Meet Michael Begg – Paulist Productions Scholarship Recipient

Michael Begg earned a master’s degree in Communications and English from the University of New Orleans and teaches writing and literature at the high school and college level while pursuing a screenwriting career. When Hurricane Katrina left New Orleans a shambles in 2005, recovery efforts benefitted from a transition school of over 1500 high school students from 14 different schools that was formed under Begg’s leadership. It became the largest home for displaced students in the history of the United States.

After an exhaustive rebuilding period, Begg stepped away from school administration to focus on his passion for screenwriting. He studied under the tutelage of Prof. Richard Walter, Chair of the screenwriting department at UCLA. At the same time, he drew upon Katrina experiences to write THE MILK ROUTE.

Begg is an award-winning screenwriter with seven feature-length screenplays written to date. THE MILK ROUTE was a Quarterfinalist in the Nicholl Fellowship Screenwriting Competition and an Official Selection at the Richmond International Film Festival, Sacramento International Film Festival, Peachtree Village International Film Festival, and Reno Tahoe International Film Festival. His scripts have either won, placed, or been selected in the following contests: Mountain Film Festival, Yosemite International Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Awareness Festival, Denver Film Festival, Oaxaca FilmFest, and Austin Film Festival.