SCREENPLAY
Hangdog (2023)
Directed by Matt Cascella, Written by Jen Cordery
World Premiere: Provincetown International Film Festival
WINNER Audience Choice Best Narrative Feature New Hampshire Film Festival
Letterboxd “Watchlist This!”
Anxiety-riddled Walt embarks on a comic odyssey through Portland, Maine to retrieve his stolen dog before his girlfriend, Wendy, returns from her business trip, or risk losing them both.
3.5/4 Stars: “There isn’t a moment of Hangdog that isn’t enjoyable. ... The script... is part rom-com, part mystery, and all character-driven moments of life with all its comedy and drama and joy and sorrow. There’s not a false note played here.” – Richard Propes, The Independent Critic
In 2022, my husband, Matt, and I filmed our first narrative feature together. It was a massive undertaking, a love letter to each other and our new home city of Portland, Maine, and it wouldn't have been possible without the help and talent of so many incredible people, including (but NOT limited to):
Stars: Desmin Borges, Kelly O'Sullivan, Steve Coulter, Barbara Rosenblat, and Catherine Curtin
Producers: Alyssa Roehrenbeck, Patrick White
Cinematographer: Nathan Golon
Music By: Walter Martin
Production Designer: Claire DeLiso
Costume Designer: Ellie Stone
1st AD: Kate Alden
Hair & Makeup Department Head: Annie Johnson
Poster Design by Aleksander Walijewski
BRANDED | SCRIPT WRITING | STORY PRODUCING
A handful of samples of branded videos I wrote or story produced:
Client: Ancestry.com | ProdCo: Run Riot Films
Role: Writer/Producer
Client: Maine CDC | ProdCo: GoodFight Media
Role: Writer
Client: L'Oreal For Women in Science
ProdCo: Run Riot Films | Role: Writer
Client: Amazon| ProdCo: Run Riot Films
Role: Story Producer
humor writing
A handful of samples:
"This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and retrieved the ball then? I was clearly struggling: my smiles were more and more forced (no, you can’t normally see my wisdom teeth) and I had turned an unhealthy shade of scarlet, which, in your defense, was probably mostly hidden by the aforementioned garments. And yet, you all just stood there, transfixed."
Featured in Vulture's Best Humor Writing of the Year
Reprinted in Reader's Digest
Recorded and published by Audible
Used to teach English in China (True story!)
"After a half hour and no response, though barely conscious and mostly blind, I managed to post my second comment: “No. Seriously. Help me. Dying.” Within two minutes, it had three “likes” and a response from Eric: “Ha! Your welcome.” I can’t even begin to express my many grievances with that response. It’s like you not only didn’t care that I was dying, you were going to spit in my face as I perished, with your awful grammar. (Note I didn’t write “literally” in front of that figurative statement.)"
"I’ve been there for all your big events: campaigning for class president, proms, graduations, job interviews, work presentations. Your mom and your dermatologist said it wouldn’t last, that you’d “grow out of it.” Well, here we are, 20 years later, proving them wrong!"
development + deck design
I have worked as a freelance development producer/writer and pitch deck designer for almost a decade. Here are a handful of samples of documentary series I have developed and/or designed the pitch decks for. To read them, get in touch and I can share a private link.
about JEN
Jen Cordery grew up in six countries, speaks four languages, holds two passports (UK/US), and is one-half Uruguayan.
She has written comedy for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Ancestry.com, and Audible; crafted scripts for L’Oreal, NFWF, and Amazon; and produced TV for Oprah, Rev Run, and MSNBC. In their “Best Humor Writing of the Year,” Vulture once said Jen’s writing “would make Paul Feig proud.” They also said, "Jen Cordery has the motor skills of a toddler and I find that hilarious."
HANGDOG is her first feature screenplay.
Jen lives in Portland, Maine with her husband, Matt, and their dog, Ollie, who elicits grotesque displays of affection from her.
While she awaits the inevitable fame and fortune that accompanies a low-budget indie film (that’s how it works, right?), she's open to writing jobs of all sorts.
Get in touch: jscordery {at} gmail {dot} com
