• SERVICES
    • CONSULTATION SERVICES
    • SCREENPLAY SERVICES
    • PITCHING SERVICES
  • Online Screenwriting Course
    • WORKBOOKS
  • UPCOMING EVENTS
  • BIO
    • CREDITS & MEDIA
  • SCREENPLAY VAULT
  • POLICIES & AGREEMENT
  • The Internship
  THE PROFESSIONAL PEN: Script Consultant

THE PROFESSIONAL PEN IS
a former Current Programming and Development Executive offering script consulting services to develop screenwriters of all levels.
A WRITER FOR YOUR WRITER

SHANNAN E. JOHNSON is the
ultimate accountability partner.

As the CEO of the first black-owned Script Consultant Agency, I help writers get the grit to the surface, decide which path to take when hitting a story roadblock for the umpteenth time, or give a blah character dimension so the audience roots for the character's victory regardless to whether they like the character. I'm a writer who uses my skill to give constructive criticism that raises questions and evokes thought-driven problem solving to make you a better writer. A Writer for your Writer. Get it now?

So quickly before you're over reading this,
all of my degrees are in some form of writing: BA in English and Journalism from Texas A&M University and an MFA in Film/Professional Writing from Florida State University. WTF is Professional Writing? Something cool to describe the collaboration of the Film School, the School of Theatre and the Creative Writing Department under one degree plan. All of that means I can write/edit essays to magazines to film and tv scripts, to plays and novels. But, I chose the screen.

Who Shannan is NOT...

  • An investor
  • A manager
  • An agent
  • A person who does any writing or any services for free. This is my FULL-TIME job. You need my help, and I need my coins.

After grad school I became a junior creative executive at NBCUniversal at the Syfy Channel. I was there for the rebrand. Remember Sci Fi? Yeah, not really. Anywho, it was my job to help writers and producers take their ideas from pitch to production. I co-exec'd on Alphas, Being Human, Haven, Sanctuary, Warehouse 13, and more Syfy dramedies. This is how I honed my skill in all stages of the screenwriting process.

​​
So why did I leave? For le stage! From 2010 to 2018, I was a performing artist: dance companies and Broadway national tours. Because my love for writing did not wane, I started my own script consulting company in 2014 as a side hustle to continue using my craft while traveling the world... which brings us here to The Professional Pen. My clients include emerging screenwriters to established actors, directors, showrunners and producers. I've judged screenplay competitions and sat on festival panels, consulted on a plethora of scripts, and garnered several editing credits. Now, I'm here for you. Let's go to work!

What Pen Pals Are Saying

 As a growing writer, the feedback from The Professional Pen has been crucial in developing my project. The straight forward feedback opened my mind beyond my script. I was given advice about the genre, the world I created, raising the stakes, and character decisions, etc. It urged me to go back, rethink about those gray areas in which I already felt were weak to tackle them for a stronger, focused, and reassured execution. Over all, I like that I wasn't given solutions to my writing, but solid questions that challenged me. I most definitely recommend the services provided. Thank you! - Justin F. 

Contact Me

  • SERVICES
    • CONSULTATION SERVICES
    • SCREENPLAY SERVICES
    • PITCHING SERVICES
  • Online Screenwriting Course
    • WORKBOOKS
  • UPCOMING EVENTS
  • BIO
    • CREDITS & MEDIA
  • SCREENPLAY VAULT
  • POLICIES & AGREEMENT
  • The Internship