INT. TEACHING WRITERS IN MOTION – DAY
Shari Goodhartz
SHARI GOODHARTZ is a multi-award nominated Writer of film and television. She coaches Intellectual Property Development for TV- and novel-series with private clients. Also as a freelancer, Shari copy-edits and proofreads narrative books for a wide range of audiences. She’s been an instructor at UCLA Extension for six years.
Currently, Shari is Co-Producer of a character-driven thriller script being shopped by the DeLaurentiis Company. This project is a deeply humanistic exploration of mercenary violence, emotional re-birth and personal loss.
Late in 2025, Shari was honored to teach “The ABCs of Story Structure,” a remote seminar in the Writers Guild of America Foundation’s WGFestival. Earlier that year, Shari was a Screenwriter-in-Residence for UCLAx Writers’ Program Network of Writers, facilitating four Salons.
Starting Jan. ’21, Shari teaches remotely via UCLAx: Seasonal-Arc Structure for TV & Core Connections Within Plots and Scenes. She facilitates free, semi-annual Proof-reading/Copy-editing Clinics.
In ’17, Shari designed & taught WritersLab, a 10-week, professional TV-Writers training at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, concluding with network pitches. Three of the eight series she developed were bought & produced.
For around a decade, Shari was a Consultant to the widow of Syd Field, Hollywood’s seminal Story-Structure Analyst (he coined the term “Plot Point”) and author of Screenplay, which is still considered a “bible” for the Art of Visual Storytelling. Shari provided fresh structural analysis of films (Get Out, Everything Everywhere All At Once) and the pilot of Andor for SydField.com, and for their Screenplay Development app, Scriptor.
Selected as a TV Academy Intern, a member of the Warner Bros. Comedy Writers Workshop and the first WGA Intern at Star Trek: TNG, Shari also served on the Tellers Committee at the WGAW and the Educational Programs & Services Committee at the TV Academy. She was drafted to run for the WGAW Board of Directors and ran the West Coast Writers Room for the Lego/Fox Kids series Galidor.
From 2000 to 2020, Shari also taught and trained teachers in the ancient Indian practices of Yoga, incorporating state-of-the-art biomechanics to significantly reduce/avoid physical pain. Her specialties included therapeutics, meditation, philosophy, Baby & Me, restoratives, fundamentals, elementary Sanskrit & breath-work.
At the start of her career, Shari received world-class training in Corporate Communications at Columbia Pictures Industries/The Coca-Cola Company, which led to her revitalizing and supervising the department’s LA office.
Online, you can follow Shari only on LinkedIn.
SHARI GOODHARTZ
I’m an unapologetic geek about Classic “Star Trek” (that’s the one from the 1960s, with costumes that look like pajamas and sets that seem to be made of plywood). That old series also showcases a lot of profoundly wise screenwriting!
INT. OUR SPEAKERS – DAY
Mukpuddy
ALEX, TIM, and RYAN of MUKPUDDY (The Barefoot Bandits (2016), Jandal Burn (2019), Badjelly (2024)) will present their studio’s writing pipeline and how a local studio oversees a project from idea to product.
Del “Dr. Storyboards” Hahn
DEL HAHN, Local Storyboard Artist (Badjelly (2024)), also known as “Dr. Storyboards” will demonstrate how writers and storyboard artists communicate with each other, and how to communicate in line with the way a story artist thinks.
Matt Haworth
Local Art Director MATT HAWORTH [Badjelly (2024), Be With Zee (2026)] discusses the design pipeline and how writers need to communicate with designers.
INT. OUR ORGANIZERS – DAY
Daisy Lawless | Founder, Lagomorph Studios
DAISY LAWLESS is a producer and writer focused on creative storytelling and supporting the artist community in NZ’s animation industry. Her experience spans developing project pitches, through production and distribution.
Lagomorph Studios was created to develop animated film (Metramorphosis) and series (The Ruffian) projects, as well as animation community events such as Loop de Loop, Auckland. Her production experience includes production coordinating the series Badjelly (2024) and studio managing Mukpuddy across Be with Zee (2026) and Dead Sea Squirrels (2027).
Accessing foundational knowledge through online mentorships and courses overseas has clarified the gaps in local writing skill-sets for the budgets Kiwis have access to and with the pipeline in mind.
Find her on LinkedIn!
DAISY LAWLESS
Long Live the New Flesh!
Bree Loverich
Bree Loverich is Executive Director of the Visual Effects Professionals Guild (VFXG) and a passionate advocate for Aotearoa’s screen industry. With extensive experience across screen, exports, economic development and international education, she brings strong commercial and strategic expertise to the creative industries. A natural connector, Bree builds partnerships, programmes and opportunities that strengthen New Zealand’s VFX, animation and wider screen sector.
BREE LOVERICH
My favourite cartoon of all time is “Archer.” So I guess that means I appreciate sharp writing and questionable life choices. Writers in Motion will no doubt encourage the first!
Monique Gilmour
MONIQUE GILMOUR has worked supporting filmmakers in Aotearoa, since graduating from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, with a Bachelor of Arts in Management.
In the production department, her credits include: Paddy Gower Has Issues S3, Head Girl, Miles From Nowhere, The Gone S1, Power Rangers Dino Fury.
Monique is bringing her previous skills and experience from Script to Screen & Big Screen Symposium, where she worked for 3 years, leading communication and administration support for similar development programmes.
She is working as operational support for Writers in Motion.
MONIQUE GILMOUR
I’m a Gilmour girl!
Ross Ozarka
ROSS OZARKA is a stop-motion animator from Auckland, who works exclusively with hand-painted paper cut-outs. He created over 300 animated segments for the children’s programme Kea Kids News. His 48Hours was a Sir Peter Jackson Wildcard this year, and he’s currently animating his Catalyst-funded film, Crosswords: A Love Story.
He is the programme administrator for Writers in Motion; he’s doing everything technical!
Check out his work at www.rossozarka.com
ROSS OZARKA
Hounslow, no! Not on the carpet!
