By Guneet K. Singh
Let’s put our pens to paper and craft the perfect welcome for our new NYWIFT member, Sheila Robinson!
Sheila is a playwright, screenwriter and social worker who has been pursuing writing for the last 16 years. Her career as a social worker has inspired her work. Her writing has brought her to many different film festivals and she continues to hone her craft.
Read our full interview with Sheila to learn more about how she balances her writing with her career as a social worker and her advice for screenwriters.
Tell us about yourself! Give us some insight into your creative journey, your career aspirations and what drives you.
In 2006, I got into the acting business and then I took a playwriting course a couple of years later. I loved it! Since then, I’ve been writing and it’s been very cathartic for me. I’ve written dramedy, drama and period pieces. My go-to is dramedy. I’ve been to some film festivals and have won some awards for Best Feature Screenplay. I did a short that won Best Cinematography. I did a three act play at a repertory theater in Manhattan and we made it to the finals. I do playwriting and screenwriting. It’s been fun doing this and I love it.
What brought you to NYWIFT?
My friend told me about it and encouraged me to join. I went to different events over the years and was on the email list. Last year at the Hamptons International Film Festival, NYWIFT had an event and that was fun. I just became an official member this year!
Has your time as a social worker inspired how you approach your writing?
Most definitely. I meet so many new people and have talked to lots of interesting folks throughout my career. So many of my characters are loosely based on people I’ve met in the field. I use all this information I have and put it on paper and then put it in a play or on screen.
You love writing family stories and dramedies. What draws you to these types of stories?
Life is full of so much stress and people need to laugh, even if you’re writing something that has some truth to it. Laughter is really important. In New York, everything goes so fast. I try to pull from things that have happened to me and I’m like, “That was funny. That needs to be on paper.” Some of my dramas are personal to me and others are things I’ve heard or encountered as a social worker.
One of my acting instructors had us listen to people’s conversations as we were walking or taking the subway. It was quite interesting because most of the time we’re on our phones and aren’t paying attention. That exercise really helped me pay attention to folks and develop some characters from that and then a play.
What advice do you have for those interested in pursuing screenwriting?
Take a course. Know the format. Go to workshops. I’ve taken a ton of courses. Understand the business of screenwriting because it can be quite different, even from the business of playwriting. Intern where you can. I’ve done background work for a lot of films and that helps you know the ins and outs and be on set so you can learn what happens during a production. Overall, I think you should do your research and spend time behind-the-scenes.
What has been the most fulfilling writing project of your career so far? What made it so impactful for you?
My first playwriting course was impactful for me because I really got the sense that I could write. I was learning the craft and I’d hear it read out loud and then hear the audience reacting. It was so fulfilling.
Since then, my most impactful project was a German film loosely based on a true story of a family member called Fräulein. It’s about an African American woman who left the states when she was 18 and went to Germany. She was one of the first African American people in that area where she moved. She had a lot of stories of how people identified her and how enamored they were with her. My family member is now in her 80s.
How do you balance your career as a social worker and your writing projects?
It’s not easy. It takes a lot of quiet time and dedication to really think. You have to be in the space where your mind is clear and all you’re focused on is writing.
When I was first getting started, taking courses helped me stay focused. When work is busy, I don’t get as much time to focus on my craft so I’ve been finding new ways to hold myself accountable. I took an accountability writing class once where I woke up and would write from 7am-9am.
You also have to save the money and have the resources to put your work out there. I’m hoping to put more of my work back on stage (hopefully by the fall!) but I need to build up the funds to do it.
What is the most inspiring piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The most inspiring piece of advice I’ve ever received was from an animation instructor at SVA. He was a social worker at one point as well. I did a script with a concept that was kind of unbelievable and hard to pitch. He said to me “You can pitch to anybody, any day, anything.” I try to remember that. There’s something there in my writing and I can do it, even when I doubt myself.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Marci Clark
NYWIFT is excited to welcome new member Marci Clark! Whether you were tuning into MTV during the mid-90s or consider Super Bowl ads to be immersive entertainment, there is a good chance you’ve engaged with remarkable content in which Marci has left an indelible mark! Marci is now Co-owner & Chief Marketing Officer of a location agency, The Scout Source, representing over 800 production-friendly locations in the Tristate area. Check out her blog feature where we converse about the evolution of her dynamic career in the film and television industry as a marketing professional, her talent and enthusiasm for linking content creators to incredible location sites for them to shoot their projects, and the iconic cartoon character who she “butted heads” with (no pun intended)!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Chiemeka Offor
Chiemeka Offor is a NYC-based Nigerian-American interdisciplinary artist, image maker, and director currently focusing on editorial photography and poetic short films. Her artwork has been featured in Cultured, i-D, Vogue Italia, Women’s Wear Daily, Buzzfeed Photo, Frieze, and Office Magazine. Chiemeka has received National recognition as a Grand Prize Winner in the Smithsonian Teen Portrait Competition for her portrait “Showtime”, and a 2020 National Young Arts Foundation Award in Photography. In the spring of 2023, she joined the 2023 Voice X PhotoVogue NFT Residency and is currently pursuing a major in Film and Television at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she continues to construct visual and sensory worlds of inclusion through her intersectional and community-driven work. Continue to read more about Chiemeka and how she hopes to mesh the two worlds of fashion photography and visual activism in her career.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Becky Morrison
Let’s all welcome new NYWIFT member Becky Morrison! Becky is the Founder & CEO of The Light, an award-winning production company that produces films, series and high-end commercials. Becky kicked-off her career on the Hollywood blockbuster I Am Legend, dabbled in animation on Disney’s The Wild, then entered the world of rock n’ roll as visual content producer for U2’s world tour. In the span of her career, Becky has produced hundreds of projects for clients such as Netflix, Apple, NBC, A&E, Hulu and Disney. She has spent years studying the history of Hollywood and uses her research to inform a new framework for conscious production. She spoke to us about how she is using her creative work to inspire positive change.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Cathy Perifimos
Meet NYWIFT new member Cathy Perifimos! Cathy is an entertainment attorney, Of Counsel at Thompson LLC, consulting with the firm on entertainment and media transactions. Previously, she was Vice President at Paramount Global, where she managed the business and legal affairs of Smithsonian Channel and worked on documentaries and unscripted projects across the MTV Entertainment Group brands. Prior to joining Smithsonian Channel in 2014, Cathy was an Associate at the boutique entertainment law firm of Dembitzer & Dembitzer LLP. She was also an Associate Agent in the dramatic rights department of the Curtis Brown literary agency. She is a graduate of Barnard College and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Cathy is a founding board member of Barnard Women in Entertainment, and at Cardozo is a member of the Filmmakers Legal Clinic Board and the FAME Advisory Board. Cathy resides in New Jersey with her husband and their cat. Recently, we asked Cathy about her impressive legal career in the entertainment industry.
READ MORE
Comments are closed