TCRay_smallTess has written two books, twenty-two short stories, twelve screenplays, six sitcoms, nineteen documentary films, a play, about fifty infomercials, and hundreds of commercials. Her award-winning screenplays have been recognized by the Academy Award Foundation’s Nichol Fellowship, Sundance Institute, the Telluride Independent Film Festival, the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and purchased by both independent producers as well as major studios.

As a producer, she was at the helm of a sports series on ESPN, and her short film The Middle Passage won the New Orleans, Aspen, Palm Springs, Denver, and Heartlands Film Festival before earning a spot on the short-list for the Academy Awards.

Tess has been writing, producing and managing national television advertising campaigns for many years. In addition to running her own production company, she guided the setup and implementation of the first internet-based television advertising agency, Spot Runner, and served as its first Creative Director. In her two years with the company, she oversaw the production of three thousand (yes, three thousand!) thirty-second commercials. Along with the dust on her shelves are sixteen statues from the Telly Awards, ERA, Jordan Whitney, the International Film and Video Festival, the Astrid Awards, the Houston Film Festival, and the International Cindy Competition.

Her screenplay, Crew, is based on the true story of the 1987 University of Minnesota rowing team. Visit the Crew website for news and updates. The Spanish Acquisition is hot off the press. It’s a classic screwball comedy where murder, revenge, Tess Clarkadultery and indigestion lead two desperate screenwriters to the best movie idea they’ve had in years.

Tess has lectured and taught writing, story development and film grammar at California Institute of the Arts. In 2005, she shaved her head and walked 525 miles across Spain.