Meet
Joan Scheckel
Creator of The Technique™
Writer/Director/Producer/Teacher Joan Scheckel is the internationally-renowned creator of The Technique™, the most influential new approach to writing, directing, and filmmaking craft in Hollywood today. Joan is known as the “director’s guru” and a master teacher in the tradition of Stanislavski, Strasberg, and Joseph Campbell. Joan’s groundbreaking work challenges our cultural addiction to conflict and calls for a new storytelling paradigm that embraces feeling and meaning. Her innovations inform every level of the Mise-en-scène, from writing, acting, and directing to visual style.
Joan trains and then teams with directors to develop, workshop, write, direct and produce material from the ground up. Including such iconic hits as: Niki Caro’s Oscar Nominee Whale Rider, Dayton/Faris’s Oscar Winner Little Miss Sunshine, Mike Mills’s Oscar Winner Beginners (Executive Producer), Joey Soloway’s Emmy Winner Transparent (Consulting Producer), Joey Soloway’s Golden Globe Nominee I Love Dick (Producer), Sarah Shapiro’s Peabody Award Winner UnREAL, Rupert Sanders’s Oscar Nominee Snow White and the Huntsman, Nick Jarecki’s Golden Globe Nominee Arbitrage, Sacha Gervasi’s Spirit Award Winner Anvil Story of Anvil, Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation, Mark Romanek’s One Hour Photo, Miranda July’s The Future, (New Yorker Magazine Best of the Decade List), Liz Feldman’s Emmy Award Winner, Dead To Me, Anna Winger and Alexa Karolinski’s Unorthodox, and many, many more.
Joan was also co-writer on The Vintner’s Luck, directed by Niki Caro (Mulan), starring Jeremie Renier and Vera Farmiga.
Overall, Joan has worked on 84 feature films and television shows. 74 came to her with unfinished drafts, no financing or cast, and with first-time or early-career writers/directors at the helm. 83 have been released, earning over 800 nominations and 406 wins including major category nods at the Oscars, Spirits, Golden Globes, Sundance, Cannes, Bafta, Emmys, PGA, DGA, etc.
Joan has been profiled and featured for her work and her influence on a generation of directors in many articles and publications such as: NYTimes, LA Times, Marie Claire, Deadline, Indiewire, Vox, IF Magazine, California Sunday, The New York Observer, and more.
Now, Joan is poised to create a slate of books, films, labs (live and online), podcasts, and apps.
Meet The FLMS Team
Hi! I’m Adam James Blair, Labs Series Business Manager. I’m from Northern Ireland and currently splitting my time between Vancouver, Canada and California along with my wife, Zibby and our dog Kona. I’m a visual artist with fascination in the ways art and commerce interplay. I love painting (abstracts mostly), photography (landscapes, architecture, and shapes), sports, fashion, interior design and dogs.
I’m passionate about the art of storytelling in all its various forms and I am incredibly grateful to assist in expanding the reach of the Lab Series. I look forward to connecting with both alumni and new students! I consider it an honour to play any part in helping you tell YOUR story. Reach out to me at [email protected]
I am so excited to be here! My name is Erin Way and I have worked with Joan and The Technique™ as an actor since 2007. Over that time I have worked with fellow artists such as Mark Ruffalo, Miranda July, Marianna Palka, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jake Scott, Rupert Saunders, and countless others. After living in LA for over a decade, I decided to relocate to Portland, Oregon where I currently live with my husband Chris, son Finnegan and dog Maude. Being part of the team that brings The Technique™ into artists lives is a dream come true. I am passionate about meaning, storytelling, words and organizing. Reach out to me anytime at [email protected]
Kia Ora, I'm Jackie Alixander, The Lab Series Production & Media Manager. I'm from Aotearoa (New Zealand). I'm a songwriter, writer, and multi-media creator. My passions are music, performance, story, and all things creative. As media manager, I love connecting with you and I am excited to support you in telling your story from your voice! Please reach out anytime at [email protected] ~ he hono katoa
I am thrilled to be a part of this team. I am Chris Szajbert, a writer, director, performer and JSFL alumni who is committed to supporting my fellow artists along their JSFL journey. My work in theater, experimental film and street performance has been supported by the The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, SPACES Urgent Art Fund, The Center for Performance and Civic Practice, and others. I also facilitate the development of original performance with members of my Cleveland community: youth living in public housing, immigrant and refugee teens, and adults in recovery. I am deeply passionate about learning and sharing tools that serve the artist with us all. Reach out to me at [email protected]
FLMS HOMEPAGE
