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Happy September! Join us for a chat with Monika Gossman, who signed with Sandstone Artists after meeting her rep through a Roadmap consultation.
This interview was submitted on 08/31/2025
Firstly, tell us about yourself! Who are you as a writer & who did you end up signing with?
I’m Monika Gossmann, an international actress, writer, and director from Kazakhstan and Germany, now based between the U.S. and Europe. My work is shaped by my immigrant journey, my training at the Moscow Art Theatre School, and mentorships with filmmakers like David Fincher, as well as the MFA Screenwriting program under David Lynch. I write character-driven stories about resilience and transformation. I recently signed with Tammy Hunt at Sandstone Artists after a Roadmap consultation, and I’m excited to have a partner who supports me as a multi-hyphenate with a diverse slate of projects.
How did you meet your now rep? What was that first interaction like and how did it lead to your professional relationship now?
We first met through a Roadmap consultation. Tammy was incredibly professional, fast, and gave me a detailed breakdown of my script. Our conversation went on for over an hour, and we immediately clicked. It was clear to both of us that this needed to go further than just a single consultation, the energy was so uplifting. Since then, the relationship has been effortless; we understand each other almost instantly, and it’s been both grounding and inspiring.
From the moment you started training and/or working with Roadmap Writers, how long has it been before you secured your current representation?
I graduated from my MFA Screenwriting program with David Lynch on June 21st, and by July 12th I had signed with Tammy. It all happened in under three weeks, and it was through just one consultation with Roadmap.
How did (if at all) Roadmap Writers assist in getting you to this point? Do you think you could've made this step in your screenwriting career without Roadmap?
I don’t think this would have happened without Roadmap. They put me directly in front of a professional for a consultation; without that, I never would have met Tammy. It wasn’t through a query letter or a cold approach; it was a direct, meaningful conversation where she read my script and got to know me. Without Roadmap creating that connection, this step simply wouldn’t have been possible.
What types of stories do you write? What's your "writer brand" and how do you think that helped you attract a good match for representation?
I write stories that give voice to people and perspectives we don’t often hear, told through the eyes of an outsider, an immigrant, or someone navigating displacement. Coming from Kazakhstan and Germany, and now living and working in the U.S., I naturally write from a foreigner’s bird’s-eye view, observing the small, emotional details of life that reveal much larger truths. My work blends psychological depth with cinematic journeys, whether it’s a mother and son on the road in Iron Lola or the blurred lines of psychiatry and spirituality in Entering the Circle. I think that character-driven stories with an international perspective helped me attract the right match in representation. Tammy responded to the authenticity of my voice and the universality of my themes, and she saw how they can resonate both in the U.S. and abroad.
Has your mindset about what you're writing changed now that you've added representation to your team? What's the biggest lesson you've learned or had to adapt to since you've been working with your rep?
From the beginning, having representation has felt like having a sparring partner who truly wants the best for you. It’s grounding, almost like a good marriage, if I can joke about it. You can run ideas through them, outline your overall growth, and build a strategic plan together.
As writers, we’re so focused on the content itself that we can’t always see the bigger picture. Having a rep means someone is looking at your career from the outside, getting you into the right rooms, guiding you to the next step, and setting you up for long-term success. That perspective has been the biggest shift for me.
What do you hope your next steps are? What are your immediate goals now that you've landed representation?
Since Tammy represents me not only as a writer but as an artist overall, actress, director, and writer, my goal is to start packaging those elements in the right ways. I don’t need to do all three at once, but I’d love to, for example, write a script that I direct, or write a role that I can step into as an actress, or simply sell a script and get the work out there. Ultimately, my goal is to tell the stories I believe in, internationally and across markets, and to bridge my U.S. and European career. Right now, I’m also finishing my first feature film, which I wrote, directed, and acted in; shot in Berlin and is now moving toward completion in the U.S. by the end of this year. That feels like the natural next step: to continue creating, while strategically building projects with Tammy that connect my voice to the right platforms and audiences.
In 10 years, what do you want your screenwriting career to look like?
Ten years from now, I want my stories traveling across all five continents. Bold, emotional, a little dangerous, making people think and feel and remember why they’re alive. I don’t just want to entertain, I want to spark conversations, shake perspectives, and ground people in their own humanity. My career has already moved through dance, choreography, acting, playwriting, stage directing, and now filmmaking, across three continents. The next decade is about bringing that whole artistic evolution into film and television, writing stories that are raw, universal, and unafraid. If the work excites, unsettles, and connects people all at once, then I’ll know I’m doing it right.
Are you ready to take the next step in your career?
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