Working film producer and former industry executive with decades of experience, Barri Evins is judging the Screenplay Award in the hope of finding new screenwriting talent.
Barri has sold pitches, specs, articles, and books to all the majors. As a teacher and story consultant, she approaches writing from a producer’s point of view, with a passion for both storytelling and nurturing writers.
Before forming her own company, be movies, Barri worked her way up through the executive ranks. She began her career as a development executive for writer/producers Bruce Evans and Ray Gideon (Starman, Stand by Me, Mr. Brooks) based at Universal Studios, where she set up her first feature. Barri served as President of Debra Hill Productions (Halloween, The Fisher King) where she packaged, set up, and developed numerous projects at studios and cable networks including Warner Bros., Universal, Disney, Nickelodeon, New Line and HBO, and became known for her keen eye for up-and-coming talent and spotting engaging ideas that became successful stories.
Among her career accomplishments, Barri discovered and helped set up Assassins, the first film written by the Wachowskis (The Matrix) that starred Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas. She set up David Berenbaum’s first film project before Elf was a twinkle in his eye. She has worked extensively with A-List talent, including actor-producer Tobey Maguire, directors Shawn Levy (Night At The Museum, Stranger Things), and Frank Oz (Bowfinger, What About Bob?) and Academy Award-nominated writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby (Children of Men, Iron Man, The Expanse).
As a writer, Barri has co-written original treatments. Meet John Doe, sold in a preemptive six-figure sale to Warner Bros., and Unidentified Suburban Object for Fox Family.
As a Story Consultant, Barri uses her industry experience to enable writers to create the best version of their stories and advance them in the marketplace through custom consultations, seminars, and mentorship. Barri works with screen and television writers, as well as on fiction and nonfiction projects. Her consultations focus on one-on-one interactive feedback that is constructive, and collaborative.
Barri has created custom courses for Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, and Blizzard Entertainment. She has been an instructor for UCLA Graduate Producers Program and AFI. As a sought after expert at capturing the power of story, as well as practical pointers for breaking into the industry, she has spoken at conferences including Great American PitchFest, Nebraska Writers Conference, Screenwriters Expo, Screenwriters World, Writer’s Digest and WyrdCon, as well as writers’ organizations around the country.
Her innovative online intensive, Screenwriting Elevated, empowers emerging screenwriters to hone advanced skills and develop their own distinctive and compelling voice. It features in–depth lecture, strength-building exercises, private mentorship, and A-List Guest Speakers.
I love character-driven material in a wide range of genres. I'm drawn to visceral stories with resonant themes. I'm always excited by an engaging story and eager to discover distinctive voices.
Barri contributed a chapter to the popular Now Write! book series. She is a Contributing Senior Editor for ScriptMag, where her column, Breaking & Entering, has appeared since 2012, and a contributor to Writer’s Digest. A book, Creating Delicious Stories, is in the works.
Join Barri's newsletter to get a free logline consult, or follow Barri here:
