Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anissa Morgan . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

I started my screenwriting consultant business in the middle of 2020. At first, I was extremely scared to take the leap because I had no idea what I was doing or how I wanted to brand myself as a consultant. God gave me the idea to create a YouTube channel called “The Art of Screenwriting” which is an informational tool to help inspire and educate youth and young adults about Screenwriting and film. I believe that high-quality instructive videos should be available to everyone for free and that was why I decided to take everything I learned from school and place it in a medium where people from around the world can view free of charge. I believe that when you are blessed to have a vast knowledge of something, you shouldn’t be stingy with that information but instead – share it with someone who might know less of the subject than you.

So, after I started writing the scripts for my YouTube channel, I then started creating the images/videos in 2021. It took me a while to get everything started because the process required a lot of detail on my end – along with a lot of trial and error, but once I got it, I got it and it felt great. After uploading a few videos, I had a friend who mentioned that I should create a website where I could upload all my videos and also promote myself as a screenwriter. I agreed and he introduced me to a friend who created an amazing website for me while also mentioning that I also write for hire.

After about two months of my website being up, a young man reached out to me about possibly helping him with the script he was planning to submit to the Austin Film Festival. I told him that I placed in the festival for a drama feature back in 2020 so I had no problem helping him. It was great – my very first client!

I started working with him on his comedy and thriller screenplays and it wasn’t long after that that we got them to a point where it was ready for him to submit it. I remember when he emailed me, saying that he placed in a different competition and I was thrilled for him. I knew that this feeling of helping people and really seeing someone’s progression was very fulfilling to me and I wanted to keep that up. I decided that I would brand myself as a consultant in that moment and I haven’t stopped since.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in North Carolina and got my undergraduate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where I hold two Bachelor of Arts degrees (in Media Studies and Communication Studies). Shortly after graduating, I moved to Orange, CA where I went to Chapman University to receive my Masters of Fine Arts in screenwriting. I wish I could tell you the road to my MFA and beyond was an easy one, but that simply would be false. I’ve had amazing opportunities where people gave me a chance to intern and work for their company and I’ve had moments of intense persecution simply because of my desire to uphold Christian values in an industry that might not be so open to them. I’ve had jobs where all I did was do janitorial duties every single day and I’ve had the chance to work on a WGA movie and write something that gave me immense joy. I know what it’s like to humble myself and I know what it’s like being in a wilderness season. When you are a writer – you will have seasons where everything falls together and seasons where all you want to do is pick an entirely different career that doesn’t involve so many ups and downs.

However, I’ve come to realize that it’s in the wilderness season that you learn about resilience, deep joy that is independent of your circumstances, and a resolve that you will win if you do not quit.

In my film and screenwriting journey, the goal is to become a writer with depth and cinematic vision. I am a passionate young woman dedicated to channeling my youthful exuberance, unbridled energy, creative optimism, and diverse perspective through the myriad of professional funnels that I encounter. In addition, I engage in continuous learning by taking every possible opportunity to sharpen my skillset to catapult myself to a higher goal and purpose. In this industry, you have to know your ‘why’ or you will be lost in other people’s ‘whys’. My ‘why’ is simple: to write content that glorifies Jesus Christ and to always remain consistent in my efforts to write truth and purpose. I want to write content that allows someone to see themselves on screen challenging them to forgive their parents, go back to college, believe in their dreams, and decide to get out of bed the next day. That’s why I write and that’s why I will continue to write.

Even in seasons where I haven’t touched my laptop, I know that I am still a writer. When I decide to listen to someone’s story, when I talk to an old friend, or when I read a book on someone’s hard journey – stories and ideas are always flowing and I know that when opportunity meets preparation, it will align into a beautiful script.

My own experiences as an African American woman tremendously impact my writing while stopping short of overtaking it – thus allowing me to be extremely versatile. My character development, insightful dialogue, and powerful story arc have resulted in her being represented by both a professional manager and a seasoned literary agent at the Gersh Agency in Los Angeles, California.

In terms of my services, I offer a variety of them:
– Story Development & Structure: Characters, plotting, pacing, & formatting.
– Script Notes (for in-progress or finished pilots, screenplays, or treatments) / Provide critical feedback and line-by-line notes.
– Script Outlines
– Treatments & Pitch Decks
– Full Pilots or Screenplays (Rewrites)
– Full Pilots or Screenplays (Originals)

I love helping people and I believe that when someone is my client, it is my responsibility to get their script/screenplay to the best version it can be.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

During a time when I was looking for a job, I was emotionally and mentally exhausted. The lesson I had to unlearn was that I deserved something because I worked hard for it. You see, there’s nothing wrong with feeling like you accomplished a goal. That’s great! However, just because I had three degrees, had a nice personality, and did everything ‘by the books’ doesn’t mean life just owed me everything I wanted. Don’t let pride be your downfall. Celebrate your wins, yes – but never idolize them. Never make your accomplishments your ‘god’ because they will never satisfy you and they will let you down. Work hard, accept that rejection will come, and keep going. When you receive a good gift, appreciate it and be thankful. That’s something that I learned big time this year.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I remember April of this year. I was applying to 10-15 jobs every single day and that day was no different. I remember as I opened my laptop, I immediately got hit with incoming emails from the jobs I applied to last week. All of them said the same thing: ‘We regret to inform you’. I didn’t cry. I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t even upset. To be honest, I had gotten so many rejection letters that entire week I think I was numb. I was completely and utterly checked out – and I was done.

I was exhausted. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get a writing job. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get ANY job. I had three degrees, one of them being an MFA and NOTHING. It got to a point where I printed out a few resumes and walked on Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood, passing out my resumes to local coffee shops and businesses on the street. I had literally hit rock bottom. I started waking up later and later, my self-care took a toll and I couldn’t keep doing this. It had been three months of absolutely nothing and there was no light on the horizon. I questioned my faith, I wondered if God still wanted me to be in this industry, and after a few nights of tears – I asked God what to do next and He led me to a coffee shop.

At this point, the writer’s strike was and still is in full effect and I figured that I couldn’t hurt to try my hand at being a barista. I applied and within a week – I got the job at a coffee shop in Studio City, CA. I didn’t know a thing about coffee and to be honest, even though I’ve had many characters in my scripts about the struggling writer working full-time as a barista. I guess I was living out my own character. As I kept working as a barista, I found myself becoming less depressed and more motivated. It wasn’t easy – at the time, I was sleeping on my sister’s couch and living out of one open box of clothes. Looking back, I was pretty tired every single day but I kept hearing my personal creed “You will win, if you do not quit”. I couldn’t quit. I had to keep going. I knew my story wouldn’t end here but I really wasn’t sure if it would ever get better… because it was now pushing four months and I was still on a couch. But it did… it did get better and it came in the form of two things: A mindset shift and an answered prayer.

Here’s my point: Sometimes adversity is long. It doesn’t go away overnight or in a month or sometimes a year – but you have to remain steadfast. Steadfastness is when you are unmovable in your resolve. For me, it was remaining steadfast in my faith that God would come through. I wish I could show you the amount of rejection letters from jobs from January to August. Your jaw would drop. I wish I could show you the amount of times I cried myself to sleep or came to work fatigued with a bad attitude. I wish I could explain how many times I would have to sit in my car for half in hour, just so my younger sister didn’t get the poor version of me before I walked inside. You see, life can be rough. Really rough. It can be so rough that you literally want to throw your hands up and walk away from it because you’re done. I understand what that’s like. I know how that feels. But God saved me from doing just that and I’ll tell you how. When your joy is independent of your circumstances, you can truly win if you do not quit. Did my circumstances change? No… but my mindset did. I started getting to know my customers. I knew every person’s regular order, I learned how to do latte art, I got to know my customers and I decided that the couch wasn’t that bad. I would pass homeless people on the street every single day and I knew that I should be grateful that I could stay on a clean couch with food in the fridge and a roof over my head. I decided that life is not that bad. But that’s the thing – it was a decision.

I pivoted my career by recognizing that YES – I am a screenwriter, working at a coffee shop, who isn’t writing a single thing at the moment. However, that didn’t mean I wasn’t a writer anymore – it just meant life happened. Life will happen to you but don’t ever allow it to take your joy. Once I started seeking joy, God gave me the motivation to apply for jobs again and I ended up getting a professor position teaching what I love to do most – writing.

You see, sometimes good things not only happen to those who wait – but to those who win the test of perseverance. To those who decided to let joy be their disposition. To those who don’t give up. To whoever is reading this: don’t give up. You are so close.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anissamorganofficial.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anissa-morgan-74937120b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theartofscreenwriting/videos