Jerry knows what it takes to succeed in life. From his humble small town roots to his career as an executive, he has shown that it takes hard work, cunning, and a bit of patience to make your visions come to life. Now he has turned his sight on to screenwriting and I can’t wait to see where that takes him. I am very excited to introduce you to this screenwriter.
This is Jerry Stephen Ice…
Mini-Bio:
I grew up in Hymera, Indiana, a no stoplight town with a population under one thousand people. Life was simple and good. My first job was in radio advertising as an Account Executive. They paid for me to finish my undergraduate degree by going at night. What a long haul!
I worked as a senior marketing position with an Industrial Gases firm. I attended night school. During this time, I was married with two children, working full time, and still in the Indiana Army National Guard. The only way I made it through this period was time management. A skill which would come in handy later in in life with my screenwriting.
After completing my MBA I landed at Frost and Sullivan’s Market Research Center in Sunnyvale, California. I had secret clearance because of the military related studies we produced. A big deal for a kid from Hymera, Indiana.
On August 1, 2018 I completed my script, "Indian Billy Ice", the true story of my 3 times great grandfather. William Galloway "Indian Billy" Ice is considered a legendary American pioneer and patriot who was kidnapped by the Mohawk at age eight. Currently, the script has received 23 awards!
Q: How did you stumble upon screenwriting?
In retirement most of my time was in financial research. I started ancestor research as a hobby prior to retiring. I decided to start another hobby, screenwriting. I purchased several books on the subject and read numerous blogs, acquired the software and was ready to start my new hobby.
Submit to the Script Summit
Screenwriting Contest or join our Facebook Writers Group
Q: Who/what inspired you into taking this path?
During my ancestor research I discovered the true story of William Galloway Ice, a legendary American pioneer and patriot who, haunted by his past, administered bloody frontier justice on the Mohawk tribe that brutally murdered his mother, sisters and kidnapped him as a boy.
William Galloway “Indian Billy” Ice is my three times great grandfather. His story had not been told and being the last in our family line I felt it was my duty.
Q: Who was the first person who believed in you?
Ms. Laurabelle Wallace, high school English, 1963. Always a positive force with any student that would listen. She was always telling me of my storytelling ability and that I should make it a career.
Q: When was the moment you knew you wanted to be a screenwriter? When I first discovered information regarding my three times great grandfather. That is when I realized this needed to be a movie. That was the seed which grew into my labor of love in writing this screenplay.
Q: How do you define success for yourself?
Having received 23 awards for my script feels like a success all on its own. Now the desire to see it optioned and produced burns brightly in my heart.
Q: Give us a typical day in your life:
Are you an Early Bird or a Night Owl? Night Owl, seldom do I require more than four hours sleep per night.
When do you get up? Not later than 6AM.
Do you have a morning routine or ritual? Reading the newspaper and getting up to the minute news from TV.
What do you do during the day? I work out 3 days a week at my gym and walk 2 miles per day the rest of the week.
Do you have a pre-bed ritual? None, I just wing it!
How do you define a successful day? Finding a level of peace and satisfaction.
Q: What’s been the most important skill you've developed on your path to screenwriting?
The ability to bring a story and characters to life with my writing. Without a strong script it would be a snooze fest of people walking around looking aimlessly about having boring conversations.
Q: What’s been the greatest challenge in your writing so far?
Gaining access and networking with others in the industry. As an outsider it feels like there is a “Great Wall of Hollywood”.
Q: What’s been the greatest reward in the choices you've made? That I have created a document detailing the true story of my great grandfather which would other wise be lost to history.
Q: What do you want to learn from a community of your peers? Networking for networking sake is always fulfilling. Learning how people process and think. Additionally, how those that have had a script produced made it happen.
Comments