Stories + how it feels to tell them.
Script Editing · Development Consultancy · Creative Coaching
I work with writers, producers, and creative people to make the work that matters to them.
I develop projects from both sides: understanding what a project needs creatively and commercially, and making the story as strong as it can be, as well as understanding what helps the person telling it do their best work.
Stories + how it feels to tell them is the thread running through all of my work.
I care about why you want to tell your story, and how it feels telling it, as much as how it's working on the page.
I've spent my career helping people make stories work.
For more than a decade, I've worked across scripted TV and film development, commissioning, and production. I’ve worked at the BBC, Channel 4, Amazon, the BFI, Paramount Television Studios International, and with independent producers and writers across the industry.
I've worked with writers and filmmakers at all stages, from emerging to established talent, developing stories and helping people challenge, refine, and strengthen their ideas without losing what makes them distinctive.
Alongside my development work, I'm a qualified Transformational Coach. I've increasingly brought the two sides of my experience together: understanding what makes the work stronger, and understanding what helps the person making it do their best work.
Script Editing & Development
For Writers
What does this project need to be, and what do you want to say through it?
Whether you're working on a TV pilot, feature, short film, treatment, outline, or something in between, I can help you develop the project and find the strongest creative and commercial version of it.
I work with writers at every stage, from emerging writers developing their first scripts to established professionals working on commissioned, funded, or passion projects.
My job isn't simply to tell you what's working and what's not. It's to get underneath the project with you: to understand what you're trying to say, challenge the things that aren't working, and help you find the version of the story that feels both strong and distinctly yours.
For Producers
What does this project need to be, and how do we make it stand out?
Having worked across commissioning, development, and global studios, I understand the creative and commercial questions that need to be answered as a project develops.
I work with producers on individual projects and across slates, bringing an experienced editorial perspective to ideas, treatments, scripts, and projects at different stages of development.
Sometimes you need someone to come in and really interrogate a project: what's the strongest version of this idea? What's missing? What's not quite landing? What's the most compelling proposition?
Sometimes you need a fresh pair of eyes on a script, or an additional development brain to help you work out what it needs next.
And sometimes you need someone who can hold both the creative ambition and the commercial reality of a project at the same time.
Every project is different, and so is the support it needs. Whether you're developing a funded project, working with a production company, or self-financing, I offer a range of options to suit different stages of development and different budgets, including one-off development sessions, script editing, and ongoing editorial support.
Please get in touch to discuss your project and I'll recommend the approach that best fits your needs. You can contact me directly, or through my agents, Kelly Knatchbull and Eva Bell at Sayle Screen.
Testimonials
I worked with Jess at a point in my project where I knew where I wanted to go and was struggling to truly execute getting there. Jess’ feedback was patient and generous and never prescriptive and I always felt that we were going to get there eventually. She is thoughtful and kind and also truly hilarious. The support Jess gave me was vital in getting me to a place where I was confident with and excited by script again and I now spend a lot of my time telling other writers to work with her too.
— Zoe Alker, Writer/DirectorJess is one of my favourite people to work with. She's clear-sighted, straight-talking and forward-thinking, and is always full of enthusiasm and creative energy. But more importantly still, Jess creates and holds a genuinely safe space in which to explore complex or personal ideas. She's a fierce champion and a huge amount of fun.
— Jess Ruston, Writer (Geek Girl, Harlots, Catch Me A Killer)Creative Coaching
What do you need in order to make the work you care about?
Maybe you're a professional writer or filmmaker who knows what you want to do, but you're struggling to make the space, find the momentum, or work through something that's holding you back.
Maybe you've always wanted to write, but life got in the way. You've got an idea you've been carrying around for years, but you've never quite managed to make the time or take the first step.
Or maybe you're simply craving more creativity in your life, and want to work out what that could look like.
I offer one-to-one coaching for writers, filmmakers, and creative people who want to understand what's getting in the way of their creative work, and find a way forward.
We might work on procrastination, self-doubt, creative blocks, perfectionism, confidence, difficult feedback, or the emotional realities of putting something you've made into the world. If you're developing an idea, I can also be a creative sounding board, helping you test an idea, talk through possibilities, and work out what you want to make and where to take it.
Sometimes the work is about getting started. Sometimes it's about getting unstuck. Sometimes it's about making space for creativity alongside work, family, and everything else life asks of you.
I've spent my career in the messy middle of making creative work, and I understand that process from the inside. I've worked with writers and filmmakers from emerging talent to established professionals, helping them develop their ideas, navigate difficult stages of development, and make their work stronger without losing what makes it distinctive.
I'm also a qualified Transformational Coach, and I bring that coaching training together with my experience in film and television development.
1:1 Creative Coaching
Six sessions · £570
Get in touch to book a free 15 minute Discovery Call.
Coaching Testimonials
“When I started working with Jess I had been through a lot of personal and professional change and it all seemed intertwined. I knew I wanted to keep moving forward but I didn’t know how. I felt tired and stuck. From the start Jess made me feel safe to talk, never put me on the spot and allowed me to find my voice. Each session I’ve always come away feeling like I understand something new, have greater clarity and feel more positive about the future. I’ve learned things I will always now carry with me”
— Writer, TV & Theatre“Jess is warm, honest and great at listening. Each session has been really valuable and allowed me to slow down from a hectic day or week and check in with myself. Working on the balance of work and life has actually made me more productive. Reminding myself to consider the ‘why’ more frequently has also been a result of the sessions and helps to put things into perspective!”
— Director, TV“My sessions with Jess have been an incredible support for me during a hugely challenging period in my career. They've provided me with a space to vocalise and process issues, be understood, and come away with practical tools to help implement positive changes in my life. It’s also been really beneficial to work with a coach who understands my industry and the process of my work - it’s made our sessions uniquely tailored. I’ve felt really understood.”
— Writer/Director, Feature FilmsResources
I write a regular Substack about screenwriting craft and navigating the emotional aspects of creating.