Education: I was an English Major at Dartmouth College and went to NYU Tisch School of the Arts for my MFA. The truth is I never took my NYU diploma out of the tube until I became a professor. When I was growing up I thought I’d be a librarian and never dreamed I’d one day be a screenwriter.
Courses Taught: I’m fairly new to teaching and the courses I’ve taught all have the word script or screenwriting in them. “Writing the R-Rated Comedy Script” was the first course I ever taught and it was also the only time I ever co-taught with my F**@* husband! Teaching screenwriting is all about character and structure. If my life is like a script, I’m in the second act and I’m going through a transformation.
Taken at Labrador Mountain. One of the reasons I don’t miss living in Los Angeles is my proximity to local ski areas. I try to ski every Thursday. Hence my love for the M W F schedule.
Juliet Aires Giglio
Assistant Professor
Juliet Giglio's original screenplay, Pizza My Heart was released as an ABC Family orginal TV movie in 2005.
Favorite writers and screenwriters:
Novels: Anything by Anna Quindlen but One True Thing is still my favorite. Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger was proof that some books just shouldn’t be made into movies - even Eric Bana couldn’t save it. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahira made me want to go to India. Expecting Adam by Martha Beck is a great story about motherhood. Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray is a fun paperback and has the best cake recipes I’ve ever found. After compiling this list, I realized it’s completely female centric which doesn’t shock me as I had a strong mother figure and I now have two daughters.
My favorite screenwriters are mostly male which isn’t surprising because in 2013, 90% of the top 250 films were written by men. Women fare better in television, where in 2013, 28% of the shows were written by women. Favorite feature writers include Ganz & Mandel (anything funny in the 80’s and 90’s was written by them but my favorites are CITY SLICKERS, SPLASH and PARENTHOOD), Nora Ephron (HARRY MET SALLY), William Goldman (PRINCESS BRIDE) and his book, Adventures in the Screen Trade and last but not least, Ernest Lehman (SOUND OF MUSIC).
Miscellany: After twenty years of living a half mile from the Pacific Ocean, I’m drawn to all things water. I like all winter and water sports including skiing, ice skating, kayaking, and women’s crew. Just don’t take me fishing. Traveling is my favorite activity during breaks even if it’s just to NYC. In my next life, I’m going to be a party planner.
If you’re looking for advice on writing a script to get you to a warmer place or wondering where to live in Los Angeles, talk to Professor Giglio.
Click here to be taken to Professor Giglio's official SUNY Oswego faculty page.
Juliet Giglio's was a story consultant for the 1999 Walt Disney's animated feature, Tarzan.
