Greg DePaul
I'm Greg DePaul. I wrote the screenplay for Bride Wars, starring Kate Hudson & Anne Hathaway, which earned over $100 million, and Saving Silverman, starring Jack Black. I've sold TV & feature scripts to to Sony, Disney, Fox, New Line, MGM, Miramax, and Village Roadshow. I recently wrote & directed St. Nick, a short film, which screened at the 2021 Newport Beach Film Festival and the 2021 Woodstock Film Festival.
My novel, Girl Goes Boom, is represented by agent Nikki Terpilowski at Holloway Literary. The stage rights for Bride Wars are represented by agent Tonda Marton of the Marton Agency.
Check out my book, Bring the Funny: The Essential Companion for the Comedy Screenwriter, on Focal Press. I teach screenwriting at NYU & The New School. I also run a workshop for writers and filmmakers in NYC called Stillwater. This April, I'm teaching a master class in screenwriting at The University of Barcelona.
Wanna know more about me? Here goes. I grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland, where I worked as an investigator for criminal defense attorneys. That means I investigated crimes on behalf of the defendant. I also worked for The Washington Post, studied playwriting at Catholic University, and played in a blues band. Then I moved to Los Angeles and broke into the entertainment industry as a screenwriter. Eventually, I got married, had kids, moved to the New York area, got a law degree, coached kids' sports, and wrote plays that were produced in NYC. Now I teach college classes in screenwriting, write whatever turns me on, and play Americana tunes on my new Gretsch Jim Dandy parlor guitar.. Oh, and I'm a licensed private investigator. My novel, Girl Goes Boom, draws on all of that.
For the record, I've had some great times on this planet, but my life hasn't always been cream. Been through some scrapes, had guns and knives pulled on me, and been chased down the street by vigilantes. I've been punched in the face and lived to joke about it. I write about everything -- the nice, the nasty, and the screamingly funny.
Wanna chew da fat? I'm at gvdepaul@gmail.com.
My novel, Girl Goes Boom, is represented by agent Nikki Terpilowski at Holloway Literary. The stage rights for Bride Wars are represented by agent Tonda Marton of the Marton Agency.
Check out my book, Bring the Funny: The Essential Companion for the Comedy Screenwriter, on Focal Press. I teach screenwriting at NYU & The New School. I also run a workshop for writers and filmmakers in NYC called Stillwater. This April, I'm teaching a master class in screenwriting at The University of Barcelona.
Wanna know more about me? Here goes. I grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland, where I worked as an investigator for criminal defense attorneys. That means I investigated crimes on behalf of the defendant. I also worked for The Washington Post, studied playwriting at Catholic University, and played in a blues band. Then I moved to Los Angeles and broke into the entertainment industry as a screenwriter. Eventually, I got married, had kids, moved to the New York area, got a law degree, coached kids' sports, and wrote plays that were produced in NYC. Now I teach college classes in screenwriting, write whatever turns me on, and play Americana tunes on my new Gretsch Jim Dandy parlor guitar.. Oh, and I'm a licensed private investigator. My novel, Girl Goes Boom, draws on all of that.
For the record, I've had some great times on this planet, but my life hasn't always been cream. Been through some scrapes, had guns and knives pulled on me, and been chased down the street by vigilantes. I've been punched in the face and lived to joke about it. I write about everything -- the nice, the nasty, and the screamingly funny.
Wanna chew da fat? I'm at gvdepaul@gmail.com.
High Praise for Bring The Funny
“Bring the Funny is a manual on writing comedy screenplays that is for all levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. It can be highlighted, bookmarked and kept right by the computer throughout a career. With directness and wit, DePaul covers a wide range: the exploration of genres, finding your own style, creating characters and premises – all framed by a pragmatic road map for the film industry. It’s filled with brass-tacks pointers for making your comedy work on the page – for readers, buyers and performers.”
Jim Uhls, Screenwriter, Fight Club, Jumper
“Comedy demands high stakes and telling the truth within those stakes requires very careful construction. Bring the Funny is a crucial reminder of all the factors that determine whether or not a great idea becomes a successful piece of comedy. Greg's points on character, premise, style and genre illustrate why this handbook is the essential guide for the comedy screenwriter. Greg DePaul writes Funny.”
Kevin Kane, Emmy-winning Producer, Inside Amy Schumer
“If you want to get into screenwriting – buy this book. Bring the Funny is no-nonsense, insightful, and really good. Our only hesitation in recommending it would be that, if you actually follow DePaul's advice, there will be more competition for us.”
Lisa Addario & Joe Syracuse, Screenwriters,
Parental Guidance
“DePaul’s credentials are impeccable as both a successful comedy screenwriter and an instructor of comedy writing. Bring the Funny covers all the bases in a way that’s fun to read. It also contains lots of practical, hard-won advice for the aspiring writer. I can’t wait to use Bring the Funny in my Comedy Writing classes.”
George Rodman, Professor, Brooklyn College
“Bring the Funny is a primer on 21st century film comedy. Using only movies made after 2000 as examples, Greg explains the craft and business of comedy screenwriting in a way writers can grab and immediately use. He also gives you a whole new vocabulary for writing and working with producers – tools you need to succeed in this crazy industry. Buy it, read it, and keep it close by when you screenwrite. You’ll need it.”
Hank Nelken, Screenwriter, Are We Done Yet?
“Greg DePaul totally brings the funny.”
Alan Riche, Producer, Southpaw, Starsky & Hutch, Tarzan
Jim Uhls, Screenwriter, Fight Club, Jumper
“Comedy demands high stakes and telling the truth within those stakes requires very careful construction. Bring the Funny is a crucial reminder of all the factors that determine whether or not a great idea becomes a successful piece of comedy. Greg's points on character, premise, style and genre illustrate why this handbook is the essential guide for the comedy screenwriter. Greg DePaul writes Funny.”
Kevin Kane, Emmy-winning Producer, Inside Amy Schumer
“If you want to get into screenwriting – buy this book. Bring the Funny is no-nonsense, insightful, and really good. Our only hesitation in recommending it would be that, if you actually follow DePaul's advice, there will be more competition for us.”
Lisa Addario & Joe Syracuse, Screenwriters,
Parental Guidance
“DePaul’s credentials are impeccable as both a successful comedy screenwriter and an instructor of comedy writing. Bring the Funny covers all the bases in a way that’s fun to read. It also contains lots of practical, hard-won advice for the aspiring writer. I can’t wait to use Bring the Funny in my Comedy Writing classes.”
George Rodman, Professor, Brooklyn College
“Bring the Funny is a primer on 21st century film comedy. Using only movies made after 2000 as examples, Greg explains the craft and business of comedy screenwriting in a way writers can grab and immediately use. He also gives you a whole new vocabulary for writing and working with producers – tools you need to succeed in this crazy industry. Buy it, read it, and keep it close by when you screenwrite. You’ll need it.”
Hank Nelken, Screenwriter, Are We Done Yet?
“Greg DePaul totally brings the funny.”
Alan Riche, Producer, Southpaw, Starsky & Hutch, Tarzan