HISTORY

Back in the day, screenwriters in Chicago had no agencies or organizations that could help them develop their stories or receive feedback regarding their work.  Because of this, the Chicago Screenwriters Network was born in 1994, founded by Edward Allen Bernero and Christiana Miller.  CSN incorporated in 1995 so that he organization could continue on beyond them. The organization continues to thrive to this day.

Edward Allen Bernero went off to Hollywood and has found success in the industry as a prolific executive producer, screenwriter, and director of such popular TV series as (Criminal Minds, Third Watch, Crossing Lines), while Christian Miller went on to become a well-known writer of paranormal mysteries and supernatural suspense stories.

It is with their spirit of helping each other grow, that we have become an educational and inspirational, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-driven organization created by writers for writers who wish to accelerate their growth and create opportunities within the filmmaking industry.
 
Where once we were solely a writers group, we’re slowly evolving our mission to be a filmmaking group with writers at the core. Our mission is simple; we want to assist writers with having their scripts performed and or produced.  Whether the script is created into a short film, feature, web series, play, or TV series, we’re here to encourage our members on taking the next step in the creative creation process.

Since writing is typically such a solitary pursuit, we welcome forming relationships and friendships with others in the filmmaking industry.  Our speaker series was once all about speakers in the screenwriting business, but in recent years we’ve pivoted to focus to also include industry professionals from across the filmmaking industry. We’ve had casting directors, entertainment lawyers, directors, producers, animators, and stunt coordinators come in and share their experience, time, and knowledge with us.

Our program continues to grow, as we offer monthly meetings and events that include professional speakers sharing their story, tailored workshops, training seminars, script exchanges, table read series, and events where we partner with others in the filmmaking industry.
 
At our core, we value networking with others. Our table read series is one way we’ve found to have writers and actors work together.  The professional actors we’ve partnered with have consistently volunteered their time and expertise.  The writers continuously express great joy in having the actors come in and read their work and provide them with valuable feedback and a unique perspective.  Some have said; the room comes alive when the actors are in the room. We entirely agree and welcome and appreciate the actors involved.
 
As a way of saying “thank you” to our actors, we created a Writer/Actor collaboration event, forming small teams of actors and writers working together on a script.  The Actors provided their thoughts on the story, and the writers worked with them to create a 5- to 7-page script.  The scripts, in turn, were performed by the actors involved.  Typically, actors receive scripts not create them.  The feedback regarding the whole process was extremely well received, and all those who participated with the performance or in writing the scripts asked if we could do this type of event again.  

Chicago Screenwriters Network is slowly becoming the group with which to partner, other filmmaking organizations are now approaching us with forming stronger ties and alliances, which we welcome wholeheartedly.

As we see filmmaking grow within Chicago, we are actively networking with others in the filmmaking industry to share experiences, resources, and talent.  To be part of the professional landscape, we must leverage our expertise, make our talent the best that they can be, and utilize our resources more effectively.  

Our goal in having writers have their scripts performed or produced requires the assistance of others to partner with us on this mission.  As we see more work created, we can become better in our craft and more worthwhile in the industry. We can’t do it alone. Filmmaking is a collaborative art form, and as we see our group grow, we, in turn, see others within the filmmaking industry grow with us as well.