Open Screenplay launches first-of-its-kind platform, backed by Hollywood veterans including Sandy Climan, to make the exclusive world of screenwriting more inclusive
Jan 23, 2019, 07:00 ET
TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -
Open Screenplay, a free, first-of-its-kind online platform for screenwriters, was founded to provide access to writers struggling to break into the business by helping them create better stories through the platform's proven story-writing process and tools. Open Screenplay is creating a global community, where members have the option to collaborate with writers around the world who share the goal of making the world depicted in television and film as diverse as the one we live in.
The innovative platform, which has a patent pending, developed a completely new way of writing that provides expertise and learning, brings together people to write individually or collaborate on screenplays and helps screenwriters get paid and produced in an industry where getting from ideas to funding and filming is very difficult.
The company was founded by successful serial entrepreneur Khaled Sabawi, and is backed by a number of leading entertainment industry veterans, including: Sandy Climan (CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures and Golden Globe & British Academy Award Winning Producer), Julia Bacha (Peabody award-winning filmmaker), Richard Kletter (Writer of Golden Globe Nominated films & former USC School of Cinematic Arts Screenwriting Professor) and Andy Wolk (Writers Guild Award winner and Sundance Labs Creative Adviser). As part of the launch, the platform is giving screenwriters the opportunity to write a short film for a chance to be paid and become the first short film produced by Open Screenplay.
"I genuinely believe technology should be used to improve industries that inhibit the emergence of new artists. For so many aspiring writers like myself, there are no next steps once their screenplay is written simply because they don't know the right people. My goal in creating Open Screenplay is to change that so the world we see depicted in television and film can be as diverse and amazing as the world we live in." – Khaled Sabawi, Founder & CEO
"Open Screenplay is at the cutting edge of innovation and offers significant access and value to the entertainment industry by connecting writers, media companies, talent, and audiences in one community like never before. It is an incredibly exciting creative platform that can deliver on the industry's need to be more global in the entertainment we create." – Sandy Climan, CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures
About Khaled Sabawi:
Khaled Sabawi is an award-winning serial entrepreneur who's successfully founded and continues to lead impact businesses in the fields of renewable energy, real estate development, tech and now entertainment. Khaled's proven ability to innovate has led to him being featured on the cover of Forbes Middle East, awarded the Young Alumni Achievement Medal from the University of Waterloo, selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and delivering several TedxTalks.
Khaled founded MENA Geothermal, a green energy start-up and two-time Energy Globe Award recipient, that installed the largest geothermal system in the Middle East. He also co-founded TABO, a project that revolutionized the West Bank real-estate market by creating title deeds in unregistered areas and making new affordable lands available.
Press Contact:
Alison Simpson; Chief Brand & Communications Officer
Email: alison@openscreenplay.com
Phone: 416-427-0822
SOURCE Open Screenplay Inc.