Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Paralegal is Award-Winning Screenwriter

By Jeannie Sapp Johnston

Rick Hansberry

In the spirit of the Oscar’s, we thought we would share this story out of Pennsylvania.

Few county residents will watch tonight’s Oscar presentations with as keen an interest as 48-year-old Manheim Township resident Rick Hansberry.

The amateur screenwriter, part-time disc jockey and full-time paralegal has three films to his credit, all of which debuted locally at Penn Cinema.

They’ve won their share of awards, though not an Oscar ? yet. His production company, Oscar’s Trailer LLC, seems to hint at his ambition, but he says it’s named after his wife’s chestnut thoroughbred.

Hansberry recently visited local libraries to discuss his new holiday movie, “Branches,” which will be screened at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park, N.J., March 31-April 2. The Philadelphia native also will be sharing his insights into screenwriting in a free “Lights! Camera! Action!” Film Writing Workshop 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9, at Manheim Township Public Library. Register online at mtpl.info or call 560-6441.

To learn more about the man and his films, visit djrickhansberry.com and branchesmovie.com.

Hansberry’s best picture pick?

” ‘The King’s Speech,’ but I also loved ‘The Social Network,’ ” he said.

Family: Wife, Christin; daughter, Ali, 20 (a Penn Cinema employee); son, Evan, 17.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting communications and media arts, LaSalle University, Philadelphia.

Career path: Worked at radio stations and advertising agencies; now a paralegal at CGA Law Firm, York.

Growing up, I wanted to be: A writer.

My parents always told me: “You can do anything you want, if you’re willing to work at it.”

First job: Pool boy for a hotel in Wildwood, N.J.

Film credits: 2008′s “Chemistry,” a romantic comedy starring Jenn Gotzon (“Frost/Nixon”), about one man’s first attempt at speed-dating; 2009′s “Chasing Forever,” a drama starring Brody Hutzler (“Days of Our Lives”), about a music superstar who returns to his hometown and encounters the woman who inspired his biggest hit; and 2010′s “Branches,” shot in nearby Lehighton and narrated by Daniel Stern (“Wonder Years” and “Home Alone”), about four friends on their annual journey to find the perfect Christmas tree.

Film honors: “Chemistry” was recognized when Gotzon received the Rising Star Award from The Wildwood By The Sea Film Festival; “Branches” was a winner in the MoviePoet Script Competition and the DC Shorts Screenplay Contest and was selected as one of nine films in the Screen Actors Guild or SAG Foundation Short Film Showcase in New York.

A filmmaker I really admire: Jason Reitman. He’s a producer, director and a writer, and his films (“Thank You For Smoking,” “Juno” and “Up in the Air”) tell stories through characters rather than through gimmicks and special effects.

An actor I’d like to work with: Russell Crowe. He’s got tremendous range and seems magnetic no matter what type of role he plays.

An actress I’d like to work with: Sandra Bullock. She’s got what it takes to knock a female lead role in any genre out of the park.

Favorite movie of all time: “It’s a Wonderful Life,” if I have to pick one.

Favorite movie scene: 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.

I prefer to watch a movie: In a theater with enough other people to get that audience reaction of a laugh or a gasp.

My approach to film: Story is king. I’ve found that I gravitate toward stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances, showing how a character or family shaken by an event or circumstance responds to that situation.

Hollywood is: Getting away from telling stories. Sequels and remakes of television shows and video games are huge parts of every studio’s budget, but they’ve gotten away from building a great movie from an original story.

Frequently visited website: Moviepoet.com, where there’s a tremendous global community of screenwriters and where “Chemistry” and “Chasing Forever” found their directors.

I collect: Scripts from movies I’ve loved. Most of them, I don’t even have the DVD. I just like to read the writer’s presentation of what was ultimately captured on film.

My next film project: A psychological thriller called “Expiration.” It’s a feature-length script about an actuary who encounters a savant with the ability to calculate a person’s expiration date. He must race against time to solve the mystery of the equation before the impending death of his girlfriend.

My ultimate ambition: To make movies that touch, entertain or inspire people and that are successful enough to allow me to make movies full time.

Best gift I ever received: Support from my family and friends, in an industry in which rejection is the norm and success is the rare exception.

Source: Lancaster Online

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2. Harvard’s Award to Brockovich Deserves Panning
3. Paralegal Wins Young Leader Award

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