On the Scene
On the Scene is a gallery of photos exhibiting the interaction of Final Draft, Inc. staff members with the scriptwriting community.

Each year the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences bestows it’s Emmy® Awards on the top television talent from around the industry in areas such as writing, acting, directing, and more.  While some of talent who take to the podium each year are familiar or even household names, there are many more talented men and women who work behind the scenes in areas where achievement is not always recognized by a golden statuette.

Recently, the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences offered its members -- many aspiring writers working in other facets of the industry -- a two-hour presentation on Final Draft called "Making the Long Road to a Screenplay, Shorter," hosted and moderated by the Final Draft, Inc. Director of Studio Relations, Zack Gutin.  The demonstration helped TV Academy members learn the ins and outs of the industry standard software -- a program they’ll need to know well in pursuing show business writing jobs.  While the physical attendance for the event approached 200 guests, the Academy also offered the presentation via live webcast; the first time it has done so with a special event.  The response was tremendous.

"Everyone loved Zack," Conrad Bachmann, a governor of the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences, said via e-mail, "he did a superb job."  During the webcast, tweets from around the country began to flow.

In addition to explanations on the software’s technical prowess, the audience got a surprise from former NBC president Tom Nunan who joined Gutin onstage to field questions and explain how crucial the software is to the development and production process.  "I’ve been using [Final Draft] since the beginning," said Nunan, producer of the Oscar®-winning film Crash, "I think I’ve been using it for the full 20 years."

After the event, Gutin and Nunan answered additional questions and shook the hands of the smiling participants.  And, while most were already familiar with the software, many left feeling better versed in the program’s features and excited about taking their writing careers to the next level.

Photos Credit: Mathew Imaging