Stephanie Bast was abandoned in Korea, adopted by Italians and raised in a town so small and white, someone asked: “How are you gonna understand her when she starts speaking?” Fiercely loved and protected, she was taught to fear “the other” while knowing “the other” was herself. She started to write comedy to heal a wound. Now she writes to heal others, creating characters who think they’re not enough, desperate to prove they’re worthy of being saved. Stephanie lives in Los Angeles and is currently ISA’s Story Farm fellow, Roadmap’s Diversity Fellow, studied at UCLA extension and placed as a Finalist for Austin Film Festival, Final Draft’s Big Break, CineStory, PAGE and The Writers Lab winner. A Broadway and TV/Film actress in the time when presenting as Asian was a detriment, she has turned the pain of her race into a super power. Stephanie writes for everyone who’s adopted. She writes for everyone who hates looking in the mirror. She writes for her children, so they may always love their eyes. In a pinch, Stephanie can perform a reverse vasectomy. See more about Stephanie here: https://www.networkisa.org/profile/stephanie-bast
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35:01
Short Film Table Read, "Suicide at Noon" by Merrit Chelsey Schmidt
Suicide at Noon Logline: A newly organized but suicidal woman must withstand the various objections of her friends and family and convince them to support her or be forced to cancel her perfectly scheduled upcoming suicide.
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27:31
Script Consultant Pioneer Linda Seger discusses her latest book, "Unpacking"
There's a lot to unpack here as Linda Seger is full of interesting stories and lessons learned along the way. As a pioneering female entrepreneur, she was on the cutting edge of a new type of business - being a screenplay consultant. Her passion, drive, and wiliness to dive into every opportunity took her from small town Wisconsin to lecturing around the world and collaborating with massive Hollywood stars, all while her midwest roots kept her grounded and working hard. Find her book on Amazon, available now.
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59:24
Emerging Screenwriter Interview: Adam Karpel
A native New Yorker, Adam received a BFA from Ithaca College and completed one year of his MFA at UCLA before deciding to quit because those hard wooden classroom chairs were really chafing his ass. Writing began for him when his first play was produced at the West Coast Ensemble Theater in Hollywood. A creative executive who happened to be in the audience one night called Adam the next day and asked him to write a movie for him. Spoiler alert: it never got made. Shocking, I know! Nevertheless, he persisted. Adam’s day job as an Executive Producer of unscripted television shows such as “The Real Housewives of Orange County”, “The Real Housewives of Dallas”, “Southern Charm” and “The Bradshaw Bunch” pays his bills while he writes. To date, his sojourn in the scripted world includes selling a treatment to Disney Feature Animation, being a staff writer on comedy pilots for AMC and Discovery Kids, acceptance into the Warner Bros Comedy Writers Program, being a finalist for the Disney Fellowship in Screenwriting, developing a romantic comedy with Bryan Cranston for him to direct, and writing several features and pilots that have all received accolades from each contest in which they’ve been entered. Adam's most recent success includes being one of ISA’s TOP 25 SCREENWRITERS TO WATCH IN 2025. His Horror / Comedy "HELL HOLES was one of five ISA Staff Picks for December 2024 and one of ISA's 25 Top Reads for Winter 2024. "HELL HOLES" is also in the TOP 8% of all scripts on COVERFLY. Adam’s bread and butter is comedy, and his peanut butter and jelly is infusing other genres like horror, action and sci-fi with that comedy. Except for his one drama feature. That one is strictly a BLT on toasted wheat, light mayo.
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51:12
"Offbeat," pilot episode, Table Read My Screenplay Grand Prize Winner
"Offbeat," pilot episode, 2020 Table Read My Screenplay Grand Prize Winner, written by Marshall “gripp” Gillson.
Welcome to the Curious about Screenwriting Podcast where you'll enjoy listening to fascinating film industry guests who share their insights on how you can take your screenwriting career to the next level.
Ireland