Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Kerin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Liz. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m a screenwriter, author, and playwright who has now lived in Los Angeles for nine years. It’s funny because while I consider the east coast my home, I have moved so often in my life that LA is now the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere! I guess I’m a real Angeleno now?
I started my writing career at a theater in Westchester, NY in the early 2000s. I was 16 when I had my first play produced, a one-act musical about a very awkward first date. Prior to that, I’d been acting in the company. But once I experienced the process of workshopping/rehearsing from the writer’s side of the table, everything changed. I attended The Dramatic Writing program at NYU Tisch for my undergrad (after a failed attempt gain acceptance right out of high school – damn you, Trigonometry). I loved my time in NY, where I also honed my screenwriting/tv writing skills and got a crash course in NY’s independent filmmaking scene. I was privileged to watch some unbelievable female mentors at work – like director Mira Nair and producer/acquisitions director Anikah McLaren at Focus Features. I interned for both of them at an impressionable age, and I felt so empowered getting to see them call the shots. Up until then, I’d never met a woman who did the things I wanted to do. When people asked who my influences were, the only answers I ever gave were male artists. This was an extremely important time in my life and I definitely owe it to all the creative, powerful women I crossed paths with in New York.
Now I live in LA, and I continue to work in multiple mediums. I am a working screenwriter/TV writer and a proud WGAw member, as well as a published author. I have several film/TV projects in development and am a Young & Hungry List and Hit List Alum. I’m also still writing plays; my play STOP-MOTION is in development back in NYC with Parity Productions, where it also won the Parity Commission for Female/TGNC playwrights in 2018. My book THE PHANTOM FOREST, a female-driven fantasy epic about the afterlife, was published by Inkshares in 2019 and is available wherever books are sold. I want to tell darkly whimsical feminist stories that feel both timely and timeless.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not! And it continues to be a struggle in our current reality. The COVID-19 outbreak has shut down most facets of our industry. A lot of my opportunities have changed shape over the past month.
That being said, my ability to reinvent my approach has always gotten me out of tough spots. This will be no different. Several years ago, when I wasn’t getting attention from agents for my screenplays, I wrote and published a book instead. That, too, was a long, uphill battle – 7 years in the making. But I was determined to tell my story by any means necessary. I had to essentially teach myself to work in a whole new medium. Prose is very different from screenwriting, which is highly visual. That’s why it took as long as it did!
I’m still finding new ways to create opportunities for myself. I’m hoping to launch a production company in the next year, where my goal is to develop “Indie IP”, i.e., ideas that can thrive in multiple mediums. Right now, I have a podcast in development that I plan to shape into a TV series, and an indie feature I’d love to see become a stage musical someday. I believe the best way to get unstuck when you’re in a rut is to tap into your network. Ask your friends what they’re working on or if they have any ideas that need a collaborator. It’s wonderful to create your own opportunities, but the most effective way to execute them is involve other people who can bring their own passions and expertise to the table!
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m driven to create in multiple mediums – I always have been! And I’m proud that I’ve stayed true to my roots in this sense. Over the years, I’ve had people say to me, “Well, you’re more of a screenwriter than an author, aren’t you?” “Well, you’re more of an author than a playwright, though,” etc. The truth is that I’m all of those things! I was never interested in checking off only one box to define myself.
Looking to the future, I hope to elevate my writing career and branch out into producing. I want to develop projects that can thrive on different platforms. I believe a single, great idea can have legs as a book, a podcast, a feature, a series, or even a stage play! You have to modify the approach each time, as every medium has its own rules. But my goal is to find concepts that are strong and timeless because they’re endlessly malleable.
I also run a story consulting workshop called Script Prescriptions, where we work one-on-one with emerging writers who already have a completed draft. I love doing this and getting introduced to new voices! Our alums have found reps and staffed on TV series, as well as placed in/won The Austin Film Festival, The Page Awards, and the Final Draft Big Break competition. One of the first writers we ever worked with has her feature in pre-production right now!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband Sam is my biggest cheerleader. He’s also a writer, and we’ve weathered a lot of ups and downs together in this crazy business. We also run Script Prescriptions together and really enjoy helping to pay it forward as a team!
My dear friend and former roommate Christina Brosman, who is a hilarious award-winning TV writer, has also been a rock for me. We used to write together and lived in a crooked little pre-war apartment in West Harlem that was filled with love and way too many mice. She’s still the first person I send any of my writing to.
My manager Merideth Bajaña is an unparalleled badass with impeccable taste. She was one of the first people to take a gamble on me in this business, and she’s great at helping me shape my ideas into something tangible and giving me perspective when I need it.
I also have an AMAZING all-female writers’ group here in LA. We are a very proud wolf pack. We help each other with everything, from recommending hairdressers to giving the best notes when one of us is on a deadline.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lizkerin.com / www.scriptprescriptions.com
- Instagram: @LizKerin
- Twitter: @Liz_Kerin
- Other: To purchase Liz’s book THE PHANTOM FOREST, please visit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1947848992/
Image Credit:
Dave Newberg; Sam Kirsch; Sierra Scheppman
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