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“First rate analysis at a cut-rate price.”

— Creative Screenwriting

As a production executive, script analyst, writer, producer, and director, Michael Ray Brown has developed many successful screenplays for both television and the movies.

Fresh out of college, he moved from Nebraska to Southern California. Answering an ad, “Read Scripts for a Living,” he cut his teeth as a reader for Breakdown Services. Going free-lance as a story analyst, he synopsized and critiqued scripts, novels, and treatments for producers and literary agents. His clients included Casablanca Filmworks, American Cinema, The Begelman/Fields Co., John Kemeny, Hanna-Barbera Prods., Capella Films, and NBC Entertainment.

Michael acquired literary material for movies, television series, and miniseries at Metromedia Producers Corporation. As story editor he cultivated relationships with agents, writers, and publishers. He supervised adaptation of the novel Sara Dane into a popular Australian miniseries. He also developed the comedy series Small Wonder, for two years the highest-rated original program for syndication.

Michael subsequently became a staff story analyst for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century-Fox, MGM/UA, and Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures. He reviewed submissions, wrote development notes, and evaluated independent films for acquisition.

Michael has lectured at the Screenwriting Expo, Sherwood Oaks Experimental College, the Dallas Screenwriters Association, San Diego Filmmakers, and the Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute. His talks included tips on how to write a screenplay that Hollywood will love, and how to get it past the gatekeepers.

As a contributing editor to the Independent Feature Project/west newsletter, he wrote a series of articles on film financing and distribution. He is a member of Story Analysts, Local 700S, I.A.T.S.E.; Filmmakers Alliance; Film INDependent (FIND); and the Television Academy (Production Executives peer group).

Michael’s reputation is unparalleled. He has recommended and/or developed the screenplays for numerous successful films, including the box-office smash Lethal Weapon, Doc Hollywood, The Last Emperor, City Slickers, Regarding Henry, Under Siege, Free Willy, While You Were Sleeping, Apollo 13, Braveheart, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Red Corner, Contact, Hart’s War, and more than 80 others.

Michael Ray Brown at Santorini on a much-deserved break from script analysis.

Screenwriter Michael Ray Brown joins the producer, director, and star of "Wind Jammers" at the Black Film Festival.

Producer-director Ric von Maur, actress Justice von Maur, writer Michael Ray Brown, and director Kareem Mortimer at the San Deigo Black Film Festival with Wind Jammers.

Over the past 16 years, Michael has written more than 80 hours of prime-time television. A staff writer on 19 series, he also scripted the made-for-TV movies Escape from Death Row, The Bone Yard, Cruel Deception, Angel of Death, and A Haunting in Georgia for New Dominion Pictures. He served as script consultant on the features East of Sunset and 3 Girls & the Golden Cocoon, wrote a screen adaptation of the musical play Dark Streets (Special Jury Award winner at CineVegas), and co-wrote the independent features Wind Jammers and eHero, winner of two Jury Awards at WorldFest.