Tito’s Handmade Vodka for Dog People Announces Winter Story Summit Scholarships
For Best Inspirational Dog Manuscript
Jeff Arch, Academy Award nominated writer of Sleepless in Seattle and Iron Will, Disney’s dog-sledding movie, is mentoring the development of two Winter Story Summit Scholarship winners.
Two award recipients, one female and one male, will be chosen on the merits of writing the best inspirational dog manuscripts. The two talented writers are being scholarshipped by Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
“We know that some of the most powerful stories in the world are about a dog and their human,” says Elizabeth Bellanti, Program Manager, Tito’s Vodka for Dog People. “We are thrilled to encourage and develop two such dog stories with their gifted writers. We would love to see our winners find their way to the screen with the help of their award-winning writer, Jeff Arch.”
The Story Summit is conducted seasonally and attended by an international group of aspiring writers of all ages. The Summit elevates and engages talent in inspiring locations around the world. The Winter Story Summit will take place in the Caribbean in February, 2020. The Summer Story Summit will take place on a glacier tour in Alaska.
“I have nothing but admiration and full support for anyone who can write a dog story,” says Jeff Arch. “It’s an area where I’m totally useless — all my professionalism goes right out the window. I end up cradling my own dogs and crying over the day when they won’t be there anymore. So, the next best thing I can do is help someone else tell their story, and wish them all the luck in the world.”
The Tito’s Vodka for Dog People Scholarships will award the full tuition amount of the Winter Story Summit Tuition of $5500 to the winning writers. Applicants need to produce a writing sample upon entry. The manuscript needs to be at least 1500 words to qualify. It can be either fiction or non-fiction. It can be in the form of a short story, play, screenplay, novel, article or blog.
“Jeff Arch loves a good dog story because he is a huge dog-lover,” says David Kirkpatrick, Story Summit Founder and former President of Paramount Pictures. When David was Production Chief of Walt Disney Studios, he oversaw such dog classics as White Fang, Turner and Hooch, and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. “ People love dog stories. The Tito’s Vodka for Dog People Scholarships will provide the opportunity for fresh tales about dogs to be workshopped. We are grateful to Tito’s Handmade Vodka for providing this very special opportunity. ”
To learn more about the Tito’s Vodka for Dog People Scholarships, go here. To apply for the scholarships, go here.
Applications close Monday, December 2, 2019.
Story Summits refresh and inspire gifted writers in an immersive and inviting global setting. A stimulating community of successful writers guide Summit participants in completing writing projects, the goal being to launch scripts and novels as commercial products. Go here for more information on the summits.
Tito’s Vodka for Dog People Dogs have always been part of the family at Tito’s Handmade Vodka and have been a part of the company’s evolution. The vision of Tito’s Vodka for Dog People program is to better the lives of pets and their families far and wide.
