About Me

For me the screenplay text is always in focus. It is the love for the text that is at the forefront of my consultancy and my teaching. A script is like poetry. Every word matters and every sentence has the ability to reveal a bit more about not only the world of the story but also of the writer behind the world. Make every word count.

After graduating with an MA in Screenwriting and Literature I first worked as Production Assistant on two feature films to get a better understanding of the film and TV industry but my love for the text brought me to the UK where I started a PhD to get a better understanding of the written word. My thesis is entitled Narration in the Screenplay Text and in it I discuss the script as a communication between writer and reader. How is a story communicated in the pages of a script? Doing a PhD allowed me to really bury myself in the theory behind a text and it showed me how important every choice the writer makes truly is. It also allowed me to meet screenplay researchers from around the world and I became a member of the SRN (Screenwriting Research Network) and served on the Executive Council as the Early Career Researcher for a year.

My most recent contribution to academic research is as co-editor of The Bloomsbury Handbook of Global Screenplay Theory due to be published later this year.

My next research project is looking at how a script report by AI can be differentiated from one of my own. Where do they align? In what way do they differ? What can AI offer that I can’t and what can I offer that AI can’t? AI is already part of the screenwriting industry and in my view it’s better to be aware of it and look closely at it instead of ignoring it.

My teaching started out as Guest Lectures at different Universities. For example Umea University and Dalarna University in Sweden, Aalto University in Finland, and Edinburgh Napier University in the UK. I was often asked to speak on a specific topic, for example visualisation, voice-over, structure or adaptation which I always enjoyed because it allowed me to go a bit deeper into the topic and really get to the bottom of it.

The last three years I’ve been at MetFilm School in Leeds where I’ve not only taught two more general ‘screenwriting for film’ and ‘digital writing’ modules but also got a chance to develop a module focused on EDI in the industry. That module included directing students and cinematographers which also deepened the discussions and enabled us to look at how the different roles in the industry are affected by EDI and how everyone can help increase awareness in their separate roles.

Since 2021 I’ve been a script consultant with APFI (Audiovisual Producers Finland). Through APFI I’ve worked with over 20 feature film and TV projects where I’ve come onboard and helped a script during a one-year period. What makes my work with APFI particularly interesting and challenging is the range of genres, stories and formats as well as the fact that I’m usually meeting with not only the writer but also the producer and sometimes director. The key during these meetings is always to understand the vision for the project and make sure everybody shares the same vision.

I’ve also supported ad consulted on MIA Market applications and C21 Pitch Content London applications. These applications involved a different focus as it was a case of presenting a story, documentary, TV-series, pitch-decks etc instead of developing them. In all of these cases, however, clarity and finding a way to connect with the intended reader/audience was always key.

I also consult screenwriters without attachment to a production company. These meetings usually involve a first (or second draft) of a script that the writer wants to develop further. It is a case of figuring out why something might not be working and how to strengthen the script. I enjoy every opportunity I get to delve into a new story and the one-on-one meetings allow me to understand the writer, the writer’s voice and why they’ve chosen to tell that particular story. It’s first after that has been made clear that I can assist the writer in figuring out how best to tell it in the script format.