DANIEL BRODERICK

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 PictureDANIEL BRODERICK
 ​How did you discover The Palm Springs International Screenplay Awards and how did you decide to enter this contest among all the others?
I believe it was listed on Coverfly (before that platform folded) and, honestly, it was probably the low entry fee that induced me to enter.

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Pasadena, California, United States

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? What inspires your overall journey into screenwriting?
After retiring as a federal criminal defense attorney, I started writing screenplays for fun.  I was born in Los Angeles because my parents moved there after my father worked as a television writer for a few years in Chicago.  He hoped to latch onto a TV job here, but was unable to and needed to find work, primarily because my sister (who was one) and I needed to be fed.  So I had screenwriting in my blood, I suppose.  
My inspiration for scripts in general stems from my addiction to television and movies.  No other way to put it really.  I watch and have watched a ridiculous number of both tv shows and feature films.  The seed for “The Darrow Chronicles”  was a newspaper story about the bombing of the L.A. Times building in 1910.  The two brothers charged with that crime were defended by Clarence Darrow, who later became a defendant himself when he was charged with jury tampering.  I subsequently learned that in addition to these cases,  the Scopes monkey trial and the Leopold and Loeb trial, Darrow was the defense lawyer in a dozen “trials of the century.”  The first of these was Big Bill Haywood’s murder trial – the pilot script that you selected.    

If you have produced a Pitch Deck, Sizzle Reel, or Trailer, what was that process like for you? Did you have professional help or has it been a DIY task? How long did it take to produce?
I am in the process of self-creating a series Bible for “The Darrow Chronicles.”  I have previously created (with help) a Look Book for a feature film “Not In This Life”  and a series Bible for another streaming series, “Chronicles of Alta California.”  It takes about two weeks to put something like this together.  

How do you decide which stories to tell, and what draws you to these particular themes?
I try to fashion stories that have not been told or that I am not aware have been told, rather than duplicate already existing material.  To date, I have written 22 feature film scripts, 4 television pilots, and 10 shorts.  I have also loglined 16 additional features and 10 television shows.  They encompass just about every genre, except gruesome horror, which I don’t watch.  

What is your typical writing routine? How do you structure your workday to stay productive?
I’m retired, so I have no set workday.  I generally sit down in the morning after breakfast and write (or try to write) for about three hours.  If I’m inspired, I’ll pick it up in the afternoon for another few hours.  The exception is when I’m writing a historical piece.  In those cases, I’ll research and read source material for days, before I write.    

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?
My guess is that it took me about four months to write the first draft of this pilot script.  I started with research and read four books as well as parts of The Clarence Darrow Collection compiled by a university.  I then opened up Final Draft and outlined the script scene by scene.  Once a decent draft was completed, I sent it out for development notes, followed by various contest entries.  And I continued to revise it.  The pilot script you selected was my fourth revision. I should add that the first Darrow pilot I wrote was about the L.A. Times bombing and the attempted assasination of its larger than life publisher Harrison Otis.  The bombing scenes at the beginning were terrific, as were some subsequent ones involving the investigation. But Darrow didn’t come into play until after the defendants were arrested, so when I decided to make this a streaming series, I tabled further revisions and decided to write a new pilot involving his first major case.
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How do you handle writers block or moments of doubt (we all have them) during your creative process?
I try to have more than one project in motion at any one time.  Thus, when I lack inspiration or motivation on one, I can shift to another.  As for moments of doubt, I fall back on something my high school basketball coach said to me:  “Dan, you are frequently in error, but never in doubt.”   

What tools or software do you find essential to your workflow as a screenwriter?
Final Draft and to a much lesser degree Google Drive.  

How do you approach competition entries, and what have you learned from participating in these contests? Which contests have you entered...and how has your work been received overall? Have those contests been helpful to you in your writing?
Every feature screenplay or pilot I’ve written has been entered in at least one contest, most in several.  I usually sign up for feedback in the first one.  Though not as thorough as development notes, contest feedback (with one exception) has almost always been helpful.  So far, all but 3 of my feature film screenplays have advanced in one or more contests ( 2 wins, 7 finalists, 4 official selections, 8 semifinalist, and 10 quarterfinalists).  Three of my TV pilots were either finalists, official selections, or semi-finalists. I usually enter contests early, when the entry fee is low or free.  

Can you share a specific challenge you've faced in your screenwriting and how you overcame it?
Getting my full screenplays read has been a challenge.  I do not have a manager or agent. So during the pandemic when everyone was at home, I enlisted ten of my friends to do Zoom table reads.  They enjoyed it so much that it caused me to keep writing and writing and writing.  

If you are balancing your “writing time” with a “day job”...how are you managing that?
At my age, I’m balancing my writing time with doctor visits.  

Where do you see yourself in five years as a screenwriter?
Alive and continuing to write.
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
Having at least one of my projects reach a theater or television screen.  

The film and television industry is constantly evolving. How do you see the role of screenwriters changing, especially with the rise of streaming platforms and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence? Have you used A.I. in your writing; if so, how have you used it?
I have not used A.I. at all in my writing, except that when I pose a question to Google, it now responds with an A.I. generated response. I believe that production companies and streaming services will ultimately revert back to the past when film producers had writers on staff.  This means they will generate ideas, run them through A.I. for an initial script and have staff writers mold it into a final script.    

Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
Film:  Billy Wilder, William Goldman, Francis Coppola, Nora Ephron, the Coen Brothers, Robert Towne
Television:  Aaron Sorkin, Vince Gilligan, Taylor Sheridan
All of the above created great characters and put them into well-crafted stories.
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What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
Movie:  The Adventures of Robin Hood (with Errol Flynn) It had everything a movie needs:  great acting, compelling storyline, wonderful characters, fabulous sets, terrific music
Television Show:  Twilight Zone Dozens of indelible characters, thought provoking messages, and riveting stories

What advice do you have for aspiring screenwriters or filmmakers?
If you don’t enjoy writing or making movies, don’t.   But if you do, keep at it.  

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? (links to your projects?)  
I’m not sure “the world” needs to know much if anything about me, but three television projects that I believe need to be made are these:
1. The Darrow Chronicles: He fought for unionists, free speech advocates, teachers unfettered by what they can teach, racial equality, and against the death penalty.  All of those issues resonate in today’s political climate.  

2. AFDs: Public defenders on television  are viewed through two lenses:  David Kelly’s and Dick Wolf’s.  Both depict them as overworked, essentially useless, overmatched, and willing to sit there while their clients are bulldozed.  Add to that the David Kelly spin that criminal defense attorneys routinely win at trial, while violating ethical codes and sleeping with their clients.   In reality, federal public defenders (AFDs)  routinely don’t win at trial but are generally recognized as the best and the brightest
criminal defense attorneys in the business, who follow the code of ethics and don’t sleep with their clients.  

3. The Alta California Chronicles: Movies and television both need a greater Latinx presence, in the director chairs, the writers’ rooms, before and behind the camera.  With a Latinx showrunner, this series can provide dozens of opportunities for that, while depicting the true and complicated conflicts between Spanish and Catholic authorities and native peoples.  

Where can the world find you online? (Social media links, etc.)
Right now, you can’t.  As a former criminal defense attorney, with hundreds of satisfied and unsatisfied clients, I opted to avoid any social media presence  I also personally view billionaire social media moguls like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg as amoral blights on humanity.