WGA Writer Zach Koepp returned to his family’s cabin in the winter of 2021 with the intention of completing a rewrite job for a production company. He ended up extending his hometown stay, and two months later, Koepp returned to Los Angeles with a completed rewrite… and a movie.
Prior to COVID, Koepp’s visual storytelling on the page prompted producers to rally behind him as a first-time director. “I knew that whenever COVID passed, the last thing producers and studios would prioritize is a first-time director, so I had to make something.”
It started when Koepp went for a drive to clear his mind. As he was driving around his snowy and desolate hometown, Okoboji, Iowa, he stopped at The Oakwood Inn, a soaring bed and breakfast, to say hello to the owners, and the rest was history.
“They told me it was empty the following month and when I left the driveway, I had a movie location,” Koepp laughs, “I had no choice, the money was spent. That’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”
Forty days later, Koepp wrote and produced his directorial debut titled, The Willowbrook.
Koepp garnered momentum when he sold his Thriller to Gravitas Ventures, an Independent powerhouse in film distribution, who purchases 1% of all films that cross their desk.
“That movie never would’ve gotten made without the support of my hometown, the crew, and our cast. I had a group of underdogs under one roof and it felt like magic.”
Koepp held onto his vision in the face of the coldest winter temperatures Iowa encountered in over thirty years.
“We lost locations and our B-story,” Koepp adds with another laugh. “I’m telling you, we were lucky to have even finished it.”
Though the final product may not have been what he was after, the reception Koepp received from Hollywood heavies paid off in spades. “There’s no better showcase for the circumstances. I proved we could get a movie to the finish line–on a tight budget–while capturing a tone and vibe around some pretty eccentric characters.”
As Koepp gears up for his next feature film, set to shoot in Los Angeles this fall, he looks forward to showing people what he can do with the resources provided by time and a budget.
“My hope is that The Willowbrook will make more sense when someone goes back and watches it in ten years. If that’s the case, then I will have done a good job in taking myself from theory to fact.”
Koepp also gained studio attention with a TV show he created titled, Free Ride, which is a dramedy based on his upbringing with his Lebanese immigrant mother in the American carnival circuit.
“There’s no telling what will happen with the current writers strike, but I’m pretty confident in where I’m at as a creative and feel that my work will speak for itself when the time’s right.”
Strike aside, the up-and-coming Writer/Director has officially found himself on Hollywood’s watchlist.