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Posted on by Courtney Meznarich

NoFilmSchool: Winner of “So, Write Your Bills Away” Sweepstakes Describes His 3-Month Paid Screenwriting Journey

Screenwriter Zachary Rowell just wrapped up a potentially life-changing experiment, as the winner of SoCreate’s “So, Write Your Bills Away” Sweepstakes. We awarded him three months of paid time off to write a feature-length script, which is a luxury few aspiring screenwriters get. The cash, he said, was a very nice bonus, but surprisingly not the most impactful takeaway from his experience.

In his own words, Zachary wrote an opinion piece for NoFilmSchool.com to discuss the process, and what the prize really meant to him.

Some excerpts are below. You can read the piece in its entirety by heading over to Jason Hellerman’s full article at NoFilmSchool.com.

“… The past three months have been a blessing for me. I stopped doing Postmates and had so much free time to just live in my script.

“Instead of getting lost in thoughts of worry, I was able to lose myself in the world of my screenplay … It was so nice to have all the drama confined to the page instead of real life.

“… There is honestly nothing better than waking up every morning and remembering, “Oh, hey. I’m getting paid to write a freaking screenplay today! … It gave me a glimpse of what life might look like if I achieve my dreams. That feeling was more impactful than the $9,000. I hope everyone has that feeling at least once. I hope one day life gives you a break just like it gave me.

“I’ll be chasing that feeling of freedom for the rest of my life. I don’t know if SoCreate is planning on doing another one of these challenges, but if they do, throw your hat in the ring. Throw your hat in all the rings. You never know who might pick it up.”

Hint, hint: SoCreate IS planning on doing another one of these challenges.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Announcement coming soon,

Courtney Meznarich, Director of Community Outreach
Courtney Meznarich Director of Community Outreach

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