The Manager Series: It's All About The Pitch

Roadmap Writers is a talent training and discovery platform for screenwriters ready for a guided path to success. Our programs are hosted by working industry executives and are designed to empower writers with actionable tools and insights to elevate your craft and cultivate relationships with industry professionals. Since 2016, we have helped hundreds of writers from all over the world sign to representation, staff on series, and option and produce their projects. Our writers have been staffed on BRIDGERTON, THE FLASH, CHICAGO PD, THE FIRST LADY, NIGHT COURT, THE GOOD DOCTOR, THE RESIDENT, REACHER, SUBJECT TO CHANGE, MAYANS and POKERFACE. Writers have sold, set up and been produced by Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, MGM, American High, New Republic Pictures, Maven Screen Media, Lifetime, Will Packer Studios and Roku. 

Prior to co-founding the management/production company Fictional Entity in early 2017, Chris Deckard spent over seven years working with and representing talent at the major agencies ICM Partners and WME. While at WME, Chris worked in the media rights department, selling books for series and film adaptations before moving into the talent department, where he worked closely with high level actors in film, television, and the then-emerging digital space. While at ICM Partners, he again worked with high level actors and worked closely with the packaging and sales department and the digital media group. For over a decade, Chris has worked closely with traditional and new media buyers to find and develop content for domestic and international audiences. In addition to helping cast and package numerous features and series, he has evaluated thousands of scripts for actors and directors. Chris graduated from Cornell University and earned his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School.

Chris helps his clients navigate the evolving entertainment landscape in the United States and abroad. He has negotiated deals for features, series, and podcasts in several international territories. His clients have been named to The Black List, The Hit List, The Young & Hungry List, The Blood List and been lauded by the PAGE Awards, the International Emmys, and The GLAAD Awards. Clients have also earned nominations and placements from The Heath Ledger Scholarship, The Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Awards, the AWG, ADG, SPA, and AACTA. Clients have written, directed, starred, and produced in numerous formats, including features, TV, virtual reality, and podcasts, independently and for companies like Netflix, Lucasfilm, NBCUniversal, Legendary, Marvel, Fremantle, SyFy, the CW, Warner Bros., Amazon, Blumhouse, Hulu, XYZ, The BBC, Comedy Central, the ABC Australia, Foxtel, TruTV, Super Deluxe, Hallmark, Lifetime, CBS, Facebook, E!, and MSNBC.

Several of Chris’ clients had films shoot in 2021, including one for Netflix, and another which sold to XYZ Films, both of which are slated for 2022 release. Within the past year, clients have sold series to Amazon, Netflix, eOne, and Hulu. Chris, along with his business partner, is also an Executive Producer on a scripted series project alongside two writing EPs from New Amsterdam which sold to Universal Television in 2021.

John Miranda is an award-winning producer and literary manager whose work includes collaborations with some of the entertainment industry’s most acclaimed storytellers.

Miranda began his film career in 1990 at Amblin Entertainment as Steven Spielberg’s personal assistant, where his initiation into the world of film included working alongside Spielberg during the development and pre-production on SCHINDLER'S LIST, JURASSIC PARK, and HOOK. Within his first year, Miranda’s instincts for storytelling caught the attention of Amblin’s creative team, and he was promoted to the company’s story department and began forging relationships with some of the industry’s most exciting writers.

Miranda’s early success led to a Story Editor position with one of his cinematic heroes, renowned director, Norman Jewison. Miranda was instrumental in the acquisition and development of Jewison’s highest profile projects from the 90s, including THE HURRICANE starring Denzel Washington, and ONLY YOU, starring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, Jr. Miranda further distinguished himself by developing and selling Ryan Muphy’s first feature screenplay, WHY CAN'T I BE AUDREY HEPBURN?, and he was pivotal in the development of Greg Berlanti’s first feature, THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB.

Having established a reputation for identifying and mentoring emerging talent, Miranda caught the attention of entrepreneur, Ken Lipper, and together they launched a New York-based film company, Ken Lipper Productions. Miranda oversaw production on the Academy Award winning documentary, THE LAST DAYS (directed by James Moll), as well as the late Alan Rickman’s directing debut, THE WINTER GUEST, starring Emma Thompson. Miranda also collaborated with Broadway hit-makers Steven Sater (SPRING AWAKENING) and Scott Ellis (TAKE ME OUT; MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL).

After a successful chapter in New York, Miranda was approached to work with director James Mangold (FORD V. FERRARI; LOGAN) at TreeLine Film. As Vice President of Production, Miranda oversaw TreeLine’s robust slate of film and TV projects, including the critically acclaimed 3:10 TO YUMA starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, KNIGHT & DAY, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, the ABC series MEN IN TREES, as well as the film adaption of Richard Ford’s award-winning novel, THE SPORTSWRITER, for HBO.

In 2014 Miranda formed John Miranda Entertainment, a production and management company, where he produces own slate of film and TV projects, and manages the careers of emerging writers and directors. Miranda produced the 2018 feature, THE KEEPING HOURS (starring Carrie Coon and Lee Pace) for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse.

Miranda is currently packaging a number of feature and TV projects, including OLD & UGLY, a feature drama/comedy to be directed by Michael Medico; CALL ME BY MY NAMETAG, a half-hour musical-comedy by award-winning composer/lyricist, Ben Bonnema; THE HEALER, a half-hour drama by award-winning playwright, Brooke Berman; and BOY WONDER, a feature thriller to be directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker James Moll.

Miranda is a graduate of the University of California at Davis with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric & Communication and Political Science. He has guest lectured at several film schools, including NYU, USC, and UCLA, and he has served on faculty for numerous production and screenwriting seminars throughout the U.S. and Canada.

A graduate of the University of Maryland and the University of Florida with a master’s degree in journalism, Dan Seco is currently a literary manager and partner at Empirical Evidence where he represents both writers and directors for film and television. Previously, Dan served as a literary manager at Schemers Entertainment (STRANGER THINGS; THE GREATEST SHOWMAN) and was a motion picture literary coordinator at Writ Large (SHIMMER LAKE) and an assistant for a motion picture literary agent at CAA. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Seco worked as a sports journalist covering MLB, US Soccer, and the NBA, as well as a special education teacher in New Orleans.

A graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Film Studies, Mark Saffian is the owner of literary management company Content House which represents dozens of New York Times Best Selling Authors, screenwriters, directors, and production companies, as well as top names in comic books, video games, and new media. Projects include THE CROOK FACTORY based on the best-selling novel by Dan Simmons (THE TERROR, HYPERION) and the television series ONE SECOND AFTER with Constantin Films based on the best-selling trilogy of books by William Forstchen. Recently, Content House sold or set up series on behalf of its clients to eOne, Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Animation, CW, Comedy Central, Showtime, and HBO. Mark began his career working in the mailroom at Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) before being promoted to an Assistant in the Packaging Department and eventually becoming the Literary Department Development Coordinator where he helped develop pilots and films including the television series 24. After APA, Mark worked as a Development Executive and Story Editor for Sony Pictures (GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE; AN AMERICAN PICKLE) and Sid Ganis/Out of the Blue Entertainment where he was a story editor on BIG DADDY and DEUCE BIGELOW: MALE GIGOLO.

Audrey Knox is a literary manager at Cartel, representing writers in film and television. Her clients have staffed on shows including REASONABLE DOUBT, SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, P-VALLEY, GINNY & GEORGIA, GROWN-ISH, and THE UPSHAWS, and she has clients with comedy pilots set up at ABC and Broadway Video.

Audrey's feature clients have written ALICE, DARLING (Lionsgate, 2022), CRUSHED (Tubi, 2022), THE SANTA SUMMIT (Hallmark, 2023), and the SINGLE BLACK FEMALE franchise (Lifetime, 2022-present). She has writers working on assignments for Wayfarer, Mattel, DreamWorks Animation, and Marvel. Her client Buck Productions is developing pilots with Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic), Bobby Moynihan (SNL), and Joe Lo Truglio (BROOKLYN NINE-NINE).

Audrey worked her way up from Receptionist in 2016 to Manager in 2018.