Sprint for Your Shorts

Just a reminder that the Sprint for Your Script / Cours Écrire Ton Court program deadline is August 17. Check out the SODEC site if you're a Quebec writer between 18 and 35.

His and Hurley's

I throw an irregular get-together at Hurley's Irish Pub for all my friends, and future friends, in showbiz. We're getting together again on Thursday, May 14, from 7 to 10 pm. (That's when I leave. Some people never leave.) If you think you might be in Montreal then, save the date. Or even better, RSVP on Facebook.

Quebec Master Class deadline extended

The deadline for the Drama Writing Master Class has been extended to Monday, March 16.

The WGC and CBC invites writers across Quebec to submit their projects for a chance to attend an exclusive Drama Writing Master Class on April 5 led by award-winning screenwriters Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik (Durham County) and Bruce M. Smith (Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, The Sleep Room). This call for submissions is open to up-and-coming screenwriters who have created and are working on one-hour TV drama series. This one-day intensive workshop will help selected participants develop their skills in drama series analysis. Master Class members will receive in-depth critiquing of their projects, bringing them one step closer to being pitch ready for producers and broadcasters. Interested candidates are asked to fill out the submission form and attach requested documents. The Drama Writing Master Class will be held at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University and is free of charge.

For more information and/or submission form, go to the WGA site

Incidentally, some of you were wondering, "Hey, why would I take the Friday, April 3 seminar on HEARTLAND? Isn't that a show about girls and horses?" Here are some reasons to consider. The show has done 31 episodes so far. That's more than the whole run of my show, NAKED JOSH, so points for longevity. Anyone can write a pilot, but can you get your show to episode 30? And the network has ordered 18 episodes for season three. The show has an audience of 800,000 in spite of every effort by the network to pre-empt it. HEARTLAND wins its time slot, k? So if you're looking for an innovative Canadian show, how about these "innovative" ideas: tell solid stories, make the audience care, and get them to come back?

Anyway, I'm going. So there.

Brendan Kelly's On the Scene

Montreal Gazette writer Brendan Kelly is now blogging about the Montreal showbiz scene in Showbiz Chez Nous. Who's shooting, who's premiering, who's going to Cannes. And lots of links, especially to his Gaz articles. Go Brendan!

Feature It

So after chatting with Carol Whitehead, who's organizing Feature It!, it looks like I'm going to teach part of the workshop. Quebeckers, I hope you got your application in!

QWF Mentorships

The Quebec Writer's Federation has a mentorship program for fiction writers, poets, and aspiring screenwriters:

For the sixth year in a row, QWF is proud to offer the only English-language writing mentorship program in the province of Quebec. This four-month program pairs experienced, professional writers with emerging writers who are deemed ready by an independent jury to benefit concretely from one-on-one, intensive mentoring.

There's an application form (PDF) for both mentors and mentees. (There's a different one for mentats or Mentos, but what the deadline for those is.)

I'll be on the jury for screenwriters.