After four years of perpetual studying and persistence Stiles White walked away from Pepperdine as a man meant to pursue his passion for screenwriting. As a 1991 Seaver graduate White studied screenwriting and film throughout his college days and slowly sifted his way through various obstacles before finally opening the door to Hollywood.
White co-wrote the Nicolas Cage thriller “Knowing” with his wife Juliet Snowden which was released on March 20. He and Juliet specialize in horror science fiction and super-natural genres – the subject matter that eventually led them through the screenwriting field with which their names and writing style have since become synonymous.
“The first project we ever sold was a ghost story (‘The Waiting’) we had set up by (director) Wes Craven White said. We’ve gotten into the remake trend which seems to be happening a lot lately. We’ve done some work at Universal Pictures and wrote a remake of ‘The Birds.’ Right now we just finished a script remake for ‘The Poltergeist.'”
Since his graduation White has honed his skills and passion for the written word although his interest for the big screen began during his teenage years.
“When I was in high school I wanted to make films he said. I was lucky enough to have a group of friends where someone had a home video camera and we would make up a story … When you don’t have a great story and you’re young … you’re kind of imitating your favorite films.”
As the years passed and White’s knowledge of the mechanics of screenwriting developed his talent grew accordingly.
“When I got into college at Pepperdine … it started to make sense that these movies are written a certain way with a certain structure he said. I learned what a screenplay needs to be to become a blueprint to a movie. That’s when it really clicked for me at Pepperdine.”
White said his professors greatly impacted him during his college career.
“My screenwriting professor was a writer named David Gerrold he said. He was the right teacher at the right moment in my life who made it make sense for me. His class was a huge moment for me in college.”
In addition to his screenwriting class White enrolled in Great Books and took an elective course in film both with professor Michael Gose. He said the Sunday night film class helped him analyze movies and their stories through a different paradigm than he had before.
“It was a way for me to think about film on a deeper level than just watching something eating popcorn and having a good time he said. The class was for analyzing these stories deeper and understanding what made them work – what would make audiences respond in a certain way. It took a lot of effort.”
Gose who has been teaching at Pepperdine for over 20 years said the classes both revealed skill and potential in White.
“What both classes had in common was an emphasis on working with ideas which Stiles has done extremely well in his screen writing career he said. I especially appreciate how he can write an exciting and marketable script that is well-founded in ideas.”
After working under knowledgeable professors and through challenging courses White began his uphill journey toward the peak of success.
“I always had ideas for stories and I felt like once I studied the format I had the inside secret on how I could work my way into the film business White said. I just kept at it and writing scripts until I had a script good enough to open some doors for me.”
White has made his journey from an ambitious young student to a thriving talented writer. His dedication passion and creativity have led him down a rushing river full of riveting opportunities.
“Stiles was obviously going to be a huge success Gose said. [He had] strong family support strong character and intelligence excellent work ethic coupled with patient ambition grace under fire … He has the rare combination of being extremely creative and level headed.”