Of course, my regular readers are well aware of my propensity to highlight the people working behind-the-scenes in film and television, and in this interview, that is exactly what I am doing. You may never have heard of Joel and Lisa Canfield, but many Hallmark viewers will remember relishing the Jen Lilley/Jason Cermak film Eat, Pray, Love last summer, and that was their first foray into screenwriting for the network. This coming weekend, we will be witnessing their second screenwriting submission for Hallmark in the last of the 2018 June Bride films, Yes I Do. It was an absolute delight to connect with both of these talented individuals, and I’m happy to feature them today in this post.

RH: What inspired you both to become writers?

Lisa — We’ve both always written; it was the thing we were each known for growing up. So, I think it was pretty organic in both of our cases. You’re good at something and you just sort of keep doing it and it develops into a career. A strange and somewhat twisted career in both of our cases, but still a career!

Joel – It’s my only talent. I can’t sing, dance or operate construction equipment.

Did you begin writing screenplays or did you start out in some other type of writing? What inspired you to pursue screenwriting?

Lisa – I actually started with poems. My grandfather was always making up rhymes when I was little, so it was something I picked up early. I had a book of my poems in my elementary school library when I was in third grade – something I SO regretted by junior high.

Professionally I would have done anything that involved writing, as it was my only marketable skill. After college, I tried different assistant jobs for about a year, hoping for something that would lead to writing and wound up in broadcast advertising, or promos, which is writing commercials and print ads for TV shows. Joel was in the same business, and that’s how we met.

Joel inspired me to write my first screenplay, in that he basically forced me to. He had a big theatrical screenplay sale before we met, and I had been fantasizing about writing a script for a long time. Pretty soon after we got married, he kind of challenged me to do it and offered to help. The fact that he’s still married to me after that whole experience is a minor miracle. But I did it, ultimately, I loved doing it, it was fairly well received (although it didn’t sell or get me an actual agent), and after that, we started writing screenplays together.

We mostly wrote romantic comedy spec scripts. We had a straight comedy script optioned like five times (it’s under option AGAIN as I write this!) but never quite made it over the hump to being “working screenwriters.” So, we kept doing TV promos, and eventually started our own company writing and producing them. More recently, we’ve been ghostwriting books for all kinds of people, which has been really interesting.

Joel – I actually started by writing novels. I had an agent interested in my work, but then he had a heart attack and died on the tennis court. True story. I’ve gotten back to novels in recent years with my Max Bowman detective series, three of which are available on Amazon. Please buy them.

How did you decide to become a writing team? How do you divide the work between you two?

Joel – I’ve tried writing with other people before I met Lisa, but it never really clicked with anyone else. We share the same brain in a lot of ways and we complement each other’s skills in an amazing way.

Lisa – We’ve been writing together almost as long as we’ve been together – I remember doing some promo work as a team before we were even married (and we got married eight months after we met). It’s part of our dynamic. My maid of honor once said, “You two just sit around all day and crack each other up.” Twenty-eight years later we’re still always entertaining each other and playing with new ideas.

When we work on a project together, we usually switch back and forth, sometimes just going over each other’s material, sometimes taking it forward to the next stopping point – chapter by chapter with books, or act by act with screenplays. With screenplays, Joel’s better with structure, so he’ll usually take the first pass, and I’m better with character, so I’ll work on dialogue. We just go back and forth and back and forth until we’re both happy with it.

What was the first screenplay you wrote (published or not)?

Our first script together was called Phil and Sheila. It was about a married couple, one a first-time screenwriter and one an old pro, who are nominated against each other for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. It starts with the nominations being announced on TV, ends at the Oscar ceremony, and features a complete, Oscar-show production number featuring Liza Minnelli. (It was the 90s, after all.)

The first screenplay credit I see posted for you is Eat, Play, Love. What was the inspiration for this story? How involved were you in the development process?

We have this rescue dog, Betsy, who is completely insane and who we love much more than our kids think is healthy. She was basically the inspiration for the story – she’s Beasley, the dog no one wants to adopt, in the movie. What’s weird is we didn’t even know about Hallmark’s involvement with rescue dogs at the time, so that was kind of cool.

We did a couple of rewrites, but, after that, we weren’t involved in the production – we’re SO new to this, and we were across the country in New York City at the time. So, everything was a big surprise.

When you saw the film Eat, Play, Love, what was your reaction?

Lee Majors, Jason Cermak, Lindsay Wagner Credit: Copyright 2017 Johnson Production Group

That was the surprise part. Because it was our first Hallmark ever, we didn’t completely understand the structure and the parameters of what needs to happen in each act – it’s very complicated! – so there was some rewriting involved by the director, and the final product was a little bit different than we envisioned it. But part of the reason more rewriting was necessary on the set was because the producer, Tim Johnson, was able to cast Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner – “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “The Bionic Woman”!!!! – in supporting roles, so their parts needed beefing up. And you can’t really argue with that (at least not if you were a kid in the ‘70s)!

Jen Lilley, Lee Majors, Lindsay Wagner Credit: Copyright 2017 Johnson Production Group

What did you learn through Eat, Play, Love that has made you a better writer?

So, so much. Hallmark structure, primarily. Now we are much clearer on how to approach a script and tell a story from a Hallmark perspective.

Please tell us about your involvement in writing the upcoming Hallmark film Yes I Do.

We had the original idea and did the first two drafts of the script. And, once again, from what we understand, it has been changed pretty dramatically from our original. We’re definitely curious to see how it came out!

Have you visited either set? Do you have aspirations to visit in the future?

We haven’t been to a set yet – we’ve been on the East Coast for the past few years. But we’ll be moving back to California (after a thirteen-year odyssey through New Zealand, Miami Beach, and NYC) in the Fall and hope to get much more involved then.

Any other upcoming projects you can mention?

None we can mention just yet, but we have two scripts and a concept under option with various producers that we have high hopes for (especially now that we’ve mastered Hallmark structure!). We’ve also just completed another one that we’re ready to shop around.

What is your advice to other prospective screenwriters?

In our case it’s pretty obvious – never give up. Like, NEVER. Because if you keep going, you have no idea what’s going to hit, and when.

What do you enjoy about writing screenplays for/working with Hallmark? We’re you already a fan of the network before writing for them?

We’ve always loved writing RomComs — light, fun stories about characters and relationships – but Hollywood doesn’t make a lot of those. So, Hallmark has given us an opportunity to do what we love, and do it together, which is the best part!

I cannot even tell you how thrilled I am to see such a perfectly-matched couple as Joel and Lisa writing for Hallmark! While I know they are still in the learning stage, it seems that they have finally begun to master the format and expectations that are placed on screenwriters who choose to partner with Hallmark. The fact that the network has taken their ideas in spite of the revisions is a testament to these two storytellers and their ability to “spin a good yarn.” And although I have not seen Yes I Do, I utterly adored Eat, Play, Love, and if this one on Sunday is even close to that caliber or perchance surpasses it, I do believe Hallmark viewers will be in for a genuine treat!

It is my desire that everyone in the U.S. tunes to the Hallmark Channel on Saturday, June 30th for the finale of the five June Bride films of 2018, entitled Yes I Do. Furthermore, I would suggest that all of my readers visit the links below (note there are a couple of repeat links since this couple has such a tight-knit association) and consider following them where applicable. Perhaps some of you will even contemplate purchasing the books of which Joel spoke. Regardless of your level of support for this charming couple, I am ecstatic to know that a screenwriting couple with impeccable taste is now on board with Hallmark, and I can only imagine what the future may hold for these two. With one success under their belts and one more on the way, this couple, in my humble opinion, is well on their way to authentic Hallmark screenwriter stardom. Their stories are sweet, entertaining and engaging, and I am hopeful that their next venture might just be a Hallmark Christmas movie! After all, as I regularly instruct my Hallmark actor friends, once you star in a Hallmark Christmas movie, you’ve definitely arrived. Similarly, for Joel and Lisa, I am convinced that once they draft a Hallmark Christmas movie, I would venture to say there would be no hindrance to their categorical triumph!

Phot by AJ Canfield

FOLLOW LISA 

Website

Twitter

Facebook

IMDB

FOLLOW JOEL

Website

Twitter

Facebook

IMDB

Spread the love

Tweet