Script Mentoring

Why Script Mentoring?

Having a long-term relationship with an experienced industry mentor will allow for a closer working partnership and will enable you as writer to get continuous feedback on one or more projects and help you to hone your scripts so that they are ready to go out to the industry.

The relationship will allow for a combination of written feedback and face-to-face meetings. It will also combine feedback on specific projects (whether pitches, outlines, scripts) with career advice.

Mentoring relationships will last 6 months – 12 months (max).

The mentorships will comprise of 7 hours of meetings + 10 hours reading, written feedback (or any combination of the two to a total of 17 hours work by the mentor – the mentor will keep you apprised of how much time you have left in the bank).

In general, meetings will follow on ASAP after receipt of written feedback.

All meetings to be held in agreed public venues in central London unless otherwise agreed between writer & mentor.

The mentorship can include professional / career guidance as well as feedback on specific projects.

The mentorships are for screenwriters in TV and film. We will also consider working with writers of theatre and radio drama.

The exact make-up of the mentoring relationship will be discussed at the initial meeting (eg whether you work on already existing scripts or start on a brand new project).

We hope to be able to connect you to development executives, producers and literary agents at the end of the mentoring programme – but this cannot be guaranteed and is dependent on your mentor’s assessment of your project/s at the end of the mentoring period. This will be assessed on a project-by-project basis. We cannot give you a guarantee at the start of the process that we will be able to help you promote and market a project.

How Long does it Last?

The maximum period for the mentorships is 1 year. This will only be extended if the mentor takes more than three weeks to get feedback to you.

Where does it Take Place?

All meetings to be held in agreed public venues in central London unless otherwise agreed between writer & mentor. Suggested meeting places – South Bank – Royal Festival Hall, BFI. Euston area – Wellcome Collection Café, Friends Meeting House.

If mutually convenient, Zoom meetings are also possible – but face-to-face meetings are preferable.

How Much Does it Cost?

COST – £1900. Either – all payable before start of mentorship OR, if preferred, 50% payable before start of mentorship, 50% payable after the 1st 3 months of mentorship. (These dates to be mutually agreed between mentor and writer).

NB The initial £950 will NOT be refunded if you pull out of the mentorship after the first three months.

How Do I Sign-up?

SCRIPT MENTORSHIP places are limited. Interested writers need to submit a sample script and writing CV to apply for a mentorship. We will let you know either way within 3 weeks of receipt of application email, CV & script. Covering emails should explain why you want to take up one of the mentorships and what you want to gain from it. (NB We won’t charge for assessing your application). You don’t need to be an experienced screenwriter to be accepted onto the script mentoring – we aim to work with both new and more experienced writers. But we will assess your level of ability – we want to work with writers who we feel we can help.

Please state in your application which mentor you would like to work with.

The Mentors...

Philip Shelley

I have now been running script-consultant.co.uk for ten years. In that time I have worked with hundreds of dramatic writers – both brand-new and highly-experienced writers. In the past two years I have dabbled with a SCRIPT-MENTORING initiative but only now have I fully formalised a way of working that will work for me, the other mentors and hopefully you – the writers. There have been many success stories for the writers I have worked with (see client testimonials).

As well as working one-to-one with writers via the website, I have done a lot of script development work with production companies – recommending writers, script-editing and advising on their projects. Companies I have advised/worked with recently include Shiny Button Productions; MediaXchange, Ochre Moving Pictures (South Africa); Footnote Productions/RTE (Ireland); Silver Reel (Switzerland); Conker Films; Bryncoed Productions.

Concurrent with this work through the website, for the last 11 years I (initiated and) have run the prestigious Channel 4 Screenwriting Course – that has scouted and introduced to the TV drama industry some of the most successful TV dramatists in the UK (eg Charlie Covell, The End of The F**king World; Anna Symon, Mrs Wilson, Deep Water; Vinay Patel, Dr Who, Murdered By My Father).

I regularly run courses in screenwriting, script-editing and creativity for many different organisations (recently – Warner Bros UK; BBC writers room; ScreenSkills; BBC Studios).

Tom Williams

Tom has years of experience in script editing and development, specialising in working with new, exciting voices for television. He recently script edited primetime period drama STONEHOUSE for ITV starring Matthew Macfadyen, as well as docudrama VARDY V ROONEY: A COURTROOM DRAMA.

In development, he has worked with a host of companies – including Various Artists Ltd, New Pictures and Clearwood Films – with a focus on identifying and progressing new writers. He currently works as script consultant for Sony Pictures Television International.

Tom has worked with Philip Shelley over three years of the 4Screenwriting Course as shadow script editor, reader and mentor, developing rising talent (Anthony Moriarty, Rachel Clark) and helping them gain representation. Most recently, he read for Philip’s Greenlight Screenwriting Lab – a scheme launched by Danú Media to find and develop the next generation of Irish screenwriters.

In his spare time, Tom runs an industry-wide junior development group that aims to support and mentor members at the beginning of their careers. The group meets every two months and hosts renowned guest speakers, such as heads of development and producers.

Maud Dromgoole

Maud is a writer, reader and dramaturg who has worked extensively across TV, Theatre and Short Film. As a reader and dramaturg she works for The Royal Court Theatre, Sonia Freedman Productions, Soho Theatre, BBC Writersroom, and various other independent companies as well with individual writers on a freelance basis. She worked with Philip as a reader and assistant script editor on the Channel 4 programme 2021 (you can read her thoughts about the process here ).

As a writer she trained on Drama Room (BBC Writersroom), Royal Court Invitational Group (lead by Alice Birch and Alistair McDowall), and the Hampstead Theatre Inspired Programme (lead by Roy Williams). She has two published plays, and her work has been staged at venues including The Royal Court Theatre, Jermyn Street Theatre, Vaults Festival, and Paines Plough Roundabout, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and shown at many short film festivals. She is currently working on a variety of commissions for theatre and television.

Tamar Saphra

Tamar is a script editor, dramaturg and a director, working across TV, Film and Theatre.

She has been development coordinator to commissioner Lucy Richer at BBC Drama and assistant script editor on NEAL STREET’s Call The Midwife (BBC) as part of ELEVEN FILM’s Duly Noted Scheme 2023. Most recently, she worked with CARNIVAL FILMS as Assistant Script Editor on 6-part drama Lockerbie (SKY/PEACOCK). Tamar’s background is as a Theatre Director & Dramaturg: she was Senior Reader at the National Theatre, & Resident Director at the Almeida Theatre.

Tamar is co-founder of Olwen Wymark award-winning dramaturgy and script-reading company RoughHewn, where she supports writers of all experience levels to shape and develop their work for both stage and screen. She has been a script reader for many of the UK’s most prolific new writing theatres and playwriting awards, including: the Almeida, The Royal Exchange, Soho Theatre, the Bush, the Bruntwood and Papatango Prizes, and the Verity Bargate Award.

Tamar was a reader and shadow script editor on the C4 Screenwriting Course 2020, for BBC Writersroom (Open Call; TV Drama Writers Programme; Script Room), for BBC Writers Academy, and for All3Media. She has been Script Editor on three short films, and is currently building her own development slate, collaborating with four screenwriters across three original series’ and two feature films.

Lilly Shahmoon

Lily is a script editor, reader, and playwright, who has been working in the industry since 2018.

As a writer, she has had short plays on in venues all over London, and her debut play LIPSTICK opened at the Southwark Playhouse in 2020 to critical acclaim.

Lily has studied at the University of East Anglia, where she completed the prestigious Creative Writing MA, and in 2019 was selected for the Royal Court’s Writer’s Group. She has dedicated her career to the study and craft of storytelling, becoming a reader for many industry’s top production companies (BBC Film, ITV Studios and more), and regularly reads for the 4Screenwriting course.

She has worked closely with writers as a shadow script editor for the 2019 4Screenwriting course, as well as through her own freelance script editing, and engages with writers regularly on the writing groups she runs.

She is interested in character-led, contemporary stories about the relationships that define us, and drawn to stories that feel true to the world we live in.

Kitty Percy

An award-winning screenwriter with a visual arts background, Kitty Percy specialises in distinctive, character-driven drama with a comedy edge.

Working across TV and film, she’s known for both original work and for book adaptations.

Her debut feature SHE WILL (dir. Charlotte Colbert), featuring Rupert Everett and Malcom McDowell, will be in cinemas this Autumn.

Meanwhile Kitty is working with BBC Studios on an original 4 part drama, while her first episode of brand new show SISTER BONIFACE is in post-production.

An MA in Screenwriting from the University of the Arts London and a decade of experience in a successful advertising writer/director partnership have given her industry nous, a knack for structure and a keen (but irreverent) instinct for genre and story.

She’s been both winner and judge in the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition, and is an evangelist when it comes to demystifying the craft of screenwriting, and helping new writers to find a voice.

Jamie Hewitt

Jamie is a script editor and developer with years of experience. He has worked as a script editor on shows including Strike Back, Holby City, Father Brown and Doctors, bringing new writers on to shows and working on over 100 episodes of broadcast television.

Prior to this, he worked with producer Jonathan Cavendish (Bridget Jones) and Andy Serkis on a number of feature film projects, including Breathe and Death and Nightingales, at The Imaginarium Studios. He has also worked on a number of international television developments for Studiocanal’s television arm, developing series with producers and broadcasters in the US, UK, France, Germany, Scandinavia and Benelux.

He is currently developing a slate of projects with Dutch-American producer Submarine Films, including hacking drama PONIES, and has a particular affinity for thrillers, family dramas/comedies, historical fiction, science fiction and horror.

Jamie has previously worked with Philip Shelley on four years of Channel 4’s prime new talent initiative, 4screenwriting, helping new writers develop scripts to help break them into television. The writers he has mentored on the course have had success in optioning their scripts to production companies and securing their first television commissions.

Jamie is a graduate of the NFTS script development course and is trained and experienced in working in both television and feature film.

Laura Tunbridge

Laura Jayne Tunbridge is a screenwriter, director and script editor. As a screenwriter Laura’s work has been nominated for a British Independent Film Award, selected for the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for a BAFTA. In 2020 Laura was selected as one of twelve writers to participate in its annual 4Screenwriting Course.

As a script editor Laura has worked with BFI Network Film Hubs in the South East, South West and Midlands as well as Screen Cornwall and a host of private clients. Laura also has experience working for BBC Drama Commissioning where she was the Assistant to the Head of Drama.

Laura is a graduate of the National Film and Television School (NFTS) where she studied MA Screenwriting. Laura is passionate about supporting new writers and is drawn to stories with diversity and authenticity at their heart.

Testimonials

Philip’s carrot and stick approach is the perfect way to take an initial premise through to draft stage. Despite not wielding a stick, nor offering any carrots, Philip's generous notes and feedback were intuitive, intelligent and invaluable in developing my vague idea and getting it through to a polished script.

Nick Flugge

I began working with Phil at the start of the pandemic to keep me focused whilst I worked and developed on various projects. Phil was an extremely supportive beacon, providing regular, honest feedback which helped me finish a pilot and a number of one page pitches. Phil really does have the writer's best interest at heart and is someone who pushes you to work hard and grind away. His passion for the craft of writing and his enthusiasm for championing writers is an extremely useful resource that any serious writer would benefit from. Thank you, Phil!

Alex Gwyther

Kitty’s support as a mentor has been invaluable. No question is too daft, no idea dismissed, I can ask anything without fear of judgement and receive an open and honest reply. Kitty encourages me to think differently, to view my script from another perspective, and always provides generous and constructive notes. I’ve also found it reassuring to know that I have someone on my side, to hold me to account with a deadline, or help with a crisis of confidence, a common occurrence in writers (Kitty assured me!). We've worked on a short film script, numerous pitch documents, and are now working towards my calling card script. I’d absolutely recommend Kitty, and Philip’s mentoring services, it has definitely improved my writing but also increased my knowledge of the industry and of being a writer within it.

Nicky Reddington (for Kitty Percy)

Jamie has been an invaluable guide throughout my writing journey, in more ways than one. He’s incredibly experienced and seems to immediately ‘see the wood from the trees', sensing where one can improve, and providing rich and entertaining real life examples to contextualise. Together we identified where my strengths and weaknesses lay, and he has provided the support (both practically and through gentle encouragement) I need to grow as a writer. It’s been amazing to build on my craft while producing work I can actually use!

Ally Mackie (for Jamie Hewitt)

Jamie went through the process from idea, to treatment, to script, teasing out different possibilities at each step. Jamie was always supportive, detailed, and available for a quick discussion when needed. He always ensured that the next step was clearly explained – along with providing a ton of additional resources – so that it felt exciting to progress. I would highly recommend Jamie for the mentoring service!

Amelia Hart (for Jamie Hewitt)

I have grown a lot as a writer under the mentorship of Philip and really enjoyed my time working with him. I always eagerly anticipated his feedback on my drafts as I knew he would find flaws that I could not see. His notes were always spot on and he never held back when something was not working but, importantly, he always offered constructive solutions to improve the script. During my mentorship we worked on three projects, two of which I had already started prior to meeting Philip. The third project, which was actually inspired by all the feedback I received from Philip, has now opened doors for me in the UK and Ireland and I have been commissioned to develop the first draft of a feature film. Philip shared my work with industry contacts and he was always there to provide support even after the mentorship had ended. I thoroughly recommend his services.

Andrew Lynch

Hi Philip, It’s just a great big thank you really for the mentoring service that ended recently with Joe Williams to whom I owe so much - I learned a lot. Every feedback and bits in between was clear and positive. If I was stuck I would refer back to Joe’s notes and always the answer was to be found, even though he was always there if need be. I shall be taking a lot with me and just would like you to know how very pleased I have been with the whole process. Thank you so very much. Best Wishes,

Joy Williams (for Joe Williams - no relation)

I can highly recommend using Phil’s mentoring service. During my six months working with Phil I found him to be both insightful and fully supportive. He will push you to write the best that you can! In my case Phil encouraged me to write from my own personal experience and the resulting, competition winning script has given me a great career boost. It’s been well received in the industry and opened many doors. I started with a one line idea and Phil guided me through the treatment stage and on to several script drafts. Phil even sent the finished script to producers and agents within the TV industry on my behalf. It’s been the most useful step I’ve taken in my writing career to date!

Ann Hawker

Phil’s feedback, whether it be for scripts, treatments or sketchy ideas, was consistently excellent. Consise yet effective, he pulled no punches when something was not working and offered constructive solutions on making my scripts the best they can be in a limited time frame. He went above and beyond in introducing me to the market in the UK and his outstanding reputation in the industry definitely opened doors for me. He didn’t vanish once the mentorship was done, either. He was always happy to provide support and answer any further questions I had. I have no hesitation in recommending his services.

Kristina Jilly

It has been, and continues to be, great to work with Kitty. Though the mentorship was meant to last 6 months, Kitty was flexible when I requested we use our hours over a longer span of time when I took on a new commitment of an MA in Screenwriting. She not only read and feedback on my work but also gave me great practical advice for getting into and working in the industry. Plus she always insists on buying me a slice of cake when we meet over tea! Thank you Kitty, and Phil for matching us.

Alix Eve (for Kitty Percy)