Instructors

Workshops and panels at Script-Com are hosted by industry professionals who are either working screenwriters, screenwriting instructors, or experienced independent filmmakers, including (in alphabetical order):

STEVE ANDERSON

Writer, Director, Producer

Steve's films have been distributed theatrically and on home video, cable, streaming, and have screened in dozens of film festivals around the world. His credits include:

THE RIVER MURDERS starring Ray Liotta, Christian Slater, and Ving Rhames.
THE BIG EMPTY starring Jon Favreau, Kelsey Grammer, Daryl Hannah, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Sean Bean.
WHITE ORCHID starring Olivia Thirlby, John Carroll Lynch and Jennifer Beals.
THIS LAST LONELY PLACE starring Rhys Coiro, Xander Berkeley and Carly Pope which was a Kickstarter success story.

Steve also produced and directed the free speech documentary F*CK, which was released theatrically by THINKFilm. He is a Peabody Award filmmaker with multiple documentaries shown on PBS and a former journalist who is proud of his "special thank you" credit in NAPOLEON DYNAMITE!

Howie Klausner, writer and director of the film Reagan

HOWARD KLAUSNER

Writer, Director, Producer, Author

Howie is the author of 60 screenplays and three books. His credits include:

REAGAN starring Dennis Quaid, Penelope Ann Miller, Mena Suvari, C. Thomas Howell, and Jon Voigt - releasing worldwide in 2024.
SPACE COWBOYS starring Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner, and Marcia Gay Harden.
THE IDENTICAL starring Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd,
THE LAST RIDE starring Henry Thomas and Kaley Cuoco.
THE SECRET HANDSHAKE starring Kevin Sorbo and Amy Grant.
HOOVEY starring Patrick Warburton and Lauren Holly.

After over two decades in LA, Howie returned to his native Middle Tennessee; still writing and producing, and occasionally drafting his neighborhood friends to act in a movie. He also speaks frequently to colleges and organizations around the country, encourages and mentors upcoming writers and producers, and sings in the Nashville rock and roll party band, Doctor Fun.

CAMERON McCASLAND

Screenwriting Instructor, Author, Consultant

Cameron McCasland is an Emmy-nominated writer, director, and film producer. Working in long-form narrative, documentary, and short-form content, Cameron’s films have been seen by millions globally.

His debut film The Lashman garnered critical praise, winning the Indieville Director of The Year award. He has produced music videos in Nashville by several #1 Billboard chart-toppers including Florida Georgia Line, Maren Morris, and Morgan Wallen. His production company Red Headed Revolution partnered on films like Paternity Leave and What’s The Matter with Gerald?, which Cameron produced.

His documentary film Jumpin' Johnny: The True Story of Dr. John Kline about the former Harlem Globetrotters star was a winner at the Fort Worth Indie Showcase and Franklin Film Festival. For several years, McCasland has collaborated on various Dr. Gangrene TV projects including the anthology Film Tales from Parts Unknown which was exhibited at drive-ins across America.

Currently, Cameron produces special television programs for the NECAT Network in Nashville where he lives with his wife and two children.

RICK REICHMAN

Screenwriting Instructor, Author, Consultant

Rick has taught screenwriting at University of Virginia, American University, Georgetown University, Santa Fe Community College and at Watkins College and Nashville Film Institute here in Tennessee. He’s also taught at writing conferences and retreats across the country.

Rick’s students would go on to careers in the film and TV industry writing and staffing on productions including HOME IMPROVEMENT, ROSEANNE, THE NANNY, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, MURPHY BROWN, CROSSING JORDAN, FAMILY LAW, PERSON OF INTEREST, THE MENTALIST, and the recent reboot of MAGNUM P.I., among many others.

Rick has authored two books on screenwriting, 20 Things You Must Know to Write a Great Screenplay and Formatting Your Screenplay, which is in its fourth printing. He is an optioned writer, placed or won multiple screenplay contests, and has done coverage for several production companies. Rick has also written columns for The Writer and Creative Screenwriting magazines. He lives in Nashville and does script consultations.

JR ROBLES

Writer, Director, Actor, Instructor

JR is an actor, writer, and filmmaker based in Nashville, TN. His recent stage credits include Crybully and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime with Nashville Repertory Theatre, Kindling Arts’ A Very Special Holiday Special, and The Cackleberry County Fair.

JR's recent film and television credits include Queen of the Ring, Funny How, and Hollywood Adjacent. He is also co-producer for the Dare to Fail Short Film Showcase, as well as a co-creator of DTF! TV: A Sketch Comedy Show.

As a writer, JR is a 2023-2024 Oz Arts Artwire Fellow, and was a finalist for the Porch Prize in creative nonfiction.

BOB SAENZ

Writer, Author, Actor

Bob is a screenwriter, author, and actor. His written and produced screen works include HELP FOR THE HOLIDAYS, RESCUING MADISON, SWEET SURRENDER, ON THE 12th DAY OF CHRISTMAS, SOUND OF CHRISTMAS, THE RIGHT GIRL, CHRISTMAS IN LOVE, CHURCH PEOPLE, and the dark-comedy thriller EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.

Bob does rewrites and polishes on film and TV projects for producers and production companies. He's the author of the screenwriting book, That's Not the Way It Works: A No-Nonsense Look at the Craft and Business of Screenwriting and most recently the novel Jessica's Vampire Diary. His acting roles include a six-year recurring character run on the TV show NASH BRIDGES, Francis Ford Coppola’s JACK, and David Fincher’s ZODIAC, among dozens of others. He was a radio DJ on KYCY in San Francisco and has done voice work on video games, documentaries, and commercials.

Bob also has contributed columns to Script Magazine, Symposium, and is a frequent guest on podcasts and at writing conferences.

AUDREY SHULMAN (invited guest)

Writer

A native Nashvillian, Audrey spent an entire year baking cakes and taking them to bars across LA and chronicling her adventures for The Huffington Post. This led to a book deal and then a writing assignment for Amazon for a movie based on her experience called SITTING IN BARS WITH CAKE, which stars Yara Shahidi, Ron Livingston, and Bette Midler.

Early in her career, Audrey served as a writers assistant and script coordinator on kids shows like KODY CAPOW and FAST LAYNE. Since then, she has written an impressive number of films for Hallmark, including A MERRY SCOTTISH CHRISTMAS, EVERY TIME A BELL RINGS, THE 27-HOUR DAY, AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, and LOVE, FALL AND ORDER.

Outside of writing, reading, and making empty promises to herself about composting, Audrey is a new mom with a lot of opinions about children's books.

CLAY STAFFORD

Writer

Clay is an American bestselling and award-winning author, poet, screenwriter, and playwright; film and television producer, director, showrunner, actor; book, film, and stage reviewer as well as public speaker.

He has sold nearly four million copies of his books overall and has had his work distributed in sixteen languages. He is founder and CEO of the annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference and a contributor to Writer’s Digest magazine with his online column, “Killer Writer.”

For more information visit www.claystafford.com.

CAT STEWART

Writer, Consultant

Cat is the Screenwriting Competition Manager at the Nashville Film Festival and a consultant at Borderless Entertainment.

Working for Web3 studio The Feature, she provides additional insight into the ever-evolving landscape of content creation and creative financing options utilizing digital assets.

Under the umbrella of N-Development, Cat has developed two original series, one from a pitch the other from a script that she did coverage for that were both picked up by major companies.

Cat continues to do coverage for several providers including the Austin Film Festival.

STEVEN WOMACK

Writer, Author, Consultant

Steve is a screenwriter and a member of the Writers Guild of America. He co-wrote the CableAce-nominated movie PROUDHEART starring Lorrie Morgan and the ABC TV movie VOLCANO: FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN starring Cynthia Gibb.

He is an Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author who created the groundbreaking Music City Murders series and a number of other novels, including the New York Times Notable Book Murphy's Fault. His latest novel, Fade Up from Black: The Return of Harry James Denton, brings the Music City Murders series back into print.

Steve is a founding member of the Tennessee Screenwriting Association and joined the faculty of Tennessee’s first film school—Watkins Film School—in 1995. For the next 25 years, he anchored the screenwriting program there until the college closed in 2020.

MARTI KING-YOUNG

Writer, Director, Producer, Instructor

Marti has worked on ANNABELLE COMES HOME, THE CONJURING 3, SWEET MAGNOLIAS, CLASS OF ’09, GENIUS: ARETHA, and is currently staffed on the ABC hit series, WILL TRENT.

She has worked alongside industry giants such as James Wan (Saw, Aquaman), Nina Jacobson (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Hunger Games), and Sheryl Anderson (Charmed, Sweet Magnolias) and continues to create her own content including THE ADVENTURES OF WONDERBOY and MEMORY LANE.

Marti teaches screenwriting annually at The Good Word Writer’s Retreat in Patmos, Greece. She was featured in the German publication Cinewomen for her contributions to advancing women in film and is a proud member of the Alliance of Women Directors.

More Instructors TO BE ANNOUNCED!