Masterclass with Chris Cantwell and Chris Rogers

Saturday, April 22
8:50AM – 10:15AM
John Bassett Theatre

After its inaugural season flew largely under the radar, HALT AND CATCH FIRE was widely lauded for its second season “pivot,” which effectively re-launched the series and garnered it widespread critical attention. Cantwell and Rogers attribute this to a philosophy of openness and discovery in all three phases (writing, production and post production) of making the show. In the current TV landscape, there is the show one sets out to make and the show one ends up making. They will walk the audience through their four season journey on HALT, illustrating the way the project has changed and been allowed to mature into what it is today.

Chris Cantwell

Chris Cantwell

Creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner, HALT AND CATCH FIRE

Christopher Cantwell was born in Chicago, but in the early ’80s his father moved the family to Dallas in order to pursue career opportunities in the computer business. Cantwell is an alum of the USC School of Cinematic Arts screenwriting program and has also worked as a creative director for The Walt Disney Company.

HALT AND CATCH FIRE marks but one collaboration with writing partner Christopher C. Rogers. Cantwell currently lives in Claremont with his wife, published poet Elizabeth Cantwell, their son, Cooper and their dog, Albee.

Chris Rogers

Chris Rogers

Creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner, HALT AND CATCH FIRE

A Virginia native, Chris began his career with the Atlantic Media Company (publisher of The Atlantic and National Journal) in Washington, D.C., before relocating to Los Angeles to work as a research editor for Condé Nast’s Architectural Digest and a bookseller at Los Feliz’s Skylight Books.

Rogers is a graduate of the WGA Showrunner Training Program. He is co-author of THE KNOLL, which placed on the Hollywood Black List, and in partnership with Cantwell has been named one of Variety's 10 TV Scribes to Watch.  

Chris resides in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles with his wife, Meghan, and dog, Tilly. He is Co-Creator, Executive Producer, and Co-Showrunner of AMC's HALT AND CATCH FIRE.

Moderator

Ian Carpenter

Ian Carpenter

Creator/Writer

A graduate of the CFC’s Television Program, Ian was the first winner of the Global Television Emerging Writer Award. TV writing credits include: the series finale of APTN’s BLACKSTONE; CTV’s PLAYED (Co-producer); THE LA COMPLEX, Global’s THE BEST YEARS, History’s OUTLAW BIKERS, TMN/Showcase’s REGENESIS and CBC’s FRANKIE DRAKE, 11 CAMERAS, WILD ROSES, two seasons of BEING ERICA as Co-Producer and development on THE MEN. Feature writing credits: BRACE FOR IMPACT and SOMETIMES THE GOOD KILL for Incendo (TMN/HBO), ASSASSYIUN for Babak Payami, Mark Amin (FRIDA) and Francesco Melzi D’Eril (HOTEL RWANDA), FOREST HILL for Payami, an adaptation of Ray Robertson’s What Happened Later for Conquering Lion Films and co-writing STOKER’S FURNACE for director Joey Zentil.

Before working in TV Ian founded Theatre Viscera and wrote and directed theatre for ten years. His work has toured to Singapore and Spain, three of his plays have been in year-end top ten lists and in 1997 he was chosen as one of NOW’s top ten theatre artists of the year. Ian completed a Ph.D. in Film at the University of Toronto. After graduation he left to run the development arm of a large charity in the slums in Bangkok. He volunteers teaching streetkids writing at the Yonge Street Mission and at the POV program for disadvantaged youths and mentors for the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture. His postcard play for the art zine Abe’s Penny is now part of the permanent collections of both the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum.

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