For the love of story…
Back in the day, sometime after graduating university and while working odd jobs my parents gifted me a ticket to Robert Mckee’s “Story” workshop in Toronto. At the time, I had been struggling with how to find work in the film and television industry.
When I attended the workshop, my love for filmmaking and character driven stories was energized. The way Robert McKee spoke so passionately and truthfully about the craft of story connected with me. As he delivered his insights with intensity and conviction, I feverishly scribbled and sketched hoping to absorb some of his wisdom onto the pages of my little notebook.
During one of the workshop breaks, I stepped outside for some air. It was then that I met the screenwriting story master. Though he was surrounded by a sea of admirers during our brief and indelible moment he managed to reassure and inspire my direction.
Over the years since then, despite the untraditional routes and unexpected turns I would take in my career journey, my love for making entertaining and meaningful stories never waned.
“…beyond imagination and skill, what the world asks of you is courage, courage to risk rejection, ridicule and failure. As you follow the quest for stories told with meaning and beauty, study thoughtfully but write boldly. Then, like the hero of the fable, your dance will dazzle the world.”
(Robert McKee, Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting)