2008 Nicholl Fellows
A gala dinner was held for the six new Nicholl Fellows in Beverly Hills, featuring a keynote address by Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Scott Frank. The winning screenplays ranged from a comedy about death to a political satire set in the world of competitive butter sculpting to a kidnapping action film to the tale of a dysfunctional family coping with illness to star-crossed lovers in Iraq.
The 2008 Fellows are pictured here with Academy President Sid Ganis and keynote speaker Scott Frank (bottom row, second and third from left, respectively).
Jeremy Bandow
“Hive”
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
College: Minneapolis Community and Technical College – Cinema Division
Taught English in Rome; enjoys kayaking and biking when not spending time with his wife and son
Ken Kristensen
“Out of Breath” (written with Colin Marshall)
Hometown: Simsbury, CT
College: Wheaton College, BA; Columbia University, MFA
Former travel writer for Condé Nast, National Geographic and Hearst magazines; spends eight months a year in jail as a producer on “Inside American Jail”; author of two comic books due out in 2009: Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth (Image Comics) and The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist (Dark Horse).
Colin Marshall
“Out of Breath” (written with Ken Kristensen)
Hometown: Chester County, PA
College: Columbia University, MFA
Formerly had a career in finance; made short films on the family camcorder, including “Quest for the Holy Ghett-Blaster.”
Jason Micallef
“Butter”
Hometown: Williamsburg, VA
Currently Lives: Santa Monica, CA
Worked on Comedy Central’s “Reno 911”; former jobs include road surveyor, census taker and Busch Gardens “Guess My Age and Weight” Psychic.
Eric Nazarian
“Giants”
Hometown: Burbank, CA
College: USC
Emigrated at age 4 from Armenia to Los Angeles with his family. Worked as a photojournalist, USC film school grad. Wrote “Giants” inspired by his brother's open heart surgery. His first ultra-low budget film as writer-director, “The Blue Hour,” premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
Lee Patterson
“Snatched”
Hometown: United Kingdom
Working as a runner at London’s Working Title Films.
