Every project has its own clock!
~ Ken Atchity
Most Important Lesson Every Screenwriter Should Learn: Don't Wait
Performentor Shorts: Dr. Ken Atchity on Rejection as an Illusion
Listen to Dr. Ken Atchity reframe rejection as an illusion we can see past, instead of the unmovable barrier. It matters. Find out why.
via @peopleenergyprinciples
Newtown screenwriter creates her own path to success, markets her own work
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Daina Ann Smith, of Newtown, is a screenwriter who got her start right from her kitchen table. Most recently, she had two of her original feature scripts brought into development. Smith also is working as a creative lead at an audio storytelling company. Photographed on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Newtown, Conn. H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media |
NEWTOWN — When Daina Ann Smith first sat down at her kitchen table nearly a decade ago to work on screenplays, she said she was in “steep student loan debt.”
And now, the first screenplay she completed, called “Student Loans,” is in development to be made into a full-length feature film with the producers of “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Magic Mike.”
“Student Loans” will hit theaters sometimes in 2026. “It’s been an eight-year-long journey,” said Smith, who works from home as a creative lead at Pocket FM, an audio storytelling company.
In 2018, she began working with “The Meg” producer Kenneth Atchity, who took one of her scripts into development. In 2021, Smith signed a contract for another original feature screenplay.
To get noticed by Hollywood producers, Smith said she looks for those involved in similar types of projects as the one she’s pitching, and emails them her queries.
Over the years, Smith said she has sent out thousands of emails and built an “amazing network.”
Her advice to fellow writers? Don't become obsessed with getting someone to represent your work.
“It’s very hard to get an agent,” Smith said. “You have to have a proven track record of selling work.
“Instead of focusing so much on that, I will continue to write and continue to build relationships," she said. "Don’t think that it can’t be you.”
Georgia O'Keeffe on Being An Artist
“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant — there is no such thing, making your unknown known is the important thing — and keeping the unknown always beyond you.”
Georgia O’Keeffe counseled Sherwood Anderson in her 1923 letter of advice on being an artist.
Produced BY: Mentoring Matters by Kia Kiso
Mentoring Matters - Developing A Career: Learning To Identify The Story You Want And Go After It |
| By Kia Kiso, |
 When I applied to the 2016 PGA Mentoring Program, I had just walked away from the option on a book into which I had put a lot of time and resources. I was disappointed and wished I could have saved the project. The experience led me to realize that development was an aspect of producing I was less familiar with. I was looking for expert advice on how to assess opportunities, set up a project for success, handle relationships with authors, lawyers and talent, and run a production company. Thankfully the PGA Mentoring Program paired me with producer Ken Atchity. I was thrilled to be matched with Ken for a lot of reasons, among them his industry experience and teaching background. However I admit, I was especially attracted to his philosophy—“I believe in the power of stories to change the world.” Our first connection was an in-person, 90-minute meeting, in which he gave me feedback on a particular project of mine. Ken had some great advice about pitching—if a project tackles potentially controversial or delicate issues, Ken advised weaving some well-researched statistics or facts into the pitch to send the message that the material wouldn’t suggest a problem for the network and lead to a premature no. He wrapped up the meeting saying I could contact him about the project at any time, even after the mentorship ends. Very generous. Since that first meeting, we’ve had a pivotal phone conversation during which he suggested I was in a great position to go after an option I was very excited about, helping me to design a strategy on how to move forward quickly—starting with enhancing my relationship with the rights owner. He’s been ready to answer any questions by email. Even as recently as this morning, we were in touch to discuss a lunch I was preparing for with a writer who wanted to work with me. Ken has been wonderful. He celebrates my triumphs and brainstorms solutions to my challenges. I am very grateful for his willingness to participate in the Mentoring Program and to the Producers Guild for providing it |
Famous Author Mentorships: William Faulkner and Sherwood Anderson
Anderson, an established writer in New Orleans, encouraged Faulkner to focus on novels and write about his native Mississippi region, leading to works like The Sound and the Fury. 
Faulkner reflects on the most important thing Anderson taught him about being a writer:
"I learned that, to be a writer, one has first got to be what he is, what he was born; that to be an American and a writer, one does not necessarily have to pay lip-service to any conventional American image… You had only to remember what you were."
Faulkner reflects on the most important thing Anderson taught him about being a writer:
"I learned that, to be a writer, one has first got to be what he is, what he was born; that to be an American and a writer, one does not necessarily have to pay lip-service to any conventional American image… You had only to remember what you were."
Decades later, Faulkner would remember Anderson as his sole important mentor in a beautiful 1953 piece originally published in The Atlantic as “Sherwood Anderson: An Appreciation.”
Justin Price Wins The One Voice Award!
BIG Congratulations to the talented Justin Allen Price Voice Over WINNER of the One Voice Award for best performance of an audiobook/fiction for his narration of Story Merchant Book's Talmadge Farm by Leo Daughtry - Author - Talmadge Farm!
You can now LISTEN to Talmadge Farm on Audible!
CAT DOOR, 1598, at Exeter Cathedral in Devon, England, UK
This cat door is considered the oldest on record. Installed in 1598, the cat door allowed cats to enter and hunt mice and rats, which were drawn to the lubricated animal fat applied to the mechanics of a large astronomical clock.
Tobe Roberts, Senior Associate Manager at Atchity Productions Joins Kevin Smith's Birthday Bash!
Tobe Roberts joins Kevin Smith's 55th Birthday Bash at his comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey.
A comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality, he is best known for his films "Clerks" (1994), "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001), and "Clerks II" (2006) and his character Silent Bob. "Clerks: The Animated Series" (an adult sitcom) aired for a short time on ABC-TV starting in May 2000. (In 2019, "Clerks" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.")
Ancient Stone Cutting
In Japan, ancient quarry sites still preserve fascinating traces of how people once cut and shaped massive stones. At many of these sites, you’ll notice neat rows of small square holes carved into the rock—these are wedge sockets, the result of a technique where workers drove wooden or metal wedges into the stone to split it along a straight line. It was a smart and straightforward method that let them carefully control the break and create smooth, uniform blocks.
There’s also evidence that an even older method might have been used. In this technique, dry wooden wedges were inserted into cracks, then soaked with water. As the wood expanded, it slowly forced the rock apart. This approach was also seen in ancient Egypt and other civilizations.
What’s especially intriguing is that Japan has many of these prehistoric stone-working sites, even though its written history only dates back about 1,600 years. This points to a much older and largely unknown tradition of stone craftsmanship. Some of the remaining stone foundations suggest that impressive structures once stood there—now lost to time, earthquakes, or both
Man 'O War
Man o' War was an American Thoroughbred racehorse widely considered one of the greatest of all time. Born in 1917 at the Nursery Stud in Kentucky, he was sired by Fair Play and out of Mahubah. His early years were marked by natural talent, and it quickly became clear that he was special.
Man o' War's racing career was spectacular. He raced from 1919 to 1920, winning 20 of his 21 races. His only loss came in a race against a horse named Upset, which was considered an unexpected defeat due to Man o' War's dominance up until that point. Despite this loss, Man o' War's achievements were unparalleled.
He won numerous prestigious races, including the Belmont Stakes, where he won by an astounding 20 lengths, and the Preakness Stakes, among others. Man o' War's dominance on the racetrack was not only measured by the number of races he won but also by the way he won them—often in commanding fashion that left fans and critics in awe.
After retiring from racing at the age of three, Man o' War became a successful sire. He produced many notable offspring, including the famous War Admiral, another Triple Crown winner. Man o' War's legacy as a racehorse and a sire has left a lasting impact on the world of horse racing.
Man o' War was retired to stud in 1921 and lived until 1947. Today, he is remembered not only for his speed and victories but also for his lasting influence on the sport of horse racing. His legacy continues to be celebrated as one of the greatest in the history of the sport.
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