Entering The World of Screenwriting Through Fellowship:

The Experience of Stowe Diversity Fellow Christopher Manydeeds at Stowe’s June Narrative Lab

by Christopher Manydeeds

I am Christopher Manydeeds. I am a Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Member. I attended Stowe’s June Narrative Lab this past spring. The team at Stowe chose me for the Diversity Fellowship, and it was an honor to receive this support. Based on my experiences in Stowe Story Labs, I recommend the experience to any who would consider applying.

My first experience was meeting my small peer group. Stowe’s Peer-to-Peer process is well thought out and valuable. The group of four were emerging writers, and I learned to digest their notes for my script. It was a friendly environment. We would discuss notes on each of the scripts. Sometimes this would create discussions about approaches or the ideas behind the story. The themes discussed during the lab crept into our discussions. I came to appreciate what the notes were trying to communicate as to flow of a script.   

The general meetings were very rapid and a great deal of information came like a flood. The lab concentrated on good story form and the pitch. The pitch training in particular was an excellent aspect of the lab, since it was really my first time doing it. My initial pitch was more off hand, but I learned the best approach was to treat it like a short public speech. 

The days were filled with meetings and presentations from writers, financiers, directors, and producers. There were questions and discussion. At night, there were films as part of the Stowe Film Festival. The days were long, and very rewarding.

I had the opportunity to talk with “The Sound of Silence” Producer/Stowe Story Labs Mentor Jonathan Duffy and co-writer and producer Ben Nabors. Mr. Nabors spoke with me at length about how to obtain an Arthur Sloan Science fellowship and becoming a Dolby Fellow.

I had never spoken to a filmmaker before Stowe, so it was quite a heady experience. I enjoyed speaking with him and he probably does not know how inspiring it was for me to talk to him. It also provided me with the inspiration of ideas of how movies move from ideas to actually being made, which was something I never considered before Stowe.

The Stowe Narrative Lab is a great experience for those who want to learn not only about writing, but about the process and business of screenwriting. The pitch is a very important part of the process and was emphasized in classes and sessions. We had several pitch sessions with Stowe mentors that I really felt I was improving as I went.

It was during the last pitch session that I received the best advice.  Bertha Bay-Sa Pan, a director, told me something I had not thought about. I had pitched my feature as if it was all about story. Ms. Bay-Sa Pan said she had read my bio and I was unique among the group of writers at Stowe. I checked a lot of boxes for producers. I should say who I am and my experience along with the pitch of the movie. Selling me was at least as important as the feature. I am a humble person and I was caught off guard by the comment. I appreciated what Bertha Bay-Sa Pan said and took her advice to heart when I did my next pitch.

Stowe is a great experience for those who participate, whether new to the art and business of screenwriting – as am I – or more seasoned and experienced – as were many of my colleagues.

As the Stowe Diversity Fellow, there are few people of color and even fewer Native Tribal Members in the movie industry, it was a great opportunity to meet people from the industry, improve my craft, and gain the knowledge of how the film industry works. For a Native Tribal Member or person of color starting out in this industry, there are few people to look to for guidance and mentorship, and I found both in Stowe.

Christopher Manydeeds is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. He is a screenwriter. In addition, Christopher works with the Office of Tribal Self-Governance in the Indian Health Service to assist Tribes’ exercise self-governance for health care. Before that, he worked as a Deputy Superintendent of Trust in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as Supervising Prosecutor for Fort Peck Tribes and for Red Lake Tribe, with Legal Aid on a reservation and he clerked for a judge in northern Minnesota. Christopher was a college recruiter for American Indians and through his career has worked in the fields of law, health, and education, all connected with Tribes and Tribal members. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geophysics and a Juris Doctorate law degree. He supports Tribal sovereignty and Tribal members. Chris intends to write about American Indians in contemporary and future settings. He is a Lakota Futurist.