Richard Walter signs books at 2010 Screenwriting Expo

This past weekend was the 9^th annual Screenwriting Expo at LAX Hilton. Over four days, they offered a jam packed schedule with seminars along with the Golden Pitch Fest which ran in conjunction w/ an expo of schools, instructors and The Writer’s Store.  Here’s some thoughts, a list of resources and a master list of recommended films to watch from all of the above.

I attended sessions from some of the top screenwriting instructors and consultants in the industry and best of all, I finally met Jeff Goldsmith of Creative Screenwriting Magazine, who has been offering informative podcasts of Q&A’s with the best writers in the industry for the past several years.  His sessions are one of the most entertaining and informative resources for screenwriters today.

I was also excited to finally meet Professor Richard Walter of UCLA’s Screenwriting Program.

John August was one of the key note speakers who I found really inspiring. He’s had a dream career ranging from writing Charlie’s Angels to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and worked with directors like Tim Burton.

Another cool attendee was speaker, professional screenwriter Neo Edmund. Neo is a real success story as he attended the first conference and ultimately sold a script and is working as a writer today. He laughed when I asked if he had sold a script at the Pitch Fest when he attended 9 years ago and told me that it was just a lot of hard work and follow up that ultimately led to his success.

Saturday night the final evening’s networking event was topped off by a memorable session of Screenwriter Karaoke, which is actually hosted monthly at Sardo’s in Burbank. Always a good time – thanks to Merrell and Xandy.

I met some terrific people from LA, as well from all over the country and a few from outside the US.  Friend me on Facebook or Follow me on Twitter to stay in touch and keep me posted on your projects, and good luck!

Some Resources from 2010 Screenwriting Expo

1. http://OnThePage.TV
2. http://johnaugust.com
3. http://flyingwrestler.com
4. http://Jdscreenwriting.com
5. http://Marilynhorowitz.com
6. http://Richardwalter.com
7. http://Screenplaymastery.com
8. http://Storysense.com
9. http://Inktip.com
10. http://Withoutabox.com
11. http://karliglesias.com
12. http://nobullscript.net
13. http://scriptwritersnetwork.org
14. http://daramarks.com
15. http://kaplancomedy.com
16. http://covermyscript.com

Comprehensive list of suggested films by various instructors at the Expo (note not all were suggested as good examples – but as examples employing certain devices, etc..)