Diablo Cody
After completion of her book, Cody was encouraged by Mason Novick to write her first screenplay. Within months she wrote "Juno", a coming-of-age story about a teenager's unplanned pregnancy. The Jason Reitman-directed comedy stars Ellen Page and Michael Cera.
Michael Cimino
Born in New York City, he graduated from Yale University in 1963 and began his career filming commercials. He moved to Los Angeles to take up screenwriting in 1971. After co-writing the script of "Magnum Force" and "Silent Running" he wrote the preliminary script "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot." Clint Eastwood read the script and sent it to his personal production company, which allowed Cimino to direct the film. After its success, Cimino co-wrote, directed, and produced the 1978 Academy Award-winning film "The Deer Hunter." His next film, "Heaven's Gate" (1980), proved to be a financial failure. Cimino directed four movies after "Heaven's Gate" and all of them failed commercially.