About Me
My name is JEFFREY ALAN SCHECHTER. I am a WGA, WGC, Emmy, and BAFTA nominated writer, producer, and director, a million dollar spec screenplay writer, and the builder of a better storytelling mousetrap, Mariner Software’s CONTOUR, formerly The TotallyWrite Development Suite.
My first credits were in the independent action film market, working on such films as BLOODSPORT II, THE TOWER and STREETKNIGHT. Turning to my love of family films, my spec screenplay LITTLE BIG FOOT was acquired by Working Title Films. I then did a rewrite on THE AMAZING PANDA ADVENTURE for Warner Brothers which led to my working on DENNIS THE MENACE STRIKES AGAIN.
I followed this with another rewrite, this time for Rysher Entertainment’s IT TAKES TWO. On the heels of IT TAKES TWO, my spec screenplay STANLEY’S CUP was bought by Caravan Pictures. That was a good day.
After writing and directing a short film, I rewrote I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS for the Walt Disney Company starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and wrote the TV movie BRINK! for the Disney Channel, and for which I was nominated for the Writer’s Guild of America Award for Outstanding Television Writing. I also wrote THE OTHER ME for the Disney Channel as well as BEETHOVEN’S 3RD for Universal Studios.
In television, I’ve written episodes of THE FAMOUS JETT JACKSON, ANIMORPHS, MARTIN MYSTERY, TOTALLY SPIES, TEAM GALAXY, GET ED, and JANE AND THE DRAGON. I’ve written both DTV productions for the Care Bears; JOURNEY TO JOKE-A-LOT and THE BIG WISH MOVIE, the latter for which I was nominated for a 2005 Writer’s Guild of Canada Award.
I was an Executive Story Editor and director on the hit Discovery Kids/NBC series STRANGE DAYS AT BLAKE HOLSEY HIGH (aka BLACK HOLE HIGH) for which my work was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing (in 2004 and 2005) as well as a BAFTA Award for Best International Series. My dramedy OUT OF THE WOODS premiered on the Hallmark channel in 2006.
I have co-created the TV series, THE AVERAGE JEFF’S GUIDE TO CANADA for Global TV, I AM NOT X-OG for the Family Channel, IN MAYA’S OPINION for FRESH TV/YTV, and OVERRULED! for The Disney Channel/The Family Channel which premieres September, 2009. I’ve been an Executive Story Editor on a number of animated series, including FREEFONIX, DI-GATA DEFENDERS, and HOT WHEELS BATTLE FORCE 5.
I’m currently executive producing season 3 of OVERRULED, I have two screenplays in development at two different studios, I’m writing a 2-part event mini-series, I’ve just written an animated feature for STARZ Entertainment, and I’ll be staring another live action series in the fall for YTV.
In my spare time, I’m married and have four children.
