Work one-on-one with an executive at mutually agreed upon times around your schedule. To start, you'll have a 15-minute strategy call with your executive to get the lay of the land for the month. Then, you’ll have email access to your executive throughout, plus four one-hour story notes sessions. Work on a single screenplay or multiple scripts plus get additional notes on your pitch, brand strategy, and career advice - work your mentorship to its fullest potential!
Just be yourself! Even if it's the best idea, it's about who I'm working with more than what I'm working with.
The best material can multitask - it can be meaningful and also entertaining while mastering its genre.
True crime.
Sam Schoen is a producer, development executive, and story strategist with over a decade of experience developing, financing, producing, and acquiring projects across film, television, theater, documentaries, interactive media, and emerging formats. As the founder of Dam Pictures, LLC, she partners with writers and filmmakers to develop stories that are both commercially viable and emotionally resonant, believing the best projects are greater than the sum of their parts. She is passionate about stories that entertain first and leave audiences just a little more curious, empathetic, or activated than when they walked in
Most recently, Sam held contracts with the Sundance Film Festival and the Berggruen Institute while independently producing under the Dam Pictures banner. Previously, she served as Director of Original Series at Topic Studios, (THEATER CAMP, INFINITY POOL, SPOTLIGHT). Prior to Topic, she held creative and production roles at Groundswell Productions (SNOWFALL, THE MAGICIANS, SIDEWAYS), Gunpowder & Sky (CAM, HER SMELL, HEARTS BEAT LOUD, EVERYBODY'S EVERYTHING), Warrior Poets, Scott Rudin Productions, and Mark Canton's Mad Riot Entertainment.
Having worked across every stage of a project's lifecycle—from development and packaging through financing, production, acquisitions, and distribution—Sam brings both creative and strategic insight to every collaboration. She specializes in helping writers strengthen their stories, sharpen their pitch materials, and position their projects for today's marketplace.
Sam is also currently pursuing her J.D. through Syracuse University College of Law's hybrid JDi program, designed specifically for working professionals, allowing her to continue producing while expanding her expertise in entertainment law and the business of storytelling.
Private Month Mentorship
Each month mentorship kicks off with a preliminary 15-min. call to set expectations and lay out strategy for the month. Writer will have email access to the executive plus 4x one-hour consultations with the exec. Exec will read up to 4 scripts in one month (different drafts of the same script or 4 different scripts) and conduct 4x one-hour story notes calls. Calls can also include feedback on your pitch, branding, or career strategy.
If you pay with the deposit/payment plan, your second half will be due the 2nd week of the Mentorship. If you need a different type of payment plan, email dorian@roadmapwriters.com.
**Please note feature screenplays are limited to 120 pages maximum. Please contact terra@roadmapwriters.com for pricing on a Month Mentorship on screenplays exceeding 120 pages.
What To Expect
After registering, you will receive an automatic Order Confirmation email. Then Roadmap's Director of Consultations, Terra Joy, will get your mentor looped in with you! If you do not hear from Terra or the exec within 3 days of registering, feel free to email terra@roadmapwriters.com for an update.
Before starting your Month Mentorship, please ensure you are familiar with our Code of Conduct.
Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your registration for a refund or Roadmap gift card if you have not yet submitted your material for review. However, once your material has been received, your registration cannot be canceled. Having revised material or a desire to retroactively apply a discount or gift card code are not grounds for cancellation, refunds, or gift card credit. Once your material has been submitted, the only acceptable grounds for cancellation and a refund or gift card credit is an unforeseen, ongoing emergency on the part of either the writer or the exec resulting in more than 6 weeks without any scheduling update from the exec via direct contact or Roadmap, or a sudden change in the exec's ongoing availability. In the instance of an irreconcilable scheduling issue, the writer may still receive a written feedback report from the exec. In this case, the writer is not entitled to a refund or gift card credit as the exec has read the submitted material and provided written feedback in lieu of the call.