Brad Schreiber
Encyclopedia
Brad Schreiber is an American playwright, screenwriter, author, journalist, essayist, literary consultant and instructor, as well as actor and producer. His writing, in the fields of stage, television, books, magazines, newspapers and radio reflect not only eclecticism but also a willingness to experiment with form and content.
in the United States. Schreiber’s mother, Mona, was an actress, writer, writing instructor as well as founder of the Foster City Writers Contest. She inspired Schreiber to found the international humor-writing contest, the Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Nonfiction in 2000.
The initial development of Schreiber’s writing came in Burlingame High School
, when he was editor-in-chief of the Burlingame B newspaper and the Phoenix literary magazine.
. His interest in experimentation with form was expanded via two theatre-comedy groups in which he wrote and performed, the Burlingame Philharmonic Orchestra and Friends of the Ozone (1973-77), working on live TV and radio, in recording studios and in clubs and theatres throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 1980, he was among a group of writers who created the San Francisco Playwrights’ Center. Schreiber’s interest in playwriting expanded with the production of his work at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and his interaction there with Sam Shepard
(1981-82), as well as the support he received from the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Inc.
and its founder, Edward Albee
, in 1982. In 1984, Schreiber moved to Los Angeles and became one of the founders of Theatre of NOTE.
affiliate KCET
in Los Angeles. In 1992, he began a long association with director Jonathan Kaplan, as his director of development, analyzing scripts, books, stories and other source material submitted to the director as potential TV or film projects.
Christopher Vogler
, author of the internationally renowned story structure book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
, asked Schreiber in 1999 to take on the position of Vice President of Storytech Literary Consulting. His consultations on client books and scripts incorporated not only Vogler’s ideas on The Hero with a Thousand Faces
by Joseph Campbell
, but Schreiber’s own experiences as writer, executive, producer and critic. He served for 11 years before becoming an independent literary consultant.
, NBC-TV’s Unsolved Mysteries
and the syndicated comic strip Ripley’s Believe It or Not that Weird Wonders records, like “Longest Tongue” and “Worst Plea for Money by a TV Evangelist” were real.
In 1998, book packager Don Ackland (using the nom de plume Tony Blanche) hired Schreiber to research, write and find photos for Death in Paradise: An Illustrated History of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. It was the only authorized history of the L.A. Coroner, the most technologically advanced in the world. Death in Paradise included the history and development of forensic science as well as the most psychologically, sociologically and forensically challenging cases of high profile murder, suicide and accidental death in Los Angeles County throughout the 20th century.
Influenced by Death in Paradise, Schreiber created the cable TV nonfiction series North Mission Road, which used cases from the L.A. Coroner and ran from 2003-2007 on Court TV (now truTV).
What Are You Laughing At?: How to Write Funny Screenplays, Stories and More (2001), an instructional book on humor writing, was the first to address both screenwriting and all forms of prose writing in the humorous form. Its most significant contributions to the academic study of the field were the sections “13 Things Bad Screenwriters Commonly Do” and “11 Modes of Comedic Dialogue.”
In 2006, Schreiber published Stop the Show!: A History of Insane Incidents and Absurd Accidents in the Theater. The book was a compendium of true stories about both notable and unknown theatre artists, recounting generally humorous, although occasionally horrific stories
about accidents during live theatre, primarily in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom, throughout the 20th century.
In 2010, Schreiber collaborated with Jimi Hendrix historian Steven Roby to write Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius (Da Capo/Perseus). The early years biography covered the years 1962-66 in the formation of the greatest electric guitarist in history.
In the beginning, the column compared recent film releases with the script versions on which he had consulted for Kaplan. His work for Entertainment Today, now a web site, evolved into book, film, television, music and theatre arts journalism as well as interviews, essays and parody news stories on the arts and politics.
(1987, awarded by the National Audio Theatre Festival
), “Sales Pitch” by Philip K. Dick
(1989) and “The Proud Robot” by Lewis Padgett
(2000) which aired on the Science Fiction Writers of America award-winning series 2000X.
Biography
Born in New York City, Schreiber’s father, Andrew, is a visual artist who in 1966 founded the Educationally Handicapped (E.H) program for high school students in San Mateo County (California) that became Special EducationSpecial education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
in the United States. Schreiber’s mother, Mona, was an actress, writer, writing instructor as well as founder of the Foster City Writers Contest. She inspired Schreiber to found the international humor-writing contest, the Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Nonfiction in 2000.
The initial development of Schreiber’s writing came in Burlingame High School
Burlingame High School
Burlingame High School is a public high school in Burlingame, California. It is part of the San Mateo Union High School District .-History:...
, when he was editor-in-chief of the Burlingame B newspaper and the Phoenix literary magazine.
Early career
Schreiber majored in Creative Writing and Theatre Arts at San Francisco State University, where his prose writing was influenced by studying poetry writing with Leonard WolfLeonard Wolf
Leonard Wolf is a poet, author, teacher, and the father of Naomi Wolf. He is known for his authoritative annotated editions of classic gothic horror novels, including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and The Phantom of the Opera, and critical works on the topic, as...
. His interest in experimentation with form was expanded via two theatre-comedy groups in which he wrote and performed, the Burlingame Philharmonic Orchestra and Friends of the Ozone (1973-77), working on live TV and radio, in recording studios and in clubs and theatres throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 1980, he was among a group of writers who created the San Francisco Playwrights’ Center. Schreiber’s interest in playwriting expanded with the production of his work at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and his interaction there with Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
(1981-82), as well as the support he received from the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Inc.
Edward F. Albee Foundation, Inc.
The Edward F. Albee Foundation was started by its namesake, playwright Edward Albee, in 1967, after revenue from his play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? proved abundant....
and its founder, Edward Albee
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
, in 1982. In 1984, Schreiber moved to Los Angeles and became one of the founders of Theatre of NOTE.
Literary consulting
Beginning in 1986, Schreiber worked on and off as a writer, producer and programming executive at Public Broadcasting ServicePublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
affiliate KCET
KCET
KCET, channel 28, is an independent, non-commercial public television station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. KCET's studio is located on West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is atop Mount Wilson. Al Jerome is the current CEO and President, serving since 1996.KCET was...
in Los Angeles. In 1992, he began a long association with director Jonathan Kaplan, as his director of development, analyzing scripts, books, stories and other source material submitted to the director as potential TV or film projects.
Christopher Vogler
Christopher Vogler
Christopher Vogler is a Hollywood development executive best known for his guide for screenwriters, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers.-Career:...
, author of the internationally renowned story structure book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers
The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers is a popular screenwriting textbook by writer Christopher Vogler, focusing on the theory that most stories can be boiled down to a series of narrative structures and character archetypes, described through mythological allegory.Vogler based this...
, asked Schreiber in 1999 to take on the position of Vice President of Storytech Literary Consulting. His consultations on client books and scripts incorporated not only Vogler’s ideas on The Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a non-fiction book, and seminal work of comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell...
by Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
, but Schreiber’s own experiences as writer, executive, producer and critic. He served for 11 years before becoming an independent literary consultant.
Books
Schreiber’s first book was Weird Wonders and Bizarre Blunders: The Official Book of Ridiculous Records (1989), a best-selling parody of the Guinness Book of World Records. Schreiber managed to convince media sources including The National EnquirerThe National Enquirer
The National Enquirer is an American supermarket tabloid now published by American Media Inc . Founded in 1926, the tabloid has gone through a variety of changes over the years....
, NBC-TV’s Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
and the syndicated comic strip Ripley’s Believe It or Not that Weird Wonders records, like “Longest Tongue” and “Worst Plea for Money by a TV Evangelist” were real.
In 1998, book packager Don Ackland (using the nom de plume Tony Blanche) hired Schreiber to research, write and find photos for Death in Paradise: An Illustrated History of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. It was the only authorized history of the L.A. Coroner, the most technologically advanced in the world. Death in Paradise included the history and development of forensic science as well as the most psychologically, sociologically and forensically challenging cases of high profile murder, suicide and accidental death in Los Angeles County throughout the 20th century.
Influenced by Death in Paradise, Schreiber created the cable TV nonfiction series North Mission Road, which used cases from the L.A. Coroner and ran from 2003-2007 on Court TV (now truTV).
What Are You Laughing At?: How to Write Funny Screenplays, Stories and More (2001), an instructional book on humor writing, was the first to address both screenwriting and all forms of prose writing in the humorous form. Its most significant contributions to the academic study of the field were the sections “13 Things Bad Screenwriters Commonly Do” and “11 Modes of Comedic Dialogue.”
In 2006, Schreiber published Stop the Show!: A History of Insane Incidents and Absurd Accidents in the Theater. The book was a compendium of true stories about both notable and unknown theatre artists, recounting generally humorous, although occasionally horrific stories
about accidents during live theatre, primarily in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom, throughout the 20th century.
In 2010, Schreiber collaborated with Jimi Hendrix historian Steven Roby to write Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius (Da Capo/Perseus). The early years biography covered the years 1962-66 in the formation of the greatest electric guitarist in history.
Journalism
Schreiber’s arts journalism has appeared in national publications like the Los Angeles Times, The Writer, Daily Variety and the web site the Huffington Post. In 1995, he started writing a column entitled “Development Hell” in the oldest weekly newspaper in Los Angeles, Entertainment Today (founded 1967).In the beginning, the column compared recent film releases with the script versions on which he had consulted for Kaplan. His work for Entertainment Today, now a web site, evolved into book, film, television, music and theatre arts journalism as well as interviews, essays and parody news stories on the arts and politics.
Other projects
In addition to the production of his stage plays, Schreiber’s interest in science fiction, particularly the themes of robotics and extraterrestrial intelligence, motivated him to adapt the work of notable science fiction authors for National Public Radio, including the stories “The One Who Waits” by Ray BradburyRay Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
(1987, awarded by the National Audio Theatre Festival
National Audio Theatre Festival
The National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. is a US-based organization sponsoring a yearly, five-day workshop on radio drama, voiceover and the audio arts, as well as other special training. Participants take classes on subjects such as voiceover and voice acting, audio engineering, Foley and...
), “Sales Pitch” by Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
(1989) and “The Proud Robot” by Lewis Padgett
Lewis Padgett
Lewis Padgett was the joint pseudonym of the science fiction authors and spouses Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore, taken from their mothers' maiden names. They also used the pseudonyms Lawrence O'Donnell and C. H...
(2000) which aired on the Science Fiction Writers of America award-winning series 2000X.
External links
- Official website
- RedRoom.com website
- A Critical Moment arts journalism archive
- Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Nonfiction
- Variety stories by Brad Schreiber
- Huffington Post stories by Brad Schreiber
- “13 Things Bad Screenwriters Commonly Do” by Brad Schreiber
- L.A. Weekly review of Stop the Show!
- “Errol Morris: Writing the Documentary in Your Head” by Brad Schreiber in Script Magazine
- Interview with Brad Schreiber on Politics, Paranoia and Philip K. Dick, KUCI-FM, University of California, Irvine