Raves
“When I was deep in the writing pit, grasping at any semblance of order and reason, Will's insight enabled me to regain clarity and focus on what I was striving for. Often times he knew what I was trying to say before I did. If there's such a thing as a story therapist, Will Csaklos is it.”
— Andrew Stanton, 2-time Academy Award-Winning Writer/Director, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Dory
“Will is a gifted screenwriter with the rare ability to effectively articulate his craft."
— Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Feature Film Program, Sundance Institute
“Csaklos pushed, coaxed, and cajoled us towards a stronger, simpler version of our story. He pointed to weak areas and came up with real solutions. His concepts of structure and character helped us immeasurably in crafting and re-crafting our film.”
— Pete Docter, 3-time Academy Award-Winning Writer/Director, Inside Out, UP, Soul, Monsters, Inc.
"Will is not only a talented storyteller and screenwriter, but a teacher of rare insight with a sure grasp of the craft."
— Randi Mayem Singer, Screenwriter, Mrs. Doubtfire, Executive Producer & showrunner, Hudson Street, Jack & Jill
“I have known Will Csaklos for over thirty years. He is a uniquely talented storyteller, artist and analyst. He will take a story problem, figuratively hold it up to the light, squint at it for seeming hours, and ultimately see a solution that no one else has thought of. I love Will’s sense of humor and his humanity. I highly recommend him.”
— Lisa Bruce, Two-time Academy Award Best-Picture-Nominee & Bafta Award-Winning Producer, The Theory of Everything, The Darkest Hour
"There are hundreds of self-proclaimed “story gurus” pitching themselves as an invaluable resource to screenwriters. But let’s imagine for a moment that you wanted to become a better basketball player and were given the choice: Either train with one of thousands of athletes who’ve had a modicum of success playing high school basketball OR get one-on-one coaching from LeBron James. Which would you choose?
Will Csaklos is far and away the smartest, most intuitive and precise story “coach” I’ve worked with. Though many people have a solid understanding of story structure, Will’s knowledge goes far beyond anything I’ve seen. Put simply: He’s the best. He understands exactly what’s working and what’s not in a script and is able to communicate it all perfectly to the writer. He’s good. So good I would have a difficult time taking advice on my scripts from anyone else going forward."
— Jennifer Ruisch, Author, Faith and the City: A Girl's Search for Post-College Meaning, Screenwriter, Booked
“Creating an unscripted documentary is a huge challenge. Will Csaklos looked at our film in progress, found the weak links and gave us clear, usable solutions. We worked together seamlessly as a team and the true story came to fruition.
Will is the best story consultant I’ve worked with in my 30-year editing career.”
— Eli Olson, Emmy Award-Winning Editor My Flesh and Blood, Sam Cooke: Crossing Over, HBO Max’s Hi I'm Nancy Rubi
"Csaklos knows what he's doing. He can make anything you write better."
— Peter Coyote, Author, Actor, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, A Man in Love, Bitter Moon
"Will’s unique theories about what makes dramatic stories work are fresh, bold, and eminently practical. His original concept of Relational Dynamics is the cure to second act blues."
— Jeffrey Brown, Academy Award-Winning Writer, Producer, Director, Molly's Pilgrim, Dream With the Fishes, Sold. Two-time Emmy Award-Winning director, The Wonder Years
"Will’s the guy we go to for story help."
— Joe Ranft, Academy Award-Nominated Writer, Actor, Story Artist, The Lion King, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc.
"Will can get you to see what the missing piece–the missing link–is in your story so that it will all work when it's threatening not to."
— Erin Dignam, Director, Screenwriter, Land, Submergence, The Yellow Handkerchief
"At that point in the writing process when finishing what I started seemed as likely as parting the Red Sea, Will helped me through. His laser-like grasp of the story, brilliant suggestions and sense of humor kept me motivated and excited. I couldn't have done it without him."
— Elissa Van Poznak, Former Features Editor, Elle Magazine, London
"It has been such an incredible delight working with you to reshape our documentary Story & Pictures By.
Your sharp story insights were incredibly helpful at a critical juncture in the filmmaking process.
I deeply appreciate your generosity of time, passion, and guidance."
— Joanna Rudnick, Director/Producer Story & Pictures By, On Beauty, Hard Earned
"If Will works with you or for you, you’re guaranteed to find new paths into storytelling and specifically your particular project. His guidance takes a pretty good story and turns it into a great one, the kind that wins major awards."
— Joanna Perry-Folino, Screenwriter and Producer, Within Reach, The Silence of Bees
"Will understands story as well as anyone I've ever met, can see problems from a mile away, and make adjustments on the fly.
He's great to collaborate with. And did I mention funny?"
— Brian Leonard, Senior Writer/Director, LinkedIn Media
"Thanks for helping us make a great movie!"
— Lee Unkrich, 2-time Academy Award-Winning Director, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 3, Coco
"Your comments and ideas really helped me think through the story and envision what it could be in various formats. Your recommendation to create a compelling reason for the Warrior to go back to his people led to us having him wake to the sound of a conch shell calling him home and—wow!—it gave that scene and the entire film much more direction and purpose."
— Dean Hamer, Writer/Director, Aikane, Director, Out in the Silence, Kapaemahu, Co-Founder of Qwaves
“Will's work as script and story consultant helped my writing partner (Rachel Long) and I to finally crack the story structure of our epic sci-fi project."
— Brian Pittman, Screenwriter, Dawn Patrol, A Haunting at Silver Falls, Mechanic: Resurrection
"Will not only helped me with structure and pacing, he also helped bring out the warmth, humor, and humanity in my tale. He even contributed a few of my screenplay's best lines.
As a teacher, Will is kind, generous, and encouraging. He stepped out of his own world to inhabit mine, as well as the world of my main character. When he read my story, he made the effort to understand my vision and put aside any personal biases to help me on a very specific journey.
The whole structure of my story is stronger than ever. I made several changes after our last Zoom meeting and now the entire script is shorter tighter, and more effective. Thanks again for your time and generosity."
— Keith Hayes, Screenwriter, State College