Ken LaZebnik, Director of the LIU M.F.A. in Writing and Producing for TV, and Iraqi Army veteran and screenwriter Chris Roessner (Sand Castle), will present a free writing workshop for military veterans at the LIU Media Arts Lounge on the LIU Brooklyn campus.
Date: Sunday, March 17
Time: 1pm - 5pm
Location: LIU - H Building, 2nd Floor, Media Arts Lounge
To attend, please RSVP by emailing tvwritersstudioliu@gmail.com
More about the event
Open to any military veteran, this workshop will feature presentations on how a television script gets developed, writing exercises, and screenwriter and Iraq veteran Chris Roessner discussing how he transformed his combat experience into writing the acclaimed war film SAND CASTLE. Roessner, who served 14 months in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, has said that his primary objectives in writing SAND CASTLE were to “avoid hero-worship, convey the incompleteness of OIF I, and show the courage of both U.S. soldiers and Iraqi people.”
LaZebnik has been inspired to try to write more fully human portrayals of soldiers and their families ever since his son went to West Point. His son has now served two deployments in Afghanistan with the 75th Ranger Regiment and is currently a Captain with the 101st Airborne.
Chris Roessner has said of serving in combat: “Obviously serving in a war time military is the toughest thing you can do – it is clearly emotionally taxing. But the difference is that in the military you are serving alongside people who are focused intently on a common goal that is bigger than themselves. You don’t realize how rare that is.” Ken LaZebnik adds, “In a small way, that is the allure of making television or movies - you are part of a team working toward a shared goal, and a fellowship results that is extraordinary.”
The Long Island University-Brooklyn TV Writers Studio M.F.A. in Television Writing is a one-of-a-kind program that gives its students a real-world TV writing experience they could get nowhere else. Created by Emmy-Award Winner and veteran screenwriter Norman Steinberg, the goal of the TVWS is to develop highly skilled, experienced professionals with strong portfolios who will be prepared to begin careers in the television industry as writers, creators, and leaders.
