CHAD HUTSON

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Bonney Lake, Washington, a southern suburb of Seattle.
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
Good News Gary is about the most optimistic and positive human you’ve ever known trying to weather a chain of events in his life that eventually leads him to the depths of pessimism and depression. Funny thing though, when you’ve done so much good in life, it pays you back. This story also examines the news industry’s fascination with negative news, its desire to twist and distort facts, and its ability to influence how we look at our own lives. I started this script during the pandemic, when things were pretty bleak and the world was reeling from sickness, protests, marches, shootings, and political nonsense. I needed to write something that focused on the good that was still out there. This is a story about losing and regaining hope for humanity, but it starts with asking the question, “have we lost hope in each other?” This became a script because I believed it had such a strong visual element to it, being a story about TV news.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
The script took almost two years. Not all my scripts start out with an outline, but this one had a loose outline that I filled in as I wrote. The characters took me on their own journey with this story.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I have been a storyteller my entire life starting. My career started a newspaper journalist, then I spent years as a MARCOM executive telling stories about the businesses and Federal agencies for whom I’ve worked. Now I am working hard to transition from my career as a Federal government communication director to a career as a full-time screenwriter. The ultimate goal would be to see one of my scripts made into a movie or TV series.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
I love anything from Alex Garland, Damien Chazelle, and Martin McDonagh. They all write with such precision and economy. Every word perfectly placed. Every character is real – someone you know.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
Easily the toughest question to answer… there are sooo many! Favorite movies include Being There, Ex Machina, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and  Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Favorite TV shows include Succession, St. Elsewhere, Severance, 30 Something, and Black Mirror.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
There will be a lot of rejection. Push on. Keep writing – every day. And read other great scripts. The work and patience will pay off. Find a great editor to help fine tune your work.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Marrying my previous work as a journalist and photographer with screenwriting, I am developing a TV series based in the 1990s (with flashbacks to the ‘70s and ‘80s) following an LA Times photojournalist as he covers news while the world morphs from analog to digital. The series looks at news coverage over these three decades using a story engine framed around the main character’s bookcase full of photos taken over his lifetime. He goes back to these memories when he learns he may have a fatal medical condition and his time here is now limited. The bookcase photos tell a unique story about his news coverage and life history. Many of these photos, based on real events and photos from those moments, give viewers a unique look at our history as a country and world while being grounded in very real and fascinating characters whose personal struggles and achievements will keep you captivated with their journeys. The pilot (Life Through the Lens) was a finalist in this year’s Spring Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards.

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