CREATIVE COACHING & CONSULTING FOR WRITERS
Results-oriented notes. Keen insights.
Maximize your time and increase your output.
Focus your concept, draft and/or rewrite.
Super-charge your creative process.
Do you need a writing coach? Read Greg's blog
"Greg is a creative midwife!" - Kimberly
"A fantastic writer, editor, coach and friend!" - Kathy
"Smart, funny, savvy and super, super helpful!" - Dani
"Invaluable!" - Timi
"You are Thoth (Egyptian god of writing)" - Marnie
Questions? E-mail Greg directly or call 323-717-4731
Greg Miller is a producer, writer, teacher and writing coach. He has pitched, sold and written projects for 20th Century Fox, Dino De Laurentiis, Vestron, Oxygen, Comedy Central, MTV, Disney and the Recovery Network. He's read scripts professionally and 'covered' material as a story analyst for Fox, Columbia, UA, Paramount and several literary agencies. He has written and produced audio for NPR, CBC, Sirius, Comedy World Radio, Warner Audio and his own company, Un-Cabaret Multi-Media. Click for more Greg bio and/or see below.
"A therapist for stories!" - Vivian
"Fantastic! I definitely feel like I have a direction now! You somehow manage to translate my babble and get to the heart of the piece." - Jillian
"He understands and enjoys the creative process - but he also likes results!" - Beth Lapides
As a teacher and coach, Greg has worked with authors including Cecil Castellucci, Jillian Lauren, Vivian Wagner, Andrea Askowitz, Joan Moran, Steve Robinson and many others, the screenwriters of "Life", "Intolerable Cruelty", "Bring It On", "The Last Seduction" and others, plus writers on TV shows including "30 Rock", "MadTV", Undeclared" and more.
As the co-creator and producer behind the legendary stand-up show 'Un-Cabaret' and offshoots like the 'Say the Word' reading series and 'The Other Network' screenings and events, Greg has produced a veritible who's who of progressive comedy talent including Margaret Cho, Patton Oswalt, Michael Patrick King, Larry Charles, Judd Apatow, Merrill Markoe, Alan Zweibel, Dana Gould, Greg Behrendt, Winnie Holzman, Cindy Chupack, Paul F. Tompkins, Bob Odenkirk, Taylor Negron, David Cross, Jeff Garlin, Laura Kightlinger and many more. Including, of course, Beth Lapides, with whom Greg created Un-Cabaret, Say the Word and The Other Network. Greg also has produced and 'dramaturged' Beth's stage work for over 20 years.
"Greg listens, fires back smooth paraphrases, nudges the procrastinator forward, and befriends the work." - Paul
Greg has been teaching writers and performers for 15 years at The Comedian's Way Workshop with Beth. They have taught privately, at UCLA Extension, Humber College, Media Bistro, Improv Olympics, Skirball Cultural Center, the West Hollywood Book Fair, Kripalu Center and other institutions. Greg has taught writing at the NY Institute of Technology and Teen Canteen and volunteered with The Veterans Project and the Virginia Avenue Project, and produced a number of educational programs for writers including The Writer's Room, The Writer's Assistant and You But Funnier.
"It's like magic!" - Parker
Check out Greg's services as a writing coach on tumbtack
Greg gives practical results-oriented advice and applied solutions, but also can offer strategic insights. He works with writers at all stages of a project, from conception through rewrites, all the way to bringing your work to the public.
Questions? E-mail Greg directly or call 323-717-4731
"Greg is a FABULOUS coach. He has a remarkable eye for detail and an ear for tone, and he has taught me much about how to construct and develop a plot. I went to him seeking help with humor, and I ended up getting much more: a crash course in storytelling. Our conversations also became brainstorming sessions that generated new, valuable material for me. I recommend Greg for anyone who is stuck, who needs fresh eyes on their material, or who just wants a thoughtful, intelligent, and creative reader. And worth every penny!" - Vivian
"I feel totally supported. It makes so much difference knowing there's someone standing by to read what I'm working on." - Krista
• HOURLY RATES: $100
Phone and online coaching is intimate and focused, offers flexible scheduling and has no carbon footprint. Most projects see concrete results within the first hour. Book an hour now.
"Incredible! I can't believe what you did in just one hour!" - Marnie
• CONSULTING PACKAGE FOR LONGTERM PROJECTS: $1000
Invest in your project and get 12 hours for the price of 10. That's a session a week for a whole season while you: • Write a book • Create a show • Draft a script. Sign up now. (includes free nudging - Greg calls you periodically to see how it's going - and rapid emergency response if you need help and haven't scheduled a session)
"Totally worth it. A great investment!" - Shari
• TV SCRIPTS: $150
Let Greg give you detailed notes on story, characters and scenes to makie your spec or original script as strong as it can be. Additional discounts for rewrites and polishes. Get TV script notes now.
"Really blew the cobwebs out for me!" - Adam
• FEATURE FILM SCREENPLAY: $200
Find out why so many screenwriters turn to Greg for perspective on their script - and insights on how to make it soar. Get screenplay analysis now.
"Your notes on character are really going to make a substantial difference in the make up of the project." - Michael
• BOOK NOTES: $300
Greg will read your entire book manuscript (up to 250 pp) and give you an hour phone call full of specific notes and feedback. Professional notes to take your draft to the next level. Get book notes now.
"You are a God!" - Robert
Questions? E-mail Greg directly or call 323-717-4731
"I am so much happier with my writing now. It's like graduate school. You cleared SOOOOO much up for me and gave me confidence." - Chayah
"You are The Great Motivator!" - Joy
Greg can help you target specific aspects of your project, focus your themes or strengthen your structure. He can help you focus scenes, heighten character dynamics or do a line-by-line punch-up. And he can help you see the big-picture of how you and your work fit into the marketplace. His creative coaching methods are based on years of extensive hands-on experience as a writer, producer, promoter and collaborator.
What makes Greg such a great writing consultant and coach?
He loves writing and writers. Really. Some of his best friends are writers. He's been writing and working with writers for over 20 years - and avidly reading for over 40.
He really understands the creative process. Greg has been through the writing process on dozens of long-form projects and coached other writers through hundreds. He has original theories, and he's working on a book, about the 5 different phases of the creative process, including the challenges and opportunities of each Phase.
He gets results. Whether you need a short-leash or long-, Greg knows how to keep you motivated and focused to generate product.
He asks great questions. Greg went to NYU journalism school where he honed a natural ability to ask the right question at the right time. He'll ask you the questions about your project that you can't ask yourself. Questions that stimulate your creativity - and help prepare you to talk about your work in a meeting or pitch. And he'll help you find answers that make your project better.
He knows comedy. Comedy and a sense of humor are huge selling points in almost any project. And Greg has created venues for, nurtured and worked with some of the most distinctive and influential voices in modern comedy. He's produced and consulted for Comedy Central, HBO, Comedy World Radio, Julia Sweeney, Randy & Jason Sklar, Mr. Show and others. And he's taught comedy writing techniques and principles at UCLA Extension, Humber College, Media Bistro, Improv Olympics, Judy Carter Comedy Workshop and with Beth Lapides in their Comedian's Way workshop for 15 years. He can help you put more humor in your writing by finding your authentic voice and unique comic sensibility.
He gets Hollywood. He's worked in 'the Biz' in various capacities for over 20 years, pitching, selling, writing and producing projects at major film studios and premium cable networks. He knows a lot of people and tracks the latest changes and trends in the book, TV and film industries, from mainstream networks to indie films and the www.
He's fast. He can turn a script around in a day or cover a book in a weekend if necessary. He doesn't waste time on the phone either. He has an uncanny ability to cut past the chase and get to the heart of the issue. He's quick to find the problem, if there is one, and to offer solutions.
He's discrete. Everything you send him or discuss with him is completely confidential. That gives you the freedom to tell all, knowing that he can help you decide what material should go public and what should stay private - especially helpful with non-fiction, personal issues or 'fictionalized' material.
He's professional. Greg's "mail room job" was as a professional script and book analyst for United Artists, Columbia and several other production companies and literary agencies. He's written articles about the reading process for Writers Digest. He's also assessed hundreds of scripts for The Other Network Comedy Contest. And of course he's been reading for friends for years. That means he brings vast experience and perspective to your project.
He gives really effective notes. Years of teaching have helped him understand what it takes to really communicate a note to a writer. He'll sugar-coat it if he has to, but he can tell you what your material needs to make it professional, artistically-valid and commercially-viable.
He understand artists. Both Greg's parents were actors, so he's been around 'talent' all his life. In fact Marilyn Monroe patted his mom's pregnant stomach while he was still in utero and Barbra Streisand was his babysitter. His gentle but firm touch with talent is one of the reasons the Un-Cabaret was such a creative and artistic success.
He's worked as a writer himself. He wrote over a dozen feature screenplays for 20th Century Fox, Dino De Laurentiis and others, some which even made it to the screen, including one that featured Drew Barrymore's first on screen kiss. He's also written many treatments, a series of comedy radio plays which aired on NPR and magazine articles. Not to mention press releases, proposals, blogs and love letters.
He understands different genre and mediums. He's written comedy, action, drama, thrillers, horror, first person articles and 'objective' journalism. He's also written for radio, tv, film, stage, magazine and print and can help you focus your material into the best context. And he understands the requirements, and strengths, of each medium.
He's a good listener. He's produced and edited hundreds of hours of audio: comedy CDs, radio plays, educational materials, audio books, live and pre-produced radio shows for NPR, CBC, Un-Cabaret, Beth Lapides, the Other Network, Comedy World Radio, Sirius and XM Satellite Radio, Warner Audio and others. He knows how to listen to writers, to evoke and highlight relevant ideas and details of a project, and help you connect the dots.
He's a great editor. He's edited 100s of hours of comedy, spoken word, interviews, educational and instructional material. And he's probably edited 100,000 pages of prose and scripts. A lot of writers overproduce because they don't realize they already have what they need under that lump of clay. Greg really knows how to help shape and strengthen your material by editing out the bad words and letting your good words shine.
He has lots of tricks up his sleeve. He's been collecting techniques, principles and creative technologies for years, trying things out in his own work and with some intensely-talented cohorts, picking up new ideas and approaches from some amazing collaborators, and formalizing it in his teaching with Beth Lapides in their Comedian's Way Workshops.
He's eclectic. He has studied history, journalism, music and art and continues to actively research those areas plus others including creativity, edge science, yoga, crop circles, aliens, alternative spirituality and weapons technology.
He's generous. He's very free with ideas and suggestions for your project. He's not afraid to voice his own opinion, but has no ego invested in whether you use his ideas or leap-frog them to find even better ideas of your own. And of course everything generated during your sessions is 100% yours.
He's open-minded. Greg says, "I don't judge. I love and respect individuality and don't have any rigid doctrine. I don't believe in a cookie-cutter approach, although I do like cookies!"
Questions? E-mail Greg directly or Skype: wordmill
Click here for full Greg Miller bio
COACHING POLICIES
- All conversations and communications are completely 100% confidential.
- You own and retain copyright to any material discussed and any ideas generated during your sessions.
- After the first half-hour, time is billable by 1/4-hour.
- Time spent reviewing your material is 'on the clock'.
- We will be happy to estimate reading/listening/viewing time if requested.
- All phone sessions must be paid 24 hours in advance.
- If phone sessions run over pre-paid time, balance is due within 24 hours.
- Scheduled phone sessions can be cancelled or re-scheduled with 4 hours notice for full credit.
- Greg retains the right to write about your 'case' while respecting your anonymity and without divulging any of your particular creative material or ideas.
- We can not offer refunds but are flexible about applying your credit to workshops, other products or as a 'gift' to others.
Creative consultant Greg Miller can get your project on track
