BPS 036: What is Maximum Screenwriting with Jeff Schimmel

Today on the show we have screenwriter and author Jeff Schimmel.
Jeff wrote Maximum Screenwriting: 25 Commonly Asked Questions and
Straight Answers.

Jeff Schimmel began his Writing/Producing career in the 1980's,
while attending law school in Los Angeles. When not studying for
the bar exam, Jeff wrote and sold his original Cold War spy
thriller, Archangel, to Phoenix Entertainment Group. Soon
after, Jeff was chosen by comedy legend Rodney Dangerfield and
award-winning Writer/Director Harold Ramis to co-write the
full-length Warner Brothers animated film, Rover
Dangerfield. This led to a sports comedy screenplay assignment
from Orion Pictures and 20th Century Fox, and Jeff’s first TV
writing job as Story Editor on ABC’s top ten sitcom, Full
House.

Next, Jeff co-wrote and produced The Schimmel Papers, a series
of several short films for Fox TV's Sunday Comics, then went
on to write for the groundbreaking, Emmy Award-winning sketch
comedy series, In Living Color, worked as Story Editor on the
WB network’s first-ever sitcom, then served as Writer and Producer
on Laughing With The Presidents, NBC TV's final comedy special
starring Bob Hope, with appearances by Presidents George Bush and
Bill Clinton, actors Tom Selleck, Don Johnson, Tony Danza,
Ann-Margret, Naomi Judd, and many more.

In 2016, Jeff took over as Executive Producer of Fuse network’s
music intensive Skee TV series, working with hip hop
artists like Snoop Dogg, Tyler the Creator, Post Malone, and T.I.
 Also in the rap world, Jeff was credited as a producer on
three multi-platinum selling CDs by Busta Rhymes. In 2017, Jeff’s
book, “Maximum Screenwriting,” was released and has earned Amazon’s
five-star rating. Jeff has appeared as a guest lecturer at L.A.’s
famed Screenwriting Expo, is a popular speaker at prestigious
universities and film schools, and has worked closely with the
Writers Guild of America to protect the best interests of
writers.

25 COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND STRAIGHT ANSWERS

The entertainment industry is the toughest business around. To
achieve success as a professional screenwriter, you will need every
advantage you can get. A writer who faces readers, agents,
producers, and creative executives are no different than a soldier
going into combat. To have the best chance of survival, both would
be wise to bring every weapon they can carry into the fight.

This book is ammunition for the battles every screenwriter will
face as it teaches: How to create a bulletproof outline, How to
build and breathe life into compelling characters, How to defeat
crippling procrastination, How to avoid being ripped off, and How
to deal with a myriad of situations other books never
mention.

The one thing this book will not do is tell you what the proper
margins are for a screenplay, where to place a parenthetical in
dialogue or what is supposed to happen on page 30. There are dozens
of books and free online lectures for that. Maximum Screenwriting
was written for one reason only: to teach you what other books
don’t and to tell you what other writers won’t.

Enjoy my conversation with Jeff Schimmel.

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