Behind the Script
my story
Twenty years ago, I was having a conversation with my oldest son TJ when he was a senior in high school—about looking towards the future, setting goals, figuring out what you want to do with your life. It was a typical father-son talk. Some of my advice was simple: don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something.
That's when he came back at me: "You always said you could write a movie and never did it."
After hearing that, I went out and bought two books—How to Write a Screenplay and How NOT to Write a Screenplay. I had an idea I thought was original. After reading both books, I started formatting the script and making notes.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I reached out to my cousin Carol Ryberg and asked if she'd help me with the project. Thank God she was more than happy to. I mailed her my books and notes, flew down to South Carolina, and got started. We didn't have any script-writing software, so I dictated the story while Carol formatted as she typed. When we got stuck on scenes, her sons and daughters-in-law—who were always around the house—would help us act them out. We laughed hysterically as we went along. It took three to four days to complete.
When I got home, I walked into my house, put the script on the dining room table, and said to my son: "Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something."
Last year, I had a medical procedure that left me out of work for a few weeks. Sitting there recovering, I said to myself: I own this. Let's get it done. I rewrote scenes, made updates, and added new experiences from the last twenty years of life. Now the script is funnier than ever, and it's time to make a feature film.
I want to thank my cousin Carol Ryberg—without her, none of this would be possible.