Success Story: Tina Anderson
Without knowing a single soul in Los Angeles, Tina Anderson, packed up everything, said goodbye to her small town in Montana and relocated to the epicenter of the entertainment industry to become a screenwriter. Leaving behind her family, comfortable surroundings and terrific jobs working for the Modern Language Department at MSU-Bozeman and writing for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle was quite a leap. Recalling her move, Tina mused there is so much truth to the quote by Goethe, "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." And indeed, her bold move turned out to have a special brand of magic: Disney magic.
Along with co-writer, Steve Barr, Tina's in a development deal with Walt Disney Pictures for their romantic/family/comedy feature script, PLANT LIFE. The film will combine live action with CGI animation to create photorealistic plants as characters. So, the film won't look like a cartoon; the plants will appear to be real plants that talk and move alongside humans. The idea for PLANT LIFE started with Tina questioning herself: what if there's this woman, this plant lady, who talks to plants and one day, the plants talk back? From that moment, the PLANT LIFE story just kept growing. Not just intriguing, the story is meaningful, too, as it will contain a subtle environmental theme. Producing the film are Scheherazade Productions' Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (SHREK, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, etc.)
As you might expect, this success didn't happen over night. For instance, PLANT LIFE was optioned by Digital Domain (TITANIC) and then again by Elliott and Rossio's Scheherazade Productions before Disney scooped it up. So far, Tina's Hollywood writing career has been a series of carefully navigated steppingstones. Tina continues to keep herself open to new experiences and opportunities to learn more and to help others, too. And in this regard, Scriptwriters Network proved to be a great asset when she arrived in Los Angeles. Tina remarked that, "Scriptwriters Network gave me a safe place to talk about the craft and a sense of community. I was grateful for the chance to hear the guest speakers talk about their experiences and loved that they were 'real' people." Added to this, Tina said, "Scriptwriters Network is a great place to meet people and network without it feeling, well, too Hollywood."
Moreover, Tina believes online and face-to-face networking are both important. While attending a screenwriting conference, Tina met screenwriter, Bill Marsilii (DÉJÀ VU) while waiting in line for a seminar room. Without touting his connection whatsoever, Marsilii recommended that Tina visit Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's web site, www.wordplayer.com. Tina is grateful for the relationship that referral helped make possible. Tina credits the A-list writing team as being great people who are constantly giving back and helping up-and-coming writers and filmmakers. In addition to being a terrific mentor, Terry Rossio is also Tina's writing partner on a children's book. The two are currently collaborating on a children's picture book called The Hermit King.
What's more, www.wordplayer.com birthed the SoCal Film Group-a dedicated cadre of digital filmmakers, which includes one of Tina's writing partners and past-President, Steve Barr. An active member of the organization and now President, Tina has so far written and/or directed two shorts: EMERGI-DATE! And INSPIRATION, as well as serving in almost all above and below the line roles on other group members' films. Currently, Tina is revising her supernatural/thriller feature, UNRAVELLED, to go out.
She is also executive producing a webisode series of 3-minute shorts for herself and other Socal Film Group members to write and to direct for potential distribution.
Before becoming a full-time writer here in Los Angeles, Tina worked with a professional development publisher for PreK-12 teachers and administrators and traveled to trade shows across the United States and internationally. (In addition to her writing background, Tina holds a master's degree in education.)
So, should come as no surprise that Tina Anderson's conjured up a successful writing career. And she's shown that the real trick to making it as a scriptwriter has everything to do with courage to face the unknown as well as the blank page, talent and creativity, commitment to craft, the skills to forge meaningful, productive relationships and the ability to make things happen.