The World's Fastest Screenplay Competition!
  • Home
  • Screenplay Contest
  • TV Script Contest
    • Treatment/Bible Contest
  • Short Film Script Contest
  • Contest Results
    • 2024 Contest Results
    • 2023 Screenplay Contest Results
    • 2022 Screenplay Contest Results
  • FEATURED "WALK OF FAME"
    • Cary Singleton >
      • Cary Singleton Bio
      • Cary Singleton Projects
    • ANDREA MASI
    • Michael Elliott
    • Gary DeMoss >
      • GARY DEMOSS BIO
      • GARY DEMOSS PROJECTS
    • Caoimhín Mac an Bhreitheamhan >
      • Caoimhín Mac an Bhreitheamhan PROJECTS
    • JOHN RICHMOND >
      • JOHN RICHMOND PROJECTS
  • 2025 "Walk of Fame"
    • 2024 "Walk of Fame" >
      • CAROL HOFFMAN
      • DREW ATCHISON
      • THORSTEN SCHADE
      • ANTHONY J ANDERSEN
      • GARY DEMOSS
      • ALI HABIB
      • JOE LEONE
      • MUJLI GLASBERG
      • MEGMILLER
      • NEIL WATSON
      • MARK ROBYN
      • GARY DEMOSS
      • DAVID H. FEIN
      • BROOKE DE ROSA
      • COLLEEN AYCOCK INTERVIEW
      • Henry Sarwer-Foner
      • DIANE TOMASSIN
      • TRICIA TRIBBLE
      • RICHARD HUTTNER
      • MICHAEL MONTEIRO
      • SEAN ROPER
      • ROBERT BRIDGE
      • JAMES C. BOYD
      • TOM WHELAN
      • ROBERTO S. OREGEL
      • MARCIA P. SAMUELS
      • NONO TAMURA-TASHA HARDY
      • BILL WELLS
      • STUART FRYER
      • MICHAEL GOSSETTE
      • KC BIBO
      • JOSH GOLDMAN
      • JASON WHITE
      • KAREN FRANKOLA
      • BILL JORDAN
      • CHRISTOPHER SCHULTZ
      • CAMERON MARTIN
      • CHARLIE SHOUP
      • JOHN ARNAU
      • PAM PRICE
      • ROB MCNEIL
      • SHANNON MCINTYRE
      • John Richmond
      • JEFF WALKER
      • DONALD MORGAN
      • LIZ MAYER
      • EMILY PELPHREY
      • DEBRA TOBIN
      • ANHTUAN DOVENTRY
      • GREGORY GEORGIOU
      • CAROL HOFFMAN
      • C.R. SHERMAN
      • JAMES FREEMAN
      • HANK ISAAC
      • ERIKA STONE
      • TODD HOLDEN
      • RAVEN PETRETTI-STAMPER
      • ANDREW EDMUNDS
      • ERIC WEBER
      • MOLLY FRANKLIN-LEARY
      • MATTHEW NICHOLSON
      • BRIAN NOLIN
      • ALGIS DANAITIS
      • HANK ISAAC
    • Henry Sarwer-Foner
    • KAREN MARGARET MURPHY
    • JANNE PULKKILA
    • RICHARD HOHENRATH
    • ANTHONY VOLLMER & CRAIG HORWITZ
    • Karen Siff Exkorn
    • GREG STELLEY
    • SUZANNE BUI LOC LUTAS
    • CHRIS CHURILLA
    • ROGER HILL
    • ROY EDMONDSON
    • ERIC LOTTER
    • JORDAN DAVENPORT
    • GREG MCCABE JR
    • TASHA HARDY
    • CATRYN BECKER
    • SEAN FOX
    • SHAUN DELLISKAVE
    • GIACOMO GIAMMATTEO
    • ROGERS WILSON
    • KAT-BYLSKA PRIMARY
    • MACK GORDON
    • Kristopher Pierce
    • Jerzy suchocki
    • DJ Alvine
    • KATE REMELIUS
    • VP BOYLE
    • Mohamed Mohsen
    • Frances Mccoy
    • Neil Goodchild
    • TERRY GEHRING
    • RUSSELL PUNTENNEY
    • TEEJAY SMALL
    • MIKE NIELSEN
    • TOM NEWMAN
    • MARIA GOMEZ
    • PEDRO CANAIS
    • MARK COHEN
    • VAL SERVINO
  • JOIN THE "Walk of Fame"
  • KEYS TO SUCCESS
    • What Writers Say
    • Why this screenplay contest?
    • Screenwriting Inspiration
  • Judges
  • Contact
  • FAQ

MATT NICHOLSON

Picture
​Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
New York, New York.
 
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?
I’ve won the Wiki: The World’s Fastest Screenplay Contest twice with my shorts “Pietra Fredda” and “Senior Ditch Day”. Both of these scripts were inspired by prompt-based screenwriting competitions. For “Pietra Fredda”, I was assigned horror as a genre and initially felt it was way out of my wheelhouse. I also pulled another randomly generated prompt: sculptor.  In college, I spent a year in Florence, Italy where I visited the world-famous Carrara marble mines – the very place marble for Michelangelo’s David was excavated. Once I found my location, the story of a young sculptress desperate to “hear” the stone speak to her came pouring out. The elements of the horror genre really served to elevate the story. Even though I didn’t place in that contest, I continued to refine and rework that script. I was so thrilled when it took first place in the Wiki.
 
Similarly, “Senior Ditch Day” was inspired by a 48-hour screenwriting contest where we were limited to three pages with the prompts “sunglasses” and a theme of “now or never.” Funnily enough, I didn’t place in that contest either, but I’d created characters I just couldn’t get out of my head. Septuagenarian Gwen Wiley escapes her nursing home to spread her late husband’s ashes during a rare occurrence of the northern lights. I just had to find out what happened to Gwen after page 3! This is why I am such a massive advocate of rewriting. Sometimes the germ of an idea is there, it just needs a few more passes to perfect.  Parts of the screenplay have been simmering in the back of my mind for years. My mother suffered from Huntington’s Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. She spent many years in a nursing home and often dreamed of escaping the bland walls and colorful characters that also resided there. “Senior Ditch Day” is dedicated to her.
 
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?
Initially, I only had a few days to come up with the idea for both “Pietra Fredda” and “Senior Ditch Day”, because they were conceived for timed screenwriting contests. Once those original restraints were lifted, I dove back into revisions to clean up my stories on my own timeline. “Senior Ditch Day” took about a month to finish. “Pietra Fredda” on the other hand took five years. I put that on a shelf and just mulled it over. I received some great feedback from Wiki about the motivation of my main character early this year. What would drive a sculptor to come a stone-cold killer? I recently had a flash of inspiration and took a week to rewrite the story. I’m so grateful for the Wiki contest for the feedback but also for having a place to test the temperature of my short scripts. It’s been my goal this year to write one short a month, and Wiki is the perfect sounding board and temperature check. They’re not all winners, that’s for sure. I’ve also placed in an Honorable Mention and Semi-Finalist.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
 
Currently, I’m looking for representation to help take my award-winning portfolio of scripts to the next level. I’m developing several television pilots and even a few feature ideas. I hope to one day get staffed in a writer’s room. My dream would be to sell one of my pilots and get the chance to bring it to audiences everywhere.
 
Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
Both “Senior Ditch Day” and “Pietra Fredda” were conceived as short scripts. After some feedback though, I have been thinking of transforming Pietra Fredda into a horror feature. Every time I go back to that script, I find more gold to mine.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
My all-time favorite is “The Magicians.” I even have TADA tattoo (inspired by one of the set pieces) on my left arm. Who wouldn’t love to discover that not only is magic real, but there’s an entire school in New York dedicated to teaching it? The fantastical stories Sera Gamble and all the writers told helped me realize that bold, weird scripts can find an audience if rooted in real emotion and compelling characters. Because of the show, I attended my first ever Comic-Con and got to meet some of the cast and creatives. It also brought me some life-long friends that have become my close circle of trusted readers who kindly read draft after draft of my projects.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Join a writers group or start one of your own. During the pandemic, I co-founded an international writing group focused on television projects. People have since branched out to books, movies, and even radio plays, but our goal remains the same: help each other build the most captivating stories possible. I have learned more in that group than I have anywhere else, particularly helping others refine their ideas in genres I never would have thought to work in. When you’re in the trenches on a project, it can be so difficult to see what the script is missing. Honest and constructive feedback can transform an OK script into an award-winning one. If you can’t find a group or take a screenwriting class, then get your hands on some of your favorite scripts and dissect them.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I am working on a one-hour fantasy television pilot called “New Olympus.” It centers around Liz Payne, the modern-day descendant of Pandora from Greek Mythology set in the fictional town of New Olympus, Connecticut. Liz vows to clean up her ancestor's mess once and for all after her mother is murdered. Can Liz claim her destiny as the new owner of Pandora's box before her hometown is overrun by evil?
 
It’s “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” meets “Once Upon A Time” with a mythological backdrop rather than fairytales.

Enter Contest 
​Contest Rules
FAQ 
Judges 
Testimonials 
Reality Check 
Terms and Conditions
​Privacy Policy
Contact
logo for The Wiki Screenplay Contest
Enter Contest
  • Feature 
  • TV Script
  • Short Film Script
©2015-2025 Butterfly Beach Media Inc. • All rights reserved
735 State St.  Santa Barbara, Ca. 93101
[email protected]
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Screenplay Contest
  • TV Script Contest
    • Treatment/Bible Contest
  • Short Film Script Contest
  • Contest Results
    • 2024 Contest Results
    • 2023 Screenplay Contest Results
    • 2022 Screenplay Contest Results
  • FEATURED "WALK OF FAME"
    • Cary Singleton >
      • Cary Singleton Bio
      • Cary Singleton Projects
    • ANDREA MASI
    • Michael Elliott
    • Gary DeMoss >
      • GARY DEMOSS BIO
      • GARY DEMOSS PROJECTS
    • Caoimhín Mac an Bhreitheamhan >
      • Caoimhín Mac an Bhreitheamhan PROJECTS
    • JOHN RICHMOND >
      • JOHN RICHMOND PROJECTS
  • 2025 "Walk of Fame"
    • 2024 "Walk of Fame" >
      • CAROL HOFFMAN
      • DREW ATCHISON
      • THORSTEN SCHADE
      • ANTHONY J ANDERSEN
      • GARY DEMOSS
      • ALI HABIB
      • JOE LEONE
      • MUJLI GLASBERG
      • MEGMILLER
      • NEIL WATSON
      • MARK ROBYN
      • GARY DEMOSS
      • DAVID H. FEIN
      • BROOKE DE ROSA
      • COLLEEN AYCOCK INTERVIEW
      • Henry Sarwer-Foner
      • DIANE TOMASSIN
      • TRICIA TRIBBLE
      • RICHARD HUTTNER
      • MICHAEL MONTEIRO
      • SEAN ROPER
      • ROBERT BRIDGE
      • JAMES C. BOYD
      • TOM WHELAN
      • ROBERTO S. OREGEL
      • MARCIA P. SAMUELS
      • NONO TAMURA-TASHA HARDY
      • BILL WELLS
      • STUART FRYER
      • MICHAEL GOSSETTE
      • KC BIBO
      • JOSH GOLDMAN
      • JASON WHITE
      • KAREN FRANKOLA
      • BILL JORDAN
      • CHRISTOPHER SCHULTZ
      • CAMERON MARTIN
      • CHARLIE SHOUP
      • JOHN ARNAU
      • PAM PRICE
      • ROB MCNEIL
      • SHANNON MCINTYRE
      • John Richmond
      • JEFF WALKER
      • DONALD MORGAN
      • LIZ MAYER
      • EMILY PELPHREY
      • DEBRA TOBIN
      • ANHTUAN DOVENTRY
      • GREGORY GEORGIOU
      • CAROL HOFFMAN
      • C.R. SHERMAN
      • JAMES FREEMAN
      • HANK ISAAC
      • ERIKA STONE
      • TODD HOLDEN
      • RAVEN PETRETTI-STAMPER
      • ANDREW EDMUNDS
      • ERIC WEBER
      • MOLLY FRANKLIN-LEARY
      • MATTHEW NICHOLSON
      • BRIAN NOLIN
      • ALGIS DANAITIS
      • HANK ISAAC
    • Henry Sarwer-Foner
    • KAREN MARGARET MURPHY
    • JANNE PULKKILA
    • RICHARD HOHENRATH
    • ANTHONY VOLLMER & CRAIG HORWITZ
    • Karen Siff Exkorn
    • GREG STELLEY
    • SUZANNE BUI LOC LUTAS
    • CHRIS CHURILLA
    • ROGER HILL
    • ROY EDMONDSON
    • ERIC LOTTER
    • JORDAN DAVENPORT
    • GREG MCCABE JR
    • TASHA HARDY
    • CATRYN BECKER
    • SEAN FOX
    • SHAUN DELLISKAVE
    • GIACOMO GIAMMATTEO
    • ROGERS WILSON
    • KAT-BYLSKA PRIMARY
    • MACK GORDON
    • Kristopher Pierce
    • Jerzy suchocki
    • DJ Alvine
    • KATE REMELIUS
    • VP BOYLE
    • Mohamed Mohsen
    • Frances Mccoy
    • Neil Goodchild
    • TERRY GEHRING
    • RUSSELL PUNTENNEY
    • TEEJAY SMALL
    • MIKE NIELSEN
    • TOM NEWMAN
    • MARIA GOMEZ
    • PEDRO CANAIS
    • MARK COHEN
    • VAL SERVINO
  • JOIN THE "Walk of Fame"
  • KEYS TO SUCCESS
    • What Writers Say
    • Why this screenplay contest?
    • Screenwriting Inspiration
  • Judges
  • Contact
  • FAQ