Evans

About: Matthew Nolte Evans is an award-winning writer and Assistant Professor of Screenwriting in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Originally from Denver, Evans moved to Los Angeles in 2011 where he sold a feature screenplay to HBO Films and was inducted into the Writers Guild of America, West (WGA). Since then, he has written or developed film and television projects for numerous directors and producers, including Thomas Carter, Michelle Manning, Mathieu Bonzon, and Eric Christian Olsen at CBSTV.

Education

MFA, Film Production-Screenwriting, Columbia University, New York City
BFA, Film Production, University of Colorado, Boulder
BA, Film Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder
BA, English-Creative Writing, University of Colorado, Boulder

Experience

Prior to joining Grady College in 2019, Evans taught undergraduate and graduate screenwriting courses at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF); Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD); and New York Film Academy, Los Angeles (NYFA). He also previously worked as a Reader/Story Analyst for Pressman Films, The Tribeca Film Institute, Alcon Entertainment, and Amazon Studios.

Teaching Specialties

Scripts written by students in Evans’s classes have gone on to win major screenwriting competitions, including the top prize at the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival and the 2021 BEA Festival of Media Arts. Evans specializes in genre writing, adaptation, and leading screenwriting workshops for feature, short film, and television writing. Previously, he oversaw MFA thesis screenplays at both CSUF and NYFA. In 2020, Evans created the first TV writing course offered at Grady College.

Awards and Fellowships

2012-present: Writers Guild of America, West
2024: BEA Festival of Media Arts—Winner
2023: BEA Festival of Media Arts—Winner
2021: Stowe Story Lab, Sidewalk Narrative Lab—Selected Project
2021: WILDSound Fantasy/Sci-Fi Screenplay Festival—Winner
2020: Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition—Semifinalist
2020: CineStory Feature Retreat—Selected Project
2020: ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship—Semifinalist
2016: Columbia Blue List, Hosted by The Black List—Winner
2012: Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting—Semifinalist
2011: Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting—Semifinalist
2009: Alfred P. Sloan Feature Screenwriting Award—Winner