[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: What made you want to write your first screenplay?
Jason-Shane Scott, Actor/Screenwriter: I’d always been writing. I think acting and writing are hand in hand. I think from the moment you start acting you start thinkingOkay, how would I do this? How would I write this? So I always was writing.
As far as my actual first screenplay, I’d say it is maybe a little bit out of necessity in the sense of I always wanted another option besides acting.
What happened on the business side of things is I was acting in a lot of TV movies and thrillers. I very much thought the same thing, I think I can write this. I think I could do one of these. In having that relationship with the producers, they said Yeah, if you can give us this, this particular kind of story at a professional level then we have no problem hiring you and making it and doing it.
That inspired me to write my first professional screenplay. Fortunately, I had that access with many, many, many years of messing around with my own screenplays that didn’t get too much traction or interest or looking back they weren’t up to par. That’s a big part of it as well.
When you do get someone to say Hey, I’m willing to hire you for this you need to make sure you’ve put in the work years prior to get to that point, that it’s professional.
Fortunately the company liked the screenplay and was able to make it.
Film Courage: Why do you say becoming a screenwriter is part passion and part survival?
Jason: It was definitely something I was interested in and studied intensely but then it also became something that gave me another way to work, another avenue to earn an income in show business. I saw things changing and my career being so up and down on the acting side of things that I thought This is something I’m already doing. Let me fine tune this to the point where I can really do this.
Of course so many things can stem from that as an actor creating your own projects, giving yourself work and then of course being the one with the idea.
Film Courage: Originally was it always to write a role for yourself?
Jason: I think originally it…(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
About:
With a career spanning over two decades, Jason-Shane Scott has become a dependable and recognizable name in the entertainment industry worldwide, amassing over 85 professional film and television credits. His versatility as an actor spans a broad range of genres-from drama, where he has starred in countless thrillers, to comedy, embracing roles from sitcoms to lighthearted Christmas rom-coms. Jason’s journey began in daytime television, where his role as Will Rappaport on One Life to Live earned him two Soap Opera Digest Award nominations and a Daytime Emmy nod. Jason-Shane has also quickly made a name for himself as a versatile and dependable screenwriter in Hollywood, seamlessly transitioning from a successful acting career into writing. In just a few years, he has achieved an impressive level of success, having written over 15 produced films with several more in development-a testament to his talent and work ethic. Scott’s filmography covers a wide range of genres, including thrillers, romantic comedies (from festive Christmas favorites to heartwarming everyday tales), and psychological dramas.
His films have reached audiences across nearly every continent, from South America to Europe, Asia, and beyond, finding homes on major streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Max. Notably, Staged Killer, which he wrote and produced, earned him a Telly Award and held the number one spot on Netflix in America for over two weeks in 2020.
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