
Nick McMurdy was born and raised in the rural Rust Belt wasteland just outside of Pittsburgh, where he witnessed his hometown slowly fade away like blotted watercolor. In fact, Nick’s own childhood home was converted into a meth lab by the last owners, and sold at a police auction for $1,000.* That’s why he writes offbeat dramatic features about working-class loners, focusing on themes of purpose and belonging.
Some of Nick’s other notable screenplay awards include the Roadmap Writers Top Tier Grand Prize, Winner of the Summer Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, and Top 1% on Coverfly. He also has nearly 20 years of experience in the advertising industry, with over 80 productions under his creative direction. (*Nick has never done meth.)
The 14th Annual First Look Project searches for higher-concept material across MULTIPLE categories for film and TV, introducing select writers to reps and producers.
Well. What’s old is new again … It’s been over 15 years since Evan Daugherty (2008 Screenwriting winner) sold Snow White and the Huntsman to Universal—in what is still one of the biggest spec sales ($3.5m) from an unproduced writer in Hollywood history. So why not another fantasy script in 2026? Paramount Primal picked up […]
Scott Wagner, winner of the First Look Project (Drama) with his screenplay Intern of the Year signed with manager Aubrey Morgan at Adventure Media in 2026. Pipeline execs called Intern of the Year, loosely based on Scott's own experiences working in a hospital, as "one of the "most riveting dramas we've ever reviewed." The Pipeline […]
Screenwriting Competition winner Untitled Home Invasion Romance (formerly Getaway) was produced in the summer of 2024 released in 2026 and is now on streaming. Jason Biggs (American Pie, Orange is the New Black) makes his directorial debut with the crime/comedy. Stars Anna Conkle (Pen15), Arturo Castro (Broad City), Meaghan Rath (Hawaii Five-o), and Justin H. […]
