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Full-time Paralegal Is Also a Successful Screenwriter

By Lynne DeVenny

The first question most people ask me is, "How do you find time to work full-time and blog?" But blogging is small potatoes compared to the writing that Pennsylvania paralegal, Rick Hansberry, employed full-time by CGA Law Firm in York, does in his spare time. He is a successful, award-winning screenwriter and owner of a movie production company, Oscar's Trailer LLC. (In his spare spare time, he's also a DJ.)


Lancaster Online reports that Hansberry collects scripts from his favorite movies, and will be screening his new holiday movie, Branches, at the 9th Annual Garden State Film Festival. The movie is about four friends searching the woods together for the perfect Christmas tree and is narrated by Daniel Stern.  The protagonist's perspective is not what you think, and if you're not averse to a spoiler, you can find the script here.

Hansberry has a bachelor's degree in broadcasting communications and media arts, and wanted to be a writer when he grew up. He knew he wanted to write movies after seeing The Graduate:

The scene that made me want to write movies was in "The Graduate," with Dustin Hoffman. His dad is telling him it's time to grow up and start a career and he's content to simply take what comes in life and not end up like his father. The dad is standing above him on solid ground while the son is drifting aimlessly on a float in a pool. It was the perfect visual metaphor for the message of the scene and immediately set the bar for me.

Hansberry clearly has the following attributes of successful paralegals: he's focused, able to multi-task, and has stellar communication skills. He's also a great role model for full-time legal staffers who want to find the time to pursue their creative and entrepreneurial dreams, whether it be going back to school, starting a small business, or writing screenplays.

Source:  Lancaster Online

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on February 28, 2011 (boomark / email).