Interview with Greg Wayne: From Ryerson to the Black List (twice)

Wayne grew up in Toronto and attended Ryerson University (Radio and Television Arts). He says the program allowed students to customize their media focus and that it attracted him as a strong media curriculum. After Ryerson he continued training, winning a screenwriting fellowship at AFI, a two-year program that followed other early career steps.

Early career: small TV, voice work, sketch

His first professional writing was for a Canadian late-night show called The Week Show on Bite TV, a low-budget environment where he and one other writer created episodes for host Matt Chin. Wayne also worked as a voice actor—at one point voicing a Captain Morgan rum campaign—and studied sketch writing, including courses tied to Second City. He experimented with standup early on and credits a range of starts for sharpening his comedic and storytelling instincts.

The Quest, travel, and scripts born of experience

Wayne attended Scott Myers' 24-week online screenwriting program The Quest, after which he took a three-month backpacking train trip through Europe. That trip became the basis for a screenplay inspired by true events but "highly exaggerated," a creative approach Wayne used to mine personal experience for dramatic material.

Lords of the Dance (2025): This is the script that landed Wayne on the 2025 Black List. The interview highlights Lords of the Dance as his most recent Black List selection, though the conversation focuses more on career context and origins than plot specifics.

Suicide 21 and other industry steps

Wayne wrote a feature called Suicide 21 which was optioned after a connection at the Austin Film Festival. The option did not lead to production, but Wayne describes the experience as valuable for learning how development and collaboration work in practice. His pathway includes networking at festivals and working with small production companies.

Practical takeaways for screenwriters

The conversation is a reminder that a screenwriter's trajectory can include non-linear steps—voice work, sketch, low-budget TV, international travel, formal fellowships—and that each can contribute distinct tools for writing material that attracts industry attention.