From Newswriting To Screenwriting

Jon Klein isn’t the only CNNer with a screenwriting dream:

Bryce Zabel was a CNN correspondent before he started turning news stories into television episodes and Hollywood motion pictures. His name is attached to movies like “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation,” miniseries like “The Poseidon Adventure” and the upcoming “Pandemic,” and TV shows like “Dallas” and “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.”

He says journalism is the best possible preparation for screenwriting. In a Q&A with Media Orchard, Zabel says: “It teaches you that ‘writer’s block’ is something that you simply cannot afford the luxury of having. It makes you write visually and not cerebrally. And it allows you to meet literally thousands of people, many who are fascinating or important or simply having either the best or the worst days of their lives. Invaluable life tool, really.”

He says he misses the journalism world, and may even “go back to it in some way some day.” Here’s the full Q&A…