Writer and indie filmmaker.
(Pretty good at it, too.)
Based in Phoenix, Arizona
tagg@taggwest.com
Hey, I'm Tagg. I write and develop fun, compelling, well-structured stories, and I've lately started producing them into short films, web series, or other formats.
I'm a marketing executive by day, with 25+ years of experience doing creative copywriting and content creation for a wide variety of clients, including Fortune 500 companies. I also spent several years as a technical writer, where I refined my ability to write clearly and precisely.
Over the years, I've consumed hundreds of books about the mechanics of screenwriting and fiction, giving me a solid foundation of plot structure, character development, and narrative themes.
I also have a solid background in video production, having done professional video work for clients as well as worked on a number of personal projects, including running multiple YouTube channels (including one about video production itself).
This dual background in creative writing and video production has naturally pulled me into indie filmmaking, where I exercise those skills to bring stories to life on screen.
Visit the JijiColony website »
JijiColony is an ongoing sci-fi web series about life on an interstellar colony ship as it travels on a one-way voyage to settle a new planet far from Earth.
Season 1: Crops are mysteriously dying aboard a colony ship during its one-way voyage to settle a distant planet, and one hydroponics engineer is determined to discover what’s happening before it’s too late to save the colony. The real answer turns out to be even worse than she could have imagined.
Season 2: Currently in pre-production. Shooting in April/May 2023.
Untitled short film: After leaving Earth, a filmmaker on board a colony ship documents his girlfriend's descent into anxiety and paranoia as she researches the colony’s government and becomes increasingly convinced that the whole mission is a brutal conspiracy.
Untitled short film: A human and his android girlfriend must navigate the challenges of maintaining her functionality--and their relationship--as they travel far from Earth on a colony ship with limited resources.
State Department anthropologist Matt Moro jumps at the chance to research an enigmatic civilization living secretly in the most remote inhabited place on earth: a cold, windswept island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Everything goes sideways, though, when an international conspiracy rekindles an ancient civil war as a gambit to gain control over the island’s bountiful diamond mine.
To stop this secretive kingdom from destroying itself and killing him in the process, Moro and a native translator--who has plenty of secrets of her own--must endure an ever-worsening crucible of ordeals that will batter their bodies, challenge their beliefs, and change their lives forever.
in development
Logline: An aspiring actress pays the bills by running a struggling private investigation agency in Los Angeles with the help of her misfit actor friends while balancing an identity crisis, anxiety issues, and the pursuit of stardom.
Comparison: It's Veronica Mars meets Psych meets Alias
Pitch: GoodBetter is a comedy-drama series about a young actress who moonlights as a private investigator with the help of her actor friends. Jenny Calhoun moved to LA with big dreams of stardom, but soon realized she needed another source of income. Drawing on her experience from working as an insurance investigator for her uncle, she opened a private investigation agency called GoodBetter. To make it seem more credible to prospective clients, she hired an ex-cop and fellow actor, Mike Sawyer, to pose as the head of the agency while she actually runs things behind the scenes. Together, they take on a variety of strange cases that require them stretch their acting abilities and improvise on the spot. Along the way, Jenny also tries to balance her love life and auditions for roles that could make or break her career. GoodBetter is a show that combines humor, action and mystery with a peek into the challengine lives of actors.
in development
Logline: When a tech company's acquisition leaves a team of early employees feeling cheated, they risk everything to embezzle millions and avoid capture while juggling their precarious jobs and personal lives.
Comparison: It's Breaking Bad meets Office Space
Pitch: Dreamless is a crime drama series about a group of employees who turn to embezzlement after their startup is sold to a ruthless corporation. Dreamless was once a promising tech company that offered a revolutionary product: a device that could record and manipulate dreams. But when the founder sells the company to a shady conglomerate that plans to use the technology for nefarious purposes, the employees feel betrayed and cheated out of their hard-earned shares. Led by Grayson, the product manager who was the first hire of the company, they decide to stay and secretly siphon money from the new owners. They enlist the help of Wyatt, a product designer who wants to retire early; Genesis, a product manager who craves excitement; and Carmen, a software engineer who has a fascination with crime. Together, they execute complex and risky schemes that involve hacking, blackmailing and bribing their way to millions. But as they delve deeper into the world of corporate crime, they also face dangers and dilemmas that test their loyalty, morality and sanity. Dreamless is a show that explores the dark side of ambition, greed and technology in the modern world.
in development
Logline: In a world where the bloodlines of ancient gods still run through human veins, a reclusive billionaire funds a secluded college to secretly study and breed together those with divine ancestry, hoping to bring the gods back to earth. But when a troubled student uncovers the truth behind the school's true intentions, he must fight to expose the sinister plan and prevent the rise of a new era of god-like beings.
in development
Logline: When an FBI agent’s high-school ex-boyfriend blackmails her into serving the Russian mafia by threatening to reveal her secret criminal past, she’ll stop at nothing—including murder—to protect both her career and the integrity of the Bureau itself.
© 2023 Tagg West | Stormbound | Does anyone actually read this?