Think you could write a better Hallmark Christmas movie? This pro wants to help
CBC
Despite being born on a Christmas tree farm in Ohio, he wasn't really a fan of the holiday season.
That line alone could be (and probably is) the beginning of a Hallmark movie, but it’s really the truth for a television writer who, since 2017, has written 20 films for the Hallmark Channel.
The aptly named Zac Hug says his childhood days on the farm, helping string lights on Christmas trees, was idyllic, and as he aged, he became a bit jaded.
Hug enjoys Christmas now, in fact he often speaks in charming Christmas movie clichés as a result of writing so many joyful films.
"People will request these in hospice and there is something wonderful about being able to provide that for people," he said. "What a gift. I feel deeply lucky to be able to do it, so I'm going to keep doing it.”
Not only does he intend to keep doing it, but now he’s hoping to help others write their own Hallmark movies.
Hug joined the University of British Columbia’s creative writing program in September, teaching television and screenwriting courses. He relocated to Vancouver for the new gig, a city he’s familiar with having done his Master’s degree at UBC and having been on film sets in the region.
“I loved coming here, so here I am. So far it's been unbelievably great. The dog does not like the weather as much, but I do.”
At UBC he offers two five-week courses in writing rom-coms specifically.
But how did a guy who didn’t really like Christmas get into not only writing, but now teaching and encouraging others to write their own cozy holiday movie?
It all started when he was working on a television show called Shadowhunters, where he met someone whose sister worked for the Hallmark Channel. At a party he told her, “I have the worst idea for a Hallmark movie.”
That idea turned into the script for Road to Christmas, about a TV producer (Jessy Schram) who is forced to co-produce a holiday special with the host’s son (Chad Michael Murray).
Sixteen of the 20 Hallmark movies he’s written have been made into films, the majority of which were shot in the Metro Vancouver area.
“People say these are really formulaic and yeah, and also no,” he said, adding that there’s a rhythm to rom-coms.
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