Image
30-Minute Live Q&A Webinars in March!
To celebrate our 150th Writer Signed, Roadmap Writers is proud to announce our Dealing With The Big Leagues webinar series!
Join us throughout the month of March as we chat LIVE with some of the industries most prolific writers, directors, showrunners, producers, and executives. The Dealing With The Big Leagues series will focus on different parts of the industry including: Streamers, Filmmakers, Reps, and Development Execs.
Guests include execs from Disney+, Netflix, Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Productions, reps from CAA and Lit Entertainment Group, writer/directors of Entourage, How To Train Your Dragon, The Hangover, The Wedding Ringer and more.
Check back every Wednesday at 12pm PT leading up to our launch, as we reveal another awesome edition to our lineup!
Click here to register for the webinar series!
All sessions will be recorded unless otherwise noted, so even if you can't attend a live broadcast, you can still register to receive the recording after.
This webinar series is also made possible by the Animal Rescue Mission who has helped rescue hundreds of animals from around the world. Please visit the Animal Rescue Mission to make a tax-exempt donation or see available dogs and cats looking for a loving home.
Dealing with Streamers:
Saturday, March 6th at 11am PT - Kerri-Anne Lavin (Development Executive) at Disney+
Kerri-Anne Lavin is a development executive at Disney Branded Television with an eye for developing emerging talent and the ability to make anything funny. She developed the Emmy-nominated original short form series “Shook” and has several new series in the pipeline to premiere on Disney+ this year. She’s created and produced many scripted and unscripted derivative series based on Disney properties, and is currently the creative executive on “Descendants Royal Wedding” the latest chapter in Disney Branded Television’s most popular franchise.
In addition to cultivating a roster of diverse writers and directors, she also writes, directs, and produces scripted and unscripted content for the Multiplatform team. An alumna of Carnegie Mellon, NYU, and The Second City Main Stage, Kerri-Anne has written & performed in several shows on stage and screen. She’s written & produced short form content at Disney XD and NBC Universal, and performed from Off-Broadway musicals to Off-Broadway shoe commercials. Her latest project is recreating Bad Lip Reading songs with her seven year old son in their totally awesome pillow fort. It is her favorite role to date.
Saturday, March 13th at 1pm PT - Katie Mullins (Executive) at Netflix
Katie Mullens is an animation feature executive at Netflix. Katie has been at Netflix for 5 years, originally in the prime time series department before moving over to the newly formed animation department two years ago, where she helped build the department. She previously worked at the Jim Hensen Company.
Dealing with Reps:
Wednesday, March 10th at 1pm PT - Adam Kolbrenner (Manager/Producer) at Lit Entertainment Group
Adam Kolbrenner is the founder of Lit Entertainment Group – a Beverly Hills, CA-based literary management and feature film and television production company.
In feature film, Lit Entertainment is a producer of Disney/Fox’s upcoming FREE GUY, along with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi and is directed by Shawn Levy. This is an original screenplay from Lit management client Matt Lieberman. It is set to release worldwide in theaters in May 2021. Lit Entertainment is the Executive Producer on the Netflix franchise CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES. Chris Columbus (‘Harry Potter’, ‘Home Alone’) directed the sequel to the hit first film. This is an original screenplay from Lit management client Matt Lieberman with story by Lit client David Guggenheim.
Lit Entertainment is also a producer on Amazon/Skydance’s upcoming THE TOMORROW WAR, along with David Goyer. The film stars Chris Pratt and is directed by Chris McKay. This is an original screenplay from Lit client Zach Dean. It is set to release worldwide in 2021. Lit Entertainment is an Executive Producer on the HBO Max sci-fi television series RAISED BY WOLVES. Ridley Scott is Executive Producing and directed the first two episodes as well. This is an original series from Lit client Aaron Guzikowski who is the Creator and Executive Producer.
Additionally, Lit Entertainment is producing “DON’T GO IN THE WATER” for Universal, “DEPARTURE” for Sony Pictures, “FANTASY CAMP” for STX Studios, “MEET THE MACHINES” for Lionsgate Studios, and “NEWSFLASH” for Stampede Pictures.
Tuesday, March 16th at 4pm PT - Kevin Huvane (Agent/Managing Partner) at CAA
Kevin is an agent and managing partner at Creative Artists Agency. His impressive client list of Hollywood heavyweights includes Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Ryan Murphy, Viola Davis, Reese Witherspoon, Jenifer Lopez, Taylor Sheridan, Meryl Streep and many more.
Dealing with Filmmakers:
Wednesday, March 10th at 3pm PT - Dean DeBlois (Writer/Director) of How to Train Your Dragon trilogy
Golden Globe winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Dean DeBlois is best known for writing, directing, and executive producing the commercially and critically acclaimed “How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy, which culminated in 2019 with the release of “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.”
Prior to collaborating on the original “How to Train Your Dragon” with Chris Sanders, the pair wrote and directed Walt Disney Animation Studios’ beloved “Lilo & Stitch” (2002) after first serving as co-heads of story on “Mulan” (1998).
Dean is currently in development on “Micronauts” for Paramount Pictures as both writer and director. He is attached to direct “Treasure Island” for Universal Pictures and Mandeville Films. Also in development at Universal Pictures is the live-action-hybrid project “Storybook Ending” which he will write and direct, as well as produce alongside William Teitler.
He has also directed several music films and documentaries, most notably 2007’s indie critical darling “Sigur Rós: Heima.” Dean’s continued collaboration with Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi has led to the singer-songwriter’s contributions to the “How to Train Your Dragon” soundtracks.
Monday, March 15th at 4pm PT - Tim Zajaros (Producer/Co-founder) at Armory Films
Tim Zajaros is a producer and co-founder of Armory Films, a film finance and production company that creates, develops, produces, and finances high concept and commercially viable content. With the ability to finance projects from initial creative inception through production and release, Armory has amassed an impressive slate spanning numerous genres and styles, nurturing distinctive stories into groundbreaking films. The Los Angeles based company was created with partner Christopher Lemole in 2013.
Armory recently wrapped production in Los Angeles on Charlie Day’s directorial debut El Tonto starring Day, Kate Beckinsale, Jason Sudeikis, John Malkovich, Edie Falco, Jillian Bell, Ken Jeong, Adrien Brody, Ray Liotta and Travis Fimmel, and produced The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring Shia LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal, Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern, which received rave reviews and the Narrative Spotlight Audience Award out of its SXSW premiere. The film was acquired by Roadside Attractions, has a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes and made over $20 million at the box office, making it one of the biggest indie releases of the year. Up next, they are currently in pre-production on Raja Gosnell’s live-action family film Santa: The Adventure Begins and will be teaming with Don Handfield on the sci-fi comic book series The Dark Age.
Zajaros produced Joe Penna’s Arctic, starring Mads Mikkelsen which made its world premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival where it was acquired by Bleeker Street for North American distribution and released earlier this year. He also produced and financed Dee Rees’ lauded feature Mudbound, starring Carey Mulligan and Garrett Hedlund, which rose to critical success since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017. After being acquired by Netflix, the film went on to receive a record breaking four Academy Award Nominations, making the film a milestone in Netflix’s history in the awards race.
Zajaros’ previous work with Armory Films includes producing the horror comedy Zombeavers with Benderspink and the Cabin Fever reboot with Eli Roth and Cassian Elwes. Prior to launching Armory Films, Zajaros produced Restitution starring Mena Suvari and Tom Arnold, and From the Head starring Matthew Lillard. He earlier wrote and produced the documentary Building for Life, an inspirational story about three poverty stricken individuals in Northern Thailand who are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Zajaros presented Building for Life at the session for the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
Tuesday, March 16th at 3pm PT - Doug Ellin (Writer/Director/Producer) of HBO's Entourage
Doug is the Emmy-nominated creator of the hit HBO series Entourage which ran for eight seasons. He also wrote, produced and directed the Entourage feature film. Some of his other producing credits include Bad Santa 2, the ESPN 30 for 30 doc When the Garden Was Eden. He is also behind the new TV series Day 1's, a ten-episode series set in the world of soccer. The series is also being produced by Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman franchise, Kick-Ass) who will also direct the pilot.
Wednesday, March 17th at 11am PT - Jeremy Garelick (Writer/Director/Producer) The Wedding Ringer, The Break-up, The Hangover, The Binge
Jeremy graduated from Yale with degrees in Film and Theater. He began his career working as an assistant in CAA's Motion Picture Literary department before joining director Joel Schumacher as his assistant on the sets of the critically acclaimed Tigerland, Jerry's Bruckheimer's Bad Company, and Phone Booth.
While serving as Second Unit Director and Associate Producer on Schumacher's Veronica Guerin (Cate Blanchett), Garelick co-wrote and sold The Golden Tux with Todd Phillips producing for Dimension Films, gaining the attention of actor, Vince Vaughn, who brought Garelick into co-write and co-produce The Break Up starring Vince and Jennifer Aniston.
Garelick continued his work with director Todd Phillips, on the uncredited re-write for The Hangover (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis), which would become the highest grossing R-rated comedy film of all time.
In 2013, Garelick's career came full circle when he was hired by Screen Gems to direct the original project he sold in 2002, The Golden Tux, with Kevin Hart and Josh Gad starring, which was renamed The Wedding Ringer.
In 2017 Garelick founded American High, a full service production company that specializing in heartfelt teen comedies. In the companies first year of production, they completed five films, with one of them, Big Time Adolescence, premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. In 2019, they signed a financing deal to complete eight feature films at a pace of four per year.
Dealing with Execs:
Tuesday, March 16th at 5pm PT - Bryan Smiley (President of Film & TV) at Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Productions
Bryan is currently President of Film and TV at Hartbeat Productions, the production company of comedian and media mogul Kevin Hart. He was previously Vice President of Creative Development & Production at Columbia Pictures, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. At Columbia, Bryan spearheaded a major production deal with Unanimous Media, the production company of NBA star Stephen Curry. In addition, Bryan completed a multi-picture deal with Issa Rae, the star and producer of the critically acclaimed INSECURE on HBO. Before joining Columbia, Bryan co-founded No Label Productions, a multicultural film & television company with NBA star Baron Davis. Prior to No Label, Bryan consulted for several top media companies including Fox Digital Entertainment and Fox Digital Studios. At Fox, Bryan worked across multiple divisions helping to create a new business model to produce, market and distribute feature films starring top social influencers. Previously, Bryan worked as Executive Director of Home Entertainment & New Business Development for New Regency Productions, an award-winning film and television company based in Los Angeles, California. In that position, Bryan helped shape and implement New Regency's global home entertainment strategy, managing New Regency's extensive film library. In his business development role, Bryan focused on digital strategies and initiatives, with an emphasis on creating new revenue streams through emerging technologies and platforms.