Michael Schilf

Co-Founder

A Professor of Media Arts and English, teaching beginning and advanced collegiate screenwriting as well as mentoring writers and hosting workshops on The Formula, Michael Schilf brings his career as a professional screenwriter and over ten years of teaching experience to TSL.

Creator and author of The Formula, Schilf earned his MFA in Screenwriting from USC’s School of Cinema-Television. The winner of the Edward Small Writing Scholarship and the Peter Stark Producing Program’s Short Film Grant while at USC, his scripts have received acclaim from the Sundance Writers Lab to the Chesterfield Film Project and the Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowship.  

After USC, Schilf entered into the commercial production world and has worked with award winning directors on numerous domestic and international commercials and TV campaigns: Pizza Hut, NxCare, BMW, Dryers, Grants, Haig, Kia, Chrysler, Opel, Campbell’s, Pantene, Walmart, Jiffy Lube, Centrum, Petsmart, Sunny Delight, VTech, Target, Volvo, and Ford… to name a few.

A lifelong film buff and movie lover, Schilf always knew he was going to write for film and television. He credits USC for teaching him first-rate fundamentals in the tools of the trade, but the highest honor goes to his wife for believing in him when no one else would. 

Schilf hopes for TSL to become not only a one-stop shop for screenwriters of all levels and ability, but also that it will create a supportive community of writers, for writers, by writers.