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HOLLYWOOD CHRISTIANS BRING SEMINARS TO NASHVILLE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — December 1, 2005 — Act One, Inc., a nonprofit organization
that trains Christians for careers in mainstream film and television, is coming
to Nashville this summer. Act One will hold its much-lauded Writing Program at
Vanderbilt University from May 16 – June 10. The Writing Program is a four-week
intensive course on writing for TV and film, taught by Hollywood professionals.
It will also be held in Los Angeles, at the Oakwood Toluca Hills, from July 7 —
August 5.

Act One Writing Program Director Chris Riley notes: “The goal of the Act One
Writing Program is not to produce religious scripts, but rather writers whose
work is truthful, artistically excellent, and reflects a deep respect for the
audience. We’re looking for gifted writers who love movies and television,
writers who want to enter the mainstream Hollywood marketplace well-equipped to
compete with the best writers in the world, telling the most powerful and
entertaining stories in the world. Beyond that, we encourage our writers to take
their Christian faith seriously, integrating their faith with their art as they
seek a creative approach that welcomes the inspiration of the Holy Spirit into
everything they write.”

The Writing Program is more than just classes, fostering in students a respect
for the audience and an awareness of the need for entertainment that will
improve our lives and our culture. Our impressive faculty is made up of over
fifty working writers and producers, including Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of
Emily Rose), Ralph Winter (X2:X-Men United, Fantastic Four), Barbara Hall (Joan
of Arcadia), David McFadzean (Home Improvement, What Women Want), and many more.

Act One students are finding success in many levels of the entertainment
industry’s creative community, finding representation at Endeavor, CAA, and
other top agencies, and landing writing and producing jobs at DreamWorks,
Imagine, CBS, HBO, PAX, MS-NBC, and FOX, among others. Alumni David Hansen
claims “the amount of scholarship, the degree of professionalism and the keen
wisdom of the Act One Writing Program is simply an unparalleled gift to
burgeoning script writers. I can hardly believe it exists.” Featured by
Newsweek, The Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly, Details, and Premiere, Act One
has been hailed by industry veteran Ron Austin (Mission: Impossible) as playing
“an indispensable role in bringing young Christians into the mainstream of
Hollywood.”

Act One can only accept thirty students into each program. The application
process is very competitive, so interested writers are encouraged to begin the
process as early as possible. “The Writing Program is by far the most thorough,
most inspiring, intensive screenwriting program I’ve seen anywhere,” notes
screenwriter and faculty member Janet Batchler. “You can waste years of time
tiptoeing around the edges of the entertainment industry, or you can come to Act
One and learn what you need to know in four weeks.” Applications are due by
March 1.

For more information about Act One, visit our website at www.actoneprogram.com,
or contact Becca Bennett, Program Coordinator, at 323-464-0815 or
[email protected]. To interview Act One founder Barbara Nicolosi, contact
Pure Publicity at (818) 753-4056 or [email protected].

Also in 2006, Act One will hold a training program for entertainment executives.
For details, see our website or contact Rob Kirbyson at 323-464-0815.

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ABOUT ACT ONE

Act One is a non-profit ministry with a unique mission field: Hollywood. Since
1999, we’ve been training Christians for careers in mainstream film and
television, so that they may be “salt and light” in writers rooms, on sets, and
in studio and network offices.

In short, Act One is transforming Hollywood from within.

Act One achieves its mission through a variety of educational programs. The
Summer Writing Program is a 4-week intensive course for serious Christians who
intend to write for mainstream movies and television. The Executive Program is a
12-week course that offers promising business and law school graduates the
chance to intern with top Hollywood companies. Screenwriting Weekends are a
series of screenwriting seminars held in major cities across the country.

Act One’s all-volunteer faculty are among Hollywood’s top writers, directors,
and executives, the creative forces behind productions such as Joan of Arcadia,
X-Men, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and many more. They are the best there is
at training people of faith around the country to begin careers in Hollywood.

The media has noticed what Act One is doing. We’ve been featured in Newsweek,
Details, The Washington Post, and many other top publications, as well as on
CNN, Fox News, Extra, and A&E. We co-sponsored a conference on Capitol Hill with
Rep. Mick McIntyre (D-N.C.) and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). We’ve met with White
House staff on several occasions, and the Chairman of the National Endowment for
the Arts was the keynote speaker at our 2004 summer program.

For more information, see www.actoneprogram.com.