Screenwriting: Writing Your Horror/Psychological Thriller Feature (Sept. 2020)

Award winning filmmaker and novelist Owen Egerton is the screenwriter and writer/director of several films including Blood Fest (Rooster Teeth, Warner Media) and Mercy Black (Blumhouse, Universal). Working in horror, comedy, and occasionally animation, Egerton has written for Fox, Disney, Warner Brothers, HBO and more. He’s written several novels including The Book of Harold the Illegitimate Son of God and Hollow which landed on NPR's Best Books of 2017. Egerton is also one of the comics behind the Alamo Drafthouse’s Master Pancake Theater and host of the Fantastic Debates at the Fantastic Fest.

Deborah Goodwin's screenwriting journey started with a decade in development at Hollywood studios like USA Networks, CBS, ABC Daytime. She is the former Director of Development at Sanford-Pillsbury ( "Desperately Seeking Susan," "River's Edge," and "How To Make An American Quilt”.)

She made her mark as a screenwriter and independent filmmaker when she won the Urbanworld Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay for her bold and darkly funny family drama, "Cherrys." This win put her on the map and opened doors for future projects.

Deborah's writing gained attention, scoring fellowships with prestigious organizations like Film Independent (FIND) and IFP (The Gotham) Lab Emerging Narrative.

Some of her produced works include the horror/fantasy film "Vampires in Venice," which got international buzz at the Marché du Film in Cannes, and the action/drama "The Pastor," released by Fathom Events and AMC. "The Pastor" was a groundbreaking project in the amplification of day and date releasing, premiering at the same time in 500 theaters across the United States and 300 theaters throughout Latin and South America.

"The Pastor" also stands out for having a mostly Latin American/Latinx cast, showing Deborah's commitment to diversity in her work. The film launched the careers of several rising stars, including Ismael Cruz Cordova, who later became famous for his roles in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Rings of Power," Victoria Cartagena, known for her role in "Batwoman," David Iacono, who starred in "The Summer I Turned Pretty," Rosal Colon, recognized for her work in "Orange Is the New Black," and Frank G, a seasoned actor with credits in "Power" and "Saw."

At the height of The Pandemic Deborah and Ginni Media teamed to produce critically acclaimed and highly rated scripted audio meta fiction podcast series” Fear, A Love Story” created by Goodwin. Seasons one and two topped Apple’s 100 podcasts to listen to chart and boasts an impressive 8.3/10 on Amazon. Season three will air Valentine’s Day 2025.

Deborah Goodwin's career shows her strong dedication to storytelling, her fresh approach to filmmaking, and her commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in the entertainment world.

Kimberly Barrante is the geeky offspring of a chemist and a librarian. She began her career as a playwright in New York City, after receiving a BA from Emerson College. She received her MFA in Dramatic Writing at Tisch NYU before moving to Los Angeles. Her award-winning screenplay CELERITAS was on the Annual Black List in 2014. It was later performed on The Black List Table Reads Podcast in 2015. Kim completed a feature-writing fellowship at Lionsgate Studios in 2016. She has gone on to work in both features and television. Her pilot, SEDNA, was recently optioned to Universal Content Productions. Composition 8 is attached to produce.

Peter Biegen is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, film maker and wanna-be alchemist. He co-wrote the screenplay THE LAST LULLABY (with Max Allan Collins) and wrote and directed the short film CEREMONIES OF THE HORSEMEN (starring Richard Schiff and Josh Zuckerman). The short was selected to be part of the permanent archive at the Visual Center of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. He adapted the Spanish film TODAS LAS MUJERES with acclaimed writer/director Rodrigo Garcia (NINE LIVES/ALBERT NOBBS) to direct. Peter is a Fellow from the inaugural Episodic Lab at the Sundance Institute. His television credits include the series adaptation of THE MIST (Dimension Films), FOUR EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN (Lifetime), and is the creator of a new series for ABC-Signature based on his Sundance developed pilot SMALL CHANGE. He’s currently developing another original television series based in Morocco with Producer Bob Cooper and Academy Award winning director James Marsh.