Andy Garland is a playwright, director and screenwriter currently residing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of his previous works include “A Year Off,” (Special Merit Prize, Canadian National Playwriting Competition) “And Then, The Lights Went Out,” Sea of Green,” (Winner of the 2009 Uprising National Playwriting Competition,) and “JUICE” (Honourable Mention, BC Playwriting Competition.) He is also the writer and director of the first three seasons of “Duggan Hill”, a serialized supernatural thriller available wherever fine podcasts are found. Screenwriting credits to date include Transference (Minds Eye Pictures) and Lunar (HazFilm), both currently in preproduction. He holds both an Applied Degree and Diploma from Red Deer College for Motion Picture Arts and Theatre Acting, and is represented by Webster Talent.

NY Elite: Congratulations on being an ISC finalist. What does it mean for your work to be selected at the International Screenwriting Competition in New York? 

Andy Garland: Thanks! It’s an honour to be selected as a Finalist!  This script has been on my plate in one format or another for half a decade, and to see it receive such notice in an international competition is very rewarding.

NY Elite: Can you tell us about the work that you participated with at ISC? What is the story about? 

Andy Garland: The Wedding Party is about six college friends reuniting in person for the wedding of two mutual friends as their bridesmaids and groomsmen. When the husband-to-be vanishes without a trace an hour before his wedding, the race is on to track him down and keep the day (and the bride) from spinning wildly out of control.

NY Elite: Can you tell us about yourself and your artistic talents? 

Andy Garland: I’m a playwright, screenwriter and director who studied theatre and film at Red Deer College before moving to Vancouver to pursue my career further. 

NY Elite: What scripts have you written so far? 

Andy Garland: In addition to several stageplays and an ongoing horror audio drama, I’ve written two science fiction screenplays that are currently in preproduction.

NY Elite: Top 3 favorite projects that you have been involved in?

Andy Garland: Duggan Hill, an ongoing radio drama, remains one of my favourites. I also love And Then, The Lights Went Out, which has been produced several times on stages across Canada. The Wedding Party has to be my new favourite. 

NY Elite: What type of scripts do you want to write in your career?

Andy Garland: I’m a big fan of genre work, so I’d love to make a career writing sci fi, adventure and horror scripts, with the end goal of one day becoming showrunner on my own series. 

NY Elite: As a writer, what is the most important aspect of building a character? 

Andy Garland: For me, the most important step in creating characters is finding their voice.  So much about a character can be showcased just by the way they speak. 

NY Elite: What projects are you currently working on?

Andy Garland: In addition to finishing off the third season of Duggan Hill, I’m about to start workshopping my latest horror comedy, Cutbacks. 

NY Elite: Do you express yourself creatively in any other ways?

Andy Garland: I’m a pretty solid karaoke singer, and a voice actor as well!

NY Elite: What advice would you give to someone who wants to have a career in filmmaking/writing?

Andy Garland: Keep at it! It’s a long road but it’s still worth taking. Always be on the lookout for new scripts to read, and never be afraid to walk away from a half-finished draft if you’re stuck; so many of my projects started off as semi-formed ideas and stayed that way for years until I came back and realized how to finish them.