Article by Jen Bush

Anna Pujolras Perpina is a keen crafter of stories.  Her skills and experience were a wonderful match for the web series, Godlike Gaming.  She will be utilizing her talents to write the highly anticipated season finale and will help pen all of season 2.   Ms. Perpina doesn’t simply accept a project and start writing.  It’s important for her to feel a connection to what she writes.  “As an artist, I pause and listen before I write. Getting to the root of why a certain story needs to be told and why I should be the one to do so, makes my unique perspective come through.” Her scripts are far from superficial.  They are well thought out, balanced, and richly detailed.  They are meant to touch audiences both on a higher emotional and cerebral level.  “It’s not enough to write a good script, one that creates both excitement and empathy, but it needs universal themes that anyone can relate to. As a writer, I strive to create well-rounded characters, showing how flawed and beautiful humans can be. I’m attentive to detail to describe the world that the audience is part of. And nothing happens just because, everything has a cause and effect that makes life’s obstacles interesting. As an artist, I entertain but make the audience pause and listen to what’s in front of them.”

Ms. Perpina took measures to ensure her success by putting herself on a wise trajectory toward her ultimate objective.  She cultivated her skills by entering an industry and meticulously observing and noting everything going around her. She climbed the latter integrating and improving upon everything she learned along the way.   “Screenwriting has always been my end-goal, but to have people read your script, first you need to make them listen. And that’s what all the jobs in my career have helped me do. As a Jr. Agent, I’ve learned how the industry works in The United States and how to sell my clients’ projects, something I can take for my own. As a Script Supervisor and Developer, I’ve seen other people’s mistakes and achievements, reading hundreds of scripts from different genres. As a Production Assistant, I’ve worked with others who think differently from me but we’ve found creative common ground. Meeting people, keeping educating myself, and putting my work out there have made screenwriting possible.”

Ms. Perpina’s creative process is character driven and gives credence to how the work will be presented.  She wants to ensure that from page to performance, the work translates well.  “When I’m writing one of my own projects, I ask myself the question “what do I want to see?”. Finding what I think has been missing in the audiovisual world helps me find a passion for the project and how I’m going to express it to others. I usually skip that question if I’m writing for someone else’s project or working on their development. Then, I go straight to the second question which is “how do I want to see it?” Knowing where the characters begin and what ending I want them to have gives a direction to the story. Getting to know the characters well, how they would react in certain situations, even what kind of music they’d listen to if need be, fills up the rest of the story. I like to think of my creative process as a puzzle where I only have the outline, and the middle I draw as I go within the limits.”

Ms. Perpina took an early interest in the visual arts available in America.  She chose to work in The United States so that her work would have a wider berth.  “The formation I received in my homeland, Spain, was more focused on independent films and Spanish-formatted TV, not so much intended for platforms. Although I still have a huge love for those kinds of projects, I was very curious about American TV and films from a young age. I came to the United States to do an MFA in Screenwriting and expose my storytelling to new formats and a bigger industry. The networking aspect and the opportunities that this country brings were also elements that made me want to take my writing a step further and move to Los Angeles.”

The wonderful thing about being a writer is that your physical location in relation to the work that you do is usually irrelevant.  Luckily for Ms. Perpina, Barcelona and America don’t have to have a tug of war over where she will be located for work. She has plenty to share with both places and many more. “I came to Los Angeles right after graduating university from back in Barcelona. So almost all my work experience at the time had been within student projects or internships where I felt very safe to grow creatively. My main work in my homeland, that’s still going on to this day, has been a development deal with a production company from Barcelona. The undergrad thesis script is currently being developed with Fosca Films where I serve as a creator and writer. Working in my homeland is something I take a lot of pride in, and I hope to keep doing it no matter the distance.”

Working in other countries from your own can present unique challenges in the form of red tape.  This creates delays and obstacles. “Hands down being from another country is the most difficult part of this business. A lot of times getting a job is hard because there’s a lot of paperwork involved and it’s inconvenient to deal with it. Being a woman might be challenging at times once you’re at the job but being a foreigner, more times than not prevents you from having one.”

Ms. Perpina recognizes the value of working on diverse projects.  Versatility will put her in greater demand as a writer.  She can pivot from multiple genres such as horror and romance easily because she takes to time familiarize herself with the critical aspects of each genre.  She also finds that research is paramount.  “A project should be compelling regardless of the genre, the length of the piece, or who’s involved in it. Having to adapt to various genres keeps me on my toes and challenges me to make the best out of any story. Research is a big part of being versatile in screenwriting. Knowing why the story I’m telling has a specific genre attached to it gives me the structure and guidelines I need to follow. Immersing myself with references allows me to understand how I should communicate a story within the genre.”

Ms. Perpina has no shortage of upcoming projects in which she will be wearing multiple hats.  She is a smart and savvy artist open to learning, growing, and working hard.  “I’m currently working on various projects that are in the development phase. I’m the writer for the season one finale of Godlike Gaming, with talks of season 2 already happening. I have multiple shoots in the next few months of shorts I’ve helped write, and I’m also going to be a script supervisor in them. My work as a Jr. Agent and Head of Development at the Jackson Agency will have me creating and shopping projects in the months to come as well.”