Q: Who is Alex Epstein?
Alex Epstein is a writer for television and movies, and author of the books Crafty Screenwriting and Crafty TV Writing.
He co-created the comic drama television series Naked Josh for the Oxygen Network (U.S.A.) and Showcase (in Canada); it ran for three seasons. He's been nominated twice for a Canadian Screenwriting Award for his work on the show.
He did the production rewrite on Bon Cop / Bad Cop, a bilingual buddy cop comedy starring Patrick Huard and Colm Feore. The movie broke the all-time Canadian box office record for a Canadian picture and won the Genie for Best Picture; Epstein and his co-writers were nominated for the Jutra Prize for Best Screenplay and won a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Film Writing.
He was Head Writer for a science fiction TV series, Charlie Jade.
His first staff job was as Executive Story Editor for the FoxKids science fiction series Galidor.
His 2002 book, Crafty Screenwriting,
His second book, Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box, came out in 2006.
He wrote and directed a short comedy film, Twelve Ways to Say "I'm Sorry". It premiered at the 2007 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and airs on the Bravo! network and on Air Canada flights.
Before writing full time, Epstein was a development executive at various production companies in Los Angeles, working with such directors as Lord Richard
Attenborough and John Badham (Saturday Night Fever), and helped develop many independent pictures.
Epstein got his Master of Fine Arts at UCLA's School of Film and Television. He has his B.A. magna cum laude from Yale in Computer Science and English. He is a proud member of the Writer's Guild of Canada.
Epstein lives in Old Montreal with his family and faithful dog .
In Quebec, he is represented by Nathalie Brunet of the Omada Agency, (514) 287 1246. Outside Quebec, he is represented by Amy Stulberg of Vanguarde Agency, (416) 972 9542.
N.B.: Alex Epstein the screenwriter is not the Alex Epstein who lives in Tel Aviv. Nor does he work at the right wing Ayn Rand Institute. Those are other Alex Epsteins.
You may find the following links interesting:
- Complications Ensue: The Crafty TV and Screenwriting Blog I'm blogging about what I'm writing, how I'm writing it, what I'm thinking about, and what I'm watching. Enjoy!
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the motion picture industry. Stuff about query letters, copyright, how to bind your screenplay properly, how to break into showbiz, how to become a movie star, etc.
- Frequently Asked Questions about TV.
- I do occasionally critique screenplays for a fee.
- Here's Darren Levy interviewing me on WNYU radio. And here's Mahalia Verna interviewing me on McGill College radio station CKUT.
- And here's an older text interview. And a newer one.
- I was quoted at length in this article in Canadian Screenwriter on Canadian science fiction.
- I'm pretty sure Ophelia's pregnant.
- Watch my six minute comedy film, 12 Ways to Say "I'm Sorry". Picture quality's not that great, though.
Note: if you have a question about show business, for heaven's sake please go through my FAQ and my four years of blog entries before you email me; I've probably already answered it. I'm afraid I cannot help you get an agent, and if you want to know who someone's agent is, please call SAG (the number is on my FAQ). My eddress is craftyscreenwriting at gmail point com.