Michael Hauge, author (Writing Screenplays That Sell) and acclaimed screenwriting consultant and speaker, was joined by John E. Johnson, Executive Director of the American Screenwriters Association, when they presented Todd Riddle of Medfield, MA with the 1999 ASA Screenwriting Competition Grand Prize on August 6, 1999 in Los Angeles, CA. Following the presentation, Riddle  participated in the Selling to Hollywood Conference, attended conference sessions, met with film industry professionals and had a chance to pitch his script to interested agents and producers. 
 
 

Riddle's entry, The Death of Feziweg Zero, tells the story of a best-selling author who takes jobs incognito to complete his research. When Feziweg falls in love with a young attorney and stumbles onto a murder his secret life becomes jeopardized. 

Riddle received ASA's assistance in pitching his story to Hollywood. ASA  provided him with round-trip airfare to Los Angeles, accommodation in an area hotel, registration to the Selling to Hollywood Conference, and free screenwriting resources. Additionally, Riddle received the first ever Joseph 'Mick' Caswell Award for Screenwriting Excellence, an award which honors one of the founding members of ASA who passed away in 1998. 

The four other finalists are: 

2nd Place: THE UNDERTAKER -- William Brown: Columbus, OH 

Pete Talbott didn't know he had a problem until someone showed him his own obituary in the morning newspaper.  From the cornfields of Ohio to the slums of Chicago and the corridors of Washington DC, somebody with a penchant for scalpels and embalming tables is planting bodies under other people's 
names. 

3rd Place: HEARTLAND -- Guy Magar: Los Angeles, CA 

One of America's worst present-day fears...the nightmare of a bold foreign-terrorist strike unthinkably deep in the heartland, with the takeover of a small town and 
hundreds of hostages outfitted with bomb-vests. A timely, heroic story celebrating a family's personal courage and the will to survive when character and bravery 
are ultimately tested. 

4th Place: JOHN BROWN'S BODY -- John Mark Green: Berwyn, PA & Stuart Woolley: Kingston, Ontario 

Terrorist or saint? Visionary or fanatic? Assassin or instrument of God? His own family was divided. John Brown is a man who will stop at nothing -- including a military attack on the US Government -- in order to end slavery. No truer American ever lived. 

5th Place: VIRTUAL PLANET -- Richard Garrison: Charlotte, NC 

A burnt-out college professor finds himself battling a ruthless detective as he tries to unravel the mystery of his student's death, a sinister software company, and a corrupt politician soon to be President.