Earlier this year, you may remember that we partnered with acclaimed Hollywood actor, writer, producer and director Eli Roth on our “Do With” series. Eli is the multi-hyphenated talent behind such films as Hostel, Cabin Fever, Inglourious Basterds, The House With A Clock In Its Walls, and the new film HAUNT, released on September 13th.
In addition to giving a Master Class in Los Angeles on his 20 years of experience in the filmmaking business, Eli also selected three lucky aspiring creatives who won the opportunity for an hour-long 1:1 session with Eli to discuss their creative projects.
In the spirit of sharing, we’d love to shine a spotlight on the winners of the contest and the insights they gleaned from their time chatting with Eli.
Next up, Mark and Anna Casadei!
Tell us a little about yourself. Who you are, where you’re from, what you do, and a little more about (company/project).
We are a screenwriting duo currently based out of Central New York. Mark is originally from this area where Anna is originally from Ohio. We met in Alaska in 2007. Mark was a 21-year veteran of the US Air Force Space Program, and Anna was a professional chef, paralegal, and substitute teacher. Our love for movies and entertainment brought us together as screenwriters and filmmakers. Anna graduated from UCLA with a her masters certificate in Screenwriting in 2006 and went on to write and produce several projects. Mark was a director and producer of corporate commercials and a professional musician before they met.
We have written more than a dozen screenplays and five pilots, and with the help of their amazing manager, we currently have multiple scripts on all the right desks.
Murder Hill was the first horror film they wrote together. We loved working in the genre, and have since written other horror scripts.
What inspired your brand/project? What are your goals?
Mark & Anna have a shared love for horror and suspense films. When we decided to write Murder Hill, we watched multiple films to find the style of horror movie we were looking for. When we rewatched Eli Roth’s Hostel, we realized that it had the tone we were looking for. More importantly, we loved the story.
Our goal with Murder Hill was to tell a good story with strong characters who happen to go through the worst thing imaginable. We love the twists and turns and shock of the horror genre. We think Murder Hill will give horror fans something that they can truly enjoy.
What prompted you to enter Fiverr Pro x Eli Roth? Please briefly explain your submission.
We always wanted Eli Roth to take a look at this project. Our manager called his office a few times, but he wasn’t accepting any new submissions. Mark has done work through Fiverr before, so when Mark saw the pro-series email come in, he decided to take a chance to get Murder Hill in front of Eli Roth! The fact we were selected blew our minds. We weren’t sure if we would catch his eye or not.
What motivates you? Why do you do what you do?
It’s purely for the love of storytelling and entertaining. We love being able to create stories that pull the fans out of their world and place them in ours. If we can get you to laugh, smile, cry, be scared, or wonder, then we have done our jobs as storytellers. Nothing is more satisfying than hearing someone say, “I enjoyed that movie!”
What are some key takeaways from your one-on-one session with Eli?
That we were doing it right. We were taking control of our careers and working our butts off to get noticed. He provided some great feedback on our story and our careers. It was great to be able to get his take on the horror genre, where it’s headed and how we can help make that happen!
What are some next steps for your project?
We are excited to say that after our meeting with Eli, an established producer has picked up the project for production. We are currently going through negotiations with the goal to go into production later this year.
Have a question for Mark and Anna? Leave it the comments below!
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