SIFTMedia Collective held a Virtual 4 week Intensive Screenwriting Workshop (March 11-April 1st) lead by Stephanie Malson – the Workshop was designed to support writers and filmmakers, whether starting with an initial concept or refining a short or feature-length screenplay. Through deep analysis and communal feedback, attendees saw their idea or draft develop significantly over the 4 sessions.
8 screenwriters attended each week. They did their homework assigned by Stephanie, reading both professional screenplays and each other’s work; coming to class ready to discuss and give constructive feedback and encouragement. The sessions were also guided by writing exercises and tools of the industry and each attendee’s work got featured in ways to help them to their goal.
We asked Stephanie to Express her Experience Teaching this Class:
Leading SIFTMedia Collective’s Intensive Screenwriting Workshop was a lovely experience. The number of participants was just two shy of the cap. Each person came with the intention to strengthen their work. I was especially surprised by the quality and depth of the screenplays shared. We covered the fundamentals of world building with a focus on character development and scene enhancement.
Each week felt like a communal experience as the participants were vulnerable, offered feedback, and were open to seeing their work in a new way. This was my first time facilitating a community workshop outside of a collegiate institution.
What I especially enjoyed was witnessing each participant’s breakthrough moment with their writing. Creatives at any age need community, validation, and a space to dream and explore. It was wonderful to bear witness to that each week.
Attendee Feedback: Yolonda Johnson Young – Stephanie is knowledgeable and communicated well throughout the workshop. It provided what I needed to enhance my piece and make significant improvements.
Attendee Feedback: Lois Moses – Stephanie Malson delivered a screenwriting workshop like no other. Centering the voices and visions of African American writers, she expands the craft beyond traditional structures and invites participants into a vibrant, collaborative creative community. The feedback was generous, incisive, and deeply supportive, fueling breakthroughs for every writer in the room. We walked away inspired, confident, and equipped with fresh tools to elevate our stories.
Attendee Feedback: Erica Hawkins – The lessons on character development will stay with me. I’d also been working on world building in my script, but I worried having too many details would be distracting. However, reading the work of my peers gave me ideas on how best to incorporate those details in my work.
ORIGINAL POST:
Dates: 4 Wednesday Sessions: March 11, 18, 25 & April 1, 2026
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Place: Zoom
Cost: $40 (includes all 4 sessions – refunds will not be granted for missed session(s)
Cost: Free to Members of SIFTMedia Collective (SIFTers)
Register: Eventbrite (Max participants: 10)
This workshop will focus on outlining, scene building, story arcs and character development through scene analysis, film study and peer feedback.
Folks should come with a logline, and ideally the beginning of a draft (10 pages for a feature, 5 pages for a short).
- People will share pages so they can get feedback.
- Come with questions.
- Sharing script scenes and coming up with ways to strengthen the scenes.
- Watch films or scenes
- Read scripts
- Assign homework – script review, read chapters, watching scenes, and reading scenes
STEPHANIE MALSON is a multi-hyphenate creative producer who is drawn to the mediums of writing, moving image, and photography. Her first foray into producing was in 2022 with the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab short film Ourika!, which also was an official selection of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. In 2023, she was named a Producing Fellow for the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, presented by BlackStar Film Festival and Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity, where she produced the film All That’s Left. Her directorial work has screened nationally and internationally. She has taught Creative Screenwriting for 4 years in Temple University’s Department of Media Studies and Production. Stephanie holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Rosemont College.