While I am a “Hallmark” girl at heart, I do love to switch things up regularly and watch a bone-chilling thriller over on Lifetime (especially when it stars some of my beloved Canadian friends). I was thrilled to discover that Christine Conradt is the screenwriter behind so many of my favorite Lifetime movies, but her influence extends far beyond that network. She wrote and directed a popular Christmas movie for UPtv last year, she has published a series of books based on a few of her Lifetime hits, and her very first Hallmark movie is about to premiere this weekend! Therefore, it is my singular delight to highlight her by sharing our recent Q & A session which spans her entire decorated career!

Photo credit Jennifer James

RH: Why did you decide to become a writer? And why did you specifically go the route of screenwriting?

CC: I’ve always been a writer. I actually won my first writing award in the third grade– the Young Authors Award in Nebraska for a story I wrote and illustrated. I was always reading books and writing stories all through middle school and high school. I hadn’t really thought of writing, or specifically screenwriting, as a profession until I received a brochure my junior year of high school from the University of Southern California and saw they offered a screenwriting degree. My plan before that was to go to law school and become a prosecutor, but the moment I saw that I could get a degree in screenwriting, I changed my mind and turned my focus to getting into the program. I did, and well, here I am today.

What kind of educational training have you received, and how has that helped you in your career?

Like I mentioned, I hold a BFA in Screenwriting from USC. That degree has been invaluable. Not just for the academic aspect (I’d never written a screenplay until I got into college), but also for the networking. So many working professionals in the industry have graduated from USC and the alumni ties are strong. When I interviewed for my first real “industry” job– a Creative Assistant for a production company back in the mid-90s, one of the two guys interviewing me had graduated from the USC Screenwriting program ten years before I did. I’m sure the fact that he understood how competitive that program is was a factor in hiring me.

Dead At 17 Wrap Party

Later, in my thirties, I was doing a lot of crime dramas and thrillers and decided to get my Masters in Criminal Justice. Boston University was, at the time, one of the only universities to offer a fully-accredited, completely online degree program. I enrolled in that and was able to continue writing full-time from my home in LA while I got my degree. It’s hard to measure how much a degree helps you because you’ll never know what the alternative would have been if you hadn’t gone down that road. I’d say the BFA helped me understand the fundamentals of writing and get a leg up in the industry while the Masters expanded my knowledge of criminology, helped me find law enforcement resources to help with my writing, and gives me a little extra credibility as a crime writer.

What was your first screenwriting gig in the business, and what are your memories of it?

My very first gig was a temp job. There was a temp agency that catered to the entertainment industry and it gave me the chance to work at production companies, talent agencies, and studios filling in for assistants who were out on vacation or medical leave. My favorite memory is when I was subbing for an assistant to a VP at Twentieth Century Fox and Damon Wayans came in for a meeting. The VP had asked me to get Damon whatever he wanted to drink when he arrived. I took an inventory of everything in the fridge and cabinet, and when Mr. Wayans walked in, I ran down the list of options and he chose a hot tea. I made the hot tea and gave it to him. A few moments after going into the VP’s office, the door flew open and the VP came out laughing and holding the tea cup. I could hear Mr. Wayans laughing too. “What’s wrong?” I asked. He couldn’t stop laughing. Finally, he got out, “This is laxative tea. I’m just going to grab him a bottled water instead.” I’d never heard of laxative tea before. It looked just like a regular tea bag. I was soooooo embarrassed, but glad that they both had a good sense of humor about it.

How did you move into producing and directing?

photo credit Christian Behr

At some point, I just wanted to be more involved in the production of the films. As the writer, your job is done before the film ever shoots and you literally have to hand off your baby and hope other people are executing your vision. So I naturally gravitated toward producing first which allowed me to have some say in the locations and casting and that type of stuff. Later on, I decided to start directing because I needed to push myself creatively and directing was a challenge. Now, I love directing as much as writing.

Much of your work has been in the genre of “thrillers” for Lifetime. Where do you often get your inspiration for writing these screenplays? Is there one that stands out as memorable or special? Why? 

I’ve always loved thrillers. As a little kid, I started reading the Howliday Inn series and then graduated to the Three Investigators series by Robert Author, and finally, by high school, I was mostly reading Sweet Valley High and Stephen King. I think if you combine SVH and Stephen King, you get something close to Lifetime movies. So a lot of my inspiration comes from just a love of those stories and true crime stories I read in the news. The producers who make those movies often come to me with an idea too that I then develop into a story.

There are quite a few that are memorable. You’d think with sixty movies under my belt, I’d get them all mixed up, but it’s strange, even to me, that I don’t. My favorite thrillers are the “At 17” series (Dead at 17, Missing at 17, Guilty at 17, Murdered at 17, Betrayed at 17, Accused at 17, etc) which I also turned into a three-book series published by HarperCollins. I like that series because the lead character is always 17 years old and that’s such a fun, strange, weird time of a person’s life. It’s fun to explore.

12 Days of Giving

My favorite movie I’ve ever done is actually not a thriller. I was lucky enough to write, direct, and produce a Christmas movie that premiered last December on UPtv titled 12 Days of Giving and that was my favorite to work on. I’m very proud of how that one turned out and the positive message it has.

Last Christmas, you got to direct and write a wonderful film for UPtv called 12 Days of Giving. How did that opportunity come about, and how do you feel this film was received and met (or exceeded) your expectations?

I should have read ahead! That movie has a long, twisty history. I wrote it on spec several years ago and it was optioned twice by a Canadian company, but never got made. The rights came back to me and I had almost set it up at a production company in LA, but the development exec wanted me to change the lead character from a male to a female, and I felt the whole story would suffer if I made that change; so I refused and we parted ways. The script sat for years.

on set directing 12 Days of Giving

Then the producer at Expression Entertainment, who had bought one of my scripts which became a Lifetime movie titled The Maid, asked if I had any more scripts. I showed him 12 Days and he loved it. His entire development team loved it and they put together the financing. It was truly one of the best experiences I’ve had. I was able to go back to my home state of Nebraska to shoot it and it turned out so well. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we did the best with what we had and ended up producing a great little movie. I’m still shocked by how well it was received. When it aired, I got so many emails from people telling me that they’d watched it multiple times and just love the message. I wasn’t expecting that. At the cast and crew screening, people were actually crying in the theater. It’s just the type of movie that makes people happy, and that’s something I find incredibly fulfilling.

Recently, you wrote and published your first book. How did that come about?

There are actually three books out now– Missing at 17, Pregnant at 17, and Murdered at 17. They’re the thriller franchise books that have Lifetime movies with the same titles. It was fun! When I pitched the idea of turning those movies into YA books, the producers were supportive, but had never forayed into publishing; I had to do a lot of research. Plus, I hadn’t written prose in years and had to retrain myself. I wrote Missing at 17 (the book) on spec and showed it to an agent at a writers conference. He loved the idea and the manuscript and sent it to another literary agent in NYC. They ended up partnering up on the project and secured a deal with HarperCollins.

This weekend, Hallmark viewers will get to see Pearl in Paradise. How did that story come about and get brought to the screen? Why do you believe that viewers will enjoy and connect with this story? How is this different from the majority of your other works?

I’m so excited for Pearl to come out! I love Hallmark movies and this one had such a great development team behind it, it was fun to work on. One of the execs I worked with at Lifetime had recently moved to Hallmark and suggested to the producer that he hire me to write the script. She was developing it with another exec at Hallmark and already had worked out sort of an outline for it. The producer agreed to hire me and we all dug in. I loved the concept of these two people going on a journey to find a pearl and finding love in the process. I joke that it was nice to not have to kill someone in my script for a change, but in all seriousness, I think the movie will be terrific. It has a great cast and the producers have a great sense of story.

Any other upcoming works you can mention?

I’m currently writing another book… and I have a few more movies coming out. We actually shot Zombie at 17 which takes that “at 17” franchise into the world of zombies. I wrote that one. We’re also shooting the fourth installment in the “Mommy’s Little” series for Lifetime, which I also wrote. I’m attached to direct two films–one that I wrote–later this year which I’m excited about. And have a few more in the works that I’m not allowed to talk about yet.

Have you had the opportunity to visit any of the sets for your films? If so, please tell us about them. If not, do you have plans to do so?

I frequently visit the sets. Obviously, if I’m directing, I’m there from call to wrap. The ones I produce I’m there for most of the time too. But I have gone up to Canada and worked on rewrites as the film was shooting. I used to do that more than I do now. If you’ve never been on a film set, it’s the most chaotic and most organized process at the same time. Everything moves really fast and it looks like people are scurrying around haphazardly, but everyone has a job they’re getting done. It’s a lot of fun. I love the long hours and fast pace.

What is the hardest thing about being a writer in today’s world of entertainment? What is the most rewarding part?

The hardest part is finding steady work. There is so much competition. And production companies come and go all the time. With a small company, one failure can mean closing up shop so you always have to be making new contacts. With television, trends influence the networks. So you have to stay on top of what’s getting the best ratings. The most rewarding part is creating something that millions of people find entertaining enough to spend two hours watching. I love using characters to help people see a side of life, or a perspective they may not otherwise be exposed to.

As the Morgue Attendant in Dead At 17

As thrillers seem to be still so popular, why do you believe that audiences crave this genre? Why do you believe your thrillers have been so successful?

Thrillers are one of the few genres that sell internationally, which is why there is a market for them. I also think people like being scared. It’s a fun escape and there’s no gore. They like figuring out who the killer is first and using their deductive skills. Comedy doesn’t always translate into other cultures well, but everyone can understand what it’s like to be scared for a protagonist who doesn’t know the killer is hiding in his or her house.

When not writing, what do you like to do for fun?

My husband and I travel a lot. We live pretty close to the beach so we spend a lot of time on the weekends there and we both love Disneyland and Vegas. And on quiet evenings, we chill and watch TV with our two rescued cats.

No matter what genre Christine chooses to write, direct, or produce, her body of work encompasses the gamut of human interest and emotions, and viewers can always anticipate an entertaining movie that will thrill, delight, and perchance even inspire. Her characters are well-developed, and her stories often boast a twist that keeps the audience intrigued, no matter the style. Now that I understand Christine’s background a bit more, I can readily pinpoint why so many of the elements in her works resonate with the viewers and cause us to become repeat consumers. While I have not had the opportunity to read her books yet (which I have no doubt are absolutely fantastic), I lost count of how many of her Lifetime movies I have watched and loved, and 12 Gifts of Christmas was a particularly memorable film last holiday season that was definitely one of the best ever on that network. I am immensely pleased that her first Hallmark movie, Pearl in Paradise is premiering this weekend, and the fact that this is one of those popular “Summer Nights” films that also happens to be shot on location in Fiji (and stars two Hallmark favorites–Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha) electrifies me to my very core! 

If you have not planned on tuning into the Hallmark Channel August 18th to watch Pearl In Paradise, I hope you are able to adjust your weekend plans to make room for what is bound to be another riveting film in the most successful “Summer Nights” series Hallmark has featured to date. Additionally, I invite everyone to check out Christine’s links below and consider following her where applicable. Since Christine has now joined the Hallmark family, it is my sincere hope and desire that someone as well-versed and dynamic as she can continue to partner with Hallmark in the months and years to come. It is rare to come across one who possesses the kinds of skills that radiate from deep within her soul and mind, and I cannot wait to see all of her future productions (and enjoy her books as well, when I get the chance), no matter the genre or style! Safe to say, I believe I have found a new favorite screenwriter!

FOLLOW CHRISTINE

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

IMDB

Spread the love

Tweet