Gustin Nash
Encyclopedia
Gustin Nash is an American
screenwriter
best known for writing the 2007 film Charlie Bartlett
and the 2010 film Youth in Revolt.
when he was 26 years old and working at a mall in Burbank
, California
. He spent time with a group of teenagers through to thirty-year-olds—the "sub-culture of the mall"—watching films and playing video games, and noticed the discrepancies between the teenagers' behavior and the way they were portrayed in the teen film
s they saw. He had attended the University of Southern California
to learn screenwriting
and had already written nine as-yet unsuccessful spec script
s. He went to his father, a psychiatrist
, and told him that he was unsure of whether he could become a successful screenwriter in the film industry. His father advised him to create a list of everything he hoped to accomplish, and write next to each "You can do it". That night, he dreamed of a character who remained optimistic and whose mantra was "You can do it"; he says the entire film came to him in one night, and he had completed the Charlie Bartlett screenplay in four weeks after observing his teenage friends further for inspiration.
As Nash finished writing Charlie Bartlett, he read C. D. Payne's novel Youth in Revolt
for the first time. He wrote the screenplay for a film adaptation of the same name. He says that, writing the screenplay, he stayed as honest to the novel as possible besides changing the ending because he envied Payne's writing, saying jokingly, "Here was a chance to take credit for writing something that was much better than what I'd come up with on my own." He says he preferred adapting Youth in Revolt to writing Charlie Bartlett as he had source material, and in early 2008 he was working on a spec script based on a graphic novel series of short stories called Rumble, Young Man, Rumble, which he is in an agreement to direct as well. He is also working on another teen film to star Vince Vaughn
titled Career Day, based around a high school career day where adults visit the school to speak about their professions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
best known for writing the 2007 film Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular....
and the 2010 film Youth in Revolt.
Life and career
Nash began writing the screenplay for Charlie BartlettCharlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular....
when he was 26 years old and working at a mall in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He spent time with a group of teenagers through to thirty-year-olds—the "sub-culture of the mall"—watching films and playing video games, and noticed the discrepancies between the teenagers' behavior and the way they were portrayed in the teen film
Teen film
Teen films is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation...
s they saw. He had attended the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
to learn screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
and had already written nine as-yet unsuccessful spec script
Spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
s. He went to his father, a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, and told him that he was unsure of whether he could become a successful screenwriter in the film industry. His father advised him to create a list of everything he hoped to accomplish, and write next to each "You can do it". That night, he dreamed of a character who remained optimistic and whose mantra was "You can do it"; he says the entire film came to him in one night, and he had completed the Charlie Bartlett screenplay in four weeks after observing his teenage friends further for inspiration.
As Nash finished writing Charlie Bartlett, he read C. D. Payne's novel Youth in Revolt
Youth in Revolt
Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp is a 1993 epistolary novel by C. D. Payne. The story is told in a picaresque fashion and makes heavy use of black humor and camp...
for the first time. He wrote the screenplay for a film adaptation of the same name. He says that, writing the screenplay, he stayed as honest to the novel as possible besides changing the ending because he envied Payne's writing, saying jokingly, "Here was a chance to take credit for writing something that was much better than what I'd come up with on my own." He says he preferred adapting Youth in Revolt to writing Charlie Bartlett as he had source material, and in early 2008 he was working on a spec script based on a graphic novel series of short stories called Rumble, Young Man, Rumble, which he is in an agreement to direct as well. He is also working on another teen film to star Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
titled Career Day, based around a high school career day where adults visit the school to speak about their professions.