Ross Lazar
Ross has been on The Black List and sold scripts to Amazon Studios and Fifth Season. He currently has a deal with Sony Screen Gems and has been hired to write an independent thriller.
A Los Angeles native, Ross graduated from UC Berkeley, majoring in English in Literature. He started out working at a boring tech company, but after just three months, he decided to never work a 9-5 again. He started writing screenplays at night. It took sixteen screenplays over two years before he got his break.
Ross wrote a sci-fi pilot that he got to a family friend who ended up sending it to Doug Liman. Doug’s company, HYPNOTIC, developed the script and he got signed by a major talent agency.
Recently, Ross wrote WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, a script that landed on The Black List, and sold in a bidding war to Amazon Studios. Brad Fuller is producing the film, with Justin Dyck directing. He has since been hired to develop a horror movie by Fifth Season, and has developed projects with Sam Raimi, Kevin Williamson, and Skybound Entertainment. He is currently working on an Untitled Horror Movie for Sony Screen Gems and developing a horror film for Point Grey Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment.
Ross loves infusing dark comedy with horror and sci fi and he is motivated to inspire the next generation of writers. He wants to give writers practical guidance while, at the same time, helping them hone their voices.
He is currently represented by WME and TFC Management.
Testimonials
I had a great time in Ross’s class. He is a really passionate and thoughtful teacher. In his feedback, and in our class discussions, I could tell he thought deeply about our work. He provided notes that I feel will help enhance my project in subsequent rewrites, and was also incredibly encouraging during the often vulnerable process of writing and sharing a first draft. Especially in this being the first feature I’ve worked on, Ross was a great guide to have along the way. I would definitely take another class with him.
I was super impressed by how deep Ross jumped into each writer’s story and saw what it was trying to do, regardless of subject matter or genre. He helped me crack an idea I’ve been bouncing around for years by helping me find my core themes and building from there. His understanding of what makes stories work is just really impressive. And more than anything, Ross is just a super pleasant and positive guy which encouraged an environment of sharing and collaboration. Great stuff.Â