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Meet screenwriter Andrew Sanford! Andrew is a BIPOC Writer/Performer operating out of New York City. He was a twice featured writer for the ABC Discovers Showcase, the Grand Prize Winner of Ermantourage’s Hollywood Chills Screenwriting competition, and a Quarterfinalist in the 2019 and 2020 Screencraft Horror Competition. He also writes for the Random Access Theater Company in NYC. As someone of mixed race, he cherishes any opportunity he gets to feel represented on stage or screen and seeks to recreate that feeling through his work, giving a voice to anyone he can.
Briefly describe who you are as a creative!
I love to make people laugh and scare the heck out of ‘em. If I can do both at the same time all the better! I started doing theater as a child, moved on to stand up, wrote a published graphic novel and then moved into screenwriting. Movies have always been a big part of my life and I found myself compelled to work in that medium so that’s where I’ve stayed.
Can you think back to your first piece of work and what you learned most from it? How much of your voice has changed since you began?
The first things I wrote and got on their feet were two short plays that were read in front of a live audience. Two things I learned that stick with me to this day: Do your research, even if in regards to emotional topics, and love every character you write. People will be able to tell who you like writing for the most so make that the case for everyone.
Do you feel you are still finding your voice? What can you say your voice is right now?
My voice has very comfortably formed into, I can say, me. I’ve spent most of my life watching horror movies and making people laugh and that is very evident in my work. There was a time where I was afraid to tow that line because it felt too comfortable but leaning into it had allowed me to challenge myself elsewhere and ironically make my scripts more well rounded.
Do you feel you are still finding your voice? What can you say your voice is right now?
As someone of mixed race who could be easily described as “weird” I cherish any time I feel represented on stage, screen or page. Because of that I do my best to crest that feeling for others. I truly believe that if people see themselves they’ll feel more comfortable being themselves. That is why I like to tell diverse stories that tend to be more strange or out of the ordinary. We see the same stories told so often! Gimme the weird stuff!
What do you have in the works at the moment?
Currently I’m developing an animated horror/comedy film (sensing a theme??), collaborating on a television project which is a little more hush hush, writing for the second season of a delightful comedy podcast called Buried Stereo and I will often write adaptations of popular movies into Shakespearean text for the wonder Random Access Theater Company in NYC for their Drunk Texts series!
Where can folks find you online!
You can find me on twitter @SanfordMinusSon
On Instagram @half_white_son_of_a_black_man
And my podcast Half White Son of a Black Man can be found wherever you get your podcasts! So can Buried Stereo which I had the pleasure of appearing on during its inaugural season.
by Erman Baradi
