Introduce Yourself : Howdy! by Jefferson McClure

I've been mostly a lurker on Stage 32 for the nearly 4 years that I've been a member, but I guess it's never to late to jump all the way in. I've had a love of filmmaking since I got my first hulking camcorder as a teenager (not to date myself, but it was a two-piecer --one with the camera works, and a separate piece to lug around the recording media). For some reason, I had a youthfully misguided distrust of the Hollywood "machine," so I tried to further my film education and experience as far from L.A. as possible. To make a long story short, it didn't really work. So, I tried to craft a "normal" life without giving filmmaking a second thought--and I did so, quite successfully, for nearly 20 years. But then, while considering a Masters program to further my boring career, I found myself wandering around web sites for low-residency MFA Screenwriting programs. I eventually found an excellent program that combined craft, practical experience, and industry-insider knowledge (National University's Professional Screenwriting MFA) and, after a few years of hard--but rewarding--work, I obtained my degree. The experience also rewarded me two extremely well-vetted scripts and the practical know-how to write and evaluate scripts that are ready for the Hollywood "machine." Of course, a successful screenwriting career is a marathon--not a sprint--so I know that I am still building momentum in my writing cadence. I look to Stage 32 not just for finding that one producer or manager who will "make" my career, but also for the camaraderie and support that we all need as we stumble along our rambling courses.