Screenwriting: Writing Your Comedy Feature (May 2020)

Peter Barsocchini is an American screenwriter/producer best known for The Walt Disney Company blockbuster franchise, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, a series of films seen by more than 600 million original viewers worldwide. It inspired the current Disney streaming series, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSICAL series.

He began his writing career as a teen-aged journalist, covering the burgeoning rock & scene in San Francisco in the late 60's, early 70’s for newspapers and magazines. His first novel "Ghost" was published in 1986, and was acquired by Paramount Pictures, opening the door to a screenwriting career that began with the action/comedy film DROP ZONE, starring Wesley Snipes, also for Paramount. A winner of multiple Emmy Awards, Barsocchini projects have generated more than two-billion dollars in revenue via stage versions of the HSM film, an ice show, cast concert tour, books, electronic games, and over two hundred consumer products.

Current projects include creating the concept for VIVO, an animated feature musical/comedy for Sony Pictures in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize winner Lin-Manuel Miranda of Broadway’s HAMILTON. For ABC/Disney, he is adapting William Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM into a contemporary romantic comedy, as well as a developmental Broadway jukebox musical for ABC/Disney.

Peter Barsocchini resides in Los Angeles and New York City, and is represented by agent/manager Michael Van Dyck, and lawyer Christine Cuddy, Esq. 

Margaret is a two time Emmy nominated writer - producer; several season alumni staff writer of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, co-creator of BBC series TOO MUCH SUN and has written numerous television pilots and TV movies. Her feature film comedy writing credits include TROOP BEVERLY HILLS and THE MAN. A long time WGA member she serves on the editorial committee of the Writers Guild magazine WRITTEN BY. In addition to her writing career she teaches at both UCLA and LOYOLA MARYMOUNT FILM SCHOOL. She is also a published author and magazine writer.

Dick Blasucci began his career writing for SCTV, the NBC late night sketch comedy show. While on SCTV, he won two Emmy Awards for Best Writing and was nominated nine times.

Other writing and producing credits include: MAD TV, THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW, THE TRACEY ULLMAN SHOW, comedy specials for HBO, including, I, MARTIN SHORT, GOES HOLLYWOOD, BILLY CRYSTAL: DON’T GET ME STARTED, and MUPPETS TONIGHT, which won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program.

He is currently writing and producing the SCTV Anniversary Special for Netflix directed by Martin Scorsese and teaching writing classes in sketch comedy at Pepperdine University and for the Harold Ramis Film School at The Second City in Chicago.