"How to Write for a Living" with Casey Zilbert

"How to Write for a Living" with Screenwriter/Director, Casey Zilbert (Ash VS Evil, Hangtime, Born to Dance)

This isn’t a workshop about the craft of writing, but rather how to craft a life around writing in the digital era. From understanding the macro-economics of the global content market to understanding the minutia of your own writing habits, award-winning writer/director/producer Casey shares the important lessons she learned in her first decade as a professional creative.

About the Speaker

Casey Zilbert (previously credited as Casey Whelan) spent three years learning the ins and outs of fast turn over television while writing and script coordinating for medical soap Shortland Street, before moving to Wellington in 2011 to work her way up the independent film ladder. After writing/associate producing two NZFC funded shorts (Blankets, Dancers), Casey co-wrote New Zealand's first hip-hop dance film, Born to Dance, which premiered at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival and went on to be the most successful New Zealand film of 2016.

Casey was the recipient of the 2018 Women in Film & Television ‘Woman to Watch’ Award, and in 2019, the Vero Beach Wine & Film Festival ‘Visionary Award’ for her groundbreaking approach to financing, producing, and distributing New Zealand’s first wine comedy: Hang Time. In addition to her professional work in the screen industry, Casey’s work as a tutor, content economist, and industry mentor has helped diverse, underrepresented voices take their projects to the next level.

Casey is represented by Danny Toth (film) and David Rubin (TV) at The Gersh Agency.