This interview is with Monte Albers de Leon, Screenwriter, Attorney at The Parables.

Monte Albers de Leon, Screenwriter, Attorney, The Parables

Can you tell us about your journey from corporate attorney to screenwriter and producer? What inspired this significant career change?

It was a dare, really. I had been a corporate attorney, practicing in Manhattan for 22 years at the time, and quite convinced that would be the end of my bio, when late one night, in August of 2023, I got into a very heated discussion with my best friend over the future of AI and its effect on humanity’s better nature. He’s a bit of a curmudgeon, and was adamant that AI spelled the end of humankind’s sense of individuality, goodness, and that we were consigned to a future as mindless zombies devoid of any redeeming qualities.

I’m a bit more of an optimist, and took the other argument, explaining that we as a species have faced pretty tough times before, and made it through the other side, and that even if AI did cause the apocalypse, and even if it were experienced by every type of human, even if it were to occur to The Breakfast Club, and even if The Breakfast Club had the worst jobs in the world, even if they worked for Amazon in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, they would still find a way to do the right thing.

I was so convinced my argument was right I took out my iPhone and opened up my Notes app for the first time and jotted down my allegory so that the next day at the breakfast table the rest of the houseguests would hear it and tell me I was right; I did and they did, but they also told me that was a hilarious story and I should write a movie about it. Ten weeks later the first draft of my first script, “Good,” was completed. Two years later I am on draft 16, it has won over 160 international awards, and is currently under production to be made into a major motion picture.

How has your background in law influenced your approach to filmmaking and storytelling?

Research. I have always been one of those audience members who scrutinize the authenticity of a movie’s storyline. Could this happen? Does the flow make sense? Would this follow in real life? When I found myself the storywriter, I gave myself no less scrutiny; if anything, I was a more harsh critic, determined to pass the test of the most scrupulous film student. This is where my law background proved invaluable. Decades of constant legal research translated seamlessly into checking, then double-checking the background, characters, and details of my stories to make them not only come alive for the audience, but breathe authenticity so well, such that the viewer can feel themselves up there on the screen.

You’ve mentioned writing a screenplay that defends humanity’s better nature through dark comedy and sci-fi. Can you share more about how you balance these elements in your work?

No one likes to be preached at or lectured to. It’s not entertaining, and it’s not why people go to the movies. People do, however, like to be inspired. If you can tell them a story through entertainment, show them thrills, humor, and wonder on the screen, and through that demonstration show them something about the human condition they didn’t even know they had been desperate for, then you can move the human spirit while they thank you for the experience.

As the founder of Drop a Piano Productions, how do you ensure diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords but integral to your company’s creative process?

By showing the audience themselves. People don’t go to the movies to be beat over the head with the words “diversity” and “inclusion.” It’s patronizing, and, again, it’s not entertaining. But seeing an AAPI person be the hero? The sexy person wear glasses? The smart person be blonde? These things are possible on the screen because they are possible in life. And by simply reflecting life back at them, the audience can leave the theater a little more secure that life is just fine the way it is.

Can you share a specific challenge you faced when transitioning from law to the film industry, and how you overcame it?

Money.

Screenwriting takes a lot of time and focus, and that is time and focus away from legal practice, which brings in revenue—which screenwriting initially does not. Having a plan to be able to weather that transition was crucial to be able to make the transition possible. I needed to have money saved. I needed to split my time wisely. And most importantly, I needed to have contingency forms of income to supplement my legal income should the transition take longer than I anticipated. Taking on contract work, short-term assignments, even gig work became necessary to allow myself the flexibility to continue my screenwriting until it became a source of revenue itself.

What’s one unconventional piece of advice you’d give to aspiring screenwriters or producers looking to break into the industry?

Talk to everybody. Your big break is in no way only going to come from someone you know directly in the industry. I met the producers who are producing my script through a friend of mine who is a partner at a legal compliance firm. It really can be that random. Throw the net as wide as you can. You never know where opportunity will come up.

How do you approach the business side of filmmaking, particularly when it comes to funding and marketing independent projects?

I set up as many pitches as I can with producers and financiers, and make sure my pitch is in great shape. I invest in a line budget in two locations, so that investors can have an idea of what the movie will cost to make. Lastly, I get an idea from producers how much they are willing to invest.

In your experience, how has the rise of streaming platforms and AI affected the film industry, and how are you adapting your production strategies?

Streamers have affected the industry tremendously, from how much film is made to the type and format, and also the budget. I am always mindful of how my work can be tailored to or adjusted to fit a streamer’s needs. AI is a bit different, in that it can cut costs and production time, but also reduce the quality of the film. I am still a bit resistant to tailoring toward AI at this time.

Looking back on your career transition, what’s one thing you wish you had known when you first started in the film industry, and how can others learn from your experience?

I wish I had been told to always check the background of whoever approaches you to invest. The initial financier who approached to potentially invest in my film convinced me to invest in another film in order to purportedly secure the interest of that film’s producers and instead absconded with the money. I am still in the process of fighting for that money back and would have preferred a much less painful lesson.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Don’t be timid. If you believe you have the talent and have been putting off making this change, the only thing waiting longer will gain you is regret. Knowing you gave it a shot is far more valuable.