Meet the Judges of Four Stories

Roman has assembled an impressive panel to read your screenplay

August 14, 2012 | 4:00 PM

It's Scriptwriting 101: know your audience. In the case of Four Stories, your first audience will be an extraordinary group of filmmakers, actors, producers, creative directors, and talent executives. Roman Coppola has assembled a star-studded team to judge the competition, so get to know them. They're looking for screenplays that'll appeal to young people who travel, who create, and who stay connected to their lives even when they are in new, unexpected situations. Remember your script must take place in a W Hotels destination and feature the Intel-inspired Ultrabook™. Your screenplay should also excite this group of very talented filmmakers.

Here's a quick look at the judges of Four Stories.

Chloe Sevigny

Chloë Sevigny is both a critically acclaimed actress and a fashion icon. Chloë Sevigny's work on and off the screen has made her a sought-after star and collaborator since her breakout in Larry Clark's 1995 film Kids. Her work in 1999's Boys Don't Cry brought her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and she won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the HBO's award-wining series Big Love. In addition to her adept portrayals of complicated characters, Chloe's an accomplished designer. She's made clothing lines alongside such brands as Opening Ceremony.

Chloe Sevigny

Michael Pitt is an actor who has developed an impressive range of dramatic chops. He got his start appearing on the TV series, Dawson's Creek. But Michael turned out his best performances inhabiting characters on the verge of becoming unglued. Under the guidance of directors like Larry Clark (Bully, 2001) Bernard Bertolucci (The Dreamers, 2003), Gus Van Sant (Last Days, 2005), and Michael Haneke (Funny Games, 2007), Michael evolved into one of the most talented dramatic actors of his generation. It's that stage-inspired craft that also fueled his performance on HBO's hit Boardwalk Empire, the Martin Scorsese-produced Prohibition-era drama. He played a shell-shocked vet from World War I trying to come to terms with a entangled family life and the perils of hanging up his own shingle as an Atlantic City gangster. Currently, Michael is producing the movie You Can't Win, an adaptation of the autobiography of the freight train hopping, Great Depression adventurer Jack Black. He also co-wrote and stars in the film.

James Ransone

To fans of the HBO drama, The Wire, James Ransone was a single season sensation. He played Ziggy Sobotka, the son of a union boss whose ambitions didn't exactly measure up to his abilities. James' performance was electrifying and led to his next stint on the Iraq War HBO mini-series Generation Kill. James beefed up to play a motor-mouthed Marine who was part of the first wave of the American invasion. James was in Spike Lee's heist movie, Inside Man and on two more HBO shows, How to Make it in America and Treme. He stars in the upcoming western, The Timber, set to be released in 2013.

Eddy Moretti

Eddy Moretti is the Executive Creative Director of VICE. Eddy is responsible for content across VICE's media channels: VICE Magazine, VICE.com, The Creators Project, Motherboard.tv and Noisey.com. In 2007 Eddy co-directed Heavy Metal In Baghdad, official selection at The Toronto International Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival. In 2009 Eddy co-authored and co-produced White Lightnin': The Jesco White Murders, official selection at Sundance. Most recently Eddy was Co-Executive Producer for The Vice Guide to Everything on MTV and is currently co-Executive Producer with Shane Smith and Bill Maher on a new original series VICE for HBO. Eddy holds an Hon. B.A. in Cinema Studies from University of Toronto and an M.A. in Cinema Studies from NYU, and he serves on the Chairman's Council of Conservation International.

Michaelangelo L'Acqua

Michaelangelo L'Acqua is an internationally acclaimed DJ and music producer who serves as the Global Music Director for W Hotels Worldwide. He has held this post with the hotel group since July 2009. In this role, Michaelangelo works to create and maintain an in-house music platform that clearly defines the iconic identity of W Hotels.

Blake Whitman is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and Vice President of Creative Development at Vimeo where he oversees the day-to-day management of community development and product and business development strategy. But the title he's most comfortable using to describe himself is "Explorer/Gentlemen." As chief evangelist for Vimeo and leader of Vimeo's content and community team, Blake works on building and scaling one of the world's strongest and most engaged online video communities. He leads the editorial team, which curates the Vimeo HD and Staff Picks channels, two of the web's leading destinations for the best and most creative films and videos. Blake is continually exposed to the world's leading creative content posted by filmmakers and artists from all over the world, giving him a unique exposure into new creative trends and styles.

Jeff Baena is a screenwriter who penned the innovative 2004 comedy I Heart Huckabees, which was released by Fox Searchlight. Baena also wrote the upcoming features Revenge of the Jocks for Warner Brothers and Miracle Workersfor Fox. He is currently developing The Man who Folded Himself as a television series with VICE and Spike Jonze producing. Jeff will be making his directorial debut this spring with the feature Life After Beth. He was born in Miami, Florida and studied film production at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Deborah Conrad

Deborah Conrad is corporate vice president and chief marketing officer. Deborah is responsible for Intel Corporation's brand management, product positioning, product launch management and marketing research, as well as sales and integrated marketing communications, advertising and promotional campaigns designed to reach consumer and business customers worldwide. Prior to leading the Corporate Marketing Group, Deborah created and directed Team Apple and oversaw all aspects of the Intel and Apple relationship since the beginning of the partnership in 2005 through 2008. She was responsible for all aspects of the Intel and Apple business, including sales and revenue, product engineering, software development support and market development.

Danny Gabai is an agent in the motion picture department at WME, where he has worked for the past 10 years. He primarily focuses on working with filmmakers and writers, including Chris Milk, Gaspar Noe, Gil Kenan, Jeff Baena, Jonathan Lethem, John Requa & Glenn Ficarra, Max Landis, Miguel Arteta, Nicolas Winding Refn, Richard Ayoade and Roman Coppola. In the past few years he has expanded the scope of his client base to work with companies like Vice Media, musicians like Danger Mouse, and fashion label Rodarte.

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