Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest with Allan Loeb

And the Winner is...
Joshua Rebell - "Old Boys Club"

The second running of the Industry Insider Screenwriting contest was another huge success. Writers from around the world submitted the first 15 pages of their unique screenplays based on master screenwriter Allan Loeb's logline, "A group of married men desperate for one last bachelor party invents a long-lost friend who’s about to be wed, but things get out of control when their wives want to meet the groom before the big event."

To say it was difficult to select a group to move on to the next phase is an understatement. We managed to make the hard decisions, and narrowed down the field to these 10 deserving entrants:

1. Joshua Rebell, New York, NY, “Old Boys Club” - WINNER 
2. Jeff Britton, Australia, “Stag Nation” 
3. Jon Dabach, Woodland Hills, CA, “Jakey’s Getting Married” 
4. Normann Pokorny, Skokie, IL, “Battling Pica” 
5. Kelsey Rude & Tiffany Diamond, Santa Monica, CA, “Imaginary Bachelor” 
6. Stephen Judge, Los Angeles, CA, “Here Comes the Bride the Guy” 
7. Cliff Francis, New York, NY, “The Big Stretch” 
8. Jason Nave, San Antonio, TX, “Toasting Julio” 
9. Adam Cece, Australia, “The Last Viking Stag”
10. Suzanne Bragdon, Fairfield, CA "Alibi #2: Fake Bachelor Party"

Joshua Rebell’s script, “Old Boys Club,” was selected as the winner by Allan Loeb and our panel of judges. This is what Joshua had to say about his experience with the contest:

"I’ve always felt that the best thing you can give a screenwriter is the knowledge that there’s someone, somewhere, waiting to read his or her finished script. That’s what gets us to the computer every day, and what motivates us to do our best work. One of the great gifts of this contest is that not only do you offer that knowledge, but you offer it in the highest order: the people who will be reading your script are exactly the people you want reading your script.

There’s also a really wonderful sense – from the beginning of the contest on -- of how invested everyone at The Writers Store is in helping the finalists write a great script. From the Story Specialist’s weekly call to the amazingly detailed Development Notes after the rough draft, to the terrific, encouraging updates and emails throughout, there’s a great sense of motivation and professionalism that’s very inspiring. I can’t say enough about this contest. If I could, I would be a perpetual finalist!"  - Joshua Rebell, Contest Winner

See what the Finalists had to say about their Story Specialist experience:

"I think that this program was really well thought out and set up with 'success for the the writers' in mind. The weekly meetings with the Story Specialist really were great. Mario and I clicked right away and he kept me focused on the direction that I wanted to go. His insights were a writer's insights and those are so valuable to another writer. He always supported me and never bogged me down with biases or pre-conceived ideas. I could not have been given a more nurturing environment." - Normann Pokorny, Battling Pica

"I have a B.A. in Screenwriting, but I am an even better writer for having been a finalist in the Industry Insider Competition. This is boot camp for screenwriters -- and it only takes fifteen pages to open the door to an invaluable experience. You'd be crazy to pass this up." - Kelsey Rude, Imaginary Bachelor

"I had an amazing experience during the Industry Insider Contest. My story specialist, Anthony, was wonderful and the experience working with him was invaluable. I'm walking away from this competition with a well written screenplay and insights that I will carry with me throughout my screenwriting career. I recommend this competition to anyone who wants to challenge themselves and really take their screenwriting to the next level."  - Tiffany Diamond, Imaginary Bachelor

"I'm a writer who lives on the opposite side of the world to Hollywood. The opportunity to work one-on-one with Hollywood writers and get industry standard Development Notes, all without having to endure a 14-hour plane ride, was too tempting to pass up. The contest has surpassed all my expectations and my writing methods and processes have greatly improved thanks to this experience. Working to deadlines, re-writing and re-working after notes and comments is the life of a professional screenwriter, and this competition has given me an invaluable chance to experience that first hand. And most importantly I've come out the other end with a screenplay I'm really proud of."   - Adam Cece, The Last Viking Stag

"The Industry Insider contest through the Writers Store was far and away the best writing experience I've had. Every script I'd tackled before this had been on my own time. No due dates looming, no one waiting on pages. The fast pace of this contest kept me cranking out scenes against real deadlines with no room to maneuver. It had to get done, no excuses, and it's under this type of pressure we often produce our best work. All in all, no matter what the outcome of the contest, you walk away with pages of valuable notes and a completed spec script. The perfect reward." - Stephen Judge, The Man-Up

"As one of the ten finalists in the Story Specialist program, I couldn’t have hoped for a better prize. There is nothing like getting weekly input to keep you moving in the right direction. It’s amazing how good a draft you can produce in 10 weeks with regular coaching from a professional. This experience has helped me grow as a writer more than anything else I have ever done." - Jason Nave, Toasting Julio

Want to complete your own screenplay in just 12 weeks or less? Sign up for sessions with The Writers Store’s Story Specialists now!

Click here to download the First 15 Pages of the Finalists' scripts

For details on the next running of the Industry Insider Screenwriting Competition, click here.