Laurence Rosenthal

Instructor Biography: Independent producer and development executive; WGA member who, as an executive at Woods Entertainment, supervised the development of Scream, Beautiful Girls, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Copland, and Citizen Ruth. Mr. Rosenthal is a recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Screenwriting and a contributing author to Cut to the Chase (Gotham Books/Penguin). He is also the writer and co-producer of the newly released Spanish language raunchy rom-com film No Manches Frida.

Instructor Statement:

Before you build a house, you draw the blueprints. Before you cook a meal, you get the ingredients. Before you have kids, you get married. Well, not always. But you get my drift. Preparation isn't everything—but it's a whole heck of a lot, and that's what an introduction to screenwriting is about. I try to focus on finding universal truths, on creating a textured world in which the story takes place, and most importantly, on inventing fully dimensional characters. And, I try to make the learning experience fun.