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I am an experienced screenwriter capable of writing cleanly, creatively and quickly in a wide variety of genres. I am seeking both paid assignment work and representation for my spec and assignment work.

I have listed here most of my portfolio. Some titles can be clicked to read sample scenes. All work listed here has been WGA registered or otherwise copyrighted. Enjoy!

Produced Work:

"All Growns Up" (Comedy, 8 pages) - A satire of adult melodrama featuring all children in adults' roles. Produced by Cohencidence Productions & Mindsgate Media for YouTube's Project:Direct, 2007.

"Fertility" (Horror, 9 pages) - An infertile psychopath collects healthy ovaries with the help of her brother/lover. Click on the movie poster to the right to watch the full film and read the script. Produced by Cohencidence Productions & Prolim Enterprises for the 48 Hour Film Project, 2007.

 Portfolio Screenplays:

"Red Herring" (Neo-Noir Murder Mystery, 126-page feature or 30x Webisodes) - A homicide detective investigates his best friend’s connection to a series of coincidental deaths, when he discovers that a professional assassin may be involved. Imagine "CSI" investigating "The Usual Suspects." (Developed with Russell Grin as Part 1 of 3 of the first ever Epic Murder Mystery.)

"The Catskills" (Family, 99 pages) - The true story of a boy's last summer of complete freedom, roaming the Catskill Mountains in 1926 with nothing to do but pick berries and play war with his friends. Feels like "Stand by Me" and "Man in the Moon."

"Starling Vega" (Sci-Fi, 104-page feature or 25x Webisodes) - A bartender and his wife are returned from alien abduction with extraordinary powers to fight criminals, the aliens and each other.

"American Tendencies" (Dark Comedy, 116 pages) - When two entrepreneurs are given $10 million each to alleviate America’s homeless problem, one creates a completely free vocational school, and the other a to-the-death gladiator reality series. Picture "Gladiator" with the attitude of "Wag the Dog."

"An Affair to Forget" (Romantic Fairy Tale, 105 pages) - This post-modern fairy tale, set to "neo-Shakespearean" dialogue, chronicles a young woman's struggle to teach an amnesia patient to love her the way he taught her to love him five years prior. 

"Vicious Cycle" (Sci-Fi Political Action Thriller, 101 pages) - Set in 2039, an American launches a guerrilla campaign against a perfectionist government to prevent the next Holocaust. A contemporary (yet futuristic) "Red Dawn."

"Liberation" (War Epic, 150 pages) - A renegade American general invades Tibet to liberate it from China. "Patton" and "Braveheart" invade "Seven Years in Tibet."

"The Sophomore" (Dark Comedy, 91 pages) - An American director making a film in French alienates the cast and crew, who change the dialogue of the movie unbeknownst to him, forcing him to salvage the film, his career and his sanity.

Portfolio Shorts:

"Well Regulated" (Drama, 8 pages) - A man who lost his wife to the Beltway Snipers assassinates gun lobby executives to convince Congress to institute rifle fingerprinting.

"Alpha, Omega & Alpha" (Drama, 4 pages) Two strangers in a hotel bar begin, end, and begin again a new relationship in 4 minutes.

"Domina" (Drama, 9 pages) - While rehearsing their characters, two actresses discover new sides to themselves.

"Admission" (Thriller, 10 pages) - A "home movie" of a fraternity initiation gone terribly wrong.

"Reboot: The Peaceful Apocolypse" (Sci-Fi/Drama, 13 pages) - A programming student creates an Artificial Intelligence that believes it can cure humanity's problems by "rebooting" the world. Shortened version of Act 1 of a full-length screenplay.

"Puppy Love" (Fantasy, 8 pages) - A dog becomes human to teach her master how to love unconditionally.

"The Empty Orchestra" (Musical Comedy, 29 pages) - A man takes a metaphysical journey through his past loves by mis-singing karaoke pop songs of the 80's in a mystical ghost-town saloon.

"The Depot" (Comedy, 7 pages) - Two pairs of gangsters bump into each other while burying bodies in the desert.

"First Order of Business" (Comedy, 9 pages) - A newly-elected Senator tries to have one last intimate morning with her husband before taking office.

"The Recruit" (Comedy, 5 pages) - A mercenary and an accountant share an elevator ride down to Hell.

"The Offer" (Comedy, 5 pages) A stoner tries to convince his ex to not marry the wrong man.

Portfolio Teleplays:

"The Simpsons: Springfield Federal Penitentiary" (Spec Teleplay, 27 pages) - Mayor Quimby leases out the town as a minimum security prison.

"Malcolm in the Middle: Lois’s Panties" (Spec Teleplay, 26 pages) - The boys strike a deal with Craig in which they trade their mother’s panty drawer for items of unsurpassed value.

Completed Assignment Work:

"Ringside" (Sitcom Pilot, 29 pages) - A wimp is inducted into a professional wrestling league to be the constant loser. Was commissioned by Iceman Productions but never produced. Still available.

"Freefall" (Comedy, 7 pages) - Two strangers fall down a bottomless hole in the Australian Outback. Written on assignment for Ghost of the Bird Productions.

"Finally: The Martial Arts World Cup" (Reality TV Pilot, 13 pages) - Reality series about the path to the MAWorldCup, the world's first, singular, authoritative world championship for martial arts. Written on assignment for Master Wayne Miles.

"Fee Alize" (Fantasy Fairy Tale, 3 page outline) - A young fairy embarks on a journey of self-discovery and maturity. Contract for screenplay adaptation of French fairy tale offered by producer Robin Kaczmarczy.

"White Paper" (Political Suspense Thriller, 18 page treatment) - Rewrote treatment of a developing project for Comtesse Productions. Contract for screenplay was offered. Details of the contract and the project are confidential.

Current Projects:

The Accidental Messiah (Novel) - A globetrotting playboy, stranded on a previously unfound island, introduces religion to a local politician, who uses it to take control of the government and people.

Getting Off (Web Sitcom) - A group of misfits staff a casino/brothel in Pahrump, NV, engaging in wacky antics and fighting off starving sex zombies.

Related Experience:

Delusions of Morality  (Novel, 312 pages) - A teenager finds love for the first time while overcoming a rumor of rape.

"The Princess and the Gravedigger" (Internet Fairy Tale, 18 pages) - A princess travels to a foreign land, only to find love in the lowliest of people.

"The Justice" - Lead film reviewer for college newspaper 1994-1997. Penned more than 100 articles: mostly film reviews with assorted actor and director interviews.

Judge, 2002 and 2003 Best Fest San Diego Student Film Festivals

Coordinator, San Diego Screenwriting Club

Biography:

Joshua A. Cohen was born and raised in Silver Spring, MD, then attended the prestigious St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas. At the age of 15, he wrote his first short story and quickly followed it by his first novel. He switched to screenwriting after graduating Cum Laude from Brandeis University with a Minor in Creative Writing. Joshua then spent 9 years honing his craft and developing a diverse portfolio. Having lived in Washington DC, Dallas, Boston, San Diego, Las Vegas and Sydney, Australia, and working in sales, media and commercial real estate, Joshua has been able to draw on a wide range of experiences and people to craft his stories and characters. While screenwriting is his one true passion in life, he has also begun preparations to executive produce a Web TV Channel based in Las Vegas. He currently lives with his dog, Zooey.