22 - Writing TV Movies w/John Burd (Love at the Christmas Contest, Christmas with the Andersons)

John Burd is a writer, producer and director specializing in TV movies. John has worked on projects for networks including Hallmark, Lifetime, Syfy, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, UpTV, and Ion.  He made his directorial debut in 2021 with his script Love at the Christmas Contest. BREAKDOWN: 4:00 - Acquiring rights to a book for script adaptation 5:57 - Upcoming movies: Nana’s Here, Stalked by My Stepsister (Lifetime) 11:19 - Hired to direct first feature, financing first feature 13:50 - Christmas movie horror stories + TikTok virality 27:50 - Not compromising your values for a project 35:03 - Upcoming - Christmas Keepsake (Great American Family), Her Deadly Letters 36:20 - Balancing working in development at MarVista with screenwriting 43:10 - Creating opportunities during covid, strikes, dry spells in work 45:20 - How to build good industry relationships 47:00 - Moving to Tulsa 53:00 - Law school transferable skills for screenwriting 57:00 - Advice for writers who want to work in TV movies or Christmas space 1:03:50 - TIME CAPSULE 1:16:16 - Takeaways CONNECT WITH John: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4719650/ www.burdhousepost.com  CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com