Write Your Dream Scene

You deserve to play complex, juicy roles that excite you. But if your reel footage is outdated, or doesn't reflect what you're truly capable of, you probably don't get called in for the roles you know you can do.

Casting won't take a chance on you without evidence that you can handle bigger roles. Which leaves you with the classic actor-catch-22:

You can’t book a bigger role without evidence that you can handle it
But you can’t provide evidence unless you book a bigger role

I want to help you change that.

Write Your Dream Scene is a 6-week program to write the role that only you can play, so you can show the industry what you’re capable of and have a powerful self tape to prove it.

As an ambitious actor, you have the goods when it comes to your talent, and you’re ready to break through to the next career level. But you feel stuck and you’re tired.

You’re tired of…

Having representation that doesn’t really get you (or understand how to pitch you)
Not getting into the rooms you want to be in

Never getting a chance to show the brilliant acting you are capable of

Chasing yet another co-star
Not getting auditions for the kind of roles you actually want
Hoping the industry will finally figure out what to do with you
Waiting to get picked so you can do what you love

You deserve more and I want to help you make that happen.

I’m Emily Grace, founder of Pickford West Society and creator of Write Your Dream Scene. In addition to helping actors finally write their damn script already (and know what to do with it) I’m also a Sundance award-winning actress, a writer, director and producer (sometimes all at the same time). I’ve spent years in front of and behind the camera, worked with an independent film producer in the $5M -$50M range, and built three businesses from the ground up.

Through all of my experiences, the biggest lesson I have learned is this: If you want to get to the next level of your career, you have to take matters into your own hands.

If the industry isn’t calling you in for the roles you should be playing, it’s time to stop asking, “What do ‘they’ want to see?” and instead show them what you can do.

It starts with creating a role that showcases you exactly the way you want to be seen by the industry.

And rather than have you pay upwards of $1,000 to have some random reel company churn out their hundredth mediocre scene that month, pair you with a terrible reader, and leave you with a beautifully shot but lackluster scene, I want to empower you to write the role you were born to play.

Whether you have writing experience, a fleshed out idea, or not, this program will help you create the perfect role to showcase your amazing talent.

If you’re tired of waiting for permission, and you want to take control of your own success with a tailor-made role just for you, I invite you to join me in Write Your Dream Scene.

You’re a talented actor, but you don’t audition as often as you’d like.

You have reps but they don’t quite know what to do with you, and the reel footage you have doesn’t reflect what you’re truly capable of.

Or maybe you don’t have an agent at all, and you need to get some powerful footage that will get you signed with the right rep who is excited about you.

Or maybe you’re on the radar for some casting directors, but they only consider you for co-stars, or they only see you as a comedic actor and you’re ready to break into drama (or vice versa).
But you don’t have strong material that says, “Hey! This is what I’m good at! Here’s how you should cast me!”

You’ve considered going with a reel company to write a scene for you and shoot it, but it feels so prohibitively expensive, and you don’t want to be just the latest actor with a version of the same generic scene.

After all, you know yourself and what you can do better than anyone.

Just a few years ago casting directors and agents frowned upon self tapes being part of your materials. The only acceptable reel footage was from professional bookings or a fancy, high quality scene filmed by an expensive reel company.

But things have changed. The industry has finally caught up with the times!

Self tapes have not only become the norm for your auditions, they’ve also become fully accepted reel alternatives. That means you’re free of the catch-22 of having to book work before the industry can see your acting chops, and you don’t need all the bells and whistles of polished, professionally produced footage to showcase what you can do.

What does that mean for you?

You’re fully in control of what material you choose (no more hounding past productions for footage that never comes)
You get to showcase how you want to be seen (instead of your old reel footage that might not represent you anymore)
By now, you are a pro at self tapes, so this is absolutely doable with your usual self tape set up. #EasyPeasy

Weekly Live Writing Class
Each week you’ll have a live class to learn professional level writing tools, and the get next step to create a compelling character for your dream scene.
If you cannot make the live class, you will get access to the replay within 24 hours.

Weekly Group Feedback Sessions
(VIP PACKAGE ONLY)
Each week you’ll have a live feedback session to share your weekly assignment and test out your idea as you go. That way you can make sure your character is compelling, truly showcases you the way you want to be seen, and your scene is as powerful as possible.

Session Recordings
All class modules and feedback sessions will be recorded and made available to you to keep. That way you can catch up on what you missed if you have to miss a class.

Lifetime Access
You’ll have lifetime access to the class recordings for as long as this program exists. That means you can revisit these tools anytime. So the next time your career hits a plateau, you can write a new dream scene to expand your range, give your reps something to pitch you with, and open the doors to new opportunities.

Anti-Plagiarism Pledge
Feedback is incredibly helpful to make your idea even better, and is highly encouraged. However, there’s a difference between sharing ideas and straight up stealing someone’s work to pass it off on your own.
All participants are required to sign an anti-plagiarism pledge to ensure that this is a safe place to share and explore ideas without the fear of them being stolen. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Week 1

3-Dimensional Characters with Emily

In week 1 you’ll also learn my favorite tool to create compelling characters that your audience roots for, and lay the foundation for your dream scene.

Week 2

Deepen Your Characters

You’ll create your second character, and deepen the dynamics to have two fully fleshed out, 3-dimensional characters. This week we lay the foundation for conflict in your scene to make it pop and give you something to work with.

Week 3

Anatomy Of A Scene

You’ll learn how to structure a scene so you can get in at the last possible moment, and get out as soon as possible. For this to work as your dream scene, you’ll need it to be brief and pack a powerful punch. You’ll learn how to get to the heart of your scene quickly so that every word on the page moves your story forward.

Pro Tips For Good Dialogue

No matter how good your idea is, if the dialogue is bad, it won’t matter. Don’t let this happen to you! Learn my best pro tips for writing good dialogue that you can’t wait to perform.

Week 4

Subvert Expectations

This week you’ll learn how to avoid the trap of predictability in your writing. That way your audience will be invested and engaged the whole way through.

Special Guest Teacher
Audition Coach Lilach Mendelovich

I love working with actors as an audition coach and acting teacher. I have years of experience teaching in multiple studios in Los Angeles and helping my private clients book. I work with actors just starting in the business all the way to multiple series regulars.

Many of my students feel stuck due to a lack of auditions. They are doing amazing work in classes but rarely get a chance to show the industry what they are capable of. I’ve been helping actors combat this problem by adding great self tapes to their reels, but we always run into the same issue:

"What scene should we choose?"

It is so difficult to find existing material that allows you to express everything you want CDs and reps to know about you as an actor. Usually we have to compromise and settle for “close enough”.

That’s why I’m so excited to partner with Emily on this program and help actors create a scene tailor made for them! Being a writer myself and seeing auditions (exclusively self tapes the last 2.5 years) all day every day has given me a unique perspective on which self tapes are great showcase pieces that can help an actor level up in their careers.

You have a strong foundation of acting training and are ready to rock all the auditions that come your way
Your current reel doesn’t do you and your acting abilities justice
You want to write a role for yourself that fully showcases your acting strengths
You are not getting enough auditions, with or without reps
You’re ready to level up in your career and need reel footage to put casting at ease
You only get called in for drama, but comedy is what you love (or vice versa) and you need footage to broaden your range
You’re curious about writing and want professional level guidance to make sure what you create is high quality and makes you look good
You have a great sense of humor and like hanging out with other people who are excited to take their success into their own hands too
You want candid feedback
You know how special it is to have this kind of support from working professionals who know what they're talking about and actually want to help you succeed
You are willing to make time in your schedule to take consistent action
You thrive in a supportive environment of fellow creatives
You believe in anti-racism, diversity, inclusion and equity know that writing your own work is a step towards breaking stereotypes and limited thinking on the part of the gatekeepers

You are thrilled about your acting career and have more auditions than you can handle (congrats!)
You have no acting training or are not ready to start auditioning
You’re ready to write an entire short film or feature. (I have a different program for that and this isn’t it)
You’re not willing to try writing for yourself
You already know everything about scene writing and don’t need any help
You only want to show up to get feedback for yourself and then bail
You do not want to take responsibility for the state of your career
You prefer to make excuses for why your career isn’t where you want it to be, rather than do something about it
You are not willing to step outside of your comfort zone

I had written a project before this class but the process was hard. I didn’t know where to begin or end. After taking Write Your Dream Scene I know how important it is to captivate the audience. I feel like I can give myself more permission to go bigger. I understand structure, how to be more intentional with dialogue, and get straight to the point.

If you’re thinking about it, just sign up! There’s a lot of valuable info, great examples, and the feedback sessions are super helpful.

-Fernanda Giron

I wanted to write something that would be deeply personal to me, something that I could really get behind in my performance. I had written projects for myself in the past but I struggled with staying focused and sticking with it to the end. Emily's great at focusing you and keeping the steps simple. I like her style of stating the positives that stuck out to her. Not all teachers do that and it's incredibly helpful, even if it's just "I like that line." Now I have a kick-ass scene and I’m excited to keep creating others.

-Joe Hernandez-Kolski

When I signed up for Write Your Dream Scene, I was looking forward to unlocking telling a story I hadn't thought of, giving myself permission to play with a dream role I hadn't gotten a chance to try in a self tape yet. Ultimately, the biggest thing I wanted was to finish writing a scene.

I learned to trust myself, but also to not take it for granted that people will understand the story I'm trying to tell. I've learned how to articulate that more up front so as to get more focused notes. I definitely feel more confident in sitting down and writing again.

This class allows you develop an idea from start to finish in a straightforward way, even if you have no idea what to write! It enhances your natural creative voice and sensibility and lets you feel more capable as a writer in a world where all actors are now asked to write for themselves. Write Your Dream Scene should be a required course in all acting training programs! (Seriously!)

-Victoria Rani

I had never written a project for myself before and I wanted to gain the tools to write a screenplay and just get past that fear of even starting somewhere. In Write Your Dream Scene I gained clarity on the steps to take to begin writing and how to improve the scene little by little. I got practical tools for screenwriting. I feel more confident as a storyteller and a little bit more in power to move my career forward by writing my own material.

You should definitely take this class if you have an idea about a character you would like to play but don't know where to begin, or even if you want to gain clarity about what story you would like to tell and give it a try! It is a wonderful journey that expands your skills as a storyteller. And it's also a lot of fun!

-Gaia Passaler

Stop waiting for casting to take a chance on you.

Enrollment ends in…

You deserve a better acting career.

The Problem

The Industry’s Perception of Self Tapes Has Changed (and why that’s good news!)

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