2010 - 11/2010 Meeting

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BRAD ABRAHAM

Brad Abraham is a multi-talented writer.

His dark fantasy spec WEAVER ISLAND was recently optioned by Rue Morgue Cinema [Cutthroats Nine]. An innovative blend of live action and animation to be directed by Vincent Marcone & Rodrigo Gudino (Genie Award Nominated The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow), Weaver Island is scheduled to begin production in 2010.

Prior to that he adapted the gritty urban tale EMERGE which won a spot in the prestigious National Screen Institute’s Features First program and has been partnered with Little Engine Moving Pictures [The Limits] with an eye to commencing production in late 2010. He also wrote the Pilot for Little Engine’s in development TV series CALL ME, and will serve as its Co-Executive Producer.

STONEHENGE APOCALYPSE, a movie he wrote for CineTel Films wrapped production in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2009 and will air on SyFy and around the world this year.

HELL FOR BREAKFAST, his horror-comedy about crime, cannibalism and other wholesome family values, was purchased by New Zealand's First Sun Features [The Irrefutable Truth About Demons], and is scheduled to begin production in Wellington soon.

Brad was an un-credited writer on the remake of the 70s slasher classic BLACK CHRISTMAS for Copper Heart Entertainment [Ginger Snaps, Splice] and Mark Cuban’s 2929 Films. Glenn Morgan [Final Destination] directed, and it was released in late 2006 by Dimension Films.

BILLY BISHOP, his screenplay based on the remarkable true story of the World War One flying ace, won a Telefilm Grant in 2003 and is currently soliciting producers.

Through 2002-2003 he was a staff writer for the Breakthrough Films and Television series I LOVE MUMMY, credited on two episodes; Wheel of Reincarnation, and Master of Disaster.

In 2000 he produced the award-winning animated short HOVERBOY, with its creator Marcus R. Moore [Harold Rosenbaum: Chartered Accountant EXTREME!].

In 1999 he co-wrote ROBOCOP: PRIME DIRECTIVES for Fireworks Entertainment [Mutant X, Andromeda]. This continuation of the classic 1987 sci-fi hit aired to acclaim around the world.

When not writing for film and TV, he is at work on his first novel; a murder mystery set in Renaissance Italy, and a graphic novel set against the backdrop of the Alt Rock explosion of the early 1990s. He lives in New York City.

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: November 14, 2010.

Meeting Site: Saddle River Valley Cultural Center.

Oficial Attendance: 19.

Meeting Program: Talk with Clips for Science Fiction Television / Movie Writer.

Notes:

Meeting Memories:

Newsletter Account:

The Science Fiction Association of Bergen County met for their General Meeting on Saturday, November 14, 2010 at the Saddle River Valley Cultural Center in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

The animated DOCTOR WHO adventure, The Infinite Quest, was lightly attended by our Animation Associates. The Ice Nine discussion got a late start, but was lively, starting off with current television shows and moving onto movies, books and other media.

Brad Abraham was the evening’s speaker. Mr Abraham is a script writer whose work includes the SyFy Channel movie, STONEHENGE APOCALYPSE the mini series ROBO COP: PRIME DIRECTIVES, and episodes of the Canadian childrens’ show, I LOVE MUMMY. He has also written for Rue Morgue and

Fangoria magazines.

Our speaker is from Canada, a land whose limited film industry tends to focus on earnest movies about lonely fishermen battling the seas. However, where there are books, there are fans, and Brad wanted to get into the science fiction movie business. His break came shortly after college at the 1998 Fantasia International Film Festival in Toronto. The heavyweights of the industry would be there, but our speaker needed an entree. He and a friend hit upon the idea of tee shirts. They made tee shirts in honor of the event and presented them to the little guys, who introduced the duo to the big guys. Canada’s answer to Roger Corman deputized them as Festival gofers.

The pair tore tickets, sold tee shirts, ran errands, and saw 75 films in 30 days. “I watched Jet Li, Bruce Lee and Christopher Lee. I was all Leed out.” They also had the opportunity to talk about script writing ambitions and show samples of their work.

The contacts soon paid off. Fireworks Entertainment planned to reboot the ROBOCOP television series with four quick original television movies. The pair were brought to an executive meeting where they acted out their pitch script. “Who are these guys?” the suits asked. “They’re young, they’re talented, and they work incredibly cheap,” was the answer.

The project was a real pressure cooker, particularly the first script which was written from scratch in ten days. The next three were written at a pace which if not leisurely, was at least a step or two down from hyperkinetic.

The next two projects did not fare so well. The first was a reboot of ROBOT KICKBOXERS and the second a remake of BLACK CHRISTMAS. KICKBOXERS died in a court battle over licensing. A new director had his own vision for CHRISTMAS, although Brad was eventually paid in both instances.

Mr Abraham soon found himself in a position familiar to many a script writer. He was making a living writing scripts which were optioned or sold, but never filmed. Aside from a couple of episodes of I LOVE MUMMY, none of his work was making it to the screen. He decided it was time to leave Canada and come to America.

Brad had two reasons to come to New York. He was tired of being a big fish in the very small pool of Canadian science fiction script writers. He also had the opportunity to be with the woman he would marry, former club member Asta Sinusas. He had met Asta when she was at St Martin’s press as a publicist, working with Bruce Campbell.

The idea for STONEHENGE APOCALYPSE came up in a SyFy Channel pitch session by Cinetel Pictures. The pitch? The pyramids are bombs and Stonehenge is the timer. SyFy greenlighted the idea and Brad wrote the script.

The movie did really well for SyFy, doubling the network’s ratings for the night. It has been rebroadcast throughout the world and did particularly well in Germany. Brad watched the initial broadcast in a bar with a group of friends and said it was like having a commentary track.

.Brad Abraham is currently working on four projects: a movie script, a television proposal, a comic book proposal, and a novel. He writes from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM from Monday to Friday. He goes for a walk whenever he gets stuck.

He suggests that aspiring screen writers take courses in Business and Politics as well as Film. Each brings a useful skill set needed by someone in the industry.

Our thanks to Brad, Asta and anyone who helped out at the meeting.