Final Draft Blog

All the tips, tricks and information you need to inspire your writing!
Read interviews with the pros, catch up with industry news, and listen to Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast by Final Draft.

The Business of Screenwriting: Working with the right manager or agent

June 9, 2022

I’m a professional screenwriter who has been working in the film and television industry for fourteen years. Since I first broke into the business I’ve been repped by five managers and three agencies. Surprisingly this isn’t uncommon in the entertain...

Big Break® Screenwriting Contest: Anonymous reader shares 5 most common mistakes to avoid

June 6, 2022

For six years I’ve been a reader for Final Draft’s Big Break Screenwriting Contest. The annual competition has thousands of writers enter with the hope of launching a screenwriting career (in both film and television). Every year finalists and winner...

From NYU to destroying worlds: 2021 Big Break Winner Matthew Manson

May 25, 2022

Photo courtesy of Matthew Manson Gaby Guffner: Destroyer of Worlds writer Matthew Manson celebrated his Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest® win with his family — and a bottle of Trader Joe’s bubbly.

2021 Big Break Grand Prize Winner David Page on keeping the file open

April 12, 2022

David Page isn’t a stranger to prestigious screenwriting contests. As a multi-quarter finalist, semi-finalist and finalist for contests like The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, the PAGE Awards, ScreenCraft and the Austin Film Festival, Page’s scripts are...

Screenwriter Chris Pittas proves you don't have to win, to win

April 8, 2022

Screenwriter Chris Pittas recently placed in Final Draft’s Big Break Screenwriting Contest. Although the triumph didn’t lead to taking the top prize, it still opened some incredible industry doors, proving you don’t have to win a contest to win at th...

Work Your Win: A catch up interview with Big Break winner Ben Johnson, Jr.

March 25, 2022

When television and film writer Ben Johnson Jr. found out he won Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest, he was thrilled but also hit with a sudden concern: How does he get from South Africa to Los Angeles?

Big Break: Screenwriting Contest for Career Success

March 24, 2022

Are you thinking of submitting your TV pilot or screenplay to a screenwriting contest? Before entering, it’s important to know which one is worth your time and money. The Big Break Screenwriting Contest has quickly become one of the most respected co...

Write On with Big Break Winner Stacie Gancayco-Adlao

August 19, 2021

Stacie Gancayco-Adlao was a Grand Prize Winner in the 2020 Big Break Screenwriting Contest for her feature film script Clementine. Big Break Contest Director Kala Guess talks to Stacie about what it was like winning the contest, how Stacie's network ...

Viral' Screenwriter and Big Break finalist Joe McClean on breaking in and the long game

August 19, 2021

Screenwriting is one of countless tasks that fall under the "it’s a marathon, not a sprint," analogy. (We all learn the meaning of that analogy through the parable of the tortoise and the hare; the best telling being the Bugs Bunny version, obviously...