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Bio

 

JOHN TITLEY

Once held at gunpoint as a baby.

Now a screenwriter of crime thrillers

and dark comedies.

My origin story as a writer came as a baby when my dad and I were held at gunpoint during a robbery.

Despite the life-or-death situation, the thrill of the story being recounted at family gatherings left a lasting impression on me. It had everything: an innocent baby crying in terror, my dad as the hero using his body to shield me from the gunmen, the catharsis of my mom's relief over our survival, and the mystery of the gunmen's escape from the police.

 

I was hooked.

After growing up getting straight-A’s as a good boy in snowy Winnipeg, Canada I dabbled in law school before finally rebelling to write for film and television. I was fortunate to cut my teeth studying at Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre in Toronto where I co-wrote a pair of short films that played festivals around the world. The satire of misplaced pride and social class ANATOMY OF ASSISTANCE (Dir. Cory Bowles, Trailer Park Boys) made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the mafia dark comedy of ruthless ambition and revenge COLD FEET screened at Fantasia Montreal and ScreamFest LA before selling to US-based broadcaster AMC-IFC.
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My professional career started as destiny foretold: Using my limited legal expertise to write and produce episodes of true crime television for networks like A&E, History and Discovery. I found my voice writing original projects for Canadian broadcasters and production companies and training in writers' rooms with showrunners like Anthony Farrell (The Office). Recently I was featured on the 2024 Stunt List for my crossover spec of “The Office” forcing Michael Scott and the employees of Dunder Mifflin to survive “The Purge”.

Agent: Larissa Giroux
oscar abrams zimel + associates
oazinc.com

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