Professor

Location:

Salt Lake City, UT

Posted:

March 21, 2018

Contact this candidate

Resume:

Wendell Nielson

**** ***** ***.

Orlando, FL ****6

213-***-**** (cell)

*********@***.***

STATEMENT

I am an experienced writer, producer, director, and university teaching professional. I am seeking to utilize my skills to assist others in developing their talents. In academia, I have had particular success with curriculum development, student support, and faculty training.

HIGHLIGHTS

Education: M.F.A. from the American Film Institute Conservatory in Screenwriting. Double B.A. from the University of Utah in English and Film Studies with a Special Emphasis in Creative Writing.

Film Producer, Director, and Screenwriter: Wrote several award-winning feature screenplays. Produced and directed multiple films based on my scripts. Last completed film, Zion Curtain, won Best Director and Best Short Dramatic Film at the CannaBus Culture Film Festival in Brooklyn, New York, June 2017.

Online Faculty Instructor: Two years and five months developing and teaching classes at the Los Angeles Film School Online with excellent student evaluations.

Humanities Adjunct Professor: Four years university-level teaching experience at Utah Valley University (UVU) with exceptional student and peer evaluations (available upon request).

English Adjunct Professor: One year teaching Intermediate Writing at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) with excellent evaluations (available upon request).

Ghost-writer: Twelve years assisting aspiring writers to develop stories and screenplays.

Mentor: Extensive experience mentoring students and other writers and served as an Honors Thesis Committee Member at UVU.

Marketer: Successful marketing of script, Wolf’s Bane. Obtained a shopping agreement with Director Mary Lambert (Pet Semetary).

Journalism: Three years of wide-ranging experience, initially working as a Staff Writer and later as a Senior Staff Writer.

Hospitality Services: Over ten years of experience working in hospitality services, managing and mentoring other workers.

RECENT RELEVANT WORK HISTORY

June 2015 – Online Faculty Instructor: General Education and Digital

November 2017 Filmmaking Departments

Los Angeles Film School Online, Orlando, Florida

Developed Creative Writing and Screenwriting classes. Redeveloped curricula for Storytelling and English Composition classes. Created and presented multiple Continuing Education trainings for faculty members. Assisted in training faculty members to teach Screenwriting, Storytelling, and English Composition. Introduced and conducted Q and A with Producer/Director/Screenwriter Will De Los Santos for the LAFS ‘Meet The Writer’ Series and Weekly Newsletter, the first such event to be streamed live for online students.

September 2014 – Educational Advisor

June 2015 SoftRock Inc., Orlando, Florida

Counselled potential students about undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs.

August 2013 –

August 2014

August 2010 –

August 2014

Adjunct Professor: English Department

Salt Lake Community College; Salt Lake City, Utah

Developed and taught Intermediate Writing (2010) classes. Provided individual counselling to improve students’ writing skills. Designed the classes to enhance writing and rhetorical abilities and to expose students to social issues of concern. Introduced them to multiple genres of writing.

Adjunct Professor: Philosophy and Humanities Department

Utah Valley University; Orem, Utah

Taught four years of Humanities Through the Arts (1010 and 101G) at

Utah Valley University, the largest public university in Utah. Designed and taught two upper-division (204G) classes: Cult Film and Theatre and Cult Film and Culture. Developed curricula for my classes. Introduced students to media and compositional elements of literature, music, visual arts. Designed and developed two upper-division classes based on film and theatre theory. Established and produced a film festival. Published my academic paper, Kitsch, Camp, and the Politics of Taste, in the Utah Valley University Humanities Journal, Spring, 2015.

August 2004 –

Present

Producer/Director/Screenwriter/Ghost-writer

Ken Sherman and Associates, Beverly Hills, California

Wrote and edited multiple award-winning screenplays. Worked as a ghost-writer for several clients. Completed a shopping agreement with acclaimed Director Mary Lambert for feature screenplay, Wolf’s Bane.

Wrote short film Deep Down in Florida, directed by Creator and Showrunner of Mr. Robot, Sam Esmail. Produced, wrote, and directed award-winning short film Zion Curtain. Currently producing and directing short film Easy Livin’, based on my screenplay.

Achievements:

CannaBus Culture Film Festival Best Director Award for Zion Curtain, 2017

CannaBus Culture Film Festival Best Short Dramatic Film Award for Zion Curtain, 2017

WriteMovies.com International Writing Competition Finalist for Wolf’s Bane, 2009

Fade In Awards Screenwriting Competition Semi-Finalist for Wolf’s Bane, 2010

Story Pros Screenwriting Competition Semi-Finalist for Wolf’s Bane, 2010

Scriptapalooza International Screenwriting Competition Semi-Finalist for Wolf’s Bane, 2010

American Screenwriting Competition Quarter-Finalist for Wolf’s Bane, 2010

StoryPros Screenwriting Competition Semi-Finalist for Shards of

Time, 2009

The Writer’s Network Screenplay Competition Quarter-Finalist for Shards of Time, 2009

Acclaim Screenwriting Competition Semi-Finalist for Utah Speed, Fall/Winter 2007

Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Competition Quarter-Finalist for Runner, 2004

The Writer’s Network Screenplay Competition Quarter-Finalist for Easy Livin’, 2003

OTHERE RELEVANT WORK HISTORY

Feb. 2002 –

June 2002

Journalist: Senior Staff Writer

Madera Tribune, Madera, California

Conducted investigative journalism for in-depth news stories. Wrote, edited, and reviewed other writers’ articles for the newspaper. Wrote a six-part series on gangs in Madera (first installment attained the largest circulation since the newspaper’s inception).

Oct. 1999-

Jan. 2002

Journalist: Staff Writer

Paradise Post, Paradise, California

Investigated and covered all news beats in a sprawling suburban community and wrote articles on deadline. One of three contributing reporters that received a California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA) First Place Award for Best Spot News (On Fire, September 21, 2000). The Paradise Post received a CNPA First Place Award for General Excellence for the year 2000.

EDUCATION

2004

MFA, Screenwriting

American Film Institute Conservatory, Hollywood, California

Conservatory scholarship recipient

Penned two separate thesis scripts green-lit for production (one of only two Screenwriting Fellows to achieve that distinction in 2004)

First 2004 Screenwriting Fellow to acquire Literary Agent subsequent to graduation (Ken Sherman, of Ken Sherman and Associates, whose client list includes John Kerr, Anne Perry, David Guterson, Tawni O'Dell, Starhawk, and the late John Updike)

1995

Double B.A., English/Film Studies

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

Special emphasis in Creative Writing

Nominated for valedictorian

Graduated Magna Cum Laude

Cumulative GPA 3.9

Consistently on Dean's List

VOLUNTEER WORK

2011 Literacy Action Network, Salt Lake City, Utah

Volunteer Instructor

Leadership Award, April 2011

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Filmmaking, writing, reading, skiing, and playing the bass guitar

FILMS AND PUBLICATIONS

Easy Livin’ – Producer, Director, Screenwriter (currently in production)

Zion Curtain – Producer, Director, Screenwriter https://vimeo.com/210604832 password: Salem

Deep Down in Florida – Screenwriter https://vimeo.com/212823399 password: ecstasy

Two of Cups – Screenwriter

The Price of a Good Education – Director, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, Editor

American White Trash: Portrait of a Rockabilly Band – Director, Cinematographer, Editor

“Kitsch, Camp, and the Politics of Taste” – Spring, 2015 issue of Utah Valley University Humanities Journal

“Leaking Pipes Part of Ridge History” – June 2000 issue of Tales of the Paradise Ridge

“Untitled” – poem in Best of A.B.G.’s Atomic Mic Poetry Night

“Skinning” – poem in Best of A.B.G.’s Atomic Mic Poetry Night

REFERENCES:

Lisa Gustafson

Los Angeles Film School Online, Orlando, Florida

Program Manager

909-***-****

**********@******.***