Genre Freak

Script Geeks

Kia ora! We’re Andrew Todd and Cathasaigh Ó Fiannachta: two autistic queerdos with a shared special interest in screenwriting and 30+ years combined experience in the local and global screen sector. We offer bespoke, sustainable narrative design services for creatives and industry alike, specialising in elevated genre.

All consultation services include market-informed written assessments and online creative coaching, and we have the skills in-house to take your idea from seed docs to market ready scripts and sales decks. In short: We do it all. We do it well. And we do it quickly.

When we’re not guns for hire, we are in the lab bringing our own freaky franchises to life - get in touch via email to read available original work.

services for creatives

shORT

NZ$500

Professional coverage of your short film script and a 30-minute creative coaching session.

fEATURE

NZ$1000

Professional coverage of your feature film script and a 60-minute creative coaching session.

sERIES

NZ$1500

Professional coverage of your pilot script/pitch deck and a 90-minute creative coaching session.

concept

NZ$2500

Got a great premise but don’t know where to start? Workshop your pitch materials with professionals. A 2.5-hour service that can be scheduled as one or multiple sessions.

slate

NZ$2500

Have a couple of great active projects but not sure where to put your energy? We help writers and producers alike get a genuine sense of the viability of their slate and best next steps. A 2.5-hour service that can be scheduled as one or multiple sessions.

career

NZ$2500

Need to take a step back and look more holistically about how to make screenwriting work for you? Let’s dive into your body of work and get you thinking more strategically about your projects, time and creative energy. A 2.5-hour service that can be scheduled as one or multiple sessions.

services for industry

shORT

NZ$5,000

Two passes and a polish on a production-ready short film script in 2.5 weeks.

feature

NZ$25,000

Two passes and a polish on a market-ready feature film script in 2.5 months.

sERIES

NZ$25,000

Two passes and a polish on a market-ready pilot and series pitch deck in 2.5 months.

Game

NZ$25,000

Two passes and a polish on a market-ready narrative bible and pitch deck in 2.5 months.

SLATE

NZ$60,000

Two passes and a polish on a slate of three projects across any medium in 6 months.

franchise

NZ$100,000

Two passes and a polish on a market-ready franchise including pitch decks, a feature film script, a series pilot, and a game narrative bible in ten months.

Meet the FREAKS

  • Cathasaigh Ó Fiannachta is a nonbinary writer/director/producer living and working in Kēkerengū, Aotearoa.

    An alumnus of the United World College of South East Asia International Baccalaureate programme in Singapore, Auckland University, and the Shortland Street script department, Cathasaigh wrote/associate-produced two New Zealand Film Commission-funded shorts (Blankets and Dancers), co-wrote Born To Dance, and was selected for the Ash vs Evil Dead writers internship. They were the recipient of the 2018 Women in Film & Television “woman to watch” award, and in 2019, the Vero Beach Wine & Film Festival “visionary award” for their groundbreaking approach to making their feature length directorial debut: Aotearoa’s first wine comedy Hang Time (Getting Toasted).

    Over their 15+ year script career they have developed both film and series for the likes of Rob Tapert, Carthew Neal, STAN, Gold Circle, Circle of Confusion, Awa Films, and Gibson Group. In addition to their day-to-day work in talent/concept development, they are currently producing the NZWG Seed funded feminist zombie romp Sweet Child of Mine (dir. Nathalie Boltt) and guerrilla filmmaking genius Tim Hamilton’s first feature: POP.

  • Andrew Todd is an award-winning, hyper-indie Canadian-NZ writer-filmmaker from Ōtautahi, Aotearoa.

    At age 9, Andrew commandeered his grandparents’ VHS camera; at 22, he shot self-produced feature Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws; now, he’s launching his idiosyncratic stories, finely-honed craft, and subversion of genre into the global industry. A former manager of NZ’s 48hours filmmaking competition, his shorts have won countless awards and played at international genre festivals around the world. With 70+ professional credits across stage, screen, and games, Andrew also serves as a script assessor for the NZ Film Commission and a board member for the NZ Writers Guild, and spent eight years as a full-time film critic, jurying for genre festivals like Fantastic Fest alongside luminaries like Leonard Maltin and Edgar Wright.

    Andrew’s second feature as a director, relationship horror So Lonely I Could Die (prod. Morgan Leigh Stewart), is currently in advanced development, after winning Best Pitch at the 37°South Co-Financing Market. He is also developing science fiction rom-com Dishonourable Discharge (prod. Alix Whittaker), which received NZWG Seed Advanced and NZFC EDF funding. Beyond that, he has a slate of projects in various states of development.

FREAKUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • The rates listed above refer to script fees. Option and purchase fees and backend still apply, and are budget-dependent.

  • We do a maximum of two rounds of development on any one project (e.g. 2 x two passes and a polish).

  • Our skills are better-suited for bigger-budget work, but we accept projects on a case-by-case basis.

  • We prefer to work remotely where possible, but if you can cater to our disability and accessibility needs, we can come to you.

  • Yes! We work with a diverse range of writers pro bono, on an invite-only basis. Do not contact us; if you are good, we'll find you.