WRITER | PRODUCER | ACTOR
Ask someone what their favorite movie is, and most likely they’ll hem and haw, saying, “I can’t choose just one.” Not me! Allan Moyle’s Pump Up the Volume (1990), starring the enigmatic Christian Slater, was it for me. It showed me the kinds of stories I was born to tell—stories of outcasts and misfits finding their foothold in an “ordinary” world. I love quirky, character-driven narratives with redemptive arcs, focused on emotional resonance, delivered with a hint of nostalgia and a satirical edge. I aim for my scripts to read like classic ’90s Spielberg with the wit of Shane Black.
My Louisiana roots are deeply influential in my work. Ever since I happened upon a copy of Pulp Fiction in my 5th grade writing class (too young, I know), I’ve been enamored with the art of screenwriting. Balancing my life experiences, production knowledge, and creative voice has brought me to where I am today.
SCREENWRITING
As a kid, I loved comic books. After finishing the latest Green Lantern or Superman, I’d create my own comics, inventing original heroes and villains. When I got to high school, I took my first creative writing class, and after winning my first literary contest, I was hooked. I took pride in my essays and my English grade. Even when I attended LSU to earn my B.A. in Theatre, you can bet I was taking playwriting classes alongside advanced scene study. There isn’t a period in my life where I don’t see that I was born to tell stories.
After graduating from LSU, I headed to iO West and took the SNL sketch writing class. I wrote sketches and won “Sketch Cage Matches” with my comedy team, Zoltar Machine at The Second City Los Angeles. Then, when I decided I wanted to get kicked in the ribs by the movie industry for the rest of my life, I co-founded RX4 with Gabriel Saint and honed the skills it takes to make independent feature films as a two-person crew.
In addition to writing for producibility, I also write high-budget movies crafted for commercial and studio success. Currently, my historical action-comedy, The Executioner, is in the Top 7% of Discoverable Projects on Coverfly.
PITCH DECKS
Do you ever write a story thinking it will never get made? Not me. That’s why every script I write comes with a pitch deck. This “extra mile” boosts every project's chances of getting funding, showcases my ability to collaborate, and visually complements the style of the script.
The projects below showcase my signature blend of satire and serious subject matter handled with a light touch. These character-driven stories promise a fun, wicked ride for audiences, delving deep into the human condition and exploring themes of identity, redemption, and the search for belonging.
PRODUCED FEATURES
During my time at RX4 Productions, I honed my writing skills and developed a sharp eye for market trends and the producibility of our projects. With a solid understanding of the entertainment industry’s ins and outs, I played a key role in taking feature films from development all the way to distribution. I made sure each project was not only creatively compelling but also viable and aligned with what audiences crave.
2018
Distributor: Summer Hill Entertainment
An artist finds the perfect muse for his work. Despite the best efforts of his girlfriend and his mentor Chance blurs the line between inspiration and obsession.
2020
Distributors: Gravitas Ventures, Blood House Entertainment
Opportunist and liar, Joseph, puts on a play at a theatre with a murderous past to impress, Virginia, an actor on the verge of leaving town. Joseph becomes obsessed with the spirit of the theatre and begins killing those who get in his way.
2024
Status: Post-Production
River receives a box of his childhood possessions. When he discovers he may have resurrected a sinister imaginary friend from childhood, he must find a way to stop it before he loses his marriage, his career, and his mind.
TESTIMONIALS
ScreenCraft 2024 Competition - The Executioner
“This is an extremely well-written, fast-moving historically-based story that somehow manages to avoid all of the usual traps and tropes that less-skilled writers easily fall into. While successfully capturing the atmosphere and culture of Elizabethan England, the dialog, while period, feels real and fresh, which is perhaps the hardest aspect to pull off in historical fiction, and the characters both real and fictional, are real and relatable, and their own emotional journeys are quite moving. I could easily see this as a movie on Starz. Very attractive roles for actors.”
Slamdance 2024 Competition - The Executioner
“The world is vivid and the characters are colorful. The writer has definitely researched this time and makes it really come alive.”
CONTACT
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derrickdenicola@gmail.com
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