Screenwriting Duo Secures Shopping Agreement through Stage 32 Script Services!

"Write what you know."

It's a well-worn saying. We've all heard it, and understand the wisdom therein. But as you struggle for success in the screenwriting world, it's often more tempting to try to write something high concept, something that will sell, something that will land you representation. As writers, we've both found some success -- Jamie wrote and starred in a solo show which ran off-broadway, Josh has sold a feature and TV pilot -- but we're more familiar with disappointment. While looking to level up as writers it's easy to get lost trying to expand your focus rather than look deeper within. But in our case life intervened.

Already pursuing parallel paths to Hollywood, we met (on Tinder!), fell in love, and moved in together. We often felt our romance was a comedy of errors, and saw something uniquely romantic and humorous in our love story, so we decided to write about it. Though we were wary of becoming writing partners in addition to life partners, it went smoothly, adding an extra spark to our relationship rather than causing problems between us. Our initial project about our first date was published by the Los Angeles Times in their LA Affairs column.

As we began our efforts to have a child together, we encountered one obstacle after another -- first Jamie's endometriosis surgeries, then three miscarriages in the span of a year. As part of our healing process, we wrote about our relationship again, now that a heavy dose of pain and heartbreak had been added to the mix. Our column was published by the New York Times in their Modern Love column.

By now it was clear we had something -- not just an effective writing partnership, but a story that resonated with people. Being screenwriters at heart, there was no other choice but to turn our story into a screenplay. By the time we finished polishing it, we'd even written ourselves a real life happy ending: First, our marriage and finally, our daughter, Charlie.

The only question we had was the one screenwriters all over the globe have once their screenplay is done: Is it any good? We figured the best way to find out was to get feedback from an experienced professional. Neither of us having representation at the time made that a somewhat difficult proposition... if not for Stage 32.

We knew they offered script consulting services because we had entered a screenplay contest on the site and read about it. This seemed perfect for what we wanted -- an honest opinion of our script and notes on how we might improve it. What we didn't expect is that we'd meet a future collaborator.

We wanted to make sure we picked the right person for the read, which was a challenge because there were so many options. After circling a couple of managers and executives who concentrated more on independent projects, we chose manager/executive Mike Diaz at ATN Entertainment because he specialized in character-driven drama.

Mike got back to us quickly with an enthusiastic and supportive attitude on the call. Not only was he passionate about the project, he was interested in bringing it to his production team at ATN. Before long, we were meeting with the whole team there. It was clear the entire creative team at ATN really got our story, and shared our desire to tell it. It was an easy decision to agree to option the project to them and work together to get it made. Collaborating with them has been a pleasure, as we all hope to write yet another happy ending for our story.

About Josh Cootner

I grew up on the campus of Stanford University, where my father taught economics, and then attended Boston University, before coming to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting.

I’ve worked mostly in the feature world, concentrating primarily on comedy. My R-rated comedy feature screenplay, DISCIPLES OF DARRYL, sold to Intrepid Pictures. Another R-rated comedy feature, COUGAR SAFARI, was optioned by Spitfire Pictures. A third, CRASH WEDNESDAY, made The Hit List. My family comedy, FIXING THE FLETCHERS, was optioned by Southpaw Entertainment in 2018.

More recently, I’ve also turned my attention to television. My drama pilot, BETTER, was purchased by SF Studios for production overseas.

I have also written freelance columns on my relationship with my then-fiancée (now wife), one of which was published in the Los Angeles Times, another which was published in the New York Times – my second time being published in that paper. We have since co-written a screenplay about our adventures in fertility, which was recently optioned by ATN Entertainment

About Jamie M. Fox

Jamie’s acting and writing work have taken her across the United States and Europe. Her solo show, MAZEL TOV COCKTAIL, was developed at the Comedy Central Stage and ran off‐Broadway. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times and LA Times.

Jamie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and a minor in Women’s studies. She continued her education in London with Theatre de Complicite.

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