more about Steve
writer • coach • producer • actor
First, let’s talk about you…
You want to be writing. Right now.
I get that. I respect it.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful things a human being can do. Writers shed light on the human condition and teach us who we are. Whether you are interested in plays, TV scripts, web series material or screenplays, you’re in it to make a difference.
(And get some attention. And get paid.)
Trust me, having a viable writing career is possible.
I have faith in you. You’re here because you know that crafting compelling writing is one of your superpowers (or you know that you want it to be).
But you also know that, in the craziness of the day-to-day world, there are all sorts of obstacles that prevent you from getting the guidance and maintaining the focus that you need in order to create your best work.
True, only you can make your writing happen. Yet even though writing is a solitary task, if you could do it alone – by sheer force of will – you’d be doing it. Now.
More truth: This writing thing has been done before. There are accomplished, professional writers out there who have made their mark and are still at it. They are smart and talented.
But so are you.
What’s the difference, then, between you and the successful award-winners?
Practice.
Focus.
Support.
Stamina.
Networking.
And savvy knowledge about how the business really works.
Those things are not beyond your reach!
I’ve been writing for decades and coaching for fourteen years. I’ve watched many of my clients “go pro.” People I’ve worked with now are on the writing staffs of network and streaming shows, and creating their own projects for theater and film. They are consulting on movie projects, producing their own plays, writing books, and running a theater company. One is winning international awards for her web series. My favorite people to work with are flexible, outside-the-box thinkers, who are willing to try things and lean into the process in a whole new way.
My mission is to get you writing like you’ve never written before.
Now, some history
I was trained as an actor (and I still love acting).
Acting is a unique way to bring my whole self into artistic expression: using the physical, the emotional and spiritual to give life to a story. I’ve been fortunate to do it at the highest levels: in movies like the Oscar nominated Chico and Rita, on TV shows like Law & Order SVU, in theatre on major American stages like The Guthrie. I studied acting at the A.R.T. Institute at Harvard and I’ve learned to do it professionally and well.
But at the end of the day, I always felt like I was chasing that next job.
Always holding out my hand and hoping to be picked. There was always some other actor of my age and type who could be chosen instead. The odds were not in my favor. At times it felt devastating to lose out on a part I really wanted.
In between acting gigs I started writing.
It began as an experiment – a way to dream up and brainstorm what I’d like to see onstage, as an antidote to not having work and to all the “sub-par” material that I’d come across. I realized immediately how fun it was – how much I was learning about dramatic structure and character. I gained new respect for writers and I learned how to set my routine – and show up at the page – diligently and with focus.
Then it started taking on a life of its own.
I began having actors read my stuff… then I had a public reading… and I found my way to workshops and classes. Eventually I had a production of my work. And then another. I was accepted into the playwriting school at Juilliard and honed my craft further. After graduation, I landed an agent and started taking meetings for TV staff writing jobs in Los Angeles. Then I was chosen as part of an elite group to participate in the CBS Writers Mentoring Program. Then I got an actual job writing on a TV show.
My entire creative career changed.
I am currently a Co-Executive Producer on a brand new CBS drama called Tracker which will premiere in 2024. I recently completed Co-Executive Producer duties on CW’s Stargirl. I served as one of the Producers on God Friended Me on CBS. Prior to that I was Co-Producer on the thriller Tell Me Your Secrets on Amazon Prime. I’ve written on ABC’s Emmy winning series American Crime, created by John Ridley. I wrote for two seasons on the TV series Covert Affairs (USA Network). I also created my own web series, Send Me, which premiered on BET.com and can now be seen on YouTube. We won several awards, were an official selection at 8 festivals and we got an Emmy Nomination. I have been pitching my own show ideas to networks, producing my own projects, and acting as well.
My knowledge about what works on the page (and in this industry) continues to increase and one of my favorite things to do is to share this knowledge with creatives, like yourself – to raise your game as a writer and change the trajectory of your life and career.
My professional bio:
STEVE HARPER, an award-winning writer/actor/producer/director, has guided the development of thousands of writers (professional and aspiring) since he began coaching in 2008.
A graduate of Yale, the A.R.T. program at Harvard, the playwriting program at Julliard, and the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, Steve is also a certified Creativity Coach who specializes in working with professional and aspiring dramatic writers. He’s run workshops in New York, L.A. (and in-between) on a variety of subjects, including: TV writing and playwriting, getting and working with agents, maintaining a positive attitude, and establishing a creative flow. Steve received his coach certification through The Creativity Coaching Association and is a certified Co-Leader with the international non-profit The Mankind Project. In addition to facilitating his own workshops and classes, Steve has taught for The UCLA Extension School, The Harvardwood Writers Group, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Young Playwrights and The Creative Gym. He has been a guest speaker at Savannah College of Art & Design, USC’s Annenberg School, Georgia Southern University, The University of Montavallo, Loyola Marymount University and Drexel University’s summer session in L.A.
Steve is Co-Executive Producer on Tracker, a new CBS drama. He was Co-Executive Producer on season 3 of DC’s Stargirl and served as a Producer on God Friended Me. Steve previously wrote for the thriller Tell Me Your Secrets (AMAZON PRIME). And wrote on the final season of ABC’s American Crime created by Oscar Winner John Ridley. Steve spent two seasons writing for the USA Network show Covert Affairs. His original web series Send Me, (about black woman who can send black people back in time to the period of slavery) was nominated for an Emmy in 2016. It can currently be found on YouTube. Steve wrote, acted and Executive Produced along with Tony winner Sara Ramirez (And Just Like That). The series stars Tracie Thoms (Emmy nominee for this role), Gabrielle Carteris (We Own This City), Jerrika Hinton (Hunters), Jasika Nicole (The Good Doctor), Carlease Burke (Dave) and the late Nelsan Ellis (True Blood).
Steve’s plays have been produced and developed by Georgia Southern University, Classical Theater of Harlem, Vivid Stage, New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage & Film, Theater Project (NJ), Freedom Train Productions, Sacred Fools, New Professional Theatre, Summer Play Festival/Naked Angels, Tribeca Theatre Festival, The American Theatre Company (Chicago), Falcon Theatre, Malibu Playhouse and Celebration Theatre (LA). His plays include: Snow [Black Man. White out conditions.], Princeton Theory, Black/Out Stories, The Escape Artist’s Children, Urban Rabbit Chronicles, How to Teach the Civil War, First Encounter, and Actual Cost (Juilliard /100th Anniversary: published by The Kenyon Review Online). His collection: A Few Short Plays to Save the World was published by Laughing Panda Press and won a 2023 Independent Press Award.
As an actor, Steve has appeared in theatre (The Guthrie, Kennedy Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, Williamstown) on national TV (The Arsenio Hall Show, Law & Order SVU, 90210, Rescue Me, Homicide) and in film (Chico & Rita, Broadway’s Finest, Dark September Rain).
In addition to blogging on yourcreativelife.com, Steve has written articles for a variety of publications including Huffington Post Black Voices, The Good Men Project, and Medium.com.
Awards include the Artistic Achievement Award (Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale), Millennium Telly Award, Le Compte du Nouy prize at Juilliard (two-time recipient), a MacDowell NEA fellowship and two Yaddo fellowships.
