A Few Things...

 1.) Remember last weekend, when I was sending out a slew of query letters?

Yeah, at least one of them was to an email address that no longer exists. 

I am guessing the others were a waste of time and energy as well.

But what do I expect?

It's from the FadeIn Agency Guide (from 2019!) and those people have for the most part proven themselves to be shysters... c'est la vie.

2.) Personal Demons' losing streak appears to be over! 

With its two wins in the past week, that makes 21 total festival wins or near wins! 

Again, where are all the agents and producers willing to take a change and rep me or produce my script?!

Seriously... if any of them/you are reading this, please strike while the iron is hot!

There is momentum and buzz around Personal Demons (horror) and Muscles & Wine (comedy). Don't pass this up! Personal Demons could be the next Backrooms, Longlegs or Stranger Things.

And Muscles & Wine could be the next Barbie!

I literally want to share my stories with the world so bad it makes me sick to think about all the lost years when audiences could've been getting enjoyment, inspiration, fulfillment and solace from my stories!

(Those last two may sound like delusions of grandeur and pretentious, and I apologize for that, but you never know... I've certainly had my life (my emotional well-being and mental health) saved by horror films and wacky comedies).  

3.) I know I've been slacking this fall in submitting Personal Demons and Muscles & Wine to film festivals. I need to get back on that!

4.) Two of my students have expressed willingness to help in spreading awareness of my scripts.

One students has idea for my launch on TikTok. They want me to call it, "Story Time with Harshman!"

I like it.

It can inviting and calming... or dark and sinister... just like me.

Another student (an extremely talented artists) is amendable to creating story boards for Personal Demons (which would play over my TikTok as I read passages from the script... so that my TikTok isn't just talking heads the whole time).

Anyhow, that is all I have for now.

Onward I forge!  

PERSONAL DEMONS is an Official Selection of the Indie Suspense Horror Sci-Fi Festival!

 

Dear Erik D., Congratulations, your project was chosen for our festival! The screening schedule is below for Saturday, October 17th, at the Holiday Inn Express in Apopka, Florida, USA, and you can also see the scripts we picked. If you can attend, please let us know as soon as possible. Our official notification date is October 10th but we wanted to give everyone a slightly earlier notice (one day earlier in America at least). Winning movies and scripts will be announced and have their laurels emailed to them by October 31st. If we don't contact you again after this, your film or script was just an Official Selection but that's still quite an achievement! We could only select a special few. For the films, we will use your FilmFreeway screener but if you have a higher quality video file in MP4 or MOV, please email the download link to: indiesuspensehorrorscififest@protonmail.com You can download your Official Selection laurel from our website (simply click on the laurel image for the biggest size then right click and choose "Save image as..." or "Save target as" depending on your browser):  http://www.indiesuspensehorrorscififilmfestival.com/ Or you can download our laurel here (non-transparent & transparent versions available): https://filmfreeway.com/laurels/23422/IndieSuspenseHorrorSciFiFilmFestival SCREENING ADDRESS Holiday Inn Express Apopka 238 South Line Drive Apopka, Florida 32703 Tickets are free so anyone is welcome and we also do gift card giveaways plus offer free donuts, candy, and coffee to boost attendance. SCREENING SCHEDULE 1pm Opening with Gift Card Giveaway 1:03pm Snacktime 1:11pm Strive 1:25pm The Prize 1:39pm Muse 2:03pm Screen of the Dead 2:12pm Gift Card Giveaway + Chat Break 2:17pm Antifragility 2:37pm Noise 2:50pm The Scavenger 3:05pm Alienated 3:17pm I Was 3:21pm Gift Card Giveaway + Chat Break 3:26pm Compost Pizza 3:34pm code:\BlackOut 3:47pm Brand New Soul 3:49pm LOOP 4:01pm QUI INSIEME 4:14pm Five 4:19pm Gift Card Giveaway + Chat Break 4:24pm Dinner For Three 4:38pm The Essence 4:51pm NOW-HERE 5:10pm The Lights 5:25pm C. H. N. O. P. S. 5:37pm Gift Card Giveaway + Chat Break 5:42pm Kitezh 5:58pm A.L.I.C.E. 6:37pm I.A.T 7:03pm Killer 7:23pm Personhood 8:59pm Last Gift Card Giveaway 9:00pm Festival Ends Screening times are approximate. They may fluctuate slightly by a few minutes here or there depending on short Q&A's with attending filmmakers or brief discussions about the films. SELECTED SCRIPTS  Little Monster THE PORTION Scars of a Butterfly Sunrise BLACK SEQUENCE THE 18TH HOLE Solomon's Keys The Estate The Grim Sweeper Selene OBEDIENT Personal Demons Phase-Stray The Ubume: Phantom of Vengeance Goldy Bishop's Day Regenesis Residual Spontaneous YELL OR DIE The Midnight Well A Prophet 50 on Four Do You Take This...? Personal Demons Selected Project has been selected to be included in festival. You can contact Indie Suspense Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival by replying to this email or sending an email to indiesuspensehorrorscififest@protonmail.com.

Tonight's Query Letters

Dusted off my query letter for Personal Demons and added my latest festival accolades, and sent off some queries.

Tonight I queried:

·      Creative Talent Management Group (contacted through the website form because the email in FadeIn’s Agency Guide didn’t work).

·      Dedicated Talent Agency (emailed address in Agency Guide)

·      Criterion Group (emailed address in Agency Guide)

·      DMG Entertainment

·      Echo Lake Entertainment (messaged them through a form on their website)

·      Elevate Entertainment (messaged them through a form on their website; note above form said: “PLEASE NOTE: WE DO NOT ACCEPT UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS”).

 

Not Selecteed - LA Indie Horror Fest... but, I Did Get an Honorable Mention!

 I'm 

Dear Erik D., Thank you for giving us the opportunity to discover Personal Demons. We are delighted to see your film. This year’s entries have been very competitive and we only have a limited number of films that can be selected for the official selection category. Although your film is not included in the official selection, we would like to take this moment to recognize Personal Demons by giving you the Honorable Mention title, to recognize your innovative take on horror. We hope you continue to keep your courage for creativity and keen eye for inventiveness open in cinema as you go forward with future projects. In contemporary days where mindlessness can render us uninspiring cookie cutters, we hope you continue to keep your imagination active and your eyes open, as you continue creating to inspire. Please follow the link to your Honorable Mention film laurels which you may incorporate into your film posters: https://filmfreeway.com/laurels/54832/LAIndieHorrorFest We look forward to your future projects and career trajectory as a filmmaker, with more films to come! Darkest wishes, L.A. Horror  Personal Demons Not Selected Project was not selected to be included in festival. You can contact LA Indie Horror Fest by replying to this email or sending an email to indiehorrorfest@gmail.com.

FINALLY! A New Festival Win for PERSONAL DEMONS

Just got this...

What a relief and blessing that this script's magic (and winning streak) hasn't run out...  

 

Dear Erik D., We are absolutely thrilled to inform you that your film has been officially selected as an award winner in the May Monthly Awards of the Anatomy Crime – Horror International Film Festival (A.C.H.I.F.F.)! Your incredible vision and dedication truly stood out among this month’s entries. Congratulations on this remarkable achievement! We wish you continued success in your filmmaking journey and can’t wait to see how you continue to inspire audiences worldwide. Elevate Your Victory: The A.C.H.I.F.F. Gold Bust Award The Gold Bust Award is the ultimate symbol of distinction in our festival. Each trophy is handcrafted, hand-painted, and cast from premium mineral material, making it a stunning, tangible work of art. Reserved exclusively for category winners who achieved the top position, this prestigious piece serves as a timeless keepsake of your hard work, talent, and artistic excellence. It is designed to take pride of place on any filmmaker's shelf or studio desk. Order yours today to proudly showcase your success! Your Winners' Package & Next Steps: Official Diploma: We      have attached your official award diploma to this email. Award Laurels: You      can download your official winner laurels directly from FilmFreeway or via      this Dropbox link. IMDb Credit: As an      IMDb-qualifying festival, make sure your film is listed on IMDb so we can      quickly verify and credit your win. Stay Connected: Visit      our official website or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/anatomyfest for updates. We would also deeply appreciate it  if you could leave a kind review or comment on our FilmFreeway page—your      feedback empowers our team to keep championing independent voices. Thank you once again for sharing your extraordinary creativity and talent with A.C.H.I.F.F. Warm regards, Yorgos Tsononas Festival Director, A.C.H.I.F.F. Personal Demons Award Winner Project has been selected as an award winner in festival. You can contact Anatomy: Crime - Horror International Film Festival by replying to this email or sending an email to anatomyfilmfest@gmail.com.

 

Final Draft 13

So... after getting multiple troubling notifications from my computer that my current version (version 11) of Final Draft will not work with future updates to my OS, I decided to upgrade to Final Draft 13.

Good Heavens they make it difficult!

I had to create a whole new account (I guess missing one version of Final Draft makes your account outdated and obsolete). 

Then downloading it was an exercise in frustration (the URL they send you needs to be seriously modified in order to bring you to the page that will actually download your purchase.

And, finally, when you open it, it will open in a window that fills your whole screen and you have to hit a button at the bottom of the window in order to navigate through a bunch of nonsense in order for it to finally leave you alone and let you continue writing your scripts.

'Cuz, let's be fair, if you're upgrading to Final Draft 13, you know the routine already. I don't know why they have to hound you with nonsense and ask you for "data sharing"... like I want that invasive, Big Brother jive in my life. 

Ah well.

It cost me $99 and now I am running the current version of the screenwriting software I have been using since 2004. 

Here I go, ready to finish Depravity (hopefully by Halloween) and Mall Santa (hopefully before Christmas). 

 

MUSCLES & WINE Georgia Comedy Film Festival Selection!

This is indeed Muscles & Wine's fourth festival win of 2026!

I find it incredibly hilarious and strange that it has won so many film festivals in the South (people who've read the script know why this is puzzling and funny at the same time).  

Regardless, I am grateful for this news!

Any news that my writing is being read and appreciated! 

Your submission has been selected!

Greetings ,  Congratulations! Your submission, Muscles & Wine, is rated in the top 30% of submissions by our judges and has been named an official selection of Georgia Comedy Film Festival Fall 2026! This event will take place on Monday, November 9, 2026 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. Please check the name, spelling and credits of your submission on the event page: https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/event/georgia-comedy-film-festival-fall-2026 You can manually update the public information about your screenplay by creating an account at filmfestivalcircuit.com with the email address erikdharshman@gmail.com and update your synopsis, tagline, state, writer's statement, public contact info and poster if you'd like. Here is a YouTube tutorial if you need help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGNhRL-2ny4  Download the Official Selections and Award Finalist Laurels here: Film Festival Circuit Public Google Drive (LINK)

Visit Event Page

What is my scorecard and why is this important?  You've received an email from us with a link to our premium option to unlock the five scorecards from the judges about your specific submission. This is optional for screenwriters who want feedback from our Georgia-based judges. We have created one marketing scorecard, three private creative scorecards, and one private technical scorecard for your submission.  The marketing scorecard is worth 20 points, the technical scorecard is worth 20 points, and each creative scorecard is worth 20 points. If you didn't score a full 20 out of 20 on your marketing scorecard, you can log in at filmfestivalcircuit.com and update this information yourself. Here is a link to the instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RChdDeEiK2Y. If you didn't score a full 20 out of 20 on your technical scorecard and want to make changes, you must first unlock your scorecards. Then, contact me if you'd like to update your video file so your submission can be re-evaluated. Here are the technical requirements we use to evaluate all films, regardless of genre:  Screenplay technical scorecard criteria video: https://youtube.com/shorts/G_gziAlsPUg  At this time, your creative scorecards cannot be changed. The Georgia-based judges have evaluated your submission and will not re-evaluate creative scorecards this season. If you submit to any of our partner film festivals https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/submissions a different group of judges will evaluate your submission and issue three new creative scorecards. Different judges in different markets have different opinions, so their evaluations may differ. Here is a link to the creative scorecard evaluation video: https://youtu.be/WM45PnaQFsI.  Please connect with us on social media  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/georgia.comedy.film.festival/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/georgia.comedy.film.festival TwitterX @mikelfair (Festival Director)  Hashtag #georgiacomedyfilmfestival, #filmfestivalcircuit Every attendee must purchase a ticket. There are no screenwriter passes. How does the award process work? Is there a Q&A? Is there a dress code? If you are planning to attend this event, please read this article first. Link: https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/blog/live-awards-presentation. I've written an article that you may find helpful if you're thinking about attending https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/blog/five-reasons-why-screenwriters-should-attend-film-festivals.  We are looking forward to the audience reaction to these films, meeting this great group of screenwriters, and networking with all of you in Atlanta. Award Winners will be announced on Monday, November 9, 2026 live at the event. Thank you for sharing your creative work with us.

Best Regards,  Mikel Fair, Film Festival Circuit CEO