BJ Markel

BJ Markel first worked with Blake Snyder in 1986. He edited Blake's three Save the Cat! books and co-founded Blake Snyder Enterprises, LLC with Blake in 2005. In his other life, BJ worked in video acquisitions and entertainment marketing, including 20 years at the Walt Disney Company.

Beastars reads a book on the deck of his apartment

Beat Sheets, TV Writing

NEW VIDEO ALERT! Netflix and Save the Cat!® Help Next Gen Anime Storytellers

See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats for the second season of Netflix’s BEASTARS in this Save the Cat!-Netflix video co-production of Save the Cat! Goes Anime on YouTube.

BJ Markel, November 3, 2022 0 1 min read

Save the Cat workbook icon

News, Tips and Tactics

NEW BOOK ALERT! Save the Cat!® Beat Sheet Workbook: How Writers Turn Ideas Into Stories

The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet Workbook provides key writing prompts and asks all the important questions to help you dig deep into every aspect of your story.

BJ Markel, October 31, 2022 0 3 min read

save the cat writes a novel

Beat Sheets, Monster In The House

Free Download: Learn the Foundations of the “Monster in the House” Writing Genre – 5 Beat Sheets!

Download Chapter 1 of Save the Cat! Goes to the Indies, including 5 Monster in the House beat sheets.

BJ Markel, October 17, 2022 0 1 min read

Announcing the 2023 Screenplay Challenge

Submit your feature film and TV scripts to the Save the Cat! screenplay competition to get feedback from professional writers and qualify for prizes.

BJ Markel, September 22, 2022 0 1 min read

the cats from the front cover of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! Strikes Back

Tips and Tactics

Free Download: Chapter 3 of Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!® Strikes Back

Download Chapter 3 of Blake Snyder’s best book, Save the Cat! Strikes Back.

BJ Markel, September 1, 2022 0 1 min read

Feature and TV Pilot Winners Announced!

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge!

BJ Markel, August 25, 2022 0 1 min read

Jennifer Zhang and the Fetish team with the $30,000 Panavision Award at the 2022 Micheaux Film Festival

News, Success Stories

Jennifer Zhang’s Fetish Wins Best Short and $30,000 Grant

Congrats to Jennifer Zhang for her film Fetish, which won the Panavision Award: Outstanding Short at the 2022 Micheaux Film Festival!

BJ Markel, July 28, 2022 2 1 min read

Cat looking over laptop with Save the Cat software on screen

Save the Cat! 5.0 Is Here: Introducing Our Focused Layout

Save the Cat! Story Structure Software 5.0 provides a new interface with instant access to all the key elements of your story.

BJ Markel, July 21, 2022 0 1 min read

Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart sit at a table looking at a laptop

Success Stories

See Save the Cat!® on Hacks

See the mention of Save the Cat! in the TV hit Hacks!

BJ Markel, June 16, 2022 0 1 min read

Parker Seaman holds a copy of Save the Cat! as he speaks to Devin Das in the film Wes Schlagenhauf Is Dying

News, Success Stories

Save the Cat!® Goes to the Tribeca Film Festival

Wes Schlagenhauf Is Dying, a comedy which features the Save the Cat! beats, premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival.

BJ Markel, June 14, 2022 0 1 min read

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