Newsmakers: Steeltown Entertainment

Steeltown Entertainment Project

Twelve finalists in the Steeltown Entertainment Project’s film competition pitched their short-film ideas to a panel of entertainment professionals on March 23. The event, which was held in Pitt’s Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, was organized by Carl Kurlander (below center), Visiting Distinguished Senior Lecturer in Pitt’s Film Studies Program and a Hollywood screenwriter. The panel of professionals included Doug Crise (left), a 1990 graduate of Pitt’s College of General Studies as well as a director, writer, and actor for various movies and television programs. Finalist Cameron Roeback (right), a Pitt freshman in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, was selected for the script he wrote for his film, The Greater Image. The Steeltown Film Factory is a nationally recognized screenwriting/filmmaking competition that seeks to connect emerging talent with top industry professionals—many of whom have direct ties to Pittsburgh. The competition’s semifinal round of judging will be held later this month, with the winning writers chosen in May. Winners will be awarded a trip to Hollywood to meet with Steeltown advisers and also given $30,000 to film their screenplays in Pittsburgh.