TOM NEWMAN
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Tom Newman

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Los Angeles, California, USA

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?
When I rewatched Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, I was struck by how effective the
combination of classic and modern elements was. Setting Romeo and Juliet within Mafia crime
families fused two well-loved ideas into something fresh and unique. The Populares does the
same but with the rise and fall of Julius Caesar and the Punk Rock era. Both are periods of
rebellion and transformation, and TV felt like the best medium to explore their depth. I wanted
the space to fully capture the visceral nature of the music, the chaos, and the revolution of both
worlds.

How long did it take you to write your script, and what is your writing process? Do you
outline, use index cards, a whiteboard, or just start with FADE IN?
Last year, I set myself the challenge of writing three scripts, and each one was a different
experience. For Populares, it took about 2 months on and off and I used a scaffolding
approach, outlining all the characters and their key scenes, then weaving everything together.
For an ensemble piece, this method helped balance the story elements and character arcs. But
for a feature I wrote last year, I just Faded In! That was a completely different experience but
just as valuable.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
Simple, write what comes to me and see it made into TV and film. I’d love to direct and
showrun at some point, but writing will always be the foundation.
Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or just “the first ten pages”? Why
did you make that choice?
I submitted the full pilot script. I had written it, I liked it, so I sent it in. No overthinking!

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show—and why?
Young Jack Nicholson is as good as it gets!. I keep going back to Chinatown and The Shining,
both are top-ten films of all time for me. The performances, the atmosphere, the
storytelling—unmatched.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you
have?
I’m still new to this myself, but I believe in feeding the mind so it can feed the page. Watch,
read, and listen, films, books, nonfiction, fiction, art, conversations, youtube!. All the stories
you need to inspire you have already been told, it’s about rediscovering them in your own way.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I’ve written a dystopian relationship drama called The Mist Beyond Our Window, which is
available to read on all my profiles. I’m also finishing REMAIN, a heist movie about a group of
women who own a salon and have to break the law to keep it going.

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