SUGAR LAND (TV pilot) One-hour Southern fried TV drama based on the novel out with Red Hen Press The series: Based on the award-winning book, SUGAR LAND follows Miss Dara, a queer prison cook in the 1920s. After her forbidden love is discovered, Miss Dara is forced to work in a savage men's prison where she meets the soon-to-be-famous blue singer, Lead Belly, who sings his way to freedom (true story!) and inspires her to break free of her prisons - any way she can. The pilot: It's 1924 in Midland, Texas, and after Miss Dara's illicit, secret love is discovered, she's forced to work in a savage men's prison where she thinks she's safe. And she is, until she isn't. In lingo, SUGAR LAND - which went through the Sundance "Mapping the Series" Co//ab - would BBQ with Orange is the New Black and Shawshank Redemption. The Bible is ready and the short proof of concept film is in post-production. Email me! |
I found Miss Dara to be such a unique yet unpredictable figure. It's a character that will be adored by the LGBTQ community and beyond. In addition to Finalists above: 2023 Semi-finalist Stowe Labs Second Rounder in PAGE Awards 2023 Semi-finalist LA Intl Screenplay Awards Quarter-finalist ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship 2022 Quarter-finalist Filmmatic - Inroads Fellowship Season 5 Semi-finalist Flickers' Rhode Island 2022 Intl Film Festival Semi-finalist 2022 Vail Script Contest Quarter-finalist The Great American Script |
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LIMBO (TV pilot) One hour surreal TV thriller
White Lotus meets Neil Gaimon's The Sandman. LIMBO opens on a charming yet a volatile boozehound, Dipso Maniac, who must decide whether to forgive or avenge his own death. And when the mysterious, non-binary Bartender turns out to be his Case Worker with secrets of their own (many they don't even know), things get even more bizarre. |
Two other stories ready for adaptation:
“Racing Josephine” published in 10,000 Pounds of Black Ink (and also in print only with the Buckman Journal) "Fetus" published on F(r)iction see my full publications... |
in development
PUNCHING DEAD HIGHWAYS (feature) Dual reality, psychological drama
Nanette arrives in Paris just after the May 1968 Riots, where she falls in love with real life French radical, Guy Debord - and heroin. Twenty-five years later, Nanette returns to the US to be the legal guardian for her two orphaned nieces: Cedar, the queer introvert, and Sanford, the troubled, manic genius. As Sanford's unspoken grief unravels her, she hatches a plan to use Nanette’s continuing addiction to change Nanette's memories and, therefore, her reality. If all goes as planned, Auntie Nanette will believe she is Sanford’s mother – and they will be a happy family, but when Cedar discovers that she will be left out, things don't go as Sanford planned.
Nanette arrives in Paris just after the May 1968 Riots, where she falls in love with real life French radical, Guy Debord - and heroin. Twenty-five years later, Nanette returns to the US to be the legal guardian for her two orphaned nieces: Cedar, the queer introvert, and Sanford, the troubled, manic genius. As Sanford's unspoken grief unravels her, she hatches a plan to use Nanette’s continuing addiction to change Nanette's memories and, therefore, her reality. If all goes as planned, Auntie Nanette will believe she is Sanford’s mother – and they will be a happy family, but when Cedar discovers that she will be left out, things don't go as Sanford planned.
THE CYCLE OF SOIL (TV pilot, book) One hour, near future series based on the book in edits
The series: If Charlie Kaufman wrote Little House on the Prairie with a religious cult looming, it would be THE CYCLE OF SOIL, a grounded, near future series. Global Governance has chosen the very best of the population to live on technologically advanced, human-made "lilypads" while some of those left behind start a neo-primitive, In-Land community where mysticism dominates science even as they all become one giant epigenetic experiment. Based on the two-book series being written in parallel to the scripts.
The pilot: In a divided, futuristic society, young Mira comes to realize they've inherited their grandparent's terrifying, supernatural abilities while across the world - and destined to converge - Salax understands that they can alter people's epigenetic information to change future generations to fit their plan for humanity.
The books: There are two in the series, SOIL and THE CYCLE OF SALT, both in development. In SOIL, when society is left without structure, they develop rules. In SALT, when society is overly structured, they become feral.
All genders are "they" because, well, this is the future.
The series: If Charlie Kaufman wrote Little House on the Prairie with a religious cult looming, it would be THE CYCLE OF SOIL, a grounded, near future series. Global Governance has chosen the very best of the population to live on technologically advanced, human-made "lilypads" while some of those left behind start a neo-primitive, In-Land community where mysticism dominates science even as they all become one giant epigenetic experiment. Based on the two-book series being written in parallel to the scripts.
The pilot: In a divided, futuristic society, young Mira comes to realize they've inherited their grandparent's terrifying, supernatural abilities while across the world - and destined to converge - Salax understands that they can alter people's epigenetic information to change future generations to fit their plan for humanity.
The books: There are two in the series, SOIL and THE CYCLE OF SALT, both in development. In SOIL, when society is left without structure, they develop rules. In SALT, when society is overly structured, they become feral.
All genders are "they" because, well, this is the future.