When Stu Krieger was a young boy, he knew that he wanted to be in the movie business.
“My mom would tell the story of how I would take a photo out of the family photo album and write on the back, ‘Look, I’m the cute redhead in this photo, you should put me in your movies,’ and then I would ask her to send this to Walt Disney,” Krieger said with a laugh. “Oddly enough, I never heard back from Walt.”
A family trip to California convinced Krieger that when he grew up he was going to move to that sunny state and venture into the entertainment industry.
Krieger grew up in the eastside of Rochester where he attended Brighton Central Schools. He graduated from Brighton High School in 1969, and The College at Brockport in 1973. After college graduation, he packed up his car and moved to California.
“I had a single focus from a very early age that I wanted to pursue this profession,” Krieger said.
Upon arrival in California, Krieger knew he had to support himself. He sent applications to any business that was in any way related to the industry. He took a job as a copyboy for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner newspaper.
“The job of a copyboy was to run errands for every newspaper department. But whenever I had time, I would hang around reporters who worked for the entertainment section to pick their brains and get their advice,” Krieger said. “The two best pieces of advice I got was this: to write all the time and to look for an agent.”
This began Krieger’s quest to become a writer. He sent manuscripts and samples, and after almost two years, he found an agent. The next several years brought new opportunities. He was signed by a producer to write a script for a movie called Goodbye Franklin High. This job led to work as a production assistant on another film where he met an actress who became his wife of over 37 years. Through his new wife, he met the renowned producer Garry Marshall. He co-wrote a script with Marshall that opened many doors for Krieger.
“Working on that project with Garry got me a lot of attention which led to other breaks in the business. People started to take note of my work,” Krieger said. “The producers of the TV series called Amazing Stories, which included Steven Spielberg, read some of my work and asked me to write an episode for the show,” Krieger said. “That led to me working as a story editor for this series.”
One of the biggest breaks in his career came when he was approached about collaborating with two of the most influential men in the film industry.
“Spielberg contacted me about writing a script for an animated dinosaur film that he was set to produce with George Lucas. When Spielberg and Lucas ask if you want to write a movie for them, of course, you say yes. And so became the film “The Land Before Time,” Krieger said. “That was a life long gift that premiered in 1998. The movie is still in sequel, and it also spun into a cartoon series.”
This film led to work with the Disney Channel writing scripts for the movie of the month. He wrote 10 of the 50 best movies.
While Krieger can certainly claim many successes in this film industry, his true reward came in the last 11 years when he became full-time professor of film and TV writing at the University of California at Riverside. This career change has led him to help mold future writers and producers.
“This move to academia was a pivotal change in my life. My 90-year-old mentor is the person I can credit for this change and motivation. He was the head of the department at the university and wanted to add a film and TV writing class,” Krieger said. “I teach my students the artistry of writing and to write from the heart and write what you know. We talk about reliability, integrity and work ethic. It’s tough to find work in this business, so you need to prove yourself. ”
Like any writer, spending time honing the craft is part of fulfilling one’s creative self. Although he is a full-time professor, Krieger continues to write and has recently penned his first novel called, That One Cigarette. Krieger describes it as a counter factual history tale that follows four families who live in different locations from 1963 to 2009. The story begins with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and shows how this event impacted four families. One of the families depicted in the book lives in Rochester. The book includes many references to the area including Wegmans and the now closed Don and Bob’s Restaurant that was located on Monroe Avenue in Brighton.
Krieger describes the book as the story of life changes.
“The genesis of the book began when three former students came to me seeking advice. Each one was turning 30 years old and felt they hadn’t made any significant achievements in their lives. They wanted to know what to do and I advised them to reconcile themselves and chart a course of change,” he said.
Krieger has a long list of accomplishments including an Emmy Award for the mini-series A Year in the Life, a Lifetime Achievement Award in Screenwriting at the Riverside International Film Festival, and an honorary doctorate from The College at Brockport. While this list is full of accolades, Krieger is humble.
“I grew up in a close family with parents who grounded me. Where and how I grew up were important influences. I think the book gives a sense of hope, change and optimism,” Krieger said.
That One Cigarette can be purchased at Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport.
