GREG HARRIS
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GREG HARRIS

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Cincinnati, Ohio
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Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
My ancestors. When my father, Charles Harris, passed away in 2017, I discovered a treasure trove upon assuming his Ancestry.com account. He had mentioned in the past that our kin, the Townsends, were among Texas’s early pioneers. (Asa Townsend, for example, is my great-grandfather twice removed.) Indeed, they settled in Texas when it was still a part of Mexico. My dad’s research dated back to 13th-century England, when the Townsends first came to prominence under the reign of William the Conqueror. Among their holdings was Raynham Hall in Norfolk (that still exists), which hosted the likes of Queen Elizabeth. Several family members left behind centuries of prosperity in England to become among the first settlers of America’s colonies, including colonial Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. I homed in on my most direct lineage, which is the family line that ended up in Texas.
As if pioneerism was in their very DNA, they migrated from South Carolina to Georgia to Florida--indeed, among Florida’s first Anglo-settlers after the forced exile of the Cherokee. The Townsends opportunistically positioned themselves at the forefront of a young nation’s points of geographic expansion. This series, Texians, focuses on the seven Townsend brothers who sold their holdings in Florida to purchase land in Texas via Mexico’s land grant program. Mexico’s “empresario system” was devised to lure Anglo-settlers to sparsely populated Tejas with the intent of driving a wedge into America’s Southwest expansion while creating a buffer against hostile Native tribes. The Comanche, in particular, had repelled Spanish and then Mexican efforts to expand into the territory.
Through the prism of the Townsends' up close & personal involvement in early Texas’s seminal historic events, I have been able to efficiently write about the Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, the formation of the Texas Rangers, and the Mexican-American War. Incredibly, most of these events occurred within a span of 20 years. I depict several remarkable historical figures from the era. For example, Jack Coffee Hays emerges as a lead character in season one. As a young Ranger captain, Hays realized after a string of defeats that open battle with the Comanche was doomed to failure. I depict how he professionalized the Rangers, including the adoption of guerrilla strategies that replicated Comanche’s tactics. The US Army later embraced Hay’s battlefield innovations in waging the Mexican-American War. This included giving Hays command of a Mounted Rifle Division (three Townsend brothers served under his command), whose reconnaissance missions, hostage rescues, and capture of high-value enemies helped the US prevail in the Battle of Monterrey that led to Mexico’s surrender.

How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
The pilot took approximately six months to write, preceded by years of research. My research got pretty granular at times. This includes probing the vernacular (including letters, diaries, and speeches from the 1800s) to authenticate dialogue; the terrain; the fashions; the layout of frontier colonies (e.g., early Austin) and family settlements; battlefield locations; family trees; census data; Comanche leaders and mythology, etc. When I alas got to the point of writing in the Spring (2025), it began with outlines--both script outlines and historic timelines. The revision process has been intensive. My pilot has undergone multiple drafts. Wiki has been indispensable; the judge feedback from my two contest entries helped me improve the story. I have also enlisted my sons in script readings throughout the revision process. Hearing it read out loud has helped me get a handle on pacing and the overall length of scenes, as well as clean up the narrative when needed.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
When you pursue a dream, it can be regarded as chasing windmills. I hope to “make it” as a writer. I hope to get representation. I hope to get produced. Is it crazy? impractical? All a fantasy? Time will tell. I have three seasons (7-8 episodes each) of Texians mapped out. I am
currently grinding my way through completing season one.

Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
The first 10 pages focus on the violent clash of cultures that exemplify frontier Texas. A community of Baptist settlers driven by Manifest Destiny is attacked by the Comanche, whose campaign of terror--raids and kidnappings--was intended to drive out the early Texans, just as
they had succeeded in keeping the Spanish and Mexicans at bay for centuries. I portray the 1836 raid of Fort Parker and the subsequent kidnapping of Rachel Plummer. A 17-year-old mother to a toddler (also kidnapped) and three months pregnant, she witnesses the brutal torture and killings of many of her family and community. My pilot is deeply informed by Rachel’s chronicle of her 21 months in captivity, which represents the ultimate survival narrative. Admittedly, my representation of the Comanche is one-dimensional at first. As warriors, their tactics were quite deliberately intended to spread fear. I strive to capture their reign of terror. As season one progresses, however, the representations become more humanized. Their animistic belief system and nomadic lifestyle instilled a deep reverence for the land. Their way of life was rapidly being encroached upon, with their very survival at stake.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
There are too many to list. Some standout series that I’ve streamed over the past few months include: American Primeval and Gangs of London (both Netflix), The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Long Bright River (both Prime), and The Last Anniversary (AMC+). I am currently binging Black Rabbit (Netflix), and eagerly awaiting the next season of Peaky Blinders. I’ll resist going down the Rabbit Hole of favorite movies.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist, as you have?
It feels arrogant to dispense advice because I am new to screenwriting. That said, I treat writing like a second job. (My” day job” as a teacher pays the bills.) I set weekly page-writing goals and write directions on how to pick up from where I left off. It’s a haul, but also a labor of love.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I am a public school teacher, hence, “working on” educating kids.

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