You Are A Writer, Genre Games: Adaptations of Young Adult Literature for Film & TV

YA and New Adult books have been adapted for the screen at head-spinning rates in recent years. Join us for an exclusive session to explore the transition from book to script. What should early-career YA and new adult writers know about option agreements? How do agents and managers assist authors through the process? And how can authors best navigate the world of studios, producers, and streamers? Tune in for an inside look at how author’s can steward their work from the world of publishing to the world of entertainment.

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Participants

Angie Thomas was born and raised in Mississippi, but now calls Atlanta her home. A former teen rapper, she holds a BFA in creative writing from Belhaven University. Her award-winning, acclaimed debut novel, The Hate U Give, is a #1 New York Times bestseller and major motion picture from Fox 2000, starring Amandla Stenberg and directed by George Tillman, Jr. Her second novel, On the Come Up, is a film on Paramount Plus, directed by Sanaa Lathan and produced by Angie herself. In 2021, Angie returned to the world of Garden Heights with Concrete Rose, a prequel to The Hate U Give that focuses on seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter. Her latest work, Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy, is the first in a series aimed at young readers as well as Angie’s first foray into the fantasy genre. It’s on sale now.

I. Marlene King is an American writer, producer and director. In 1995, King launched her debut project in the Young Adult genre with the release of her coming-of-age film NOW AND THEN starring Demi Moore, Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson and Rosie O’Donnell and newcomers Christina Ricci and Gaby Hoffman. Under King’s leadership as showrunner, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, a 7 season television series (2010 – 2017), based on the international best-selling books by Sara Shepard, became a social media phenomena with still-standing industry records of 100 million tweets from show viewers, and highest tweets of any TV series finale episode– 1.4 million, and remains “the most social show” in television history. The “live tweeting” from PLL fans and direct social media engagement encouraged by King and her cast led the series to cult status winning 3 People’s Choice Awards for Best TV Drama and 6 Teen Choice Awards over its long run.

Eddie Gamarra, moderator, is the VP, Literary Affairs for Paramount Global Kids & Family, which covers the Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, and Awesomeness brands. He works across live action and animated film and television coordinating with creative, digital, consumer products, and legal teams to acquire books and other IP for development and production for such adaptations to be distributed across multiple platforms for a global audience.

Prior to this, Gamarra was a Literary Manager at The Gotham Group, a multi-faceted management and production company representing some of the most creative and successful screenwriters, directors, animators, authors, illustrators, publishers, and animation studios around the world. With a primary focus on children’s & family entertainment, he worked with numerous New York Times best-selling authors and illustrators as well as Oscar, Emmy, Caldecott, and Newbery award winners and nominees. He was an Executive Producer of The Maze Runner trilogy from 20th Century Fox based on the New York Times bestselling book series, the Disney+ production of Jerry Spinelli’s iconic love story Stargirl, and Henry Selick’s stop-motion feature with Jordan Peele entitled Wendell & Wild for Netflix.

Previously, Gamarra was a college professor at Emory University where he received his PhD. He received his BA from Vassar College and an MA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

This virtual program will be co-presented by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and is made possible in part by the support of the Pasadena Literary Alliance and the Authors Coalition of America.