‘Hoosiers’ author returns home to Bloomington

Oscar-nominated screenwriter and producer Angelo Pizzo learned to make movies in a vicarious way, reading more than 1,000 scripts before writing his first.

“After six years I realized I envy the people who are out doing it,” Pizzo said. “So I went out and wrote ‘Hoosiers.’”

Pizzo, who also wrote the sports-underdog movie “Rudy,” spoke to students about his career Monday night at the Indiana Memorial Union.

The Career Development Center and Arts and Sciences Career Services sponsored the event, which drew about 25 people. Pizzo spoke for about an hour, including questions from the audience.

Pizzo grew up in Bloomington and graduated from IU with a degree in political science. Two years later he attended film school at the University of Southern California. He said his break came when he filled out a questionnaire on campus.

“They asked me to be a contestant on a game show,” Pizzo said. “They paid $5 a show. After the show, I was asked to go to work writing questions for the game show.”

Pizzo said he made connections through the show and landed an internship for the final season of the Mary Tyler Moore show.

Wes Erwin, senior assistant director for employer relations at the center, said it put together a program called “Art Works,” which connects students with professionals in creative industries.

“Basically, we invite speakers on our own,” he said. “I’m a big fan of Pizzo’s work. The point of the event is to hear career paths from industries that aren’t usually hit on in other networking nights.”

From someone he met at the internship, Pizzo received an opportunity to become a producer’s assistant and dropped out of film school to pursue the career.

Books about writing screenplays get in the way, Pizzo said. If people want to be writers or directors, they should just go do it.

“If you’re trying to write three-dimensional characters, then the best kind of writing comes from the inside out,” he said.

Pizzo said his writing process is all screwed up.

“Usually, I’m tortured when I’m writing,” he said. “A friend once said, ‘How did my life turn into a perpetual term paper due?’”

Pizzo said he is mostly hired now to write scripts. Pizzo said four of five of his closest friends edit them and then he sends them to the person who hired him.

“My feeling’s the same after every script,” he said. “I’m terrified.”

Junior Candace Tickle said she was impressed with his talk and did not expect Pizzo to advise students to go out and make movies.

“That’s the best way to get it seen,” she said. “I used to write, and now I want to go home and start up again.”