Badass Beat Boards™ began with a single product designed specifically for screenwriters. But the company’s core mission is to help all writers save time and stay focused --whether they’re writing novels or business proposals. When co-founders Penelope Poole and Michael Midis met and swapped scripts in a Facebook screenwriting group early pandemic, their discussions resulted in the first product of
its kind to help screenwriters better visualize their stories using their preferred outlining structure. The Toolkit
What evolved over the next several months was a comprehensive toolkit, with plentiful choices to fit every writer’s preference. The core elements in the kit are:
A portable, flexible magnetic whiteboard with indicative printing for elements such as the project title and logline, scene cards, characters wheels, and our proprietary ‘What If?’ idea cards. Transparent overlays for the writer’s preferred outlining system to visualize their key story beats;
More than 150 reusable magnetic cards and set pieces to note and rearrange plot points, beats, sequences, turning points, Acts, jot down key dialogue, set ups, payoffs, character arcs, story twists, and bullet-point their scenes;
A package of reusable vinyl stickers for different story structures;
A deck of proprietary brainstorming cards to help stimulate the creative juices;
A detailed ‘how to’ guidebook with instructions and ideas to help screenwriters use the tools effectively. The toolkit had to contain everything the screenwriter would need to get started immediately, with everything at their fingertips. Some items included in the system for convenience are:
A set of quality wet-erase markers, a special eraser, squeegee, and spray bottle. An organizing tray made from biodegradable material. The Resource-Rich Website
The next step was to build a dynamic website that curates the top screenwriting educational videos, articles, blogs, books, and other resources, to save research time for new and emerging screenwriters. We also wanted to collaborate with screenwriting experts and industry professionals through guest blogs. Next-stage growth includes expanding these resources, first to novel writers, then biographers, etc. The Communities
To augment the resources and educational aspect of our mission, and in keeping with the company’s collaborative spirit, we started building social media communities around our core solution: storytelling outlines, beat boards, and planning tools. Filmmaking is a particularly cooperative and synergistic art form, which begins long before the page, with an idea and an outline. Screenwriters are often helpful to those less experienced. There are many excellent discussion forums, and we share those in our groups. But Badass Beat Boards™ is the first to share experience and learning around outlining -- what many perceive as a critical step to screenwriting and other storytelling. Non-competitive by design
Finally, we created Badass Beat Boards™ as a resource to consolidate everything about screenwriting that took us years to learn. We wanted to share the quality gems and mentors we’ve found along our way. Our near term vision: to become the premier one-stop-shop for any aspiring screenwriter to find the quality educational materials they need to perfectly hone their craft.
