News!
~~ We are beyond thrilled that the amazing actor Anthony LaPaglia is now attached to star in our film Cupcake!
~~ We are so pleased to announce that Josh Sternfeld is attached to direct our feature film Cupcake.
~~ We are so pleased to announce that Josh Sternfeld is attached to direct our feature film Cupcake.
~~ Great news! We are proud to announce that The Mercy List screenplay made the top 10% of the 2015 Nicholl Fellowship. This is the screenwriting competition run by the Academy (the Oscars) and is the most prestigious writing contest in the world.
About Us
Happy Frog Films LLC is an indie production company dedicated to making smart, well-crafted indie films that garner critical acclaim and are loved by audiences world-wide. The Mercy List is currently in pre-production. Terrance Zdunich, Michael Chieffo and Beth Grant have all signed on. We are pleased to announce that Emmy nominated editor Cameron Teisher has joined our film, as well as composer Adam Gorgoni. We will be filming in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Happy Frog Films will be co-producing with Escargo Productions. Check out the website for the project or our IMDB page or IMDBPro.
Jan Wilson
I was born and raised in Breaking Bad territory -- Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was destined to be a writer since the third grade after writing my first book, Bert the Monkey. It was a great success with my teacher, he was impressed that it had "a beginning, middle, and end." I wasn't sure what that meant but I could tell it was a good thing. I was instinctively writing in a three-act structure.
In high school I loved all things English, so after graduation I went to art school in London. I explored ancient haunted chalk caves, kissed my favorite rock star in the gorgeous countryside, visited spiritualist churches and got messages from dead loved ones, and walked in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolfe. England rocked! A quick visit to Ireland resulted in a holiday romance with a guy who I later found out was in the IRA. Oops!
I eventually got homesick, returned to America and earned my B.A. in poli sci and psychology with a concentration in parapsychology (ESP, ghosts, paranormal phenomena). I did some legitimate ghostbusting! Studied under some of the most well-known parapsychologists in the world. Went on a real investigation of a haunted house, and participated in many ESP tests, both as the investigator and the test subject. With TV shows and movies getting more character-driven this psychology degree is a great tool for writing layered, psychologically realistic characters.
Wanderlust struck again. I went to Moscow and taught English to Russians. I lived with a very nice couple in the posh center of Moscow, undoubtedly in the Russia mafia. Caviar sandwiches, maid service and a chauffeur. Got used to that cushy lifestyle before then living with a less fortunate family way out in the grimier suburbs of Moscow. Nearly-rancid meat, roaches in the fridge and junkies in the hallways. Became blasé about seeing dead bodies (mafia hits) strewn about the sidewalks, learned to simply walk around them. Bribed the cops to chase a purse-snatcher. Later plied the cops with vodka; they admitted it was an oft-repeated set up with a thief they were in cahoots with.
My time in Russia inspired me to write the feature 900 Days about the siege of Leningrad. After it reached the semifinals of the Nicholl Fellowship Hollywood insiders reassured me that I had enough talent to ‘make it’ as a writer and I relocated to LA to pursue screenwriting full-time.
In 2012 I was interviewed by Indie Source Magazine. Read the article here.
SO WHO SAYS I CAN WRITE?
I was born and raised in Breaking Bad territory -- Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was destined to be a writer since the third grade after writing my first book, Bert the Monkey. It was a great success with my teacher, he was impressed that it had "a beginning, middle, and end." I wasn't sure what that meant but I could tell it was a good thing. I was instinctively writing in a three-act structure.
In high school I loved all things English, so after graduation I went to art school in London. I explored ancient haunted chalk caves, kissed my favorite rock star in the gorgeous countryside, visited spiritualist churches and got messages from dead loved ones, and walked in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolfe. England rocked! A quick visit to Ireland resulted in a holiday romance with a guy who I later found out was in the IRA. Oops!
I eventually got homesick, returned to America and earned my B.A. in poli sci and psychology with a concentration in parapsychology (ESP, ghosts, paranormal phenomena). I did some legitimate ghostbusting! Studied under some of the most well-known parapsychologists in the world. Went on a real investigation of a haunted house, and participated in many ESP tests, both as the investigator and the test subject. With TV shows and movies getting more character-driven this psychology degree is a great tool for writing layered, psychologically realistic characters.
Wanderlust struck again. I went to Moscow and taught English to Russians. I lived with a very nice couple in the posh center of Moscow, undoubtedly in the Russia mafia. Caviar sandwiches, maid service and a chauffeur. Got used to that cushy lifestyle before then living with a less fortunate family way out in the grimier suburbs of Moscow. Nearly-rancid meat, roaches in the fridge and junkies in the hallways. Became blasé about seeing dead bodies (mafia hits) strewn about the sidewalks, learned to simply walk around them. Bribed the cops to chase a purse-snatcher. Later plied the cops with vodka; they admitted it was an oft-repeated set up with a thief they were in cahoots with.
My time in Russia inspired me to write the feature 900 Days about the siege of Leningrad. After it reached the semifinals of the Nicholl Fellowship Hollywood insiders reassured me that I had enough talent to ‘make it’ as a writer and I relocated to LA to pursue screenwriting full-time.
In 2012 I was interviewed by Indie Source Magazine. Read the article here.
SO WHO SAYS I CAN WRITE?
- In 2018 my TV pilot Some Great Reward made the quarterfinals in Final Draft's Big Break screenwriting contest.
- In 2018 my TV pilot The Rothenburg Girls was a quarterfinalist in the WeScreenplay Television Competition.
- In 2015 my script for The Mercy List made the top 10% in the Nicholl Fellowship (the top 10% of 7442 entrants).
- In 2000 I was a semifinalist in the Nicholl Fellowship (the top 3% of 4225 entrants) with 900 Days.
- Also in 2000 I was a semifinalist in the Austin Heart of Film screenwriting contest with 900 Days.
- In 2004 I was a Top Ten Finalist in Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope screenwriting contest (out of over 2000 entrants) with 900 Days. I got her first mention in Variety! Read the article in Variety.
- In 2006 I was a quarterfinalist in the AAA screenwriting contest (sponsored by Creative Screenwriting magazine) with my script Milo (now titled The Postman's Reign.)