There's so much to accomplish in the first act of a feature. Worse, if the reader isn't hooked by page 15, they'll likely stop reading. For the First 30 Consultation, you'll submit the first 30 pages of your feature or one-hour pilot script, and then have a 30-minute story notes call with the executive. They will help you boost your hook and refine your set up to make sure it is as strong as possible so readers HAVE to know what happens next.
Questions? Email terra@roadmapwriters.com
Lead with your personal brand as it relates to what inspires you to write, and what all your scripts have in common. And always create mental/emotional check-ins for your characters, along with the key plot points, so that the internal arc doesn't get lost.
Love the drama, comedy, action/adventure, romance, period piece, and true story/folklore adaptation spaces, but very open!
With horror, I do enjoy smart horror or horror lite that's more of a slow burn where people are the real monsters, or we have empathy for the ghost/creature by the end. With sci-fi, happy to read as long as it's grounded and emotionally driven, and not overly dense!
Some favorite TV shows: NEW GIRL, GILMORE GIRLS, SONS OF ANARCHY, LUCIFER, THE LAST KINGDOM, VIKINGS, CASTLE, TED LASSO, SHRINKING, TRYING, OUTLANDER, MINX, HEARTSTOPPER, PEACEMAKER, LOVE SICK, THE DIPLOMAT, MY LADY JANE, NORMAL PEOPLE, WEDNESDAY, BILLIONS, KILLING EVE, UPLOAD, THE GOOD PLACE, SENSE8, JESSICA JONES, SEX EDUCATION
Some favorite movies: RENFIELD, TOP GUN: MAVERICK, CRAZY STUPID LOVE, SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, DIVERGENT, SING STREET, PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, EVERYBODY WANTS SOME, VENGEANCE, GUARDIANS OF THE GALEXY #1, BEAUTIFUL BOY, GIFTED, THE WAY WAY BACK, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, SEABISCUIT, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, PS I LOVE YOU, THE GRINCH w/ Jim Carrey, BULLET TRAIN, SNOWPIERCER, JOJO RABBIT, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN #1, SPY, KINGSMAN, CASANOVA, WE BAUGHT A ZOO, THE TO DO LIST, COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (2002), HER, THE NICE GUYS, MAN UP (2015), A REAL PAIN, MOLLY'S GAME
I feel the least equipped to help with faith-based, Hallmark, Lifetime, spoof, satire, jump-scare and torture horror stories.
Terra Joy started her career in Washington, DC as a journalist and social justice nonprofit advocate where she also managed a documentary film campaign -- resulting in 115+ screenings in under nine months. She was also very active in the local screenwriting community as a member of WIFV. Before joining the RoadCrew, she was a reader for Slamdance. She has read well over a thousand scripts, and has seen the trends in feedback from execs on over 5K screenplays. Terra is also a professional proofreader and formatting editor, and is a staffwriter on Season 2 of FORNICAKES -- an award winning webseries about two polar opposite best friends who open up an erotic bakery in Florida. She's been to 35+ countries, and when she's not connecting awesome creative people with other awesome creative people, she's writing while drinking way too much boba/iced tea, or crafting her next script's dream soundtrack. As a craft nerd and a Virgo with OCD, she loves to use her detail obsession to benefit story development.
Roadmap Writers is a talent training and discovery platform for screenwriters ready for a guided path to success. Our programs are hosted by working industry executives and are designed to empower writers with actionable tools and insights to elevate your craft, and cultivate relationships with industry professionals. Since 2016, we have helped more than 350 writers from all over the world sign to representation, staff on series, and option and produce their projects. Our writers have been staffed on BRIDGERTON, THE FLASH, CHICAGO PD, THE FIRST LADY, NIGHT COURT, THE GOOD DOCTOR, THE RESIDENT, REACHER, FUBAR, SUBJECT TO CHANGE, MAYANS, COBRA KAI, POKERFACE, and others. They have also sold to, set up projects at, and been produced by Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, MGM, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Starz, Legendary, American High, New Republic Pictures, Anvil Pictures, Bohemia Group, Lifetime, Will Packer Studios, Roku, and more.
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.
**Please note only features and one-hour pilots are eligible for First 30 Consultations. Half-Hour pilots are ineligible for First 30 Consultations.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with Roadmap's Code of Conduct.
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.