Our next Young & Hungry screenwriter is Jeremy Michael Cohen. His first feature film as a director, Yinz, is a microbudget feature that will be released in 2018.
His 2017 script George is about Hans and Margret Rey, the authors of Curious George, and their incredible escape of the Nazi invasion of Paris. It was named to the 2017 Black List. Jeremy has produced and directed millions of dollars of short and branded content for major clients, including DiGiorno, Honda, Toyota, and Reebok. Earlier in his career, he 1st ADed and/or line produced eight independent films and dozens of branded projects.
When he’s not working, Jeremy enjoys reading, traveling, CrossFit, and eating and cooking great food. He is a passionate, lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He currently resides in the lovely Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.
How young and how hungry do you need to be to win a place on the 2018 Young & Hungry list?
You need to be hungry enough to work for many years to get good at the craft of screenwriting and test out a bunch of your ideas. People will notice you if you do awesome work. Don’t worry about being young. Everyone likes novel, shiny objects. You’ll be one when your first script breaks through.
Describe your unique personal and professional background and the specific project that attracted industry interest?
I grew up in a small Rust Belt town in Western Pennsylvania. One of those places straight from The Deer Hunter or All The Right Moves. As soon as I realized I wasn’t going to be a professional athlete, I knew I wanted to become a film writer and director.
I moved to Los Angeles when I was 22 — right after college — to go to graduate film school at USC, where I was in the Production program that trains directors and other craftspeople. USC is a great place to meet collaborators and skip a few rungs at the bottom of the Hollywood ladder.
I worked professionally in production for seven years — as a 1st AD, producer, and director of indie movies and short content — before one of my projects attracted real industry buzz. The project that drew attention to me is George, a script about the authors of Curious George, the creation of their most famous character, and their escape from the Nazi invasion of France.
What personal qualities do screenwriters need to make it?
I learned a German word, sitzfleisch, this year that perfectly sums it up. It means — as I understand it — having the ability to sit for long periods of time in order to be truly productive, especially when it’s the last thing you want to do. It’s a combination of focus, stamina, and persistence. Hone your sitzfleisch.
I also think the ability to not take rejection of your work personally and to keep going despite hearing “no” constantly is crucial.
Why did you decide to become a screenwriter above all other careers?
You can generate your own projects when you’re a screenwriter, and most of my favorite directors also write their own screenplays.
I remember reading an interview with Paul Thomas Anderson many years ago when he said that writing your own script is the most important thing because it gives you leverage. Ever since then, I knew that I had to write screenplays.
How do you become agent/manager bait?
First, be a good, ethical, reasonable person who’s good at communicating. No one wants to work with bad people. That’s fundamental. Second, write a screenplay that ends up on The Black List, or that is at least good enough to be on The Black List.
Third, stay in Hollywood long enough that you meet enough people so that you know some agents and managers. If you’re a good person, they’ll be interested in you. The second they discover you’ve written a killer script, they’ll be knocking down your door.
Where do you get your creative inspiration?
If there are things in the world that you’re curious about, you shouldn’t have any problem getting inspired. I read — books and long articles — constantly. If you read enough, and if you’re passionate about movies, old ideas will naturally cross-pollinate into beautiful new — or at least elegantly mutated — ideas.
Taking notes — which I do obsessively — helps the process. I find that I have more ideas than I could ever write.
How do you decide which ideas are worthy of pursuing?
This is the hardest thing to do, and what I struggle with the most. I’ve written a number of scripts that I know are “small” and would likely never attract much attention. But sometimes it feels great to write what you’re most passionate about. And you learn a lot from every script.
I’ve made the mistake of wasting time trying to settle on the perfect thing to spec next. Don’t do that. It’s more important to just write another project. Every spec script is a bet. None is a sure thing. And the best way to get better odds is to write many of them.
Do you have a writing brand in terms of interests you gravitate towards?
Not really. I feel at home in lots of genres. Most of the bigger scripts I write have some historical element to them. It’s always strange when someone else tells me what I’m “good at” or what I’m “known for,” because I hear conflicting things and they never line up with my own opinions.
How do characterize the current state of the industry and opportunities for emerging writers?
It’s always going to be hard. Making movies (or television) is the best job in the world. So many of us would (and have) do(ne) it for free.
I think the best opportunity right now is writing a screenplay that has some historical element or something to do with what’s going on in society. You give strangers less reason to say no to reading your screenplay. And maybe the premise is familiar enough to invite people to it.
Television is oversaturated at the moment. Brilliant, experienced writers have filled the ranks in TV. Its stock price is high. Movies are underrated. Unlike in the past, its stock price is low. So if you write a movie, you’ll buy low and hopefully sell high.
How do you train and improve your writing craft?
Write. Have a writing schedule and stick to it religiously. You’ll become a better writer any year you write 300 pages. It’s almost impossible not to improve. Work iteratively. Get better with each draft.
Recognize the mistakes you make in early drafts. In new work, don’t let yourself make those mistakes.
What are the qualities of scripts you read that don’t get industry interest?
Think in terms of the incentives of others, particularly the people in the industry who might help you. Everyone’s job is on the line, and everyone wants to make money. Any script that’s too small or too big to make money will generally get ignored. No one that can get movies made without any interest in them.
Same with anything that doesn’t have a part for a star. Movies don’t get financed without stars. So people won’t waste their time on them. If you avoid all common and sloppy mistakes (most people don’t) and have something compelling happen every 10 pages (hard work), you’re ahead of 90% of scripts.
What advice do you have for screenwriters wanting to make next year’s Young & Hungry list?
Focus on your script. Get all the basics right while also being surprising. Write something that makes people want to knock down your door. It’s the same as everyone doing their job properly on a sports team: The score will take care of itself. You’ll end up on all the right lists.
What is something that few people know about you?
I’d either be a chef or a football coach if I couldn’t make movies.
Are you a dog or a cat person?
Dog. One of my earliest memories is getting mauled by grandmother’s cat. My path was set at that point.
