Our Story Analysts
Literary manager and Screenplay Readers founder B. O’Malley began his career in 1994 as a script reader at Media Artists Group, later working in the late ’90s rewriting scripts for legendary producer Roger Corman. In 1999, he founded Screenplay Readers and soon after co-founded Brooklyn Reptyle Films, going on to write, direct, and produce five feature films, including
Audie & The Wolf,
Boppin’ At The Glue Factory (co-writer and producer) and the Fangoria cult favorite
Bleak Future, along with numerous shorts and music videos for artists such as The Adicts, Josh Freese, and Taffy Bennington. Today, O’Malley runs Screenplay Readers, providing ghostwriting, literary management, and script consulting services, teaches script reading for Writer’s Digest, and is the author of several short books on script coverage as well as a
novel.
Managing Editor C.E. Tucker (CT) is a graduate of Chapman University’s screenwriting MFA program and received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Case Western Reserve University. Clearly, he made a life change, but in reality, he’s always been writing, he just never thought he could make a career out of it. That all changed after a brush with death reorganized his priorities. Several competition wins, produced shorts, and brief acting gigs later, he has no regrets about the decision. In his spare time, he writes essays for his blog and makes epic grilled cheese. Favorite Films & TV series: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly; Toy Story; Lord of the Rings; Dodgeball; Parks & Recreation; Narcos; Fargo; Better Call Saul; Brooklyn 99; Zodiac. Favorite Genre: Comedy, Epics, and Horror.
Senior Story Analyst Krishna Devine (KD) is a Los Angeles based writer/director/producer and published author with deep roots in film and television. She has worn many “hats” throughout her career including working as an editor on Ava DuVernay’s first film This Is The Life, exceeding in the roles of both director of distribution operations and acquisitions coordinator at film distribution company Big Air Studios — founded by former Sony Pictures leaders — and consulting on delivery of several films including the WB distributed feature, The Nice Guys (Ryan Gosling & Russell Crowe) on behalf of Silver Pictures. Krishna is a graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle, studied screenwriting via UCLA’s extension courses and has completed comedy-writing programs at both iOWest (RIP) and Upright Citizens Brigade. Krishna is not only a script reader and consultant, she often submits her own writing for coverage and notes, so she knows what it’s like on both sides of the fence. As a long-standing member of the Producer’s Guild of America she keeps her finger on the pulse of current entertainment and industry trends. Favorite Films and TV shows: Alien, Battle Royale, It Follows, Night Crawler, Re-Animator, The Shining, Shaun of the Dead, Old Boy (South Korean version), Atlanta, Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Handmaid’s Tale, Parks and Rec, Fleabag, The Haunting of Hill House. Favorite Genres: Horror, Sci-fi, Dark Comedy, Crime/Thriller, Action/Adventure, and Indies.
Senior Story Analyst Joel Fishbane (JF) is an award-winning author of fiction, non-fiction, theatre, and film. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, and his screenplays and plays have been honored by the BBC International Radio Playwriting Contest, the New York International Screenplay Awards, the Outstanding Screenplay Awards, the Fratti-Newman Political Playwriting Contest, and the Toronto Fringe New Play Contest. His short fiction and non-fiction have been widely published, while his novel, The Thunder of Giants is available from St. Martin’s Press. He’s happy reading a wide variety of genres and styles. A grab bag of faves: Promising Young Woman, Inside Man, Hell and High Water, A Very Long Engagement, Pan’s Labyrinth, Children of Men, Back to the Future, Inglorious Basterds, Moneyball, Spotlight, Angels in America, Mad Men, Big Mouth, The Bear, Bojack Horseman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Watchmen 2019. He's got a soft spot for all things Mission: Impossible, Shakespeare, and Sherlock Holmes. Favorite genres: Historical, bio-pic, musical, sci-fi/fantasy, screwball comedy, rom-com.
Senior Story Analyst Joe Fordham (FF) studied advanced screenwriting with Sy Gomberg at UCLA. Joe began his career in the U.K. making award-winning short films, which played on BBC TV, Channel 4 TV, BAFTA/LA, and Amazon. He has worked in film editing, animation, visual effects, and creature effects in London and Los Angeles. His published writing includes two decades with Cinefex magazine, freelance journalism, and studio-licensed publishing. His screenplays have been optioned and placed (Nicholl, WriteMovies, Imagine Impact) and genres have spanned science fiction, fantasy, horror, thrillers, comedy, historical and contemporary dramas. Collaborations have included concepts developed from scratch, adaptations, and close attention to detail – a necessity for Deep-Dive script analysis. Joe is a patient listener, with an appreciation for the roots of language. Favorite films & TV: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Shining, The 400 Blows, The Big Lebowski, Rosemary’s Baby, North by Northwest, Alien, Devs, Duel.
Senior Story Analyst Sam Gurney (SG) holds a First Class Honors degree in Film & TV Screenwriting. He has written two independent feature films, while also having experience in script editing, coverage for UK production and distribution companies, and competition reading for BAFTA Rocliffe. Sam is on the selection committee for the BIFA-qualifying Wimbledon International Short Film Festival, with a passion for spotting and nurturing potential in emerging writers. Favorite films: The Godfather, Dr. Strangelove, Die Hard, RoboCop, Mean Girls, The Warriors, Carol, The Witch, Hereditary. Favorite TV shows: Fleabag, The Sopranos, Atlanta, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Peep Show, Adventure Time. Favorite Genres: Action, Comedy, Horror, Crime/Thriller
Senior Story Analyst Brian Hibbert (BH) holds a master's degree in Screenwriting and has several TV and film projects in development with horror directing duo, the Vicious Brothers (Grave Encounters). Past writing projects have starred notable performers such as cult movie icon James Duval (Doom Generation, Independence Day) and pop star/prodigy Ryn Weaver (Interscope Records). Favorite Movies: Suspiria, Akira, Lost Highway, The Doom Generation, Perfect Blue, Mulholland Drive, Blade Runner, Repo Man, Helter Skelter, The Shining. Favorite Genres: Horror, Dark Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Senior Story Analyst D. M. Le (DL) has worked as a reader for the talent and literary agencies ICM and Media Talent Group. She has an MFA in Screenwriting and teaches screenwriting and film analysis. Favorite films/shows: Spirited Away, The Royal Tenenbaums, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Lives of Others, Amelie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Mad Men, Daredevil, Black Mirror, The IT Crowd. Favorite genres: historical drama/period pieces, fantasy, dark comedy, character drama
Senior Story Analyst Terri Zinner (TZ) Terri is an award-winning independent producer and a produced film writer. She has worked on several feature films and a documentary as a writer, producer, consultant, casting assistant, and production manager. Terri is also the former Senior Vice President of Development for a major literary and talent management company that helped writers develop and prepare their scripts for the marketplace. She has been in story development for over 20 years working with various producers and production companies, having provided notes and consultation for projects such as American Sniper, Albert Nobbs, Kill Your Darlings, Break the Stage, The Brass Teapot, They Might Be Kennedys, Ten Thousand Saints, The Howling: Reborn, Bed & Breakfast, What Maisie Knew, Louder Than Words, Sway, Monster Party, and many more. She enjoys reading thrillers, especially psychological thrillers, horror, dramas, and arthouse scripts. Some of her favorites films and TV shows are Fargo, Jaws, The King’s Speech, A Civil Action, Ordinary People, Psycho, Rosemary’s Baby, Hush, Bird Box, anything Alfred Hitchcock, To Die For, Annie Hall, Father of the Bride, and Baby Boom. Terri likes nothing more than helping writers develop their craft.
If you’re interested in working as a script reader for Screenplay Readers, please visit our script reader jobs page.
Our Mission
The Screenplay Readers mission is to provide constructive, detailed, and insightful script critique and feedback with the purpose of helping new and established screenwriters and producers improve their material both commercially and artistically. At Screenplay Readers, we believe that good script coverage must possess four essential qualities:
1) Script coverage must be honest, even if it’s not what the writer wants to hear
We believe that constructive and no-punches-pulled honesty is vital to improving a screenplay. That’s why we give our script readers leeway to be critical.
2) Script coverage must have actionable suggestions
We believe that without insightful, specific, actionable suggestions, feedback is of little or no use. When we point out a flaw in a script, we try to also include a suggestion on how to fix that flaw.
3) Script coverage must be quick
We’re writers too, so we know that if it takes too long to receive coverage or notes, not only is a writer’s precious time lost, but also creative energy and momentum. We make sure our work is not only high quality and professional, but that you get your notes back as quickly as possible.
4) Script coverage must be private
Keeping your script, your ideas, and your data 100% secure and private is crucial. That’s why our readers and staff are vetted thoroughly and contractually required to maintain your intellectual property and data privacy at all times. Any material and personal info you send us as part of your service stays secure and private and 100% yours. As it should.
Just a few of our clients…
1492 Pictures (Chris Columbus), Bad Robot (JJ Abrams), Biograph, Blue Cat, Buzzfeed, CAA, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Deuce Three (Curtis Hanson), Dimension, Disney, Downtown LA Film Festival, Film Independent, Final Draft, Fox Studios Bonafide Productions, Graham-Rozenweig Films, Heroes and Villains Entertainment, Hulu, Innovative Artists Agency, International Creative Management (ICM), Lifetime, London Screenwriter’s Festival, Mark Gordon Company, Mashable, MGM, Miramax, Nasser Entertainment, New Line, Page International Screenwriting Awards, Paramount, Red Rover Films, Red Varden Studios, Robert Evans Company, Roger Corman, Samuel Goldwyn Company, Silver Lake Film Festival, Silver Pictures, Slamdance, Source Code, Spec Scout, Steve Guttenberg, Sundance, SyFy, The Firm, The Gersh Agency, Touchstone Television, Tribeca Film Festival, Universal, Vin Di Bona Productions, Walden Media, Warner Bros. Studios, William Morris, Winkler Films, Yari Film Group.
We support working screenwriters and filmmakers
Screenplay Readers is proud to support the Writers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, the Teamsters, and the effort to keep film jobs in Los Angeles and California by organizations such as the California Production Coalition and FilmLA.
Check out our list of friends and recommended screenwriting resources here.
