INT. MY HEAD - DAY
Thank you for visiting my little corner of the web, or as I like to call it; a virtual smorgasbord of whatever's going on inside MY HEAD. And that's usually a lot.
Since this section is called 'ABOUT ME', I should probably tell you a little something about myself and my work. Well, here goes:
My name is STEVEN FRIEDMAN and I am a SCREENWRITER. This means I write scripts for a living. In rare occasions, I also work as a producer and composer, but screenwriting is my number one passion. I've worked on a number of (short) films, television series and multimedia-projects and am currently developing screenplays for several feature films. Some of them in close collaboration with an extremely gifted director by the name of SILVAIN HOOGLANDER.
Born in the Dutch city of GOUDA (yes, where the cheese comes from) in 1975, I fell in love with the MAGIC OF CINEMA at a very young age and had the pleasure of growing up in a household where the VCR usually never stopped playing.
Watching tons and tons of FILMS (I'm one of those strange individuals that have actually seen every single Bud Spencer and Terence Hill-film ever made - my father loved 'em), I quickly knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life: MAKE MOVIES!
I found that one of the best and most satisfying ways to channel my creativity was through WRITING. So that's what I did. I started writing - and I kind of never stopped.
After studying communication (with an emphasis on copywriting and concept-development), I worked in ADVERTISING for a while before making the 'move' to SCREENWRITING. Not the easiest of career-moves when you live in The Netherlands, where 'making it' in the (largely government subsidized) film industry is probably even harder than getting a break in Hollywood.
Making money as a film-critic, writing for several (online) magazines, I started honing my skills as a screenwriter - taking various courses and seminars. In 1999, I met director Silvain Hooglander at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam, and things immediately 'clicked'.
In 2002, I wrote and produced the short film 'Integreren Kun Je Leren' (It's Great to Integrate), which Silvain directed. It went on to win the GRAND PRIX at a Pan-European film competition (organized by Canal+), as well as several other prizes at various film festivals around the world.
A year later, I wrote the short film 'De Eerste Dag' (The First Day), for which I also composed the score. The 10 minute short, starring Cynthia Abma and Ronald Top, premiered at the International Film 
Festival Rotterdam in 2004 and played at film festivals around the world.
After The First Day, I became a staff-writer on Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden (Good Times, Bad Times); the most popular soap opera in The Netherlands. After a brief stint writing soap (and discovering it wasn't really for me), I decided to just continue developing projects I actually had a PASSION for.
In 2005, I completed the screenplay for FRAGMA, a supernatural thriller that harkens back to classic cinematic ghost stories like The Innocents and The Haunting (1963). Famed Dutch producer WIM LEHNHAUSEN is currently overseeing financing of the film, with Silvain preparing for directing-duties. Our D.O.P. will be HD-expert ROBERT M. BERGER, NSC, who also shot The First Day for us.
I currently reside in the beautiful historical Dutch city of Delft, where I live with my incredibly lovely wife MARIJE, our hyperactive Jack Russell CHARLIE and our two cats STANLEY & KUBRICK.
At the moment, I'm developing several NEW AND EXCITING SCRIPTS, among which a high concept SCIFI-STORY and an action packed FAMILY FANTASY ADVENTURE. Of course, I'm always open to new challenges, so don't hesitate to CALL or EMAIL me if you're in need of a creative and passionate screenwriter.
Hope you enjoy my blog and please stay in touch!
Cheers,
Steven