We were lucky to catch up with Shannan E. Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shannan E. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

The Professional Pen (TPP) doesn’t do script coverage. That’s a big deal. And here’s why… After a writer has completed their screenplay, they’re looking for next steps to get their story on the screen. Before a screenwriter sends their script out to Hollywood executives, they need an extra pair of eyes on the story to check for plot holes, story structure, and other areas of confusion. This leads them to script coverage companies.

When a screenwriter submits their script to a coverage company, they are assigned an unknown reader at any skill level from intern to industry professional to evaluate their script’s marketability and give subjective comments on the story’s strengths and weaknesses. Companies then give the screenplay a score or recommendation, leaving the screenwriter wanting to improve their rating to hopefully gain access to the largest gated community in the world, Hollywood, and get their stories produced.

After spending weeks, months, or even years rewriting, the scriptwriter will return to said coverage company, resubmit their screenplay, and get reassigned to another unknown reader. Why is this a problem?
* The 2nd reader has not read the first version of the script.
* The 2nd reader is uninformed of the notes given by the 1st reader.
* The 2nd reader can now give contradictory notes to the 1st reader.
* The screenwriter is left confused and unsure how to address the notes in the next draft.

Sounds crazy, right? But why is this? Why is the system set up this way? Let’s back up a little bit and give a history lesson on script coverage. Script coverage companies are a business model that has taken an internal report – coverage written by readers (usually assistants or interns) for producers and executives to evaluate the marketability and fit for the respective company’s brand, mandate, and slate – and made it accessible to the public. The reader’s feedback, ie. coverage, tells the executive if they should bother to read the script or send it to file 13. So you see, coverage was never intended for the writer’s eyes. It’s most beneficial to buyers and their liaisons – networks, studios, production companies, managers, and agents, not writers.

Because coverage is not written with an intention to help writers grow or develop their stories, it may inform a writer of problems within their screenplay, but it doesn’t help writers address those problem areas. And if writers can’t address the notes and promptly turnaround a revised draft, then they won’t build the skillsets necessary to make it in Hollywood.

What a conundrum. Talk about a Catch 22. That’s where TPP comes in. We’ve solved this problem by:
* Assigning each writer to their personal screenwriting coach, our Story Experts, who will track their progress from draft to draft and celebrate their wins with them. No more contradictory notes.
* Providing detailed, objective, and actionable Development Notes based on why some elements in the story aren’t working and how they can be fixed.
* Offering space for the writer to ask clarifying questions in a 1:1 session with their personal Story Expert. No more confusion about why a note was given.
* Creating a specific plan for the writer’s revision process that addresses their unique areas of development and writing goals. No more trying to figure out how to address notes themselves.
* Working 1:1 with writers through the revisions process so they don’t feel like they’re going at this screenwriting game alone in an already isolating industry.
* Setting deadlines and offering accountability so writers can hone the soft-skills necessary to make it in Hollywood.

So, TPP doesn’t do script coverage. We offer Development Notes. Development Notes set up a pseudo development process with writers that simulates working with actual executives and producers in the studio system. So not only are writers getting actionable notes that set them up for a successful next draft, but they are also being prepared to be a working writer in the industry.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve always been a nerd. I spent most of my time as a child with my head buried in a book, even while walking. At age 8, my elementary school teacher, Mrs. Jones, told me I should be a writer after reading my descriptive paragraph about a blade of grass. And so, set in my goal of becoming an author.

While in undergrad at Texas A&M University getting my degrees in both English and Journalism, my mother sent me a magazine article about a black, female TV writer. Though, I had never mentioned wanting to be a screenwriter – I didn’t even know they existed. I thought writers authored books that magically appeared on screen – my mother’s intuition knew this was my path. Already applying to graduate programs, I switched gears from creative writing to film school.

Matriculating through Florida State University for my MFA in Professional Writing (film, TV, creative writing, and playwriting) is where I was redirected to development when my screenwriting instructor said during one of our workshops, “Why can you get everyone else out of their problems, but you can’t do it for yourself?” Instead of taking this as an insult to my writing – I know I’m a good writer – I took it as confirmation. Workshopping other people’s scripts was fun to me. I could see their problems like math equations and solve them easily. I actually enjoyed developing other people’s stories a smidgen more than I enjoyed writing my own. So after graduation, instead of trekking through the cruel streets of hustling to become a working writer in Hollywood, I went the corporate route.

I became a development and current programming executive at The Syfy Channel through the NBC Entertainment Associates Program – a fast track to the executive suite. Here is where I honed my skills in taking writers and producers from pitch to production on shows like HAVEN, BEING HUMAN, EUREKA, WAREHOUSE 13, and more Syfy dramedies. Then I quit.

I left the industry for 8 years to travel the globe as a performing artist in dance companies and Broadway National Tours – didn’t see that coming, huh? During that time, my love for storytelling didn’t wane, so I began The Professional Pen in 2012 as the ultimate side hustle. Gotta keep the coins coming in when you’re living contract-to-contract – the life of a performing artist.

When my knees and back were tired of being used and abused, I returned to Los Angeles with every intention of becoming an executive again. But, Hollywood is the largest gated community in the world. You cannot get the passcode unless you know someone. Nepotism at its finest. And guess what? I was on the outside of the gate. But not for long. In 2019, I turned my side hustle – giving freelance screenplay feedback – into a full-fledged script consultancy, knowing that there are a plethora of talented writers waiting to get inside. I’ve got the code, and it’s my duty to share it.

I, as CEO + Head Consultant, and my three hand-picked and thoroughly-trained Story Experts develop screenwriters from idea to pitch to become more confident storytellers prepared for a professional screenwriting career and consult with scripted film and TV teams to streamline their development process to get them to pre-production more efficiently. We offer four tiers of services that help writers beef up their writing portfolio and level up their screenwriting career.
* Development Notes: For writers of all levels who have tried script coverage but still feel stuck in their writing, TPP’s Story Experts provide detailed, page-by-page, objective feedback with actionable notes for an efficient revisions process.
* Membership: For Newbie writers in this screenwriting game, TPP offers a membership community with access to a safe space for learning, growth, valuable feedback, and a supportive environment to thrive in their writing journey through courses, workshops, Q&A’s, industry guest speakers, a library of screenwriting resources, and more.
* Mentorship: For Emerging writers ready to push out several writing samples a year, nab their next professional gig, and are in need of an accountability partner, TPP offers 1:1 mentorship from idea to pitch with a Story Expert.
* Script Development Lab:  For Established writers who have reached a few milestones in their screenwriting career but are frustrated by the nepotism in Hollywood blocking their access to the gate, TPP offers a small group writing intensive from idea to pitch, culminating in an opportunity to pitch to Hollywood power brokers.

At TPP, we are script consultants, teachers, therapists, and coaches. The TPP technique is to use life’s ups and downs to teach storytelling to our clients and use storytelling elements to teach the ups and downs of life to college students with big dreams in our  College Speaker Series.  We access our clients’ vulnerabilities and make them put themselves on the page in order to create impactful stories. That’s where the good stuff is. It’s our job to pull it out. We want writers to win. And we’ll be there every step of the way in their writing journey.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

I am the only employee of my company at present. The TPP Story Experts are contractors who are paid per project. I have had to miss payroll for myself several times this year due to the writer’s strike. As a small business, services, orders, and products are purchased at an inconsistent rate. I keep a daily presence on social media and take speaking engagements as often as possible to gain exposure for my company, brand, and services, but even with all of those efforts, profits fluctuate week to week. But what happens when service orders almost come to a complete halt due to something you have no control over?

The writers’ strike began on May 2, 2023. The Writers Guild of America went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). At 148 days, it was the largest interruption in the film and TV industry since COVID, only three years prior, and the 2nd longest strike since 1988. Writers, and therefore other industry professionals affected by the lack of screenplays to produce, were suffering. Not only am I a writer, but my clients are writers.

At that time, my company was hosting a screenwriting retreat where we didn’t get as much participation as we’d like and therefore didn’t make the profits that were possible. I had also come out of 2022 having spent a large amount of money in our marketing budget without getting the results we expected. So, the company was already in a place of recouping funds. When the strike happened, causing my corporate contracts with studios, networks, and production companies to halt – many reduced staff and closed their doors – and writers’ morale fell into the gutter – many left LA and moved back home to start new careers – I had to realize that I was my most expensive line item. I would have to sacrifice my salary to keep the company afloat.

As a consultancy, there isn’t a large overhead. Most of the expenses are from app subscriptions and fees. So, I paused my salary along with the contract for my current assistant and blog writer, removed any app subscriptions that weren’t integral in running the business, and paused my own personal investments and donations to community organizations. I needed to make my life and the needs of the company as minimal as possible. And I did. So, how did I survive?

I utilized federal resources, reduced excessive spending, and lived off my savings. I always encourage anyone, but especially creatives and small business owners, to have a savings account for a rainy day. Sadly, in this industry, rain comes despite the myth that it doesn’t rain in Southern California. After you’ve set your salary as an employee of your business, with each paycheck, pay yourself first (as in, send a percentage to your rainy day account) and pay your business second (as in, send a percentage to your business’ rainy day account). This way, each time you are paid, your contingency accounts are funded as well. In the past six months, I’ve paid myself every two months from the business checking account once I reach enough sales that equal my salary. If I don’t reach that goal, I don’t get paid. Though I’ve had to use my personal savings to pay my home expenses, I have not had to touch my business savings account. God willing, I won’t have to.

The WGA strike recently ended on September 27th, but the celebration was short-lived because the actors of SAG-AFTRA were still striking with the AMPTP, so production couldn’t move forward. I was able to see a slight uptick in service orders enough to pay myself again, but ultimately, the company was back at square one.

Though the SAG-AFTRA strike came to a close on November 9, 2023, we are now headed into the holidays. Hollywood tends to shut down after Thanksgiving, and development and production is so long of a process that there isn’t much that can be done before the new year. My plan is to keep networking to establish new connections for new contracts, and keep pitching myself to screenwriting festivals and organizations to host workshops for their audiences and colleges and universities to host speaking engagements for their up-and-coming creatives.

2023 has been hard, but I’m positive that things will turn around and our demand will soon be more than our supply causing us to grow at a rate faster than expected. What I know is that writers still have stories to tell, and TPP is the best place to guide them in reaching their writing goals.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My life has been filled with pivots. So much so that the TPP College Speaker Series for students with big dreams (ie. Hollywood) is centered around the fact that I’m a quitter. It sounds negative, but just watch me flip it.

I walked straight off the graduation stage at Texas A& University into a career as an Academic Scholarship Advisor and Recruiter there. It didn’t take long before I realized I was helping my students pursue their dreams – even starting a non-profit for teen girls – while stifling my own. So, I quit. I packed my life into my Chevrolet Cavalier and headed to Hollywood to join the crowd of eager creatives waiting on the passcode for entry. My staving artist life led me through internships, assistant positions to celebrity directors and top executives, and ultimately an MFA film school degree.

You already know the story by now. I returned to Hollywood as a TV Executive at The Syfy Channel. Then… I quit… again… because YOLO. No, really. When I decided to audition for a dance company on the other side of the country that didn’t pay a quarter of my current salary or offer benefits, I called my mother to set me straight. Instead, she replied, “Do you know you only live once?” And this was way before Drake made it cool.

At age 28, I left my cushy executive job to explore the world touring 19 countries and 48 states in dance companies and Broadway National Tours. I inhaled culture, perspective and experience that honed my creative sensibilities and catapulted my confidence. So, when I returned to LA to live in my purpose but doors continued to slam in my face, I took the leap and bet on myself. I stopped pursuing my dreams and started chasing my reality. I became the protagonist of my own story. So, I proudly laud my life as a quitter because now, I’m a CEO.

As CEO, we’re always pivoting. We analyze data, research our audience, realign our missions as we collect information. During the writer’s strike, I had time to focus on the business side of TPP. I got a chance to ask myself who I wanted my target audience to be and regardless of what I know they need to be successful screenwriters, I had to consider what they think they need and what they were actually purchasing.

So, I created a customer avatar and streamlined our service offers from a Cheesecake Factory list of tasty yet overwhelming options into a more client-focused tier offering that transitions writers from newbies to established screenwriters in Hollywood. Before, our messaging was clearly just for newbies and open to anyone with a story to tell. That wasn’t specific enough.

For the remodel, I took into consideration the key skills screenwriters need in order to write multiple screenplays a year and be consistently booked:
* Being competent in screenplay structure
* Knowing how to outline
* Effectively receiving and addressing notes
* Writing on deadline

And the major pain points writers face when matriculating through their career:
* Disappointment in script coverage
* Confusion in addressing notes
* A lack of understanding of the business
* Frustration with the lack of access due to Hollywood nepotism
* Feeling isolated as if they’re on this journey alone

Now, after redesigning the website and restructuring our offers to fit our clients’ needs, it’s clear that TPP functions as a pseudo development process in the studio system that works 1:1 with screenwriters to build an impressive writing portfolio so they’re ready to take on Hollywood. Our services address our clients’ pain points and teach them the skills needed for their specific writing level.

There will always be a moment where pivoting is necessary. Utilize it as a chance to learn, grow, and redirect your goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theprofessionalpen.com
• Instagram: @theprofessionalpen
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/theprofessionalpen
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/shannanejohnson
• Twitter: @shannanejohnson
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/shannanejohnson

Image Credits
All photos – Jordan Spry