How to Host a Hollywood Creative

After hosting a packed event with Crazy Rich Asians co-screenwriter Adele Lim, several audience members told me they had never learned so much from an event with a Hollywood creative.

I drew from my journalism background for the broad questions. But I credit the event's success with my decision to select three high-impact scenes from the film and -- after showing each scene -- give the screenwriter a chance to discuss the scene, keeping it fresh in the audience members' minds.

Here are my planning tips that might help other people hosting Hollywood creatives.

1. First, I saw the movie (twice) and then read the book, realizing how much the screenwriter had added and changed from the book.

2. I identified three scenes I thought would be great to show the crowd and ask the screenwriter to discuss. 

3. I talked with her over the phone to make sure these scenes would work. 

4. I marked the time stamp for the exact start of each scene so we could show them without searching for them. For most, I was able to get them through the DVD chapter menu.

5. The order of the event went as follows:

A. Welcome message to the audience.

B. Play the film trailer.

C. Bring out Adele Lim and ask her about her career leading up to the film

D. Show scene 1 (the dumpling scene) from the film and ask her to explain her goals in writing it. Then open it up to the audience for questions about that scene.

E. Show scene 2 (the wedding scene), ask about why she wrote it that way and then get audience questions about the scene.

F. Show scene 3 (the mahjong scene), ask about it, get audience questions.

G. Ask a couple more general questions and open it up to the audience for general questions. 

After about 10 audience questions, we ended the Q & A but the screenwriter stayed on stage for people to come up with individual questions, get autographs, take photos with her, etc...

Adele Lim loved the audience enthusiasm. I will use this successful strategy in the future.