Screenwriters who are helping themselves

On ScreenDaily.com, David Pearson, director of the Screenwriters’ Festival (SWF), argues that British writers are becoming more entrepreneurial.

As the development puddle in the UK dries up, writers are behaving like producers — if not actually being producers. They do this to protect their investment in scripts they have written but not yet been paid for. It follows a trend of TV writers setting up production companies. The reduction in paid gigs for writers may also embolden them to go forward with their pet project. Bill Nicholson, screenwriter and SWF regular, is optimistic: “It could be a period of creative development, maybe a new golden age for scripts.”