in terms of material and practitioners and that's something I'd like to maintain but it's by no means at the exclusion of other material.
In terms of working with writers and assessing material, the gender bias of my own production slate is totally irrelevant. What I would say is that my strengths lie in emotional/elevated material so particularly when it comes to genre I'd be the most use on projects that are utilising genre to speak to/illuminate a broader issue (e.g. the recent Talk To Me as parable for drug abuse/addiction issues).
James Brown started his career in independent production and film criticism in his native Australia. He worked as a critic for the national Austereo Radio Network, directed documentary projects for ABC TV and Foxtel, and was awarded the Panorama Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004 for his drama short FUGUE.
After relocating to London, Brown worked in acquisitions at various independent UK distribution companies, holding Head of Acquisitions roles at companies including Tartan Films and Metrodome. During his time as a buyer, James established a reputation as a key foreign language buyer on the international distribution circuit, acquiring such breakout arthouse titles as I AM LOVE and THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES for both the UK and Australia/NZ. His work in acquisitions continues, most recently with his serving as Head of Content Partnerships for global VOD platform Eyelet.
In 2011 he produced his first feature, AGE OF HEROES starring Sean Bean. STILL ALICE, his second feature as a producer, was adapted from the bestselling novel by Lisa Genova and acquired by Sony Pictures Classics at the Toronto Film Festival 2014. STILL ALICE won its star Julianne Moore the SAG Award, Indie Spirit, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar in 2015. In 2017 James produced and directed the family film YOU CAN TUTU which was acquired by Netflix for all English-language territories.
His short as writer/director, FAILURE TO THRIVE, premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2018. He was selected for the Toronto Film Festival Director’s Lab the same year. His latest feature as producer, BEFORE YOU KNOW IT starring Judith Light, Mandy Patinkin and Alec Baldwin, premiered in Competition at Sundance 2019 and was released in the US by 1091 (previously THE ORCHARD).
Upcoming projects as a producer include an adaptation of another Lisa Genova novel titled INSIDE THE O'BRIENS and a feature film based on the life of famed Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie called MAKING NOISE.
After registering, you will receive instructions on how to submit your material in your order confirmation email. After submitting your material, please allow 3-4 weeks to receive proposed times for scheduling your call with the exec.
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Questions? Email terra@roadmapwriters.com
Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your registration for a refund or Roadmap gift card if you have not yet submitted your material for review. However, once your material has been received by Roadmap, your registration cannot be canceled. Having revised material or a desire to retroactively apply a discount or gift card code are not grounds for cancellation, refunds, or gift card credit. Once your material has been submitted, the only acceptable grounds for cancellation and a refund or gift card credit is an unforeseen, ongoing emergency on the part of either the writer or the exec resulting in more than 6 weeks without any scheduling update from the exec via direct contact or Roadmap, or a sudden change in the exec's ongoing availability. In the instance of an irreconcilable scheduling issue, the writer may still receive a written feedback report from the exec. In this case, the writer is not entitled to a refund or gift card credit as the exec has read the submitted material and provided written feedback in lieu of the call.