Professional screenwriters know that the rewriting process is what separates the money-makers from the neophytes.
Paul Chitlik wrote and directed his first play when he was eleven, considered somewhat late by many studio executives barely out of their teens.
As a college student, he went to Spain to study at the University of Madrid. There, he also learned how to duck water cannons and charging horses.
After receiving his degree in comparative literature and tear gas at UC, Berkeley, Chitlik traveled all over Europe, finally landing in London where he worked as a translator and journalist for several years. When he returned to Los Angeles he began teaching English as a second language at Long Beach Community College. Soon, he was an administrator devising programs for non-literate students, a skill that has enabled him to read unsolicited manuscripts without flinching.
During this time he was also on the board of directors of La Escuela Laboral, a bilingual school for adults in East Los Angeles, and the Human Powered Transit Association, a bicycle advocacy group. He also served as Executive Director of AVAZ International Dance Theatre. He was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to attend the first White House Conference on Library and Information Services.
Chitlik has served on the School Facilities Committee of Burbank, overseeing the expenditure of $200 million in the rebuilding of the city's schools for ten years, nine as chair. He also serves as President of Project Chicken Soup, an organization that provides kosher meals to people with HIV/AIDS.
In 1984, he did a career about-face and began to write for television, first as the executive story editor for a syndicated series, "Guilty or Innocent," and later as a staff
writer with writing partner, Jeremy Bertrand Finch, for the Showtime series, "Brothers." Chitlik and Finch wrote for CBS' "The Twilight Zone," ABC's "Who's the Boss?," and NBC's "Amen."
When "The Twilight Zone" was revived for syndication, Chitlik and Finch were brought on board by to set the direction and tone of the program as story editors. Chitlik and Finch won a Writers Guild of America award nomination for one of the "Twilight Zone" episodes they wrote during this time.
Chitlik and Finch developed "Poltergeist" for television for a partnership of MGM, Paragon Pictures, and ARD; sold a romantic comedy to Bay Productions of Vancouver; created a sit-com for Republic Pictures; wrote a pilot for "Lifetime;" and developed "Alcohol Lake," with KCET for American Playhouse.
Chitlik went on to be coordinating producer for 'Real Stories of the Highway Patrol.' In addition to overseeing the story development, scripting, directing, and editing of over 260 reenactment segments, he field produced and directed more than a dozen himself. From Real Stories, Chitlik went to 'U.S. Customs Classified' a syndicated series starring Stephen J. Cannell.
He has also written features for Rysher Entertainment, Promark Entertainment, NuImage, and Mainline Releasing, one of which won a Genesis Award for outstanding children's movie.
Chitlik wrote and produced 'Alien Abduction ' The McPherson Tape', a movie for television for UPN and dick clark productions, for whom he has written episodes of 'Beyond Belief.' He also contributed episodes to 'Los Beltr'n,' a Spanish language sitcom for Telemundo, one of which was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.
In 1996, Chitlik founded The Dime Novel Co. and published a complete mystery novel as a magazine supported solely by advertising. In the summer of 1997, he published the second edition, featuring 'Deviant Numbers,' a science fiction novela about cloning. His most recent book, Rewrite, is published by MWP.
Chitlik is a visiting assistant professor in UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television, as well as a lecturer at Loyola Marymount University. He has also given master classes in screenwriting at the University of Barcelona's film school, and consults for the government of Chile's film development program.
