A Christmas movie set to air on Thursday was written by Creative Lab Hawaii, or CLH, alumnus Amy Bircher, CLH officials recently announced.
Bircher's screenplay “Rebuilding a Dream Christmas” was produced by American Cinema International and airs on Lifetime Network with the movie also being carried by streaming platforms Hulu, Fubo, Sling and Philo. A graduate fellow of the state of Hawaii’s Creative Lab Hawaii Screenwriting Immersive program in 2017, Bircher workshopped her holiday inspired screenplay with the help of Michael Palmieri, executive director and lead mentor for the CLH Media programs.
CLH is a workforce development program operated by the State of Hawaii’s Creative Industries Division, a division of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, or DBEDT.
“The confidence, skills and business knowledge I learned from Michael and the CLH program has provided me an incredible opportunity to stay in Hawaii while pursuing my passion as a screenwriter,” said Bircher, who was born and raised on Hawaii Island, in a statement. “CLH connected me to like-minded entrepreneurs, understanding how the business works, protecting my IP and networking opportunities thru major media markets like American Film Market. From business plan and pitch to eventually the acquisition of my work, I was able to become the writer I wanted to be.”
Bircher has previously completed two other Lifetime movies.
Launched to address a gap in business skills training for creative entrepreneurs, CLH was founded in 2012 to build industry mentorship and access to decision makers with a focus on expanding Hawaii’s creative talent, according to CLH officials.
“We are proud of the trajectory Amy has taken on her path and her commitment to writing while balancing her home life” said Georja Skinner, chief officer, Creative Industries, in a statement. “It is possible in today’s remote-work world to connect our creative to the mainstream music and entertainment industries globally, creating new revenue streams which were out of reach before.”
