An Interview with 2022 TITAN Awards Winner Chad Wellinger

About The TITAN Awards

The TITAN Awards is a global, prestigious screenwriting contest whereby material competes against its own kind for as long as possible over the course of a contest cycle.

Horror feature vs Horror feature, Series Bible vs Series Bible, Sci-Fi vs Sci-Fi, 1 Page Pitch vs 1 Page Pitch etc.

In the contest’s second year (2022), the situation was ferociously competitive and there were a great many writers and projects that impressed.

The annual awards are rare in talent discovery terms in that they are judged by genuinely heavyweight industry figures, with appropriately high-level credits on major movies and TV shows.

The three winning writers received….

TITAN Awards Winner – Chad Wellinger

In an extremely close final vote, our three “titans” of industry – producers – all voted, independent of one another, for the contest’s Gold-Silver-Bronze order.

And winning the 1st place Gold award, the overall winner of our 2022 TITAN Awards, was Chad Wellinger for his feature screenplay, BAD ROMANCE:

A paperback romance fanatic who strives to pen a novel of her own but has no real-life experience to draw upon recruits a bestselling author slash playboy Casanova for a crash course in hot and heavy.

So after Chad’s amazing victory, we sat down with him to ask him a few questions about how he feels after being crowned the TITAN Awards winner, his inspirations and his path to becoming a screenwriter.

Interview with TITAN Awards Winner Chad Wellinger

Firstly, Tell us About You: Where Are You From, What’s Your Background in the Business?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“I’m originally from Columbus, Ohio. I moved to L.A. to pursue my MFA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University.

Since graduating, I have worked at the university in marketing and communications while continuing to write on the side and take writing workshops through UCLA Extension.”

How Long Have You Been Writing Seriously For?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“Since middle school, when I wrote my first screenplay. But things picked up steam in college, where I studied the craft of fiction writing and literature and wrote several short stories, two of which have gone on to be published.

During my time in my MFA Screenwriting program, I created a diverse portfolio of feature film and television projects.”

How Does it Feel to Have Won the TITAN?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“I feel incredibly honored and humbled to have won the TITAN. I don’t think a writer could ask for a greater gift than knowing someone read their work and connected with it.”

Can You Tell Us More About the Project You Won With?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“BAD ROMANCE is a contemporary romantic-comedy that centers on Franny Travers, a hopeful romantic hopelessly addicted to romance novels.

She strives to write a romance novel of her own but has no life experience to draw upon so she recruits the services of a bestselling male romance novelist slash playboy Casanova for a crash course in hot and heavy.”

Where Did the Idea For This Project First Come From?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“Oddly enough, the film Romancing the Stone. I love the character of Joan Wilder, a successful romance novelist who lives vicariously through her fantasy and fiction and is then thrown into a real-life situation that mirrors one of her own stories.

In BAD ROMANCE, Franny lives vicariously through the romance novels she reads and is thrown into a fun-house mirror version of one of these stories.”

What Would You Say the Key Touchstones and Influences Are, For it?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“I would say Diane Thomas’ screenplay for Romancing the Stone, Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite, and Henry James’ novella Washington Square. Additionally, the films of Norah Ephron and Nancy Meyers.”

What Scene in the Script Are You Most Fond of?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“I love the meet-cute scene between Franny, my main character, and Heath Lorde, in the back of his town car.”

Why Did You Choose to Enter the TITAN and What’s Been Your Experience With Other Contests?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“It seemed like an incredible opportunity and platform to amplify my script. I also liked that I’d be competing, for the most part, within my own genre.

BAD ROMANCE has had a string of successes on the contest circuit, so I’m very grateful.”

In Terms of the Winners’ Benefits, Which Run Over the Whole Course of a Year, Which One Are You Most Excited About?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“I’m over the moon excited to have the opportunity to connect with the three Titans (producers).”

What Are You Working on Next?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“I’m wrapping up work on a feature psychodrama called TRICK SELFIE.

• It centers on a camera-shy young man who takes a selfie that becomes his devilish double, keen on carrying out his darkest desires in a bid to destroy and replace him.

It’s a modern re-telling/mashup of Dostoevsky’s The Double and Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Gray.”

Where Do You Hope to be in 5, and 10 Years?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“Hopefully still happily writing, but as a feature writer for hire or on the writing staff of a television show. The Cinderella version would be to sell one of my original screenplays and see it brought to life on the screen.”

What Advice Would You Give to Writers Entering Competitions in Terms of Honing Their Screenplays?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“Research the contests/competitions you are considering entering and make sure that they sound like a good fit for your project.”

What’s the Biggest Thing You’ve Learnt in Your Career as a Writer So Far?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“Time is a writer’s best friend, and a well-developed outline is the key to the castle.”

What’s the Most Useful Piece of Advice You’ve Found From a Craft Perspective? Something That Was a Fundamental Shift in Your Writing Process.

CHAD WELLINGER:

“A writing professor I once had told our class to “not depend on our talent,” but rather to pay closer attention to screenplay structure. I’ve discovered that structure is king when it comes to screenwriting.”

What Does Your Writing Routine Look Like?

CHAD WELLINGER:

“I feel like I’m always writing to some extent, whether it’s daydreaming about a project or doing research such as reading a particular book. But for the most part, I write on weeknights and the weekends.

One thing I’ve found incredibly helpful is being fortunate enough to be in a solid writer’s group where I am consistently getting feedback on my work.”

Quickfire Round:

Favourite Movie Made by the Judges:

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I’ve long been fascinated by this period in Hollywood history. In fact, before I moved to L.A, I read Helter Skelter, and it made a bold impression on me.”

Your Top Movies of All Time:

“That’s a tough one, but…

• Atonement
• The Shining
• Melancholia
• Rosemary’s Baby
• Gone Girl
• Romancing the Stone
• Edward Scissorhands
• You’ve Got Mail
• Body Heat“

Your Top TV Shows of All Time:

“I’m a fan of old-school sitcoms like Friends, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Golden Girls, etc.

I also loved the short-lived Mike White series Enlightened.“

If You Could Emulate Anyone’s Career, Whose Would it Be?

“Diablo Cody. Her writing voice and unique take on the world is always evident in her scripts. In other words, her screenplays read like stories rather than stereo instructions.”

Thanks Chad!

Learn more about The TITAN Screenwriting Contest.

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