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Over $30,000 Cash & Prizes
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1st Place: Wyatt Wakeman for Borderland Cash and Prizes: $15,000 total cash plus finalist prizes. Screenwriter Wyatt Wakeman of West Hollywood, CA is the first-place winner of the $15,000 Final Draft, Inc. Big Break Screenwriting Contest for his original feature crime-drama screenplay Borderland, about a top FBI agent who is sent to a small border town along the U.S.-Mexico border to probe into a drug trafficking murder. The suspects discover a compromising secret about him -- jeopardizing the investigation, his career, and his life. |
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“It is important that everyone out there understand something – short of already being established, or having a very powerful connection in the industry – there is only one way to get the real players to come to you: Place in a seriously promoted contest like the Final Draft Inc. Big Break. This year I entered 23 contests, and won in several. But it was only after placing two scripts in the top-10 with Final Draft, Inc. that I started getting calls. Most importantly, Liz Alani cared about the writer. She had the passion to make sure we got meetings and were seen. Winning was just icing on the cake. “I have not a single doubt that if it weren’t for this amazingly run contest, with the name Final Draft behind it, I would not be poised to sign with a highly respected management company. Thank you, Liz and Final Draft, for making my dreams begin to come true.” |
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2nd Place: Kevin Lee Miller for Trigger Mom Cash and Prizes: $4,000 total cash plus finalist prizes. Second place goes to Kevin Lee Miller of Los Angeles, California. His crime-comedy script Trigger Mom is the story of the city’s last honest cop who protects three mob witnesses from competing hit men only to discover that the most ruthless assassin is… his devoted mother. "I met screenwriting legend Robert Towne. I actually shook the hand that wrote the words, “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” Even had my picture taken with the guy. Good thing, too. Without that photo, I might think I dreamt the whole thing. |
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Months ago, my finger was posed over my mouse, just a click away from entering the Big Break Screenwriting Contest. I never imagined pushing that button would lead to shaking hands with an Oscar®-winning icon. Meeting Mr. Towne was a genuine thrill. But there was more to it than that. I live in L.A., so I might have run into him at the supermarket or in line at the DMV. Instead, it was at an event where we were both getting awards for our work. Sure, his was for 40 years of outstanding, emotionally charged genius and mine was for a single script, but I suddenly felt like I was more than just an admirer. I was on my way to being a colleague. Winning the Big Break Contest has been like traveling on a starship at warp speed. One second I was in a galaxy where I sat alone in a room with my computer and a bunch of people I made up in my head. The next second, I was in an alternate universe at a glamorous party where managers, agents and producers were asking to be introduced to my imaginary friends. I have a screenwriting teacher who tells his students there are 10 steps on the path to being an A-list writer. Step one is learning your craft and writing some decent scripts. That was totally up to me. Step two is finding a champion and getting in the game. Final Draft, Inc. has become my champion. I’m deeply grateful to Marc Madnick, Liz Alani, Shelly Mellott, and all the other wonderful people at Final Draft, Inc. and Script magazine for going the extra mile to nurture new writers. Final Draft, Inc. doesn’t just help us get our words on paper, it also gets them out into the world." |
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3rd Place: Karen Briner for Amanzi Cash and Prizes:$2,000 total cash plus finalist prizes. Karen’s screenplay, Amanzi, tells the story of a dispirited old man in a remote South African village who believes he’s won a car in a sweepstakes. He sells his most treasured possession to finance his journey to the big city only to discover that the prize was never his, and that his actions have sparked an unexpected chain of events. |
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"For 12 years I lived with the idea for this script which was inspired by an incident in South Africa where people, some of whom barely understood English, were sent misleading sweepstakes letters along with a car key. People showed up at the mail order company’s offices to claim prizes they hadn’t won and were quietly sent away. One morning my sister called me up, reminded me of the idea, and asked why I hadn’t written it yet. Seven weeks later I had a first draft. Several drafts later I had a script that people found funny and moving, but I was at a loss as what to do next. I didn’t want my characters to remain trapped in the pages of a screenplay. I thought entering the Final Draft, Inc. Big Break Contest was a long shot considering the subject matter and even wondered whether readers would get beyond the title, which is the Zulu word for water. I was astonished when it made the finals. There’s a world of difference between having friends like your work and having industry professionals give it their validation. The Final Draft, Inc. Big Break Contest has exposed my work to high-profile industry people and the whole experience has been quite remarkable. Sitting next to Robert Towne at the award ceremony was a moment I will not forget and I have only the highest praise for Final Draft and Liz Alani, director of the contest. She personally accompanied the top-three winners to multiple meetings with industry professionals and has genuinely championed our work beyond the call of duty. Thank you so much for giving me the encouragement to stay on the often solitary path of the writer." |
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Visit the Hall of Fame Galleries 2009 Finalist Prizes Top 10 Finalists receive: 2009 Finalists (listed in alphabetical order) 2009 Semi-Finalists (listed in alphabetical order) |
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