Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Burr.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My parents…don’t really know how I happened. They’ve always been very supportive, but you’ve got to understand. They’re both pharmacists, my older brother is a doctor, and here I am trying to make a living writing for film and TV. You can see why they’d be confused!
I grew up in Guntersville, Alabama: a tiny town where the acreage of the local lake outnumbers the population ten to one. Because of this incredibly stimulating environment, I got into making my own entertainment pretty quickly. And since I was also homeschooled and therefore socially inept (a trait I like to tell myself I’ve grown out of), this translated to writing stories.
I’ve always wanted to write, but it took a few years to figure out what format best suited me. I went through the sad poetry phase most teens go through, I convinced myself I would write the next great American novel, etc. But when I was sixteen, my co-op’s English class gave me an assignment: rewrite a scene from Romeo and Juliet in a different setting. I had the “brilliant” idea to set Act III, Scene I (i.e., a scene with a hell of a lot of murder) in a pre-school. It was my first script, and they’ve only gotten stranger since. Hearing my classmates lose it over Shakespearean-flavored pool noodle fights was more than a little intoxicating, and there was no turning back.
I spent the next several years finishing up my formal education. I got a BA (Samford University), an MFA (Florida State University), and mild GAD (a combination of life experience and genes) in pretty quick succession. During my time at FSU, I studied screenwriting and wrote as much as I could about whatever bizarre concept haunted me at the time: grim reapers, Victorian cannibals, and even my own homeschooling experiences, once I was able to acknowledge that my brother being my PE teacher for a few years was not, in fact, normal.
After I graduated from film school in 2017, I decided to make the big move out to LA. For someone who’d never lived north of the Mason-Dixon line, it was a culture shock, to say the least. Thankfully, I had the good fortune of having a community of FSU grads out here who helped ease the transition, up to and including maintaining deadlines for me so I could keep writing even as I struggled to keep focused amidst the chaos of the move and trying to find a day job.
My first six months in LA were characterized by unpaid internships and stress-baking: a delicious though decidedly unhealthy combo. After that, I was able to land a paid internship at Entertainment One, where an alignment of timing, opportunity, and my gosh darn likability (here meaning a rapidly dwindling list of job applicants) helped me transition to a full-time position in the Film Acquisitions department.
Today, I’m the Film Acquisitions Coordinator at Entertainment One, and my team and I are always looking for new and interesting films to fill out our company’s slate. I also still do a lot of stress-baking, but believe me when I say my team has never complained about it!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think anyone’s road is especially smooth; there’s too much road work needed for that. That said, my road has had some unexpected detours, namely when it comes to my health.
When I was twelve, I started having headaches. These developed into a constant headache that lasted nearly ten years. My family tried everything: scans, consultations, countless pill regimens, etc., but we were never able to stop the pain; we could only lessen it for a little while.
In college, I started a new treatment that gave me the first headache-free days I’d had in a decade, but the headaches (though less frequent) were still an ever-present problem that persisted through film school and followed me to LA. It’s hard enough trying to break into the industry without having a Sword-of-Damocles-esque medical issue hanging over your head. I was constantly worried I’d have to miss work, or networking opportunities, or time to work on my own projects, because of migraines. But by then, I’d kind of accepted that I’d always have pain in my life. And then came the Christmas of 2018.
I was about to age out of my parents’ insurance, so I went home for the holidays with full intent to get their money’s worth. Among the parade of medical professionals I visited was my family’s GP, but what was supposed to be a normal physical escalated quickly. She was concerned about my recurring GERD and pushed for me to get an Upper GI to check for “abnormal cells.” They didn’t find any abnormal cells, but I was told that I definitely had celiac, which was a plot twist I hadn’t expected.
See, there are two things in life I truly love to do: writing and baking. And I’d just learned that one of those things had been actively poisoning me for years. It was… crushing, to say the least. But what could I do about it?
Well, much like I’ve had to break down my own writing process to rebuild it into something sustainable (pro-tip: writing only at 3:00am doesn’t work when you have a 9-6), I started from scratch. I read up on how to adapt, what to avoid, and what to grow to love (I’m looking at you, xanthan gum). It was rough, at first, but I got steadily better, and at this point, I’m happy to report I frequently get the highest compliment anyone who bakes gluten-free can get: “This is gluten-free?” And even better than that, my headache days have reduced from every day to barely once a week.
It’s been a ridiculously twisty path towards being healthy(er), but it’s also been a great learning experience. I have a unique relationship with my creative process because of how I had to work through health problems. I’ve learned adaptability in both recipes and my work, which makes me all about problem-solving, even though it occasionally results in me being perhaps a little too thorough (I once made MoonPies™ from scratch to do a recipe justice; I somehow don’t regret that). I’ve also learned there’s always another way to look at a problem. If one method doesn’t work, just keep trying others! Eventually, you’ll find a solution.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Entertainment One – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I work at Entertainment One (or eOne), specifically in the Film Acquisitions department. In my department, I coordinate calls and meetings day-to-day for Momentum, eOne’s US distribution label, as well as during markets and festivals for eOne’s Worldwide Acquisitions team. Part of my job also includes covering scripts and screenings for films from the many sales agents we have relationships with, and this past January, I was even able to attend Sundance and screen films as part of eOne’s on-the-ground presence.
I never thought I’d work in Film Acquisitions if I’m honest, but I’ve grown to love it. I get exposure to material in all stages of development, and it’s fascinating to see what gets made, how projects take shape, and which companies are attracted to what material. This exposure has helped in leaps and bounds so far as the writing I do outside work.
When I’m not at eOne or on my commute, I write feature screenplays and TV pilots. Right now, I’m working on a teen body-horror sex-comedy feature that I’m genuinely in love with, and I’m also editing a semi-autobiographical pilot that makes me way more uncomfortable than anything in the aforementioned feature. I usually take “write what you know” in a very general, thematic sense, but I’m trying right now to actually dig into what makes me tick, or at least, what made me tick when I was twelve. It’s more than a little terrifying, but I think everyone should do it at some point, whether by way of a therapist or Final Draft.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I want to get the scripts I’m working on right now, ready to submit to fellowships and competitions, and I want to work on building my self-confidence so I’m more comfortable asking my peers to read my work. My hope is to reach a place where I have something a friend of mine calls “an Undeniable Script”: a script so good anyone who reads it won’t be to say no to it.
Beyond that, something I’m really looking forward to right now is that distant day where I’m able to safely go on a walk without a face mask. But since it’ll likely be some time before I can, maybe I should just say that I’m looking forward to my next baking project: I want to make gluten-free puff pastry that actually flakes. It’ll take time, effort, and a concerning amount of butter, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @MeganLBurr
- Twitter: @MeganLBurr
Image Credit:
Gray Lindsey
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