Meet Evan Kilgore of Miracle Mile

Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Kilgore

Hi Evan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born here in Los Angeles, so perhaps I’m one of those relatively rare birds who can claim to be a native Angeleno, but I grew up in the Seattle area, in Washington State, and I never forgot a love for movies, entertainment, and beaches and sunny weather; if you’ve never lived or spent significant time in the Pacific Northwest, it rained 108 days straight the last year I lived there.

I had been writing all my life, mostly fiction (short stories, followed by novels), and I naturally gravitated back to L.A. for college, where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Throughout the time that I was studying, there, I eagerly pursued and accepted internships at management and production companies throughout the industry before getting a job as a professional screenplay reader at the talent agency ICM, where I would stay for the next 15 years.

All the while, I continued writing. While I was still a student at U.S.C., I began blind-submitting my first novel to publishers and agents around the country, and was thrilled to have it accepted for publication during my senior year. Bleak House books published both my debut and my second novel the year after I graduated, and three more novels would follow. Teaming up with a writing partner, I also broke into the screenwriting business in 2015 with a spec that lit up the market, followed by another in 2017, and a string of film and television deals that have kept myself and my writing partner busy ever since.

As part of that experience in Hollywood, I cultivated a perspective on the industry that is at once both rather specific, and yet also pretty common among fellow creatives and executives who have worked in the business, and over the course of the last year, I decided to branch out and have a little fun with it on the side, through a boutique shop for screenwriters that offers decor, artwork, apparel, and other gifts for those who have, like me, been in the trenches and experienced both the incredible thrills and daunting challenges of living and working in Hollywood.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think anyone gets into writing of any kind thinking that it will be easy. Those infamous stories of rejections from the likes of Joan Didion and Stephen King — they are very true. Hollywood has its own unique flavor of that struggle, whether it’s working to get your foot in the door, or facing an occasionally cynical system that can favor (or even hinge on) serendipity, and at its worst can border on exploitation (we sell a candle called “Smells Like a Bake Off” based on the Open Writing Assignment (OWA) experience that, if you know, you know…).

In terms of launching the boutique gift shop, 12pt. Courier New (another IYKYK reference to the standard font used in basically all screenplays and television pilots), it has been a relatively smooth process, if one that just requires a lot of upfront time, blood, sweat, and tears, because the design work, infrastructure, and process start off as essentially all “on spec” (just like so many screenplay projects).

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my writing, I’d like to think I’m known for quality, craftsmanship, galvanizing stories, and equally compelling characters. Thanks to my decade-plus work as a professional reader, I’m so familiar with the genre tropes and expectations in the film/TV world, that I love taking those and turning them sideways (or completely on their head) to keep readers and viewers guessing all the way.

I guess I hope to bring a similar element of the familiar yet unexpected to 12pt. Courier New, as well. We’re striving for products and ideas that immediately seem like no-brainers, that just haven’t been thought of or executed before.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The writer in me says, “Buy my books/films, reading my work, and become a fan!” I guess the boutique shop answer is kind of similar. If you dig what we’re doing, pick up one of our gifts for yourself or a (current or recovering) screenwriter/filmmaker/movie-fan friend, and give our Etsy shop a like, if you actually like us!

Pricing:

• Most of our products are in the $7-30 range (plus shipping and handling).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.12ptcouriernew.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/12ptCourierNew/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567522660729
• Twitter: https://x.com/12ptCourierNew
• Other: https://www.evankilgore.com

Image Credits
Alan Weissman Photography