Where Art Meets Craft
10 Actors • 5 Writers • 4 Weeks • 10 Projects
The Creative Lab is an intensive and unique workshop that brings committed actors and writers together to conceive and create films, all while being coached and mentored by industry professionals. Because the class size is exclusive and strictly limited, each Actor works in every class with personalized attention and with an emphasis on scene work, while each Writer workshops multiple scenes for specific Actors under the guidance of a writing mentor. At the end of our four-week program, each lab participant will leave with a hard copy of their short film in hand and the ability to use the material immediately, however they choose. The IMDb credit? Well, that’s just the icing on the cake.
August 2021 Creative Lab Details
Actor Auditions
July 10 • 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
(or by appointment)
Auditions will be held at The AFA Studio unless otherwise indicated at the time of audition confirmation. See the applications for more info.
Workshops
August 7 • 9 AM – 1 PM
August 14 • 9 AM – 1 PM
August 21 • 9 AM – 1 PM
August 28 • 9 AM – 1 PM
Writer Samples
Due by July 28 • By Midnight
You can submit your writing sample along with your application or email it to creativelab@greenhouseproductions.com
Film Shoots
August 22/23
Cost
The Creative Lab fees are $399.
Actor Application
Actor Application
Download the application, fill it out, and email it to creativelab@greenhouseproductions.com!
WRITER APPLICATION
Writer Application
Download the application, fill it out, and email it to creativelab@greenhouseproductions.com!
Grow
The first part of this intensive course will focus on growing each lab student’s individual pursuits. Actors will dive into scene analysis with cold-reading material as well as prepared scenes written specifically for them. Writers will craft dialogue-driven scenes for specific Actors and will have the chance to work with them both privately and in class.
Develop
After applying specific acting notes and techniques through coaching, each Actor will have the opportunity to transition from scene work to film work with their Writing partner. Together they will translate the in-class growth experience into developing a short film.
Create
By the end of the lab experience, each Actor and Writer will have a completed short film to screen for the rest of the lab. Each lab student will leave the course with a growing network of like-minded artists, new found skills and a better understanding of the creative process, as well as a copy of their short film.
Meet Your instructors
Abbie Cobb
The Creative Lab’s primary instructor is Abbie Cobb. She has been seen in all sorts of films and television shows, including her recurring role on ABC's Suburgatory, as well as roles on American Horror Story, NCIS: Los Angeles, Grey’s Anatomy, The Mentalist, and True Blood. She had recurring roles on 90210 and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and recently co-starred in two feature films, Moms’ Night Out and The Umbrella Man. Growing up in Nebraska, she obsessively watched Shirley Temple movies and decided she’d love nothing more than to pursue acting. She performed in school plays and community theatre until she graduated, when she moved to L.A. Her first role was on Disney’s StarStruck, and she continued working on shows like Pair of Kings, Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas!, Jonas, and Imagination Movers. She fills her weeks with work in TV, film, and theatre, and spends her spare time mentoring and coaching aspiring actors. She is a sought-after keynote speaker at creative conferences and workshops, where she shares her book, Stuck on a Ferris Wheel, to inform and encourage actors.
Shun Lee Fong
Shun Lee is the executive producer of The Creative Lab and the director of many of its films. An accomplished actor, host, and writer, he has also directed nearly 30 films, including works like Silence, Madeline, Full Lockdown, To Save a Date, Sunshine Away, All’s Fair in Love and Acting, The Winter Sweep, and Patience. Additionally, he has written a number of films, including Angel, All Hours, Writer’s Block, Sunshine Away, and the award-winning Harvest. A former attorney, he still teaches entertainment law at a number of colleges and universities across the country. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and the President and Creative Director of The Greenhouse. He recently released his first book, The Saints and The Poets, which explores the intersection of creativity, faith, and leadership. He fills his free time with photography, performing music, speaking at creative conferences and other venues, and traveling the back roads of the country with his faithful dog, Jack. He is currently on the producing team of the new animated series The Dead Sea Squirrels with Mike Nawrocki, Steve Taylor, and Tom Bancroft, and is the executive producer of the feature film Sun Moon.
Ethan Ransom
Ethan Ransom serves as the writing mentor for the Creative Lab. Though he's been living in LA and writing scripts for nearly 15 years, he's never forgotten how steep the learning curve is, and loves helping new writers find their feet and find their way. Since completing his Screenwriting MFA at The American Film Institute, he's worked in various storytelling capacities for A&E, The Walt Disney Company, and the MPC Creative agency, all while working on his own scripts and pitches. After having so much fun mentoring on short scripts for the Creative Lab, he launched RansomWriting.com, where he offers full-length script consultations and hands-on mentoring, as well as the YouTube channel Screenwriting Is Hard, where he provides screenwriting education and inspiration.
Ethan lives in Burbank, California, with his incredible wife Suzanne, and their three truly remarkable children, Morgan, Sean, and Kylie.