The OPC Origin Story
Anna Maria Hozian and Brad Riddell met at the Blacklist Chicago Screenwriting Lab in 2015, and are now both screenwriting professors at DePaul University's School of Cinematic Arts. As suburban parents with young children in the same school district, we began to notice how eccentric and volatile some parents can be when it comes to the education of their children. It also became clear to us that the school as an institution can become a political instrument for some parents. Other People's Children captures all of that crazy and frames it in a funny, satirical way that allows parents to say "I know someone like her!" or "I've done that!" We also really, really love teachers, and we wanted to give them a good laugh at our expense!
anna maria hozian
Anna was one of twelve women chosen for the inaugural New York Women in Film & Television’s Writers Lab, funded by Meryl Streep. Her scripts have placed in the Semifinals and Quarterfinals of the Academy's Nicholl Fellowship and won the Gold Award for Drama in the Page International Screenwriting Awards. She was a semifinalist in 2015 for the Samuel Goldwyn Award from the University of California system and holds her MFA from the University of California, Riverside’s low-residency program. Her short film, The Guitar Lesson, was a selection for the Illinois International Film Festival in 2012. Currently, her feature-length screenplay, Anchor Baby, is with Lynmar Entertainment; and she is also developing a feature for Kickstart Entertainment.
Brad riddell
Kentucky native Brad Riddell has written four produced feature films for Hollywood studios including Paramount, MTV, and Universal. His first film, American Pie: Band Camp, remains one of the highest-grossing live-action DVD releases in history, and is now syndicated on TBS. His most recent film, Crooked Arrows, was released nationally in theaters in 2012, and is the first mainstream lacrosse movie ever produced. Brad’s other credits include films in the Road Trip and Slap Shot franchises. His award-winning directorial debut, Ten More (2016), is playing on the festival circuit. Brad earned an MFA in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California (Fight On!). He is currently fund-raising for an 80's-themed feature comedy called Later Days.
Copyright Lion and Mouse Productions, 2017.