Success Stories | The Golden Script Competition
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success stories

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Dylan Stagno, 2019 FINALIST

Since placing as a finalist in 2019’s competition, Dylan has had eight screenplays optioned. At present, he’s writing CRYPTO, a new feature film for Revolution Media. Whilst his first produced feature film LEOPARDSKIN JASPER is currently in post-production, Dylan’s original finalist script, GOOD MOVIE IN THE LUCK BUSINESS is currently being developed as a series. "The Golden Script Competition was the first contest I entered whilst studying Screenwriting and to be candid, it started my career, having immediately led to meetings and my first option agreement shortly thereafter. I’m very grateful to have lucked into a script competition with a true enthusiasm to propel writer’s careers as opposed to those who commodify people’s dreams."

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Sarah Deakins, 2021 WINNER

Since winning the 2021 Golden Script Competition, Sarah's feature script, VIOLET, has gone on to secure producers who found the script through the competition. VIOLET has subsequently won and placed highly in several other competitions since then, attaching additional producers, and the team is currently in development and attaching cast. In the meantime, Sarah is in development on another feature to be shot this coming summer. "I'm so grateful to the The Golden Script for connecting me with these amazing producers; it's such a joy not to be pushing the boulder uphill alone anymore! Having a team makes all the difference to moving forward with your vision, and the people I have around me now thanks to the Golden Script Competition are helping VIOLET move forward in a way I hadn't dared to hope was possible."

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Since reaching the finals of the 2021 Golden Script Competition, Matthew and Alex signed a shopping agreement with a major production company for their finalist script JUMPMAN, a feature biopic about Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and the historic rise of Nintendo. The company is currently interviewing directors to package the film. JUMPMAN also earned 20 other accolades. Matthew and Alex’s two-time Academy Nicholl semifinalist feature script CRATE also recently received a paid option deal. The writing team is also known for their work on the DreamWorksTV short series PUSS IN BOOTS and KUNG FU PANDA.

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Joanne Rose, 2022 FINALIST

Joanne is a multi award-winning writer/producer who was offered a shopping agreement on a comedy she wrote called SEX, DRUGS & CROW'S FEET (aka "LIFE OF GROUPIES") after being nominated as a finalist in The Golden Script Competition's 2022 edition.

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Neer Musa Shelter, 2017 FINALIST

Neer Musa Shelter has several shopping agreements for his feature scripts and recently signed with a manager at The Cartel. After placing as a finalist in the Golden Script Competition in 2017, he won and placed in major contests and festivals worldwide. 

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Bill Labonia, 2020 WINNER

Since Bill won the Golden Script last year, his feature script THE OLD BUG was optioned, and he was hired to write another feature. Bill also wrote a video game that was just announced on Summer Game Fest. "The Golden Script helped me a lot to expand on my craft. I’ve been working non-stop ever since. I’m from Brazil, so it means a lot for a Latino writer to get that much exposure."

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Dallas Gibson, 2017 WINNER

Since finishing third in the 2017 edition of The Golden Script Competition with his script OVERWATCH, Dallas has written six more feature screenplays with several winning awards in Italy, India, Australia and back in the United States. OVERWATCH in particular, was picked up to be produced by Tammie Smith and Smith International Productions. "So a big thank you to The Golden Script Competition, since earning my first award there in 2017 my writing has been continued to be noticed around the world."

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Justin Hayward & James A. Allen, 2020 FINALISTS

Z.APP continued to garner awards and placements throughout 2020. Right before the pandemic, it had an LA-based executive producer who had secured an agreement with a top flight LA-based distributor and were moving on securing a production company. Justin has also had success with another couple of feature screenplays, one a horror which secured the Grand Jury Prize for Best Horror Screenplay at an Oscar-qualifying festival. He has secured a literary manager in the UK in 2021 - Red Door Vision - and they are currently working on promoting his screenplays in the Marche du Film at Cannes. James A. Allen has also had a number of festival successes with a short film that he wrote, directed and edited. Currently, he is in early discussion stages over a TV project.

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Martin Richmond, 2018 FINALIST

The screenplay that reached the finals in 2018 has had a major make-over and is now in the hands of an award-winning director seeking funding. "I have to thank The Golden Script for giving me the courage to further my work, because if it hadn't been for your positive vibes in placing me in the finals and indicating that my work showed merit I may not have pursued it with as much confidence. Also the feedback I was given was very valuable as other script competitions for similar work were less than kind and only concentrated on the negative which tends to kill any confidence stone dead. Since the 2018 competition I have had several positive results for my screenplays in the USA, Italy and Russia. In addition to the awards, I successfully signed contracts on a feature-length, anthology horror script entitled 'Trapdoor to Murder'."

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Paul Hunt, 2017 FINALIST

Since 2017 he has directed a short documentary for the BBC called 'A Hidden Portrait', shot a proof-of-concept for 'End of Line' - the script he submitted to us for the 2017 competition. He also debuted a short play 'The Intense Humming of Christmas' at The Other Room Theatre in Cardiff and he is now working with them on his first full-length play. He won the Drama Award at the Cannes Screenplay Contest in 2017 and has just won the European Independent Film Festival's 'More Than a Screenplay Award'. He is now working with a Royal Television Society and BAFTA nominated director and producer on a couple of short projects and hope to find funding for his feature work off the back of this.  He signed with his first agent back in July 2020.

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Andrew Ward, 2017 FINALIST

Since being nominated for The Golden Script's Best Script Award,  he has five award-winning scripts, with nominations across six continents. He was signed by an agent and now has a contract with a film production company to produce his work. "Thank you for the opportunity, it really spurred me on and gave me belief in myself."

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Ryan Henry Knight, 2019 WINNER

Since winning in 2019, his fashion film, THE SILENCE IS BLACK AND WHITE, was an official selection at BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival in the UK. He also directed some promotional material for Google and their Digital Coaches Program. His two other short films YOU ALMOST SAW ME and LUDERE finished up beautiful festival runs, playing in festivals all over the world. He has recently won Best Directing for YOU ALMOST SAW ME at the Trinity Film Festival in Connecticut. Leading into 2020, he started to wrap up pre-production for AND HOME WE CAME. During May and June he started a nonprofit called BLACK-PLANET ORG, which is a creative arts organization dedicated to the growth of people within the African Diaspora through arts and education. He's also been working closely with Cary Fagan, a brilliant artist from Houston. He had the pleasure of directing some commercials for his brand, Timeless Goods, which recently collaborated with Beyoncé on her BLACK IS KING project.

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Matt McLaughlin, 2018 FINALIST

Matthew has won a few competitions since being a finalist at The Golden Script Competition of 2018. His TV Pilot "Sepulchre" won the best script at the Los Angeles Cinefest of 2018 and the best series script at The Script and Storyboard Showcase in 2020. His script "Back When" won the best script at the Life After Life Film Festival in 2018. And finally, the script he submitted to us, "Hollywood Heists", won the best concept script at the Queen Palm Film Festival in 2018. He has partnered with BBC Studios on a docu-series that he's been producing over the past year, and at the moment he is waiting to hear back from Netflix regarding a distribution deal.

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Florence Nahon, 2019 FINALIST

Since the 2019 competition, Florence has won a few more "Best Screenplay" awards, with her scripts "Bella Loba" and "Unfaithful by Nature" being awarded at festivals such as Golden Earth Film Award and Austin Micro Short Film Festival, while also being nominated at three more competitions. With the script she submitted to The Golden Script Competition "White Wolf, Black Wolf", she was also a finalist at both Oaxaca Film Fest in Mexico and at Screenplay Festival in the US. She is currently represented by an agent in Spain.

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Robert Cole, 2017 FINALIST

His historical drama-thriller "The Chessmaster, The Artist, The Priest, and The Gypsy," has continued to accumulate awards from Vienna, Austria to Singapore, to the U.S. to Sicily. He has received a double recommend" from a Stage 32 IP on his historical drama screenplay, "The Musketeers and The Zombies." His other script, "Scarlet's Ghosts" received a best comedy screenplay award. To date, he has received close to a hundred official selections and awards for his screenplays and TV pilots. He is represented by agent Alexandra Maramenides of Reve Agency. 

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Sophia Costanzo, 2019 WINNER

Since winning, Sophia has produced some more short films, and the script that she won with did well in other competitions. Additionally, she produced and filmed a short documentary entitled "Remembering Cuba", and wrote and directed a short film entitled "Father Daughter", for which she has finished production and which has screened at a variety of festivals. She is also in post production on another short called "Spotlight Starring Daisy Mulvey", which is an official selection of Series Fest. 

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