testimonials

"I already had had a full career as a news reporter, editor and publisher when I turned my skills to screenwriting. Jessie showed me how to move beyond the common mistakes made by first-time scriptwriters (plots that don’t develop meaningfully, multiple characters that fill the same purpose, manufactured conflict, anemic dialogue and clichéd resolutions) in order to reach a level of visual storytelling that, layer by layer, exposes the truth of human desire and failing."

"From the perspective of curriculum, Jessie deftly explains and illustrates the concepts of dramatic story structure, of refining character arc from the inside out, of plotting relationships so those conflicts support and give momentum to the whole and of using the visual format of film to a script’s advantage. But her talent as a teacher goes far beyond this. More important and specific to Jessie is the way she ensures her students incorporate this craftsmanship into their own storytelling and onto the page. She shepherds us along by showing us how to salvage what is good in a draft, by informing us on not only what to rethink but also how to rethink, by recommending specific films within our genre so that we can see how another writer handles a similar conflict and by encouraging us to be free in our creativity as well as ruthless in our revisions. She approaches our work from all angles, and she does this with great sensitivity, respect and humor. The result is tangible progress, draft to draft."

-Jennifer R., NYC


"I very much enjoyed the class and you're by far the best writing teacher I've ever had. I have to admit that I was intimidated about trying to write a feature-length screenplay but have wanted to do it for a long time. You helped me break through the fear and now, for the first time, it genuinely feels doable. What a relief! On top of that big and exciting step, I feel like you've really helped me improve and fine tune my work at the same time. And, it seems that you were able to do that for everyone, which is impressive and takes a lot of work on your part -- more work than many professors are willing to put in to their classes. It felt like you were willing to match whatever level of effort we were able to put in and to meet us where we were -- while encouraging each of our unique voices."

-Julie C., NYC