"Renegades"

“40 words or less” – An ambitious hotel pool boy in the late 1970’s becomes manager of Miami’s most infamous nightclub and devises a plan to assassinate Fidel Castro with the help of the club’s notorious patrons in order to open a franchise in Havana

Full Summary:

It’s 1978 and The Renegade Hotel on South Bayshore Drive in Coconut Grove is at the epicenter of the drug fueled, high-society Miami party scene.  Carlos Estrada, a handsome Cuban in his late-twenties, is a pool boy at the hotel who spends most of his time on his hands and knees scrubbing tiles while the drug kingpin guests around him constantly flaunt their money, get high and drunk and cavort with young models less than half their age.

One especially wealthy drug dealer, Ariel Mendez, soon befriends the disgruntled young man and asks him to do a series of menial tasks.  Having proven his worth, Ariel quickly takes Carlos under his wing, even inviting him as his guest to the ultra-exclusive private nightspot attached to the hotel, The Renegade Club.

According to Carlos, The Renegade Club was “the epicenter of the cocaine jazz age and 1970’s Miami decadence.  The club was so exclusive even I couldn’t walk in here as a hotel employee.  Rumor has it a yearly membership cost $20,000.  Sure, the place was ultra-exclusive but everyone who’s anyone came here on any given night.  There were flashy drug dealers, their wannabe hangers-on, gun runners, politicians and legitimate South American businessmen desperately trying to become fixtures on the burgeoning Miami nightlife scene.  The Kennedys’ were regulars and so was Governor Reagan.  There were athletes, singers, celebrities, Hollywood starlets, bankers, Cuban refugees both old and new, every hot girl within a 50 miles radius whether they were paid or not, and even the occasional exiled dictator from some small third-world Caribbean country that no one’s ever heard of.  But definitely no pool boys were here.  If you were famous or infamous, no trip to Miami would be complete without a stop at The Renegade Club.  Hell, rumor had it, local law enforcement, and even the fucking CIA, was known to visit the place, and why not?  If you wanted to know what illegal activities were going on in Miami…or Latin America or South America for that matter, and who the players are, you’d come here.  You really had to see it to believe it.”

The only thing that rivaled the excesses seen and done in The Renegade Club were the actions and activities taking place in the hotel suites above.  Depravity and debauchery were the rule virtually every night in the hotel suites which offered privacy from the outside world and a place to continue the party after the club closed, or start the party before it opened.

Carlos further ingratiates himself to his new benefactor by serving as a lookout for a drug shipment coming in by sea but when Mr. Mendez offers him a more permanent position in his organization, he surprisingly declines.  When pressed on why he declines, Carlos shares his lifelong dream with Ariel.  All he wants to do is run a nightclub with the stature of The Renegade, he wants to be the center of Miami nightlife, he wants to know everyone worth knowing and, more importantly, he wants them to know him.  After hearing this, Ariel uses his contacts, and unconventional tactics, to get Carlos a job at the club but he has to start off on the bottom rung of the ladder, a busboy.

In his new position, Carlos immediately butts heads with the current manager of the club, Paco, and quickly finds himself in a predicament that could mean his life.  To save his own life, while also positioning himself to become the new manager of The Renegade, Carlos pitches a rather insane plan to Ariel.  In order to build a coalition against the current manager, Carlos presents his idea of franchising the club into other markets, the first being Havana, and giving Ariel a piece of the business.  How was he going to open up an American franchise in communist Cuba?  By assassinating Fidel Castro of course.

Although thinking Carlos is crazy for such an overture, Ariel can’t help but also think about the lure of making money off the club so he decides to back Carlo’s ascension to manager, again through the use of unconventional tactics.  Once he takes charge, Carlos devises his assassination plot with the help of the club’s notorious patrons, all of whom have their own personal and professional hatred of Castro.  He enlists old Cuban refugees involved in the Bay of Pigs, drug dealers, legitimate South American businessmen, gun runners, financiers, speedboat world champions, even a couple rogue CIA agents and a well-known Latin American singer.

Their plan is simple enough, probably too simple, and involves sending a small invasion force on a fleet of drug smuggling fishing vessels and speedboats from the Keys to infiltrate the seaside palace of Castro’s during his birthday celebration and capture him while he and his security force are distracted by the singer’s performance.  Naturally the invasion fails spectacularly, and while many of the key players go back to life in Miami like nothing happened, several others die or are captured in Cuba.  The incidence does help instigate the Mariel boatlift later on. 

Renegades Screenplay

"Hank! And Henry"

Tagline – “Who Will Win?”

“25 words or less” – An eternally single man in his mid-30s can’t decide whether he wants to finally settle down or continue his life as a rambunctious playboy

Full Summary:

Henry “Hank” Bennett is conflicted.  A tall, handsome, man in his mid-thirties living a comfortable life in New York City, Henry constantly struggles between the idea of settling down or continuing his life as a playboy.

This conflict practically creates a split personality within Henry.  He’s Henry when pitching a million dollar deal at work or on a nice date at one of the city’s many upscale restaurants, but he easily switches to his “Hank” persona when out on the prowl with friends at a neighborhood dive bar looking for his next one-night stand.

Towards the beginning of the pilot episode, Henry delivers an internal monologue the morning after another one of his many one-night stands which frames the basic dilemma he has in life.

“…I’m a 37 year old sales director at Parker & Putnam, the world’s largest publishing company.  For better or worse, my job defines who I am; but it’s not just a job it’s my career.  If I didn’t do this, I don’t know what I’d be doing, it’s not like I have any other talents.  But I can sell, oh boy can I sell.  Obviously it’s a great skill to have for my professional life but it’s just as important in my personal life as well.  I’ve been known to charm the pants off some nice young ladies, literally; take the girl from this morning for instance.  Apparently I can be so good at my game that I bring girls home without even realizing it.  That was no joke earlier, I didn’t remember meeting her, let alone taking her home.  I must admit, I do have a few vices – women, the thrill of the sale, and drink, lots and lots of drinks. 

I have a nice, modest apartment in downtown New York City, I pay for location rather than space.  I’m well dressed, well spoken, well-heeled, well-endowed and, well, let me put it this way, I’m a guy’s guy who loves spending twelve hours straight in a bar watching Sunday football with his buddies but is also definitely a “take home to mom” kind of guy.  I’m a parent’s wet dream…and that’s not cockiness, that’s a fact.  Lest you think I’m all style and no substance, I’m involved in fundraising for the local chapter of the MS society which my grandmother suffered with for most of her adult life and I am a big brother to my little buddy Tyrese from the Bronx.  I see him once or twice a week, depending on my travel schedule; I take him to ball games, go out for ice cream and to the zoo, things like that.  Good kid I just hope he stays out of trouble, it’s not easy where he’s from. 

I love the ladies but I feel like it’s always an eternal struggle with me.  What type of guy do I want to be?  Some days I see my friends out with their significant others and they seem happy, I notice how they don’t have to go through the bullshit and drama that comes with dating and I think about how it might be finally time to settle down.  Then I go on a date or I’m in a bar surrounded by young women with loose morals and realize how much fun it is to be single with no emotional ties to anyone.  It’s almost like I have a split personality when it comes to girls.  Take Molly for instance, or Sally, whatever her name was.  Did you notice she called me Hank?  Not that many people call me Hank, barely anyone does, professionally I go by Henry because, well, because who’s going to take someone seriously named Hank?  But that’s exactly the point.  Look, when I go out to a bar or a club with the boys and we’re out cruising for ass and an easy hook-up, I take on my fun-loving, “I don’t give a fuck, let’s party” persona of Hank.  But when I meet a nice, lovely young woman out at an upscale lounge and ask to take her to a Danny Meyer restaurant, I’m Henry Bennett. 

What’s the difference between the two?  Well in all honesty, one’s more of a douchebag and one’s an alright, stand up gentleman.  And this is the thing, although I have fun being single, I’m envious of my friends in a strong relationship; but as much as I romanticize the idea of settling down, I’m not quite sure it’s for me. And that’s my struggle.”

So the main question that will be answered as his life plays out through the series is “who will ultimately win out?”  Hank or Henry?  
Hank! and Henry Screenplay

"The Barrio Boys"

Tagline – “The Baddest Bitch On The Streets”

“25 words or less” – A ruthless, cunning 42-year old mother of three controls the New York faction of a Puerto Rican street gang with stunning brutality and absolute power

Full Summary:

Carmen Rivera, a very religious, 42-year old mother of three, is just being released from Rikers Island prison after serving time for wire fraud which she insists was a government conspiracy to marginalize her standing within her community.

Hiding behind her guise as a community activist within The Barrio Boys Community & Cultural Center in East Harlem, Carmen is actually the head of the New York City chapter of a Puerto Rican street gang called “El Centro” that originated in the San Juan prison system.  While she has absolute control of the New York faction, she ultimately answers to the head bosses back in Puerto Rico.  Once she’s free from prison she wastes no time in quickly reestablishing her power on the streets.

During a welcome home party in her honor, Carmen, known affectionately as “La Madrina” to friends, family and gang members alike, assembles her leadership council with the only order of business being to kill enemies of The Barrio Boys - rival drug dealers encroaching on their turf, local business owners late on their protection payments, prosecution witnesses preparing to testify against jailed gang members, incarcerated former criminals who have ratted on gang activity, or gang members that question Carmen’s absolute authority, even if that gang member is her own cousin.

The gang features plenty of heavily tattooed, colorful characters, most of them ultra-violent and some who are consumed in simmering, petty intra-gang rivalries in order to improve their personal standing within the group.  At the center of Carmen’s world between the gang and her family are her three sons – Pablo Rivera, a tough and violent young male in his early twenties who’s already a gang veteran; “Li’l” Cesar Rivera, an impressionable, older teenager in high school named after Julius Caesar who is just getting started in the gang; and Alejandro “Bugsy” Rivera, a feisty ten year old who isn’t in the gang yet but does menial tasks for them like serving drinks, he’s nicknamed “Bugsy” after the infamous gangster Bugsy Siegel.

Headquartered in East Harlem while Carmen and her family live in Ridgewood, Queens; The Barrio Boys gang activity includes drug dealing in crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, LSD, crystal meth, PCP and ecstasy, local protection rackets, stealing, theft, kidnapping, murder, extortion, human trafficking, witness intimidation, home invasions, money laundering, burglary and weapons and explosives trafficking, just to name a few of their illicit acts.  While the group works closely with other chapters around the country, danger and violence lurks around every corner on any given day in the city; besides constantly fighting other gangs within their own ethnicity, The Barrio Boys also fight other ethnic gangs like Dominicans, Mexicans, Salvadorans, African-Americans, Chinese, Vietnamese and even the Italians and Irish.

Beyond the killing orders that Carmen issues during her first council meeting after her release from prison, the main focus of the first episode is two-fold.  Carmen approaches Angel Ortiz, the most feared enforcer of the gang who is currently incarcerated in the New York state prison system, to kill an informant against “El Centro” who is also serving time in the state prison system.  He accepts this assignment in return for a promotion within the gang when he gets out of jail.  In what may become a complicated matter later, Angel, who’s married with children, is also Carmen’s secret lover. 

 

Simultaneously, the bosses in Puerto Rico have asked Carmen to kill the leader of the New Jersey chapter who has become sloppy and “too big for his britches.”  She assigns her son, Pablo, who’s eager to climb up the organization’s hierarchy, to take care of the hit.  In return, and unbeknownst to his mother, he recruits his younger brother, Cesar, to be the triggerman and “make his bones” with his first killing for the gang.  Tensions rise on the final stakeout when the hit team’s obvious inexperience shines through and what happens at the end of it will be sure to have long-term repercussions throughout the “El Centro” organization and their affiliated chapters.
 The Barrio Boys Screenplay

"Turning Tricks"

Tagline – “In This World, The Women Hold All The Power”

 

“25 words or less” – An inside look at the personal and professional lives of a cutthroat madam and her four equally ruthless working girls at a Manhattan brothel.

 

Full Summary:

Patti Michaels is a non-nonsense, tough as nails madam who runs a very successful brothel from a non-descript four-bedroom apartment in a five-story walk-up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.  Catering to gentlemen from all walks of life, her accessible service offers them four distinct flavors to fulfill their every fantasy. 

 

There’s Becky Martin, a beautiful, tall, skinny model-looking redhead; Cindy Strong a girl next door-type brunette with a trashy edge to her; Natasha Williams, a tall, slender, mischievous African-American and Anastasia Chang, an innocent, petite, short Asian girl who moved to America at an early age.  All four are in their mid-twenties and drop dead gorgeous, all of them will also do whatever it takes to separate their clients from their money.

 

In this first episode, Becky and Patti manage to emasculate a married Wall Street bigwig client while simultaneously getting him to spend much more than he planned.  Becky also has to deal with the complicated relationship at home with her boyfriend who’s feeling increasingly threatened by her professional obligations.

 

Meanwhile, Patti is forced to flex her muscles, literally, when one of Anastasia’s clients gets a little to touchy feely and tries to force her to do things she doesn’t want to do.  This leads Patti to barge into the room amidst calls for help and literally drag the client out of the apartment by his balls.  In one action Patti puts men on notice, you don’t fuck with her or her girls.

 

While this is going on, Cindy is in her bedroom seducing a client out of his life savings.  The ultimate charmer who can make a man do anything, she professes her love to him and convinces him to be her boyfriend.  But of course this isn’t real love, not in a brothel; her ulterior motive is to ensure a steady income by developing a long-term relationship that pays her.

 

As for Natasha, since she lacks a steady client list, Patti forces her to go on the prowl throughout the Upper East Side neighborhood looking for customers.  While out, she stumbles upon the perfect mark at Starbucks, an unemployed waiter who’s busy working on his resume.  Since Natasha will do anything for an extra buck, she ends up stealing the man’s ATM card while he’s in the bathroom back at the apartment and immediately goes on a shopping spree at Bloomingdale’s after he leaves.

 

Later that day, after a chance encounter, Patti ends up creating an alliance with a slick, middle-aged Italian-American named Ralphie who runs an illegal poker parlor in an apartment also on the Upper East Side.  The deal – Patti will provide girls to the men at the poker games while giving Ralphie a piece of the action.  Although Ralphie immediately starts hitting on her and tries his best to consummate their relationship, Patti fends him off by stating that their partnership is strictly business and that’s all.  Only time will tell if that’s really true.  

 

And at the end of yet another long night, Natasha leaves the apartment to go home and realizes she’s being followed by the client that she ripped off earlier in the day.  At first she claims ignorance and refuses to even acknowledge she has ever met him, but he does manage to get her to eventually admit it.  However, Natasha steadfastly denies stealing his ATM card but the man is persistent and refuses to let her go until he pays her back.  What happens next is sure to have long-lasting ramifications for the man, Natasha and Patti’s business. 

Turning Tricks Screenplay

"Rum Runners"

Tagline – “Before Coke, There Was Rum”

“25 words or less” – Life during the turbulent times of 1920’s Miami focusing on the eccentric characters that patronize a popular speakeasy during the lawlessness of the Prohibition era

Full Summary:

It’s 1921 in Miami.  The nascent real estate market is booming bringing with it a large contingent of carpetbaggers looking to make a quick fortune.  Prohibition is law in the United States, but in an open city like Miami, where most laws are not followed by the general populace or enforced by local law officials, it’s just a mere suggestion.

With a booming economy, general sense of lawlessness and year-round beautiful weather set alongside tropical beaches, Miami becomes a haven for eccentric characters from all walks of life - speculators, socialites, writers, businessmen, doctors, and especially criminals – to live, work and play.   

This Casablanca-style TV series centers on life within the most popular speakeasy, located at the mouth of the Miami River, which brings all these people together to congregate nightly.  Although offering highly illegal activities such as unlimited booze and gambling, the club runs with relative impunity from local law enforcement, many of whom count themselves as loyal customers.  The speakeasy is so brazen that a big sign sits atop the establishment to inform passersby of its name – “Rum Runners” – since the owner isn’t concerned about bringing any unwanted attention to himself, this is Miami after all.

The ringleader and owner of Rum Runners is James “Jimmy” Conrad.  A laid back but well put together native Miamian with a straightforward wit, Jimmy is a friend of everyone in the city and is as comfortable in beachwear and afternoon attire as he is in a crisp suit or tuxedo. 

He’s supported by a group of trusted employees including:
Jeeves - the reserved African-American who mans the front door of the club.
Joe - the burly and surly bartender who’s quick with a drink and is everyone’s friend.
Albert - the leader of the jazz orchestra.
Edward and Ralph - two shady Run Runners’ employees who take care of James’ dirty work and any problems that come up with his preferred club patrons. 

Rum Runners’ maintains its’ popularity through the eccentric characters that patronize the establishment on a nearly nightly basis:    
George McCarthy - a gentlemanly sea captain and well-known rum runner who supplies liquor to the club by smuggling booze from the Bahamas.  However, he’s personally never drank an ounce of liquor in his life. 
William Carr - the wiry, rough-looking, macho, famous American writer who has hit hard times recently and become a full-blown drunkard willing to challenge anyone around him to an impromptu arm wrestling match.
Charles Franklin - a short, middle-aged real estate spectator who moved down to Miami from the north in search of fortune in the still relatively untapped market.
Mayor Beck - the jovial, portly, completely corrupt but fun-loving Mayor of Miami.
Chief Gerald Novak - the large, strong, physically imposing chief of police with an intimidating personality.  As the new chief, Novak tries his best to go by the book in a city that doesn’t follow any rules but finds that temptations to stray seemingly lie around every corner.
Mickey Marino, Michael Ricci and Elijah Bernstein - three well-known northern gangsters who set up shop down in Miami during the pre-Capone days before crime becomes more organized.
Esther Harris - the stately older socialite man-eater who moved to Miami from Cleveland after her wealthy railroad magnate husband passed away and left her his fortune.
Dorothy - a fiery, foul-mouthed prostitute who spends her nights at the club’s bar looking to bed its’ rich and famous patrons.
J.R. Randolph - a well-dressed banking tycoon who visits Miami with much younger females from his secretarial pool while he sends his wife on shopping trips to Europe.
John Pelham - a degenerate professional gambler who spends most of his time every night playing, and losing, in the club’s casino room.
Dr. Ernest Stratford - a top surgeon within the county, and his wife, Sally, are a well-respected couple and regular patrons of the club.  Along with their other friends, they give the club a sense of refined legitimacy among the plethora of shady characters and outright criminals.
Phillip - a young and impressionable roughneck dock worker who is comfortable mingling among high society within the club.
Robert Graves - a well-to-do philanderer who goes through women like he goes through glasses of champagne.

The club is not without its’ antagonists though.  In the first episode, Detective Johnson & Detective Smith badger James with questions over the murder of a regular club patron.  Detective Smith especially doesn’t like Jimmy’s non-answer answers.  These two men promise to be thorns in his side while James tries to run his illegal club without interference from the city or law enforcement.

With the pilot episode taking place in 1921, setting the general landscape and introducing the main characters, the series will showcase the urban birth of Miami and the origins of its’ culture of lawlessness, which still permeates the city today, and will follow the actions and evolution of these eccentric characters from the start of the real estate boom and Prohibition, to the development of organized crime in the city when Al Capone arrives, through the real estate bust, the Great Depression and finally the repeal of Prohibition.
Rum Runners Screenplay

"Diablo"

“25 words or less” – A crusading journalist turned rogue blogger fights to bring down Mexico’s most notorious drug lord after his nephew is killed in a cartel sponsored massacre.

Full Summary:

A bus filled with innocent Mexican citizens is hi-jacked by the powerful Los Alphas drug cartel and taken to a desolate area where the occupants are forced to fight to the death with the winners involuntarily inducted into the cartel as assassins.  The ringleader of this modern day gladiator fight is Diablo, the fearsome commander of Los Alphas, who organizes massacres of poor Mexican civilians for his own amusement.

During the hellish hostage situation, a scared teenaged boy is shot and killed by one of Diablo’s henchmen.  The teenaged boy is the nephew of Eddie Romero, a respected journalist at a well-known newspaper in the state of Tamaulipas.  Upset over his nephew’s senseless death and tired of cartel activities always being covered up by the media and government, Eddie decides to get his revenge the only way he knows how – by exposing Los Alpha’s involvement in the massacre through an investigative story on the newspaper’s website posted under his pseudonym “The Truth.”  This infuriates Diablo who immediately calls for the head of the newspaper’s publisher and an inquiry into the real identity of “The Truth.”

The cartel wastes no time - the next day the publisher, Raul Chavez, who ironically was vehemently opposed to Eddie writing his story, is discovered hanging dead from the lobby ceiling of the newspaper’s office building.  Fearing that he’ll be next, Eddie frantically packs up his personal belongings and immediately leaves the newspaper.  His first stop is to the state police headquarters where he seeks protection from Los Alphas but he’s shocked to learn that not even the police chief is willing to confront the cartel or even offer him help since he doesn’t want to endure the wrath of Diablo.

With no other option, Romero goes on the run.  Although he fears for his life, he’s not going to be intimidated by the cartel.  Eddie creates a blog site while on the run to continue exposing Los Alphas and their crimes.  He’s determined to fight the cartel from behind a keyboard until his work puts Diablo in the ground or in jail and decimates Los Alphas, only then will children and adults in the community feel safe to walk the streets at night without being shot or kidnapped.

In order to develop a constant stream of site content, Eddie recruits several bloggers from throughout Mexico to write about cartel members and activities.  The constant exposure makes a dent in Los Alphas when the military begins making raids and arrests based on the tips received from Eddie’s website.  This infuriates Diablo even more so he goes on a campaign to brutally murder his family, his friends and his bloggers spread throughout Mexico while Eddie successfully hides out in the countryside.

Romero knows that with corruption so prevalent in every corner of Mexico he can't trust anyone and it's only a matter of time until Diablo and his henchmen find him.  With the cartel finally bearing down on him, Eddie makes a desperate attempt to escape to the U.S. which leads to the final showdown between him and Diablo.  Will Eddie Romero survive?  Will Diablo and Los Alphas be brought down?  Or will Diablo prove to be all too powerful and squash this annoyance who turned into a worthy adversary?
Diablo Screenplay by jasonwiese2982

"Sunset Strip"

Tagline – “Rock Hard”

“25 words or less” – The meteoric rise and spectacular fall of a mid-1980’s Sunset Strip era rock band is followed by their subsequent redemption ten years later.

Full Summary:
Dakota James is an Indianan farm boy in his twenties who comes to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune with only a duffel bag of clothes and guitar to his name. Its 1985, the height of the heavy metal scene on Sunset Strip, and Dakota is determined to become a rock star like his idols in Aerosmith, Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath to name only a few of his influences.

James quickly befriends a fellow musician, Jules Morgan, while working in the kitchen at the legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill and the two begin scheming to join forces after Jules tells him that his current band, Helter Skelter, is looking for a new lead singer. After a successful audition, Dakota joins the band and a new line-up is formed which also includes Jules’ brother, Freddie, and his childhood friend, Skylar Pennington.

Although they have big dreams, the band quickly realizes that fame doesn’t come easily as they struggle mightily to get an opportunity to perform at one of the famous West Hollywood clubs like The Troubadour, Whisky A Go Go or The Roxy. Their big break comes when Dakota develops a novel approach to get their foot into the door – he decides to pay the Troubadour club manager for the right to play a twenty minute set one night. The rest is history as they bring down the house with their kick ass style of rock n’ roll. This leads them to becoming a fixture on the heavy metal scene at the top clubs along, and around, Sunset Strip.

While the Sunset Strip gigs are good, Helter Skelter dreams go far beyond Los Angeles. The band signs with Geffen Records and their first album, “Total Destruction,” goes on to be #1 on the charts leading to a huge U.S. arena tour. Things are going great until egos start clashing which is fueled by the band’s addiction to sex, drugs and booze. In the center of the conflict is Dakota James, the new lead singer, and Freddie Morgan, the original founder of the band; neither wastes an opportunity to undermine the other when they get a chance.

Everything comes to a head when Dakota finds out after a concert that Freddie had sex with his Playboy Playmate wife, Donna, on their wedding night during a boozy after party at the Hyatt on Sunset Hotel. After learning this, Dakota starts a huge brawl with Freddie backstage at Wembley Stadium in London during their European Tour. This brawl causes irreparable harm as Dakota decides to leave the band that night with a simple middle finger held defiantly in the air towards Freddie.

Helter Skelter never released another album or even performed together again after the fight. Fast forward ten years later into the 1990’s during a time when the popularity of their music has faded in favor of other genres like alt rock; Dakota works in a motorcycle shop, Skylar tours empty roadhouses throughout the country as a one-man band while Freddie and Jules have their own new band, The Morgan Brothers, but can’t seem to break out beyond being a weeknight house band at Sunset Strip music venues. All four of them are struggling and Freddie, unable to handle not being on top anymore, seemingly spends more time overdosing and in rehab than being a productive member of society.

After a particularly bad overdose that almost kills Freddie, Jules manages to get all four band members back together for lunch. Although Dakota initially has no interest in reconciling with Freddie, he changes his mind when Rolling Stone magazine features Helter Skelter in a cover story on “One Album Wonders.” Not wanting their legacy to be based on four has beens, Dakota decides to forgive the past in order to get the band back together for a shot at redemption.

The band decides to make a big splash by hi-jacking The Morgan Brothers set at the Roxy which marks their first performance together in over ten years. The crowd goes wild and the reunited band rides the wave of goodwill to a series of bookings on Sunset Strip. It doesn’t take them long to reconnect with Geffen Records who gets Helter Skelter to produce a very successful second album, “Ambush,” and, in a most unexpected triumph, a sold-out U.S. stadium tour. Amazingly, in the ultimate story of redemption, Helter Skelter gets to the top of the music world again ten years after their break-up.Sunset Strip Screenplay

"The Prospect"

Tagline – “This is Swagger”

“25 words or less” – A two-time Heisman-winning college football star’s future is put at risk when he begins accepting illegal benefits and goods from shady boosters and agents

Full Summary:
Devin Marshall is an all-world college football star in Miami, Florida who has just won the Heisman Trophy in his junior year. He single-handedly puts the team on his back and gets them to the national championship game. Although he dominates the game, and is clearly the best player on the field, he fumbles in the waning minutes setting up his opponents for a game-winning field goal as time expires.

Universally believed to be the #1 draft pick coming out in his junior year by all pundits, Devin shocks everyone by announcing he’s returning for his senior year to take care of some “unfinished business,” namely to win a national championship with his fellow teammates.

His noble intentions quickly turn to selfishness as his great play catches the eyes of shady boosters and shady agents. Long the ethical athlete who has always turned his back to handouts of any kind, Devin finally acquiesces when he decides that he wants to “get his.” Tired of watching his extraordinary play make money for everyone except himself, Devin begins to bond with these men whom he thinks has his best interests at heart.

$100 here, a $1,000 there, complimentary bottle service at the hottest clubs on South Beach, strip club visits with VIP room access, free steak dinners at fancy Miami restaurants, yacht trips to the Caribbean and an endless parade of easy women; everything is available to Devin for the taking. It goes to show that it pays to run a 4.3 40… literally. All this attention and admiration goes to Devin’s head and his outsized ego makes him believe that he’s a modern day Superman who can do anything.

This feeling of invincibility turns dangerous as he begins to fall into a world of drugs provided to him by his seemingly endless supply of benefactors. Devin’s erratic behavior doesn’t hurt his performance on the field though, as he turns in an even better season his senior year than his junior one on his way to picking up his second straight Heisman trophy and a return trip to the national championship game.

But the constant pressures of success and effects from his drug use begin to take their toll on him. Can Devin persevere and win that elusive national championship he came back to school for? Can Devin parlay all his on-field success into becoming the #1 draft pick and untold riches in the NFL?
The Prospect Screenplay

"Bad Decisions"

Tagline – “You’re Never Too Old For Spring Break!”

“25 words or less” – Four friends decide to relive their youth one more time before turning 40 by planning a trip of debauchery to New Orleans during spring break

Full Summary:
Jimmy Chastain is in his late-thirties and just got divorced. Bummed out by his situation in life, Jimmy just wants to mope around the house and hide from the rest of the world for the foreseeable future.

Jimmy’s three best friends led by Bobby, a divorcee playboy pushing 40 years old, and Danny, a kindhearted, honest family man also pushing 40, and the younger Max, a perpetually single man who cares more partying non-stop than finding a decent woman, come up with a brilliant idea to get Jimmy out of his funk. Over lunch, they devise a plan to have one more “hoorah” before they get too old and decide to take a weekend trip to a popular Spring Break destination. To them it’s crucial to take the trip before they all turn 40 years old, because after that point “it would just be too weird to continue going on Spring Break and hanging out with girls that are young enough to be our daughters.”

The idea was relatively simple, but the execution proves to be much more difficult. Deciding on the perfect Spring Break trip isn’t easy – they debate the merits of places like Miami, South Padre Island, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Las Vegas, and even a cruise – but each destination presents their own issues. Stumped, Bobby stumbles across a Mardi Gras drink promotion at the diner and it finally dawns on him – New Orleans!

Although it initially takes some cajoling to get Jimmy to agree to go to New Orleans for Spring Break, he relents and reluctantly decides to travel with his three best friends. This reluctance magically goes away once they land at the airport as all four quickly embrace the debauchery that is “The Big Easy.”

The guys direct the airport taxi driver to bring them to the “middle of the action” and once they arrive on Bourbon Street it takes them less than an hour to make the first in a series of bad decisions fueled by drugs and alcohol.

Day long partying throughout the more popular drinking spots of New Orleans leads to co-ed sex parties which, in turn, lead to the group of friends looking to score more dope on their first night out. Unfortunately for them, their drug deal with a local gang goes terribly wrong and their bad situation escalates very quickly.

The friends find themselves not only having to hide from the dealers looking for revenge but also from a corrupt cop who is on the gang’s payroll and looking to dispense his own brand of justice on the guys as well.

Heart-pounding action through the streets of New Orleans is sprinkled with some light-hearted moments as the guys try desperately to escape the Crescent City in one piece. They have the brains to do it but do they have the street smarts and wherewithal to find their way safely back to New York City?
Bad Decisions Screenplay

"Held Hostage"

Tagline – “In the Rat Race of Life, We’re All Hostages”

“25 words or less” – A frustrated middle manager, brought to the boiling point by the demands of corporate America, decides to take out his aggression by torturing his bosses.

Full Summary:
Kevin Price is an overworked and stressed out middle manager living the corporate America nightmare in New York City. His freakish dedication to his around-the-clock office job over the last five years eventually costs him virtually everything in his life – his close friends, his family and, worst of all, his girlfriend – as he can’t find time for anything other than his all encompassing career.

Unfortunately this dedication does not allow Kevin to climb the corporate ladder as his overbearing boss, Mr. Benjamin, prefers to keep him as “his little secret” for his own self-interest so he can take Kevin’s ideas and gain favor with company management. This only irritates and frustrates Kevin more as he begins to wonder why he’s making all these personal sacrifices just to elevate his boss while getting no credit of his own.

After another weekday night of coming home from work after midnight, a burnt out and exhausted Kevin relaxes on his couch while watching a prison documentary series called “Lockup” where he becomes transfixed by the prisoner lifestyle – three meals a day, conjugal visits, daily exercise, TV time & leisure activities outside – and decides that jail actually offers a better life than what he has in his 18 hour-a-day cubicle existence in corporate America.

Eventually, Kevin finally reaches his breaking point at work when a perpetual slacker, but well-connected, co-worker gets promoted over him to a coveted position within the firm. Fed up and figuring he has nothing to lose, Kevin decides to take matters into his own hands and dispense his own version of workplace equality by taking his bosses hostage and torturing them.

However he quickly realizes that he doesn’t have a game plan for what to do after he takes his management hostage. What does he do with the men who have made his life so miserable over the last five years; the men he believes are directly responsible for the disintegration of every relationship he has in life? Does he really want to spend the rest of his life in prison? Can he figure out a way out of this predicament? Does he even want to escape or is he content with just playing out the end of his life in one final showdown?

Held Hostage Screenplay

"The Elite Eight"

Tagline – “The Real Superheroes”

“25 words or less” – An elite Special Forces unit is covertly brought in to liberate Laredo, Texas after it’s taken over by a ruthless Mexican drug cartel

Full Summary:
Victor Carias, the ruthless leader of the Nuevo Laredo drug cartel in Mexico, is incarcerated in the Texas State Penitentiary and serving four consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole. This all changes when he stages a daring prison break with the help of his son-in-law, Tex Austin, Tex’s brother Dallas, fellow inmates and his army of cartel associates.

After overpowering the prison guards and local police force, Victor decides to create a new base of operations and establish America’s first narco city-state in Laredo, Texas. Resistance is futile from local law enforcement agencies and even the Texas National Guard as the cartel, with their superior manpower and weaponry, easily defeats them.

Once they have undisputed control of Laredo, Victor and his associates round up all the males in the town and kill the most threatening ones while locking up, or enslaving, the rest. After their operation is up and running, they open up the border to drug trafficking from Mexico. This leads to an unlimited drug supply easily flooding cities throughout America. In another diabolical plan, Victor decides to raise a battalion of “expendable” homegrown child soldiers to boost his security forces throughout the city.

With the President wary of calling in a large military force and ordering an all out assault on an American city that could lead to many civilian deaths, the decision is made to send in a small, very elite, special forces team to work covertly to liberate the city and defeat the cartel.

The choice to lead this covert operation is obvious to most of the senior military leadership - Ron Champion, a chiseled, harden special forces veteran fresh off of a successful mission in Pakistan where he and his unit took out the world’s most wanted terrorist.

Ron is shuttled back to the Pentagon where he’s briefed and asked to pull together a small team of eight elite Special Forces soldiers – “the best of the best.” There he assembles his all stars – Chet Armstrong, his cool-as-ice right hand man and the consummate professional soldier; Sureshot Williams, a former All-American running back at the University of Maryland and expert marksman; Rock Johnson, an imposing grappler from Hawaii; Tony Gash, an All-American track star at UCLA and an assassination expert; Thunder Jackson, a weapons expert who can figure out how to shoot any kind of gun put in front of him; and Gunner Steele, a fresh-faced California surfer dude who is the young one of the group.

Before Ron Champion is allowed to pick his eighth team member, he’s informed that he’ll be forced to take someone of the military’s choosing who has expert knowledge of the Laredo terrain and is from the area. Enter, the Black Widow, a Mexican-American “tough as nails” woman who was given her name due to her proclivity for killing the enemy. Although initially resistant to this addition, Ron gets over his skepticism when the Black Widow proves her toughness and ability to act like an elite Special Forces soldier.

With the team assembled, the covert assault on Laredo, Texas begins. The battle grows fierce as stiff resistance is met at every corner. Bullets fly, flame throwers are used and ass kickings are handed out all in an attempt to subdue and defeat the enemy. After a fierce firefight, highlighted by a particularly great ass kicking administered by the Black Widow on Tex Austin, the Special Forces team corners Victor in Laredo’s City Hall.

Not giving up the fight, Victor takes hostages to protect him as the team closes in. As they’re locked in a standoff within the old Mayor’s office, Sureshot Williams ends everything with a precision sniper shot to Victor’s head from outside the building. With the cartel defeated and the citizens freed, the Special Forces team decides to celebrate their victory with the locals by partying until the break of dawn at a local tequila bar.
The Elite Eight Screenplay

"Morristown - Episode #1"

Tagline – “Live. Love. Lie”

“25 words or less” – It’s one-degree of separation for six carefree friends within the New Jersey suburb of Morristown where these early thirty-something professionals live, work and love

Full Summary:
“Morristown” is a TV series that follows six friends who are all early thirty-something professionals living in the shadow of New York City in the New Jersey suburb of Morristown. Everyone knows each other in this relatively small town and, with five restaurants, four bars, three coffee shops and one gym, there’s no hiding or escaping anyone even if you try. This makes life challenging when one of the main characters tries to avoid a fling that ended awkwardly or an ex that refuses to leave their life.

The pilot episode opens with Kathryn McGrath, a nymphomaniac real estate agent, being told that she’s contracted an STD by her doctor, and good friend, Erica Phillips. Erica is the level-headed, practical friend of the group, however the same can’t be said for her friend Kathryn. Kathryn is out for only one thing, sex, and an STD isn’t going to stop her pursuit of more. Although Erica warns her of the dangers and pleads with her to hold off on being intimate until she’s cured through treatment, Kathryn is determined to finally have sex that night with the new guy she’s seeing, Daniel. Daniel is also one of the six friends that the series revolves around and he enjoys his relationship with Kathryn which is a welcome diversion from his relatively boring job as an accountant. If Kathryn finally goes home with Daniel, will she have the guts to tell him about her STD before she sleeps with him?

Erica’s level-headedness is further counterbalanced by her sister, Jessica, who is also her roommate. Although Jessica has a very stable job as a divorce lawyer, she has the tendency to act irrationally mostly because she can’t find a decent man and she’s worried about growing old without one. One night, they go to the Famished Frog, a divey bar in the center of town that everyone goes to all the time, where a drunken Jessica runs into one of her clients. Desperate for attention from a man, she goes over to him and strikes up a conversation which quickly becomes flirtatious. Does Jessica try to elevate the harmless flirting into something more, potentially jeopardizing her career?

To round out the group of six friends are Russell Paxton and Steven. Russell is a completely carefree, cool but lackadaisical high school substitute teacher who just wants to be surfing all the time and admits he only has his job because he gets out of work at 3p everyday and he has the summers off. He’s also the type of teacher that takes cell phone calls during class and will take a swipe from his flask when the students aren’t looking, not that he even notices the kids in his class most of the time. Russell is a good-looking guy and is adored by many of the attractive female high school students, many of whom openly admit to their friends that they’d like to have an affair with the single man. Will he ever act on one of his student’s desires?

Russell is also the life of the party and with his friend, Steven, a trainer at the local gym, they join up with Erica and Jessica on a Friday night to pre-game at their apartment before hitting up the local hotspot, Famished Frog. Once at the bar, the two guys peel away from the girls in search of women. Russell tries desperately to get Steven to hit on some of them with him, but he refuses. He tries and tries again but Steven stands his ground. Frustrated, Russell calls him out and jokingly asks if he’s gay. Since Steven is, in fact, a closeted gay, will he finally come out to his best friend? If he does, what will the reaction be?

Each episode presents an ethical or moral dilemma for at least one of the characters and we see how that particular character deals with it. Sometimes they make the right decision but more often than not they end up making the wrong move which only gets them into deeper trouble later. Even the level-headed, practical doctor Erica is bound to get into her own moral dilemmas as well. That’s just what’s come to be expected from the carefree, “I want whatever I want now” generation and it’s the central theme of “Morristown.”
Morristown Screenplay

"Ditch Day"

“25 words or less” – A group of high school seniors in 1995 ditch class to have one more day of fun together before going their separate ways after graduation

Full Summary:
It’s a Friday morning in early June of 1995 and the temperature is supposed to break 80 degrees in the small Rhode Island suburb where Marcus Appleby lives. Marcus is a popular high school senior set to graduate in a week and already preparing for his new life in college. As he sits at the breakfast table watching the local weatherman talk up the beautiful day, only one thought passes through his mind – ditching school.

Quickly, he organizes a ditch day at the beach with eight of his closest friends, along with two other students, as a final “hoorah” before they all go their separate ways after graduation.

There’s Marcus, not only the leader of the high school pack, but also an anti-war advocate who rails against his friends’ pro-military stance. His relationship with his attractive prom date, Stacey, is confusing to say the least but he’s determined to figure out their status by the end of ditch day so they can enjoy their summer together.

His best friend, Johnny, is a contradiction in terms – a free spirit from a four generation military family destined to uphold tradition and join the Army after high school.

Marcus’ other friend, Vincent, has had a secret crush on their friend Karen for a long time and contemplates finally telling her before he starts a summer internship at Cantor Fitzgerald in NYC. Will Vincent be too nervous to make the first move? If he does, will Karen reciprocate?

Vincent’s younger brother, Joey, manages to weasel his way into the group after finding out Vincent’s intentions to ditch and threatening to tell their parents unless he takes him with them. At the beach he’s secretly plied with Vodka and smoked up by his brother’s friend, Charlie O, a real degenerate drunk and drug addict who’s pretty much defined as a fuck up, a harmless fuck up though, by his fellow classmates.

Two other friends that ditch are Robert and Jodi, a combustible couple who constantly argue and fight with each other but manage to stay together through thick and thin in high school. The littlest thing that Jodi does will set Robert off but she’s always good about standing up for herself and giving as good as she gets…which is not always a good move.

And then there’s Stanley, the nerdy outcast of the group. Showing his heart, Marcus invites him along on ditch day when he sees him walking to school by himself. Although his friends think it’s a prank, Marcus assures them and Stanley that it’s no joke and that he really wants him to come along so he can have some carefree fun for once in his life. At the beach he becomes friendly with Sandy, a tough girl who’s initially very condescending since she only knows him as the quiet dork of the class, but she eventually softens up once she gets to know him.

Set to a rap & hip hop soundtrack to pay homage to how the African-American culture was a focal point for suburban white kids growing up in the 1990s, the story follows the eleven characters as they enjoy their carefree ditch day in high school during a time of peace, tranquility and economic prosperity then fast forwards at the end to show where they are ten years later during a much different time of insecurity, turbulence and economic recession in 2005.
Ditch Day Screenplay

"Strip Club Love"

Tagline – “A Love Story Between A Man And His Stripper”

“25 words or less” – A down on his luck single guy falls in love with a stripper but finds it’s extremely difficult to accept the requirements of her job

Full Summary:
Simon Reynolds has just been dumped by another girlfriend; this one didn’t even have the decency to break up with him to his face opting instead to leave a cold-hearted voicemail. The next day he joins the last of his single friends for his bachelor party at a local strip club. Instead of having fun and enjoying the night with his boys, he sulks at the end of bar feeling depressed and alone.

A slightly awkward guy, he considers himself not much of a strip club guy and doesn’t see the appeal of going to a place where you have to pay a girl for her company. However, a few days after the bachelor party, he finds a free pass to the same strip club in his coat pocket as he prepares to leave work. Having nothing else to do, he decides to stop into the strip club, which is on his way home anyways, for two drinks.

A quick two drinks turns into a seven hour visit when he meets a stripper named Melanie, the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen in his life. Melanie also takes a liking to Simon and ends up spending hours getting to know him while disregarding the potential for making money from the other male patrons who would be willing to actually pay her to dance.

Simon is in love and starts going to the club to see more of her. He asks her out on a date but her strict “no dating customers” policy forbids her from mingling with him outside of the club. But Simon doesn’t relent, and in his kind-hearted manner he changes tact – “how about just grabbing coffee after you get off your shift sometime.” Sensing that this would be much easier to deal with, Melanie finally accepts.

They meet at a non-descript diner in Manhattan close by the strip club and sparks immediately fly. If they take this to the next level though, Melanie has one rule for Simon, “you know I’m a stripper and you know what I do; the only thing I ask is that you never become a jealous man because of my line of work.”

Although Simon agrees, it’s easier said than done, can he really follow through with it? How will he be able to deal with her odd work hours? How will he feel when he sees her giving another male customer a seductive lap dance? What will he do if he sees her vanish with some guy to a VIP room for hours on end? And will his reactions to her actions, actions that she needs to perform as a stripper, rip them apart and ruin their newfound relationship?
Strip Club Love Screenplay

"Sarah's First Christmas"

“25 words or less” – Tired of always being the 25th wheel at holidays, a single guy from a devout Catholic family decides to invite a Jewish girl to Christmas

Full Summary:

Mark Altieri has grown tired of constantly being the 25th wheel at family holiday gatherings. Coming from a big Italian family, he has a number of siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins and everyone has a significant other…everyone except for Mark. Mark’s lack of a girlfriend typically causes problems at these holiday get-togethers - he’s forced to play automatic quarterback during the traditional football game in order to keep the teams even, he’s left out of the “couples-only” board game competition, he sits at the kids table for dinner and he is even forced to give up his bedroom and sleep on a cot in the basement.

After a particularly challenging Thanksgiving for him, Mark vows to win back his bedroom by taking a girl home to his parents’ house for Christmas. But who will he take? Recognizing that Christmas is right around the corner and understanding the difficulties with finding a girl that will be available to spend the holiday with him on such short notice, Mark discusses options and prospects with his best friend and co-worker, Jacob. Mark learns from his Jewish friend that Chanukah ends days before Christmas which gives him a revelation – a Jewish girl would be free from family obligations during Christmas.

So, with Jacob in toe, Mark heads out to find the perfect Jewish girl to invite to Christmas. In an effort to increase his odds of finding someone, he stakes out all the stereotypical places – synagogues, bagel shops, delis, even Murray Hill – but has no luck until he notices the Jewish girl of his dreams, Sarah, on his way to work. After following her into the local Starbucks for several days in a row, Mark finally builds up the nerve to talk to Sarah and, after some small talk, asks her out on a date which she accepts. At the end of their first date, Mark makes the bold move and asks her to accompany him to his family’s home for Christmas weekend; caught off-guard she reluctantly agrees after he makes an impassioned plea.

However there is a huge obstacle standing in the way of Mark and Sarah’s budding relationship – his family. Mark’s parents and grandparents are adamant that everyone in the family only date Catholics, preferably Italian Catholics, so Mark tries his best to hide the fact that Sarah is Jewish. But once the truth comes out during Christmas Eve, Mark’s family vocalizes its’ opposition to the point that it straddles the line of pro-Catholicism and anti-Semitism. Even faced with the open hostility, Sarah decides to remain with the family through Christmas for Mark’s sake as he pleads with his family to give her a chance.

This leads to the following questions that will be answered by the end of the weekend: Can Sarah change the family’s perception? Will the family come around and finally accept her?
Sarah's First Christmas Screenplay

"Bullied"

“25 words or less” – A suicidal teen plotting a high school massacre has a change of heart when a caring teacher takes an interest in his artistic talent

Full Summary:

Nathan Simpson, a scrawny nerdy-looking teenager with glasses and a bad haircut, is awkward. He spends each morning staring into his bathroom mirror before school, telling himself that “today is the day that he will get a girlfriend. Today is the day that he won’t get made fun of.” Not a day goes by when the high school junior doesn’t get picked on. Made fun of by both boys and girls alike, and his overbearing dad at home, Nathan has no place to hide from the cruelty of the world around him.

Tired of living like that, Nathan decides to take his own life so he goes home after another day of insults at school, ties a rope around a tree branch in the backyard, the noose around his neck, and tries to hang himself. As he struggles, the tree branch breaks under the stress of Nathan’s weight and he falls to the ground alive.

Hiding the real reason for his neck wound the next day at breakfast, he tells his parents that he got into a fight. His dad’s advice? “If someone is messing with you, fight back!” These dangerous words immediately change Nathan’s behavior when he decides to heed his father’s advice and not take the torment anymore. No longer a sweet, naïve kid; Nathan turns into a brooding figure hellbent on getting revenge against all the other students that have done him wrong.

It first starts with graphic drawings of macabre violence during class – the high school blowing up with a fireball rising above, a teenager shooting up a classroom full of students and other assorted pictures. These drawings soon lead to something more sinister as Nathan begins researching the Columbine shooting and how to build a bomb on the internet. One night he begins to set his “payback” plan into motion and buys guns through Craigslist. That payback plan is to massacre his fellow students during the upcoming school dance.

On the night of the dance, Nathan’s mother is ecstatic to see that her son is actually going to participate in a social school event. But Nathan only has one thing on his mind – revenge. When he gets to school that night, he immediately goes to the bathroom and prepares for his final act. With two handguns stuck in his waistband, Nathan walks down the long hallway towards the gymnasium filled with dancing students.

Just as Nathan reaches out for the door handle to enter the gym, one of his teachers, Mr. Walden, walks out and greets him. The teacher leads him to his classroom and confronts him with his notebook filled with graphic, violent drawings which Nathan had dropped the previous day. Mr. Walden struggles with whether or not he should report him to the authorities before he does something destructive, but in the end, recognizing his artistic talent, he gets Nathan to sign up for a special arts program being held at the local community college with the promise that he stops drawing violent images and gets his life together.

In the arts program, Nathan finally finds a purpose in life and begins to use his creative outlet for good. Even better, he meets a pretty girl in the program who offers to become his partner on art projects. Bridget immediately takes an interest in Nathan and he takes an interest in her as well. One day during class she asks him out on his first date. That Saturday night they go to an art gallery where they both have their first kiss in the middle of the exhibit. It turns out that Saturday is the day that Nathan finally gets a girlfriend.
Bullied Screenplay

"Spring Break"

Tagline – “A Spring Break They’ll Never Forget”

“25 words or less” – A Mexican Drug Cartel kidnaps a beautiful college girl on Spring Break in Cancun and attempts to sell her into slavery with a rival cartel

Full summary:
Amanda Beckett, a beautiful blonde college student from Chicago, goes to Cancun on Spring Break with her boyfriend and two other friends for a week’s worth of “fun in the sun.” After their first day of relaxation and beer funneling on the beach, the group decides to kick up the party before they hit the clubs at night by scoring some drugs. Amanda’s boyfriend, Michael, and his friend, Brendan, approach a couple of shady-looking Mexicans at a bar looking for drugs, they in turn direct them to a safe house away from the watchful eye of law enforcement.

While making the drug deal at the house, Amanda becomes incredibly uncomfortable as she feels several of the drug dealers undressing her with their eyes. Michael comforts her and once they make their deal they go back to the hotel for some hard partying before going out at night. Later that night in the club, the friends get rowdy on the dance floor and at the bar; really enjoying their freedom as college kids on Spring Break. Unbeknownst to them, several of the drug cartel associates followed them to the club and watch them from a far, especially Amanda. After a while, one of the associates drugs Amanda’s drink when she’s not paying attention.

After Michael goes to the bathroom and her other two friends leave, a disoriented Amanda stumbles out of the club by herself. The cartel associates follow her out and abduct her down the street. There is a glimmer of hope when two police officers see this going down and approach Amanda. However in Mexico, the drug cartels have more power than the local police and they end up bribing the cops to turn the other way and leave.

Michael emerges from the bathroom of the club and his world is quickly turned upside down when he can’t find Amanda anywhere. He searches high and low for her in the club but can’t find her anywhere so he runs back to the hotel, grabs his other two friends and they start searching for her.

The cartel holds Amanda back at the safe house and makes a deal to sell her to a rival Mexican cartel that has formulated a plan to ship kidnapped girls from Cancun to Southeast Asian countries where they’ll be sold into the sex trade. Amanda is quickly transported to the Port of Yucatan later that afternoon where she will be sold to the rival cartel and put on a cargo ship to Thailand. To keep her in line, the cartel feeds her a steady stream of heroin to keep her mellow and non-combative.

When the local police offer no help to find his girlfriend, Michael decides to take matters into his own hands. With the help of Brendan, the two go to a shady marketplace in a rundown part of town to buy guns and then go back to the safe house since they have a sneaking suspicion the drug dealers know her whereabouts.

The two friends show up at the house just minutes after Amanda is moved from it, but Michael is able to get one of the drug dealers that were left behind to talk and tell them where they took her. It becomes a race against time for Michael to catch up to the cartel before they reach the Port of Yucatan and transport his girlfriend, Amanda, onto the cargo ship heading to Thailand.
Spring Break Screenplay

"Hail Mary"

Tagline – “Believe”

“25 words or less” summary – An eccentric billionaire turns around the hapless Detroit Lions with the help of an unemployed auto worker and college-aged Madden NFL video game champion

Full summary:
After the Detroit Lions finish the season 0-16 and the Ford family is forced to sell the team due to their declining fortunes, Jonathan Arnett, an eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire and the Lions #1 fan, decides to buy the team and sets in motion a radical course of action to turn around both the fortunes of team and the city of Detroit.

Jonathan hires his friend, Tony Williams, a recently laid-off assembly line worker for Ford, as the team’s new GM. Tony has no football experience and his only success in Jonathan’s eyes is winning their fantasy football league championship three years in a row. In turn, the new GM decides it’s time for some fresh thinking at the coaching level so he looks for his new head coach at the State of Michigan NFL Madden 2010 Championship Finals. There he finds Howie Glenn, a college senior slacker whose only skill in life is playing video games. Once Howie wins the video game championship, he’s hired on the spot by Tony and Jonathan to be the new head coach of the Lions.

Howie Glenn immediately undergoes a makeover so that he can lose the slacker look and fit the mold of a traditional NFL head coach. Then he puts his playbook into action during summer practice, a playbook that relies heavily on his video game experience – every defensive play is a blitz, he only runs a handful of plays, he never kicks a field goal, he throws a hail mary at the end of each half – much to the consternation of his players.

When the Lions start the season at 0-4, the management team has to stave off constant criticism from both local and national sports journalists and a near mutiny from the players. Although Tony starts having serious second thoughts, Jonathan takes everything in stride and supports Howie who firmly believes that he can turn the team around.

Jonathan tells Howie that if he can gain the respect of his players then he can turn around the fortunes of the team, so before the next game Howie gives the team a rousing speech in the locker room and rallies them around him and each other. The team does in fact turn things around and eventually puts themselves in position to get a wild card spot with a win in the final game of the season.

In a hard fought game, the Lions beat the Miami Dolphins, who were also going for a playoff spot in their own division, and make it in to the playoffs as a wild card team; bringing the dawn of a new day to the people and city of Detroit, a new era of hope. The players, who once hated Howie with a passion and showed him no respect, carry their head coach off the field as the home crowd erupts in celebration.Hail Mary Screenplay

"Back in the Game"

Tagline – “Sometimes What You’re Looking For Is Right In Front Of You”

“25 words or less” – A recently dumped guy scours the internet for a new girlfriend but finds his true love is the girl in the next cubicle

One page summary:
Danny Leonard, a handsome man in his late twenties, comes home one day to see his live-in girlfriend in the midst of packing up her things and moving out. She breaks the news to him that she’s decided to move in with her hair stylist who she has been seeing while living with Danny.

Six months later, during brunch with his two best friends – Stephanie and Jimmy – Danny’s confronted about the perpetual funk that he’s been in ever since his girlfriend left and they urge him to get back into the dating world. Although originally reluctant, he decides to join his friends at a club on Friday night to go looking for women. After being pressured by his friends at the club, Danny approaches several girls to make small talk but manages to strike out with all of them which only damages his self-esteem even more.

Danny’s friend, Stephanie, then sets him up with a friend of hers but that turns out to be a disaster when she shows up to dinner and proceeds to give him a powerpoint presentation right at the table on why she would make a good girlfriend.

Frustrated, Danny tells her that he might just be better off being alone, but she ends up convincing him to try online dating. In support, Stephanie and Jimmy decide to join an online dating website with him and they gather on a Friday night to create their profiles together.

Danny winks at and emails several girls online but he quickly becomes depressed when he doesn’t get any responses after a week. He decides the whole online dating scene isn’t for him and that he’s just going to let his subscription run out.

However, once Spring rolls around girls start reaching out to him in droves which makes Danny re-think online dating. Unfortunately though all of his dates turn out to be disasters – there’s the girl that claims she’s a great conversationalist but answers all questions with one word, a girl who already has a boyfriend but was interested in testing the waters and the girl that falls asleep in the bathroom of a dive bar.

While Danny looks for love in all the wrong places, he becomes very good friends with a recently hired girl at work, Courtney. They spend a lot of time talking to each other at work and also hanging out at local bars after work. He even begins to introduce her to his friends outside of work. Naturally he starts developing feelings for her but doesn’t realize it for a while. Finally, after a night at the movies and drinks afterwards, it dawns on him that he has a crush on her.

He hangs out with her a few more times before he finally musters up the strength to ask her out on a date. He gives her an impassioned plea in the middle of Central Park one night and she says yes. After all this time, he finally finds what he’s been looking for and she was sitting only a few feet away from him at work all along.Back in the Game Screenplay