Personal Background:

My formal education is in theater. After graduating from Allegheny College with a B.A. in Speech and Dramatic Art (’73), I wrote and acted in many theatrical productions in Chicago (including "The Adventures of Captain Marbles and his Acting Squad" — a serialized musical for kids). Then came 4 years as staff writer for the award-winning children’s program "The Magic Door" on WBBM-TV, while scripting a growing number of projects for business audiences. Programs I’ve written have won awards from the Chicago Chapters of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (The Chicago Emmys) and the Association for Multi-Image (AMI), The Illinois Broadcaster's Association, and the National Association of Catholic Broadcasters. Others have also been highly rated in competitions held by the International Television Association (ITVA) and the Informational Film Producers of America (IFPA).

What’s "theatrical" about business media? Just as in a play or a film, the trick is to grab the audience’s attention from the start and then keep them interested and involved. Of course, if the story is "A Day in the Life of a Widget," this can be a challenge. But in general, the more the viewer identifies with the characters and situations in the program, the more your message will be remembered. That’s why I try to approach many scripts with a creative premise or "hook."

Sometimes the subject requires a real-life, documentary style rather than an overtly "creative" approach. In this case, script development may begin with a shooting outline of your story framed as what we’d like real people to say in their own words on camera. The script would then be assembled in post-production using the completed interviews. I’m experienced in all phases of developing these kinds of programs, acting as writer, off-camera interviewer, and assisting producers in the off-line editing process.