testimonials

“I am fortunate to not only to be a former student of Rick’s, but to call him a mentor. Since graduating with my MA in Screenwriting at UAL, I, like many aspiring screenwriters, have doubted the success and longevity of my career, debating if it’s worth pursuing altogether. Last year, in a moment of clarity within a storm of self-doubt, I had a visceral feeling that I should reach out to Rick. He was always so encouraging of my writing, but I was weary, as busy as he is teaching, and as many projects he must read, that it may be a lost cause. Rick was not only responsive, but overly enthusiastic to help me develop my project. Since then, Rick has been a source I go to for career advice and industry insight, and he even so kindly extended his hand in introducing me to potential collaborators. Being a writer can be a solitary venture, but I am grateful to have someone like Rick who champions young writers like myself, and motivates us to continue striving towards our goals.”

 

Anna Hooper

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​"Rick Harvey is a UK mentor who is highly skilled and experienced in the British film industry. His mentoring is exceptional and his creativity is boundless. I worked with Rick to produce two short scripts, with him as the story developer. He pushed my ideas to limits I  could have not taken them on my own. He stretched me, taught me story structure, and lifted my ideas to improve the writing, deepen the characters, and firm up worlds that seemed barely in my grasp. Rick is a deep listener and gets right into the beating heart of the story. He has true knowledge of story, and his ability to share it at the right time and pace is perfect. Due to the improvement in my writing, while working with Rick, I applied for and was offered a freelance writing job with a company whose head writer wrote the sitcoms that I grew up on. That was very meaningful for me. Through the mentoring process, I discovered some truths about myself and my beliefs which has challenged me. By confronting them, it has made me a better person and allowed me to come into my own, more so in my real life as well as in my writing. Under Rick's guidance, I have grown. He has equipped me with invaluable knowledge, skills, and tools to begin writing for screen. I will always be grateful to Rick Harvey, a special mentor and true storyteller." 

 

Vic Li

"Rick supervised me for my second year dissertation during my MSt in Creative Writing at the University of Cambridge. For this I decided to try something I'd never done before - to write a script for a television drama. Having read a lot about the theory, I found the practice of script writing was much harder than I expected. Rick brought a huge amount of experience and wisdom to our meetings, and carefully guided me, step-by-step, through to successful completion. Before each of our sessions he'd read my work very carefully, and he gave me many, detailed and constructive comments (or 'notes') each time we met. He gently mentioned when some of my favourite scenes did not actually advance the characterisation or the plot, and helped me to decide when to 'kill my babies'. He focused on important aspects of the structure of the script, and wisely kept me from starting to write dialogue too soon. I can strongly recommend Rick as being able to provide very high-quality script writing advice, support, and supervision."

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Graham Thornicroft

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​"Rick has the ability to stay constantly enthusiastic and encouraging, whilst at the same time being honest, realistic and forensic in his pursuit of finding the heart of the story. Writing is about re-writing and then doing it all over again. A few times. And each time making things a little bit better. Rick has astonishing patience whilst this goes on and is hugely supportive whenever my energy levels, self-confidence and belief in my ability wane. He helps me to set my own targets and encourages me to keep to schedule so that I never feel overwhelmed. He also encourages me to dream big, to stick to my instincts, to tell the story I want to tell and, above all, to find pleasure in the pursuit of the goal. In very practical terms, working with Rick moves projects rapidly forwards. I have confidence that any script I ask him to work on with me will actually get finished!"

 

John McLean