Un-Cabaret co-creator and producer, screenwriter and comedy coach Greg Miller can work with you on any creative project. He specializes in first person storytelling for page and stage and screenplay rewrites, but also has wide experience as a journalist and story analyst adaptable to any format.
"It's like magic!" - HJ, PhD
"Terrific insights!" - Noah P, TV writer
"Smart, funny, savvy and super, super helpful!" - Dani K, writer
"He's like a therapist for stories. And worth every penny!" - Vivian Wagner, author
(Vivian's blog includes a good description of the process)
His coaching combines practical results-oriented advice, strategic thinking and applied solutions. He works with writers in all stages of projects, from conception through rewrite and potentially all the way to marketing and promotion.
Memoirs • Scripts • One-person shows
"Greg is a FABULOUS book and humor coach. He has a remarkable eye for detail and an ear for tone, and he has taught me much about how to construct and develop a plot. I went to him seeking help with humor, and I ended up getting much more: a crash course in storytelling. Our conversations also became brainstorming sessions that generated new, valuable material for me. I recommend Greg for anyone who is stuck, who needs fresh eyes on their material, or who just wants a thoughtful, intelligent, and creative reader." - Vivian W
"I wasn't sure if we could work over the phone and email, but it works perfectly. I don't even have to wear pants!" - Greg W
• HOURLY RATES: $100. Phone and online coaching is intimate and focused, offers flexible scheduling and has no carbon footprint. Most projects see concrete results within the first hour. Book an hour now.
"Incredible! I can't believe what you did in just one hour!" - Marnie M
• HALF-HOUR SESSIONS: $60. Use 30 minute increments to address specific issues or give you a weekly deadline to keep your writing on track. Book a 30-minute session now.
"Totally worth it. A great investment!" - Shari Elf, Musician
• TV SCRIPTS: $150. ON SALE $100. Let Greg give you detailed notes on story, characters and scenes to makie your spec or original script as strong as it can be. Get script notes now. Additional discounts for rewrites and polishes.
"Really blew the cobwebs out for me!" - Adam B
• FEATURE FILM SCREENPLAY: $200. ON SALE $150. Find out why so many screenwriters turn to Greg for perspective on their script - and insights on how to make it demand a greenlight. Let Greg anaylze your screenplay now.
"Greg is like The Great Motivator!" - Joy D
• BOOK NOTES: $300. Greg will read your entire book manuscript (up to 250 pp) and give you an hour phone call full of specific notes and feedback. Get professional notes to take your draft to the next level.
• LONGTERM PROJECTS: Get 10 hours for $700. You get a steep discount when you invest in your project. Greg offers ongoing support while you: • Write a book • Create a show • Draft a script
And when it's time to go public, Greg can advise you on taking your project to market, including publicity, online promotion and distribution.
"I am so much happier with my writing now. It's like graduate school for authors. You cleared SOOOOO much up for me and gave me confidence." - Chayah M
"Greg listens, fires back smooth paraphrases, nudges the procrastinator forward, and befriends the work. It's not boot-camp, it's art, and he holds up the palette for the piece to get completed." - Paul P
Greg can help you target specific aspects of your project, focus your themes or strengthen your structure. And he can help you see the big-picture of how you and your work fit into the marketplace. His creative coaching methods are based on years of extensive hands-on experience as a writer, producer and collaborator.
What makes Greg such a great writing coach?
He knows comedy. Comedy and a sense of humor are huge selling points in almost any project. And Greg has created venues for, nurtured and worked with some of the most distinctive and influential voices in modern comedy. He's produced and consulted for Comedy Central, HBO, Comedy World Radio, Julia Sweeney, Randy & Jason Sklar, Mr. Show and others. And he's taught comedy writing techniques and principles at UCLA Extension, Humber College, Media Bistro, Improv Olympics, Judy Carter Comedy Workshop and with Beth at the Un-Cab Lab for 15 years. He can help you put more humor in your writing by finding your authentic voice and unique comic sensibility.
He gets Hollywood. He's worked in 'the Biz' in various capacities for over 20 years, pitching, selling, writing and producing projects at major film studios and premium cable networks. He knows a lot of people and tracks the latest changes and trends in the book, TV and film industries, from mainstream networks to indie films and the www.
He's fast. He can turn a script around in a day or cover a book in a weekend if necessary. And he also doesn't waste time on the phone so you get your money's worth.
He's discrete. Everything you send him or discuss with him is completely confidential. That gives you the freedom to tell all, knowing that he can help you decide what material should go public and what should stay private - especially helpful with non-fiction, personal issues or 'fictionalized' material.
He's a professional reader. Greg's "mail room job" was as a professional script and book analyst for United Artists, Columbia and several other production companies and literary agencies. He's written articles about the reading process for Writers Digest. He's also assessed hundreds of scripts for The Other Network Comedy Contest. And of course he's been reading for friends for years. That means he brings vast experience and perspective to your project.
He gives really effective notes. Years of teaching at the Un-Cab Lab have helped him understand what it takes to really communicate a note to a writer. He'll sugar-coat it if he has to, but he can tell you what your material needs to make it professional, artistically-valid and commercially-viable.
He understand artists. Both Greg's parents were actors, so he's been around 'talent' all his life. In fact Marilyn Monroe patted his mom's pregnant stomach while he was still in utero and Barbra Streisand was his babysitter. His gentle but firm producer's touch with talent is one of the reasons the Un-Cabaret was such a creative and artistic success.
He's worked as a writer himself. He wrote over a dozen feature screenplays (mostly action and thrillers) for 20th Century Fox, Dino De Laurentiis and others, some which even made it to the screen, including one that featured Drew Barrymore's first on screen kiss. He's also written many treatments, a series of comedy radio plays which aired on NPR and magazine articles. Not to mention press releases, proposals, blogs and love letters.
He understands different genre and mediums. He's written comedy, action, drama, thrillers, horror, first person articles and 'objective' journalism. He's also written for radio, tv, film, stage, magazine and print and can help you focus your material into the best context.
He's a good listener. He's produced and edited hundreds of hours of audio: comedy CDs, radio plays, educational materials, audio books, live and pre-produced radio shows for NPR, CBC, Un-Cabaret, Beth Lapides, the Other Network, Comedy World Radio, Sirius and XM Satellite Radio, Warner Audio and others. He knows how to listen to writers, to evoke and highlight relevant ideas and details of a project, and help you connect the dots.
He's a great editor. He's edited 100s of hours of comedy, spoken word, interviews, educational and instructional material. And he's probably edited 100,000 pages of prose and scripts. A lot of writers overproduce because they don't realize they already have what they need under that lump of clay. Greg really knows how to help shape and strengthen your material through editing out the bad words and letting your good words shine.
He has lots of tricks up his sleeve. He's been collecting techniques, principles and creative technologies for years, trying things out in his own work, picking up new ideas and approaches from some amazing collaborators, and formalizing it in his teaching with Beth Lapides at the Un-Cab Lab Workshops.
He's eclectic. He has studied history, journalism, music and art and continues to actively research those areas plus others including creativity, edge science, yoga, crop circles, aliens and weapons technology.
He's generous. He's very free with ideas and suggestions for your project - and not afraid to voice his own opinion. And everything generated during your sessions is 100% yours.
He's open-minded. Greg says, "I don't judge. I love and respect individuality and don't have any rigid doctrine. I don't believe in a cookie-cutter approach, although I do like cookies!"
Full bio here.
• COACHING POLICIES:
After the first hour, his time is billable by 1/4-hour.
Time spent reviewing your material is on the clock.
We will be happy to estimate reading/listening/viewing time if requested.
All phone sessions must be paid 24 hours in advance.
If phone sessions run over pre-paid time, balance is due within 24 hours.
Scheduled phone sessions can be cancelled or re-scheduled with 6 hours notice for full credit.
You retain copyright to all material discussed and any ideas generated during your sessions. All conversations are completely confidential, although Greg does retain the right to write about your 'case' while respecting your anonymity - unless you explicitly authorize him to use your full name, the name of your project, site or other particulars.
