|
AboutDouglas M. Stich is a television writer and feature film screenwriter focusing on dramas dealing with complex characters who struggle with the human condition. Upon completing his bachelor's degree, Stich sold a short film script entitled Lacuna, and soon began working on two nationally syndicated television shows, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, on the Paramount Studio lot in Hollywood. Tiring of working 60 hours a week for low pay, he left Los Angeles to gain perspective and regroup.
His 9-year hiatus from the entertainment business left him marooned in rural Central California with a Hollywood background. Unsure of what to do next, Stich went back to school to experiment with additional subjects that he hoped would supplement his BA in Cinema & Television Arts. He soon earned associate degrees in Journalism, Social & Behavioral Sciences, Business Management, and Marketing. He also began tutoring students in English and math, which led to substitute teaching, and eventually earned him a position as a full-time middle school teacher. These years were a period of self-discovery in which Stich dealt with personal crises such as depression and alcoholism, the deterioration of relationships with cherished childhood friends, and the death of his father. Sobriety played a huge part in overcoming these circumstances and he is grateful for the health and stability that have followed in recent years. As a result, identity crises and coming-of-age tales are themes that often recur in his writings. During his last year in Central California, Stich landed a job teaching theatre in a small high school with a population of less than 900 students. This reignited his passion and creativity, and served as the catalyst to bring him back to Los Angeles. Stich returned to L.A. in August 2015 and enrolled in an MFA program for Creative Writing for Entertainment. He has gone back to teaching, writes regularly, and enjoys hanging out with his wife, Erika, their dog named Milo, and cat called Marbles. His stellar library of work includes six feature-length screenplays including: Apathy for the Devil, The Bowery Suicide, Little Earthquakes, The Unseen, The Nervous Traveler, and The Lamplighter. His television work includes a complete series bible and pilot episode for an original one-hour TV drama called Otherworldly. He is also working on a pilot for an hour-long TV drama called DownBeat on Central Avenue. Stich considers frequent visits to local museums and jazz performances his own form of meditation and therapy. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife Erika, their dog "Milo," and cat "Marbles". |