Here’s something to start your week off right — it certainly brightens mine.

When I mentioned a few weeks ago that one of our workshop grads made a big spec sale (I am still in awe of screenwriter Ben Frahm, whose spec Dr. Sensitive sold to Universal!!), I didn’t think I’d have more news this summer, but I do. And it’s all due to the activity of the Cat! groups we have set up in LA, New York, UK, Chicago and Vancouver and also our Save the Cat! Internet discussion board.

All these beehives of activity are products of the can-do attitude of those who are attracted to the Cat! method – and completely organic.

A Cat! Writing Group consists of graduates of our weekend workshop who go on to continue meeting independently and use the skills they learned to keep on writing their scripts.

The energy of these grads is inspiring!

I was speaking with a writer the other day whose script I am consulting on. A graduate of our weekend workshop, he submitted his script to the LA Cats! who proceeded to devote a goodly chunk of their regular meeting to giving him notes, suggestions, and script fixes he found fantastic.

Me, too.

The writer is on his way to a new draft of his great high concept rom-com, and he gives lots of credit to the LA Cats!

Me, too!

The LA Cats! is run by the awesome Greg Field, who whips the Cats! into shape by organizing the meetings and directing the topics of discussion. But that’s not all.

One of the members of the group has just announced the fixes to his script made it possible to attach a major talent and financing for his film (more details to come), and it was all due to hard work – and the continued support of his fellow grads.

Likewise, the Cat! discussion board (also available to all weekend grads) that is run by the fabulous John J. Austrian out of New York, is a center for those who can’t meet due to geography (we now have Cat! people all over Europe and Canada too) but want to keep in touch. The momentum of this Internet center is also fantastic.

Knowing the 15 beats of the BS2 and seeing how all stories that make the tuning fork in us resonate must meet the requirements outlined in the book, is vital! But where can you go if it’s just you and the book and your Final Draft software?

Other groups such as our Cornwall Cats! in the UK have also met with great success. The first script that came out of that writing conclave, Hopping Mad, is going into production as we speak.

And the Vancouver weekend group has also had success: the horror film developed in class, The Auburn Hills Breakdown, placed among the top six finalists of TIFF pitch festival in Canada.

The Cat! group is a way to keep your writing skills up to speed and interact with others who are making great headway in their careers. They are earning the respect of professionals all over the globe.

Me, too!