The Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe (SCSFe)

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Larry N Stouffer
Founder / Executive Director
Since founding SCSFe, Larry has become a quarter-finalist, semi-finalist and finalist in a number of screenwriting competitions. His writing hit the big screen as co-writer and Associate Producer for the dramedy Junkyard Ghost (Lee Majors). The Council on International Nontheatrical Events awarded Larry a Cine Golden Eagle for his doc Where Do The Children Play? In other documentaries he directed George Kennedy in Justice and the Art of Gentle Outrage, John Forsythe in Would We Not Long For the Fair? and Henry Fonda in the award-winning The Big Yellow Schooner To Byzantium. Larry's screenplays, "Rising Star" - a family drama - along with "Horror High - The Remake," (Larry directed the original cult-classic Horror High) - a campy horror script - and "A Message for Martinez" - action/adventure - are all projects seeking funding (novel, eh?). A co-writing project, "Dance Magic," is set up at a fledgling production company in Florida to be produced sometime in 2008. Larry has sold three feature screenplays, two of which have been produced.

Keturah Shepard
Director of Operations
Since graduating from the University of New Mexico with a double bachelor's degree in Marketing and Human Resource Management, Keturah as written numerous novels and screenplays. Her screenplays have placed in the following contests: Austin Film Festival (Semi-finalist, Top 25), Anything But Hollywood (Finalist, Top 10), Nicholl Fellowship (Quarter-finalist), The Writer's Network (Semi-finalist), American Screenwriters Association, and Hollywood Gateway/StudioNotes (Semi-finalist).

CONFERENCE STAFF

Bil Clement
Tech Coordinator
A native son of Santa Fe, Bil [sic] has managed to avoid fame and recognition for his writing and producing talents for decades. Sadly, he claims, word is getting around and will soon force on him the responsibilities he was born to. If you see him working during the conference, you will be one of a handful that can boast that claim. Please remind him his WGA fees are due for YEAR OF RUM, THE GREGOR BLADE, and WHERE LAZARUS LIES. Also, his mother misses hearing from her oldest son.

Terry Cutler
Press Agent
Teresa Cutler is a professional writer of fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, essays, travel pieces and more. Through her company InkWell, Inc. she writes and edits for clients around the world. She wrote her first screenplay in 1989, has written a number of them since, and her latest, "Burn," has been optioned. In 2005 she was hired to adapt a novel to screen which will go into production soon. Currently Terry is working on four scripts whose stories span the globe from Italy to Iraq, and from Turkey to Westcliffe, Colorado. She is also in pre-production on three documentaries: one about the looting of antiquities from Iraq; one about Middle Eastern Belly dance in New Mexico; and another about Gary Ziegler, discoverer of new and controversial stone cities in Peru. For more information about her current projects, please check her website (www.inkwell-inc.biz). And ask her about her writing retreats in Italy starting in 2008!

Angela Damron
Administrator
Angela Damron, a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, has been published by Candlewick Press for her poetry. The collaborative book is entitled, Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming. She was also the recipient of the Truman Capote Award in 1999 for excellence in writing. In the last decade, Angela has studied poetry to screenwriting, wanting to learn all forms before finally moving into the craft of screenwriting. Among her works is a book of prose entitled Alabaster Child, two novels; Courage to Kill the Buffalo and Redlands Paper; five plays, three short films from which two have won awards. Currently Angela is polishing her third screenplay, "Sugar High."

Matt Dixson
Director, The Hollywood Connection
Matt is a native New Mexican. A graduate of the University of New Mexico, he double majored in History and Physical Education. Currently, he spends his days teaching Economics, World History, and Film Criticism. His involvement in the conference began three years ago as an attendee, and eventually moved into the faculty as a volunteer coordinator. Now as Director of The Hollywood Connection component of the conference, Matt is responsible for connecting with Hollywood producers who are real players and are aggressively seeking screenplays to produce.
Matt is an optioned screenwriter and is currently working on a project with a producer he met through the conference. The script which is based on a greek myth is titled: "Eros and the Goddess" and slated for production in late 2008/early 2009.

Peg Durkee
Administrator
Here comes Peg: a capable gal who seems to love everyone she knows. Perky and bright, Peg is a singer and an award-winning songwriter. Her diversified background includes that she won a philosophy scholarship to Dallas Community College, has extensive experience in marketing, event planning, and administration (which is helpful as she is the SCSFe Administrator). She is writing her first drama/spiritual screenplay and intends to have it polished and ready to pitch at our 2008 Conference. Be sure to ask her about it. Peg was born in Dallas and is quick to say, "But that dont mean I like Country music."

Darren Foster
Webmaster
Darren Foster teaches screenwriting at the University of Colorado, Denver and the Colorado Film School. He is the Founder and President of Film Scribe and the Co-Founder of The Vail Filmmaker Project at the Vail Film Festival where he is currently a member of the Festival's Advisory Board. Darren has been on the faculty of The Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe since 2005 and has taught at various festivals, conferences and educational institutions nationwide. An active screenwriter, Darren has written over a hundred screenplays with several under option and/or contract. He is the Owner and President of Film Scribe Productions and the Co-Founder of Serotonin Rising Pictures, LLC. His latest films include Nephilim (www.nephilimthemovie.com) slated for production oversees in 2008 and Serotonin Rising (www.serotoninrising.com) currently in production in Boulder, Colorado. Darren resides in Estes Park, Colorado with his wife, Shana.

John Hayes Actors Choice Awards Producer Bio Coming Soon... Nothing to report?

Vicki Joyce
Hospitality Coordinator
Vicki was a semi-finalist in the American Accolades Screenplay Contest for her screenplays Hell Gate to Golden Gate and Geode. She was a quarter finalist in the 7th Annual International Screenplay Competition for her screenplay Hell Gate to Golden Gate. Her newest script, Frat Mom, has received attention from several production companies.

Laura K. Marsh
Staff at Large
Laura grew up in southern California a surfer, an artist, and a birdwatcher. Not, remarkably, a screenwriter. Several degrees later (B.S, M.S, M.A., Ph.D., and a post-doc at Los Alamos National Lab), she has worked all over the world in tropical rainforests studying everything from plants to monkeys to jaguars to people. She has published in professional journals on many aspects of science, including a book, and she has discovered a new species of saki monkey in Ecuador. She began formally writing screenplays nearly three years ago and now has three feature scripts being sent out for funding. She has a kids book coming out published by Dark Horse with Bernie Wrightson illustrations. She is a producer/writer on a documentary with Mark Medoff on bird flu, and is a producer/writer on Terry Moores Strangers in Paradise comic books for serialized TV. Laura is currently writing a new script on spec for her manager, Dan Halsted. In her spare time, she owns True Believers Comics & Gallery in Santa Fe and volunteers for SCSFe.

David Shepard
Troubleshooter
Shep began his movie career very early in life when he starred in his first film as a one year old at a birthday party. This also marked the decline of his acting career due to failing to follow simple directions, destroying the cake, and redecorating the set in frosting. Shep partially recovered from this travesty and has been our "Trouble Shooter" (Troublemaker) for the past nine years.

Kirsten Sigurdson
Volunteer Coordinator
Kirsten was born and raised in New Mexico. During her teen years she became a member of the Screen Actors Guild, but found she had a love for writing scenes, not acting in them. In College, she worked with a WGA Signatory Agency as a script reader and then wrote her first screenplay. After graduating from the University of New Mexico with a Degree in Journalism and Business, Kirsten set screenwriting aside and broke into the creative world of Advertising, but recently returned to her love of writing. Currently she is pursuing a professional screenwriting career and is actively taking classes, writing and marketing her projects.

Melissa J. White
Program Book Designer
"Mel" is an award-winning writer and designer currently enrolled in the screenwriting track at the New Mexico Film Intensive studying with Tom Musca. Her book "Dizzy Sushi" won a Recursos de Santa Fe Discovery Prize and will be published by Tres Chicas Books in 2008/2009. She received the Henry Austin Prize for Poetry upon graduation from St. John's College in Santa Fe, and was appointed to the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission in 2006. Her narrative non-fiction essays, interviews, poetry and short fiction have been published in Whole Earth Review, THE Magazine, Indian Artist Magazine, the Santa Fe Reporter, Crosswinds, the New Mexican and Fish Drum among others. Mel owns Whitespace Creative, Santa Fe (www.whitespacecreative.com) a branding/design business, and is the communications director for Recycle Runway (www.recyclerunway.com).

Return to Top of Page