Jamie Wolpert grew up just outside London, where he somehow didn’t find out that working in film was something people could do until he was 21. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in Experimental Psychology & Neuroscience, Jamie went to the UK's National Film & Television School on the Producing course. His graduation animation film, Badgered, was nominated for an Academy Award.
 
Jamie’s career started on the Harry Potter films, as assistant to director David Yates; he got the job after cleaning up some spilt tea in a coffee shop. In his role, he wrote spells and additional material for the films, and played the seminal part of ‘Newspaper Vendor’ in the fifth film.  After developing scripts for David Yates while on Potter, Jamie went on to a series of development roles in UK film and TV. He script-edited legendary soap Eastenders, was development exec for writer Paul Abbott (creator of Shameless), and was Development Exec for the BFI Film Fund, the UK’s national body for film. He helped develop multiple British Indie films including Pride, God’s Own Country, High-Rise, Frank and The Girl with All the Gifts.
 
Jamie was subsequently VP Creative at Elton John’s Production Company Rocket Pictures, and then Head of Development for Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) before joining Simon Pegg and Nick Frost at their production company Stolen Picture. He then took a role in musical theatre, becoming Head of International Development for Stage Entertainment, overseeing the development of new projects across seven countries.
 
Jamie moved to LA to undertake the MFA Screenwriting program at USC with his border terrier, Cosmo.

What interests you most about your specific division or program at SCA?
Learning the craft of screenwriting from industry professionals and those with a lifetime of experience in writing and developing great film and tv scripts.

Why did you choose SCA?
As an international student, the only reason I would study overseas would be to gain an education I could never get at home. The quality of the teaching at SCA, the track record of its alumni and its atmosphere and location - as well as its character-focused, grounded emotional approach to screenwriting meant that it offered an opportunity I think is unique.

What has been your biggest challenge at SCA so far?
I underestimated somewhat the culture shock of moving from London to LA, and as someone with several years experience working in the UK as a Development Executive and Head of Development, I significantly underestimated how big the transition was from a creative role in film and tv that was largely reactive to one of actively writing scripts; of facing a blank page. I'm confident at helping scripts get from Stage 1 to Stage 10, but hadn't realized how much went into getting it from nothing to Stage 1! It's been a steep but incredibly rewarding learning curve. Ultimately the biggest challenge, week on week, is sitting down and writing when there's nobody demanding that you do so.

What has been your biggest success?
In my first two semesters at USC, I wrote more than in fifteen years of aborted attempts. I have two finished feature screenplays and two (almost) finished pilots, and they've received generous, positive feedback. I've also been fortunate enough to be awarded an Annenberg Graduate Fellowship for next year. I almost feel ready to tell people I'm a writer out loud.

Is there a project you are working (or have completed) that you're especially proud of?
In my first semester I wrote a road trip movie about two people who can't drive. It's the first feature I've ever written, and I'm proud to have finally finished something. I'm also two-thirds of the way through a comedy pilot which I'm enjoying writing, and in which I'm getting to prove that you can be extremely silly and serious at the same time. I feel that I'm finding my voice as a writer and I'm proud of the development of my scripts so far. I've a long way to go as a writer but feel very lucky to be here.

How has SCA prepared you so far for the career you want?
SCA's classes have a good balance of providing you the fundamentals of screenwriting and story, and in encouraging you to find the parts of your own work and life that make your writing unique. There's a wealth of experience and knowledge among both the faculty and your fellow students which gives an overview of both the theory and practice of working in the film industry, and the high expectation they have on both amount and quality of work forces you to confront a professional-level need for output. You're also meeting many future directors, producers and others whose paths and careers you know will intersect with your own. There's an optimism and practicality about SCA's approach to the industry, along with fantastic exit programs that mean you start to engage with the industry on your scripts before you graduate. In addition, the feedback from my fellow students - a ridiculously talented and diverse group - has helped me hugely as a writer and to broaden my perspective.

What advice do you have for prospective students looking to apply to SCA?
Re-watch your favorite films or the pilots of your favorite shows and examine in detail why they had such an impact on you. Also have a second look at something that left you cold and try and work out exactly why it didn't engage. There are fantastic analysis classes here that made me wish I'd re-watched more - finding the commonality in the things you love helps you identify who you are as a writer, and analyzing on a story level what does and doesn't work makes you a better writer.

Also, just write. Don't worry about whether it's good, don't worry about showing it to someone, just write something. Anything. And when you've finished, read it back and decide if it could be good, and something worth showing. I wasted so much time with ideas in my head that I never had the courage to write down, scared that it wouldn't be as good as I thought - which of course it can't - and now regret it. Writing something down and then working out the gap between that and what you want to achieve is the experience you need in getting better at writing.

Finally, getting better at writing isn't just about what gets put on the page - you have to find a process that works. Even though I'm more experienced than most in some ways, I'm new to working out how to set myself up to succeed at writing. It's really helpful to get to know yourself in terms of what makes you most production - when is the best time to write, do you need silence, music, company, do you do better at home or somewhere specific... finding a system that works for you is something I wish I'd put time into before I came here.