Alumni Profile

SCF Alumnus “Tags” Audiences in New Movie

SCF alumnus Rob McKittrick is bringing people into movie theaters across the country. His latest screenplay, “Tag,” which follows a group of guys who have been playing the same game of tag for decades, was one of the top three moneymakers the weekend it was released. McKittrick, who lives in Los Angeles, got his filmmaking credentials under the tutelage of Del Jacobs, the multimedia/film program manager at SCF. McKittrick attended the college in the 1990s when it was known as

Manatee Community College (MCC). He spent four years on the Bradenton campus and developed a strong relationship with Jacobs, who he credits with setting him on the path to filmmaking and writing. Jacobs remembers McKittrick in class as always being funny and with a quick comic retort. Comedy writing was a great fit for his former student. “Tag” is based on a real-life group of friends who were profiled in The Wall Street Journal, and McKittrick was hired to write a screenplay based on the group. He loved their story of a friendship that lasted decades, and he added a big dose of humor. Some of the humor is R-rated and a little over the top, but the story is a charming tale of lasting friendships. McKittrick said it made him think of his own friendships as a student at Bayshore High School and at MCC. He liked that this group found a way to stay in each other’s lives. “That’s what drew me to the project,” he said. McKittrick got to share his work with SCF film students in September 2018 after Jacobs screened the movie for his class. He connected with them on Skype to discuss the script writing and production, and answered the students’ questions. The students were able to relate to him given his connection to the College and his desire and struggles to break into the industry. McKittrick reminded the students that he and his good friend Mike Le both grew up in Bradenton and went to MCC before breaking into Hollywood. Neither went on to a university, McKittrick said, because they were able to get the resources and training they needed in Jacobs’ film classes, by writing for the student paper and by reading. “I and Mike Le are proof that it is attainable,” McKittrick said. “The opportunity is there if you have the passion and desire.” As a student at MCC, McKittrick said he wrote a humor column for “The Lance,” the student newspaper. His writing won him a Humorist of the Year award for college students in the state of Florida. “That made me believe I had the skills to write comedy,” he said. While in college, McKittrick waited tables, and after he graduated, he moved to Orlando where he continued working as a server and used that experience to write his first screenplay, “Waiting.” He sent his first draft of the script to Jacobs for feedback. “He gave me some great notes,” McKittrick said. McKittrick, who calls comedy his comfort zone, is often called in to write or rewrite scripts. But when he first started in Hollywood, it was a struggle. He moved to Los Angeles after his script for “Waiting” was optioned. Once he got to Hollywood, he had a huge learning curve ahead. He had to learn to pitch his ideas and to impress producers and other decision-makers. He admits his first year was a trial by fire. While rewriting his “Waiting” script, he thought he might have to go back to work waiting tables. But he kept going to meetings and pitching ideas. Eventually he got to start filming “Waiting” and was the director on the project. The film, which starred Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris before their careers took off, had a $3 million budget. The 94-minute film made more than $6 million on its opening weekend in 2005. By contrast, “Tag” made $15 million on its opening weekend, the same weekend “Incredibles 2” was released. By mid-August the film grossed more than $76.3 million worldwide.

After a dozen years in Hollywood, cameos as an actor and with directing credentials, McKittrick is more comfortable in his role, even though he admits he still struggles every time he starts a script, calling the writing process “an endless stress test.” And even though he has sleepless nights, he has learned the craft of screenwriting, hooking in the audience quickly and then letting the story unfold.

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