Organization supports students to share stories

By Sergio Diaz-Silverio

English majors at Florida State University always seem to have stories floating around in their heads.

Getting those stories out and onto paper sometimes can be difficult, though.

Luckily, Dylan Fishman, a Florida State University undergraduate student with a major in English-Creative Writing, founded Script2Screen with two other students to remedy this exact predicament. Fishman is the president of the student organization, which had its first meeting in October 2021.

“I think the club shows that people on campus want to collaborate on their work, students want to be able to show what they are working on and get feedback,” says Emily Hyde, Script2Screen’s vice president and a criminology major at FSU. “That’s what this club is all about, and Dylan put blood, sweat, and tears into this in order for us writers to be able to have this space.”

Fishman and Hyde came up with the idea to start the club while talking one day in a class they had together. They discussed how collaborating as creatives with other FSU students has been difficult because of the Covid-19 pandemic. They also realized there was no screenwriting club at FSU.

Along with Script2Screen’s vice president and the treasurer, Adam Boehm, whose major is digital media production, they established the organization.

“After Covid [restrictions], having to work on stuff on your own and not being able to go outside, it feels very nice to collaborate with people and be able to make a final product that’s better than what you would be able to accomplish on your own,” Fishman says.

The club’s aspirations for this semester are to collaborate with each other and to produce as much content as they can, both scripts and videos. Script2Screen’s members also want to connect as many students interested in screenwriting and filmmaking as possible. They will be working throughout the next several months in conjunction with FSU’s Film Club in order to do just that.

English Academic Program Specialist Hannah Beth Ragland is the club’s advisor, and she helps the students reserve rooms, sign off on permissions, and connect the club leadership with others in the FSU community who might be helpful to them. She also spreads the word among English majors about the work that Script2Screen is doing.

“Dylan has been the creative and dedicated leader of the club since he first asked me to be their advisor” Ragland says. “My favorite part of being an academic advisor is getting to connect with our students and help support them in meeting their goals. It is always exciting to see what our English majors are capable of. I look forward to working with Dylan in the years to come, and seeing the Script2Screen club continue to grow.”

Boehm expanded on Script2Screen’s main focus by pointing out the benefits it offers students interested in furthering their own writing.

“I think writing is infamously known as a very lonely job, you spend a lot of time in your head, and so I think our goal with this club is to spend less time alone in your head and more time out loud together,” he explains.

Script2Screen is a discussion-oriented and participation-driven club, structured to get as many people working together as possible during meetings to create something unique and fun. However, the club is not solely focused on the activities presented during the meetings. Script2Screen also encourages students to bring their own works to the table, which provides a valuable resource for students to go get immediate feedback.

“The club is almost like our own little writers support group,” Hyde remarks.

The club members want to offer other activities, but in order to do that they will need a modest budget. Fishman, Hyde, and Boehm do not want people to simply pay in order to join the club, so Script2Screen has no club dues.

The club is almost like our own little writers support group.

— Emily Hyde

“We don’t want people to have to pay just to exist here,” Boehm says, “so instead of having dues this semester we have been planning on doing some really exciting fundraisers in order to support the club.”

The club plans to hold a Mario Kart fundraiser, which involves those interested in the club to contribute $5 in order to play in Mario Kart tournaments. The winners of these tournaments will walk away with prizes consisting of different books on screenwriting and other materials to help those interested in the field. Script2Screen also plans on holding other fundraisers centered on role-playing games that help with the collaborative process.

“We’ve got some old books on screenwriting that Dylan and I will be giving to the winners of Mario Kart,” Bohem explains, adding that the roleplaying fundraisers “can strengthen that sense of communal storytelling.”

The club members are excited that guest speaker Kama Einhorn, an Emmy-winning writer for Sesame Street, is joining the Jan. 28 meeting. Her virtual visit is an opportunity for students interested in creative writing to hear how that world works from the perspective of a seasoned professional.

Students who are interested in growing their skills at screenwriting as well as becoming a part of an enthusiastic and communal group of creatives can join Script2Screen for its meetings every Friday at 3 p.m. in Room 013 on the Williams Building ground floor. Follow the club on Instagram @s2s_fsu.

Sergio Diaz-Silverio is an English major, on the editing writing and media track.

Follow the English department on Instagram @fsuenglish; on Facebook facebook.com/fsuenglishdepartment/; and Twitter, @fsu_englishdept