About Us

About Us

ScreenwritingU's mission: Design and deliver the best screenwriting classes in the World while assisting screenwriters to break into the industry.

  • Named "#1 Choice for Screenwriting Classes" by InkTip.com.  
  • Listed #1 in "Top 9 Screenwriting Courses" on the Net by Script Magazine.
  • Over 90,000 screenwriters receive our newsletter (sign up here).
  • 40,000 screenwriters on ScreenwritingU Twitter and 11,000 on ScreenwritingU Facebook.
  • Over 150 ProSeries Alumni have been optioned, sold, or produced in the last two years (See Alumni Successes).
  • 17 screenwriting classes (10 available to public, 7 are Alumni only)
  • Maintains the ScreenwritingU Alumni -- A private community of writers who collaborate together with an intense focus on breaking into the industry.

 

Hal Croasmun - President

Hal Croasmun is a recognized expert in the Screenwriting world.  He's spoken at screenwriting events and festivals including the Austin Film Festival, InkTip Pitch Summit, Screenwriting Expo, and many others.

Coming from a corporate training background, Hal's speciality is designing "Expert Model" classes that give deep insight into what it takes to be the best in an industry.  To that end, he's interviewed over 500 Hollywood producers and 120 agents/managers to design screenwriting programs that make it easy for writers to create amazing screenplays.  His speciality is taking complex subjects like subtext, high concept, and creating characters for movie stars, and breaking them down into simple steps and processes.

In the last 12 years, he has:

  • Designed 17 screenwriting "Expert Model" classes including the famous ProSeries class.
  • Interviewed over 500 Hollywood producers, 120 agents and managers, and 30 A-list screenwriters.
  • Helped over 150 writers break in during the last two years (see ScreenwritingU Success Stories).
  • Assisted more than 50 screenwriters through the deal making process with producers.

From 1989 - 2000, Hal owned and operated Beyond Learning Training Technologies where he designed training programs for over 125 major corporations including Boeing, NASA, National Car Rental, McDonalds, Apple Computer, Glaxo Smith Klein, and many others.

In his spare time, he rides horses, plays poker, and spends time with his family.  

Cheryl Croasmun - VP of Marketing

At ScreenwritingU, Cheryl puts together joint-ventures and strategic partnerships that forward the vision and operations of ScreenwritingU.

A producer at Class 3 Entertainment, Cheryl has relationships with over 60 major production companies on the lots of Studios and Networks.

Previously,Cheryl worked at Beyond Learning as VP with accounts for Motorola, McDonalds, Coca Cola, Apple Computer, and other large corporations.

If you have a screenwriting-related site or blog and would like to work with ScreenwritingU, contact Cheryl here.

Dimitri Davis - Head of Coverage Department

Dimitri joined ScreenwritingU in 2010 as an assistant.  During that time, he also worked as a reader for Class 3 Entertainment, reading scripts and writing coverage reports.

Over the years, he's shown a real talent for analyzing screenplays and writing coverage that truly helps elevate the quality of the script.  That makes him a natural choice for ScreenwritingU's Coverage Department.

As a screenwriter, he's done two paid writing assignments for producers.  

Jenna Milly - Studio Liaison

Jenna Milly is ScreenwritingU's inside source who gets the latest scoop on the upcoming movies.  She interviews some of the top screenwriters in Hollywood for such movies as Flight, Twilight, The Bourne Legacy, Looper, and many others.  

Jenna is also an accomplished screenwriter. She co-created the TBS microseries Gillian in Georgia. She earned her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Georgia and a M.F.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. She has taught screenwriting at UCLA, University of Georgia, Emory University, the Writer’s Store in Los Angeles and the International Screenwriting Festival in England. She has written for CNN.com, The Los Angeles Times, Script Magazine, TwelvePoint, and a variety of magazines. Follow jennamilly on Twitter.com.

Laree' Griffith - Social Media and Customer Care

Laree' Griffith's focus is delivering the best possible customer experience that ScreenwritingU's students can have, with the end goal of producing some of the best writers on the planet.

Laree' is a graduate of ProSeries 26.  Through ScreenwritingU's producer meetings, she connected with Runaway Productions and co-wrote the film HALLOWEEN PARTY, which qualified for an Academy Award for "Best Original Song" in 2013. 

Previous to this, Laree' worked in the corporate world for 15 years as a manager and licensed customs broker where she learned the importance of excellent and timely customer service.  She currently runs her own social media and production admin business targeted to the entertainment and hospitality industry. 

Anne Lower - ScreenwritingU Newsletter Editor

Anne Lower is a produced playwright and screenwriter. She had the great pleasure of working for Blake Snyder, and contributing to the Save the Cat! web site.

Anne is in pre-production for her second greenlit project; her web-series “They Live Among Us” is under negotiations for international distribution as a half-hour serial drama. She has contributed to Film Courage, and is a frequent guest on the Sheena Metal Experience. In 2010, she served as judge for the inaugural Vpype Pitch Contest, with Julie Richardson and Frank Darabont.

Anne blogs about her life in Hollywood at “Princess Scribe,” named “Screenwriting Web Site of the Week” by SCRIPT magazine.  When not writing, playing, or cooking up a storm, she can be found sleeping. Sometimes.