Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Story Behind The Witch Port Video Game by Leonard Bassed


I self-published The Witch Port Video Game, though I didn’t set out to write a book. I wrote the pilot script first, when I returned home to South Africa after a trip to Los Angeles California USA. While in the US I took classes at the Acting Corps where I got the chance to meet and interact with different people from around the world. Creatively I really thrived in LA, and being a writer/actor, I took the whole experience in.


Upon my return home to South Africa, I was so excited and eager to start the auditioning process and
implement all the new tricks I had picked up in La-La-Land. I wasted no time in submitting myself for theatric representation, to all the big talent agencies in town. When I didn’t get the responses, I was hoping for I decided to approach smaller agencies that specialize in character actors and models. I got signed to a smaller agency that will remain nameless and got the chance to start auditioning again. I got frustrated that when I got sent out to audition, the roles I’d go out for weren’t reflective of the kinds I hoped to book, this realization was the catalyst that began my writing journey.

I wrote the pilot script which I planned to pitch to TV/Film producers in LA, feeling my project is better suited for an international audience, its been my experience that the South African market favor Soap Opera’s or procedural dramas over SCIFI or supernatural fiction. On completion of my pilot I’d grown too attached to the characters and the wonders of their world. This obsession compelled me to adapt my script into a novel, the first installment in a series of books.

About the Author

Writer-actor-singer Leonard Bassed was born in the town of Middleburg, Mpumalanga and raised in Johannesburg.  He started taking vocal lessons at age eight and studied drama throughout his high school years.  A mentor encouraged him to pursue an acting career.  Leonard went on to complete acting classes in both South Africa and later Los Angeles.  Currently, when not writing or singing, Leonard continues to study acting techniques with the renowned Margie Haber Studio in Hollywood. In his free time, he enjoys travel, reading and movie going.  His latest book is The Witch Port Video Game.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:


Facebook page for author: https://www.facebook.com/leobassed/
Twitter page for author: https://twitter.com/LeonardBassed