When they have time off, many service members exercise, take classes, volunteer, or find other ways to better themselves or their surroundings. Others catch up on sleep, watch movies, play video games or communicate with loved ones back home, as a way to recuperate from their stressful occupation. Air Force Capt. Eric Koenig chose to write screenplays during his spare time. And his hobby proved to be a highly lucrative undertaking.
Koenig is a dental flight commander attached to the 412th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, out of Edwards Air Force Base near Lancaster, California. For the last few years, he has been spending his free time writing screenplays.
This year, on Veterans Day, Capt. Koenig was contacted by Paramount Pictures concerning the purchase of one of his works. The studio offered the military officer/screenwriter an undisclosed mid-six-figure sum for a script titled “Matriarch.” The story is about a female serial killer and her prison psychologist. The psychologist is attempting to uncover information that would reveal the location of the prisoner’s final victim. The tension is heightened by the ticking clock of the serial killer’s upcoming execution. Capt. Koenig likened the feel of the story to a “Silence of the Lambs” and other dark and violent thrillers that he, himself, enjoys.
The Air Force captain turned Hollywood writer does not have any formal training in screenwriting. He said that he learned how to write and format screenplays by reading books on the subject.
The script received notice through a Launch Pad contest on a Hollywood insider information website. Koenig’s “Matriarch” made it to the top 25, which drew the attention of a marketing team, including an agent, a manager and an entertainment lawyer, who brought the script to the studio.
The purchase of the script does not guarantee that it will be made into a motion picture. But the money that Koenig received from the sale is his, either way. Which begs the question- what are you doing with your off time?
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Military Connection: USAF Officer Sells Screenplay: By Debbie Gregory
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