Netflix, Hallmark & Holiday Hits: Cara J. Russell on Selling Holiday Movies

Stream Panther Exclusive with Cara J. Russell — Screenwriter & MPCA Vice President of Development & Production

In this episode, we sit down with Cara J. Russell, the powerhouse behind dozens of beloved holiday films and the author of Make Your Script Sellable.

As Vice President of Development & Production at MPCA, Cara shares her journey from writing her first Christmas movie to creating hits like Twas the Text Before Christmas and The Knight Before Christmas.

She opens up about:

• Navigating the SAG-AFTRA writers strike

• Selling scripts to streamers like Netflix and Hallmark

• Crafting high-stakes rom-coms and holiday movies

• Writing routines, deadlines, and the business of emotions

• How writers can actually sell their scripts — even without big connections

Whether you're an aspiring screenwriter or a fan of heartwarming holiday films, this episode is filled with valuable lessons, insider knowledge, and festive cheer.

TIME STAMPS

00:00 Coming Up

02:17 Introduction

05:01 What's cooking for Christmas

06:06 SAG AFTRA Writers Strike

08:00 How Cara Started Writing Christmas Movies ?

10:02 Cara's First Movie

12:12 Why Rom-Com & Feel-Good ?

14:16 Movie Writing & deadline 

17:04 Screenwriting Routine

23:27 Selling Christmas Scripts to Streaming Platforms

24:16 Christmas on The Windmill Way

27:03 Merritt Patterson

28:00 Twas Text before Christmas 

31:50 The Knight Before Christmas

36:21 How To Make Your Scripts Sellable ?

46:33 Work Structure in MPCA 

47:38 AI in Hollywood

51:33 Rapid Fire

57:20 Thank You Cara!

Tags

Cara J Russell
MPCA
Christmas movies
holiday rom com
Netflix originals
Hallmark movies
screenwriting tips
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romantic comedy
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