ABOUT
SCREENWRITER PHIL PARKER
Waiting to catch a bus to work at 5 am in -70°F weather in Chicago, Phil asked himself...
"What the heck am I doing with my life?"
Two months earlier, he was working as a Dive Master on a cruise ship in the South Pacific.
Before that, he'd been an actor at the world-famous Sydney Opera House.
Now? Now he was freezing his BALLS off and working on the trading floor at the Chicago Board of Exchange.
WTF?
Phil searched his soul for what he truly wanted to do.
Then, out of nowhere, two different people told him about a summer course in filmmaking they took at NYU.
Coincidence or fate... it was time to go.
After surviving a long, strange trip following the Grateful Dead through the Pacific Northwest of America, Phil made it to New York. There, he had one of the most intense and rewarding experiences of his life...
Making six short films in six weeks at a filmmaking boot camp at NYU!
Thankfully, the blood, sweat, and tears he shed to make those films were not in vain. They helped Phil gain admission to the prestigious graduate film program at the University of Southern California.
While at USC, screenwriter and lecturer Mardik Martin (Raging Bull) read Phil's spec script, The Third Bomb. Mardik considered the script to be professional-level and urged Phil to pursue screenwriting. Phil also received encouraging feedback on his USC short film from legendary director Edward Dmytryk (The Caine Mutiny).
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The die was cast. Come hell or high water, Phil was headed for a career in the film and TV business.
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He crewed every conceivable position on films in Los Angeles, including a revealing, uncredited stint with the SFX team on Independence Day. It wasn't long, though, before the sandy beaches, kangaroos, and meat pies of Phil's adopted home of Australia called him back to its shores.
Through sheer determination, networking, and a bit of luck, Phil landed at BBC Studios in Sydney, where he wrote, directed, and produced promos and original short content.
Along the way, that screenplay Mardik Martin liked so much (The Third Bomb) earned Phil multiple screenwriting awards, including first place at the NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL SCREENWRITING COMPETITION. His BBC promo work also won Phil a GLOBAL PROMAX EXCELLENCE AWARD for FRONTLINE WAR, beating out competitors from around the world.
Soon after, a BAFTA-winning producer optioned The Third Bomb, and Phil's screenwriting career took off.
Today, Phil continues to write for producers, executive producers, and directors worldwide.​
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Want to learn more about screenwriter Phil Parker? Check out the links below, or read more about his screenwriting experience and client reviews on LinkedIn.
