john varkados = writer + filmmaker
If you intend to create a career in this ambiguous yet satisfying industry, feedback is CRUCIAL! I admit if I were NOT to have other established industry professionals look at my work, I see now that it is what really helps set the stage of what is a great script versus a good script.
Feedback also helped me foster relationships I made when I attended the 2024 Austin Film Festival and Writer's Conference. It's always a treasure when you have someone take time to help you create the best version of your story.
These quotes are taken from feedback and notes after submitting screenplays and application packages (although I have NOT yet won or have been accepted to any of note) that led me to place in multiple writing competitions + fellowships that have been affirming my path with the intent to ultimately master this craft.
"...Our admissions committee was truly impressed by your work, and your application ultimately advanced to the quarterfinalist stage of our review process. This is an impressive achievement, especially given the highly competitive nature of our application process..."
The Veterans Writing Project 2025-26
"There's a lot to really love about this tense, poignant drama...the story is excellent...a great deal of time and energy has been put into each and every character. Every character is changed over the course of the story...they are living, breathing people who are transformed by the events of the screenplay...The screenplay is in excellent shape and there's no big structural or thematic changes that stand out...These are just very small notes, overall this is a well-written and layered drama."
2025