Karen Pluemer, English lecturer in the UW–Platteville Department of Humanities, has been selected for the prestigious Women in Film Foundation’s mentorship program: The WIFF Mentoring Circles.
The program, which begins in January and lasts one year, matches participants with respected women in the film industry who have experience with marketing and development, producing, publicity and management.
Pluemer, who is originally from Rio and now lives in Platteville, completed her master’s degree in literature at Loras College in Dubuque, and a certificate in screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles after graduating from UWP in 1991. While at UCLA, classmates invited her to a Women in Film writer’s workshop, which eventually led her to apply for the mentorship opportunity.
“Karen’s invitation to participate in the Women in Film mentoring circles is not only an exciting opportunity for her, and an achievement we’re all very excited about, but it also means she is bringing those experiences back with her into her classrooms here,” said Dr. Teresa Burns, UW–Platteville Humanities Department chair and professor of English. “Things are changing so rapidly within the entertainment industry that it is really hard to keep up, much less advise, unless you’re out there actively pitching things yourself. Karen has been.”
A writer of action thrillers, Pluemer has been read by Paul Schiff Productions, Morgan Creek Productions and Plan B Entertainment. She has also done well in a number of contests and competitions. Pluemer was a semifinalist in the 2009 American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest, second round finalist at the 2009 Austin Film Festival, and 2001, 2004 and 2006 quarterfinalist in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition through the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Receiving honest, quality critiques on her work before she sends a screenplay to her agent is what Pluemer is most looking forward to. “I just want to keep getting better,” she said. “And I really believe in the mentor/mentee program.”
As a member of the American Film Institute, Pluemer was also invited to the New York City premiere of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which she attended on Dec. 6 with Burns.
