About Me: Kristin Nixon-Seibert

My Introduction to the Film Industry

I decided to take a movie production course at UCLA just to see if my personal love of movies would translate into something I would be driven to do professionally. I was immediately smitten. So, without ever having held any job in the film industry, I decided to quit my great job.

I first took an unpaid internship with an old Hollywood producer, Edgar J. Scherick (his credits include creator of Wide World of Sports and producer of Woody Allen's first film, Take the Money and Run) who taught me how ‘the industry' works. It was here that I first learned the basics of how to write a movie script that would sell.

Concurrently with that internship, I became a reader for The Sundance Institute. Yes, the same Sundance Institute founded by Robert Redford that hosts the Sundance Film Festival in Aspen, Colorado each year. This festival - extremely well-attended by the film industry - has its roots in the promotion of independent film artists and has blossomed into the largest, most prestigious film festival in the United States.

When my internship with Edgar ended, I took another internship with The Radmin Company, a literary management and production firm, which eventually led to a position as a junior manager.

Managing Screenwriters at my own Company

After a few years, I decided to expand my role in the film industry and opened my own literary management and production company with a partner. Arpil Entertainment was born.

At Arpil I managed a stable of young screenwriters who wrote movies in all genres. Some were very talented, but didn't know how to write a movie script that could be considered salable. Other screenwriters came in more established, looking for professional management of their careers. Careful of which screenwriters we selected, we developed a great group of writers, some of whom I continue to work with professionally today.

While serving as a literary manager, I also became a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) by selling and producing a television pilot for The Sci-Fi Channel. Through my production work and management of screenwriters, I came to work with and know many people within the film industry. See select film industry quotes below for a sense of my qualifications.

So if I'm so good at knowing how to analyze a movie script, why am I not still managing screenwriters? When I became pregnant for the second time, my husband and I decided that we didn't want to raise our children in Los Angeles . We chose to move to West Virginia , which is a great place to raise kids, but not exactly a film industry hotbed. Priorities change. But I still love to work with writers and help mold their vision into a salable screenplay. I am also still in touch with most of my contacts on a regular basis...including agents, managers and producers...keeping my finger on the pulse of the film industry!!

Studios that have Hired or Purchased Scripts from my Screenwriters:

Nickelodeon	Paramount	20th Century Fox
Universal	Warner Brothers

Agencies that have Represented my Screenwriters

Agency for the Performing Arts (APA)	CAA (Creative Artists Agency)	International Creative Management, Inc. (ICM)
Original Artists	Paradigm, A Talent & Literary Agency

Film Industry Affiliations and Former Affiliations

Writers Guild of America (WGA), member
Independent Film Council (IFC), member

Quotes, Recommendations, & Testimonials on my Ability to Teach Aspiring Screenwriters how to Write a Movie Script

"Kristin and I have known each other since 2000. Having shared clients, I found her sense of story, structure and character to be impeccable. She has great relationships and a strong sense of what can sell and what the marketplace is looking for. She also happens to be a really good person, too."
- Ava Jamshidi, Agent, ICM Talent Agency & former Agent, APA

" Kristin has a great sense of what is commercial and is excellent at reshaping structure, character development and story."
- Chris Sablan, Agent, Original Artists

" Any writer wishing to get noticed by Hollywood must produce material that has broad commercial appeal, but with a voice that is excitingly original and distinctive. The script must be perfectly balanced between easy marketability and unique creativity. Kristin has been invaluable in re-shaping the imaginative chaos of my first drafts into structured stories and layered characters that put smiles on the faces of the Studio Marketing Executive AND the actor looking for that juicily different role. In short, she knows what sells. Her thoughtful and detailed notes have helped me, time and time again, to distill my creative vision into something that powerfully connects with entertainment industry readers."
- Tobias Iaconis, Writer, Time Cop 3, Behind Enemy Lines 3

"Kristin's commitment to good work is unparalleled. She just knows what works and what doesn't, especially when it comes to character and plot development. She helped me take one dimensional stories and turn them into three dimensional, marketable projects, which garnered numerous meetings for assignments with notable production companies and studios. And never once did I have to sacrifice my original vision. She helps you take what you see and put it on paper in a maketable way. I would never have achieved what I have without her experience in the business and knowledge about what makes a script not only good, but salable."
- Stephanie Stehling, Writer

" Good story analysis is hard. Great story analysis is nearly impossible. Finding someone who has the insight into the industry and the ability to simply, easily and painlessly help a writer rewrite their baby is a miracle. Fantastic with story, script structure and the knowledge of the inner workings of the industry, Kristin Seibert is the rare person who can get to the core of a script, determining weaknesses and problems while being able to help resolve them with flare and grace."
- Adam Finer, Manager/Producer, Arpil Entertainment

" Kristin has the rare ability to read scripts and get inside the writer's head to help them to write the best script they can. "
- David Woods, Director, Writer, Editor, BackWoods Productions

Film Industry Contests, Colleges & Panels where I have Read, Judged, and/or Spoken to Aspiring Screenwriters

Sundance Institute , Park City, UT & Los Angeles, CA

The Great American Pitch Fest, Los Angeles, CA

Screenwriting Expo, Los Angeles, CA

Sherwood Oaks Experimental College, Los Angeles, CA

Script Magazine's Open Door Contest, "Serving Screenwriters since 1989"

If you have any questions, please feel free to Contact Me.