Short Story Contest Launches From Roadmap Writers, Barry Josephson

Roadmap Writers, a screenwriting education and training platform based in Los Angeles, is partnering with Hollywood producer Barry Josephson to identify short stories fit for film and television adaptation.

The competition, open now and running through June 14, seeks commercial-leaning work and carries a cash prize of $7,000. The top three stories will be published on Roadmap Writers.

Short stories have become coveted in the rights market, especially over the past year, and have led to bidding wars among the major studios and streamers. Author Victor Sweetser sold the innovative haunted house film “The Occupant” to New Line this year, and Matt Query got a 7-figure deal at Netflix for his Reddit short story “My Wife and I Bought a Ranch.”

For the Josephson competition, scouters are asking for work no longer than 50 pages and can be of any genre. In addition to the short story, authors are requested to submit a 1-page personal statement that expresses their personal brand, why they applied and the inspiration for their short. Josephson’s development executives Christian Bersani and Kelsi Fleming will serve as the jury, an initiative overseen by Josephson and his president, D. Matt Geller. The company also supports the Austin Film Festival with writing fellowships in film and television.

Josephson is behind hits like the long-running television procedural “Bones,” the Disney film “Enchanted” and the raunchy comedy “Dirty Grandpa.” He is currently at work on the anticipated film adaptation of the musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna. The film, based on the original 1976 novel by Argentine author Manuel Puig and the 1993 Broadway show, is written and directed by Bill Condon. Josephson has also acquired the rights to David King’s gripping historical account “The Trial of Adolf Hitler,” with an eye to develop the critically acclaimed novel into a limited series.