JOEL SVENDSEN
WRITER/FILMMAKER
Screenwriting Portfolio
(Half-hour adult-animated series. Superhero/action/comedy.)
Pilot Episode Logline: Rageman finally has the opportunity to become an officially ranked superhero after he's taken on as a client for Supermanager's Super-Management, but Supermanager may have something more nefarious in mind for him. Meanwhile, Val has an exclusive interview with Mystic Man and the Super Justice Warriors after their arch-enemy and the city's most notorious supervillain/crime-lord, King Mammoth, is found dead.
Series Overview: Rageman wants to be the world’s greatest hero, only problem is he doesn’t have any superpowers whatsoever. He’s also kind of a jerk whose more into it for fame and glory rather than helping people. There are tons of people trying to be the next hot-shot superhero and all of them have superpowers. So, what makes Rageman stand out? What he lacks in in powers and book-smarts he makes up for with courage and comicbook-smarts. He can spot a cliché from a mile away and can sneak off undetected during a supervillain’s evil monologue to get a cheap shot on them. With a bit of luck and a little help from his best friend Val (an angelic-winged reporter) and the Super Justice Warriors, Rageman may be the best chance Super City has to take down the newly-reformed group of evil-doers; The Pachydoom!
Rageman Animatic - Rageman's stupidity and lack of superpowers unintentionally help a purse-stealing thug get away.
This is a quick animatic of a Rageman scene. This scene is not in the pilot episode. This was from back when I originally had Rageman planned as an animated feature film and this would have been the opening scene. I'm including it here, because I think it still does a decent job of showcasing Rageman. Only difference would be that I've cut down a little bit on the language in recent Rageman projects.
Helen of Hades (Click here for pilot episode PDF)
(Half-hour adult-animated series. Fantasy/adventure/comedy.)
Pilot Episode Logline: Young demi-goddess Helen teams up with a recently deceased Spartan (Aristo) to escape the Underworld and her over-protective father (Hades) so he can say goodbye to his wife while Helen gets to see the surface world for the first time. But there are dangers waiting for her on the surface, namely other Gods.
Series Overview: Helen has lived her entire life in the Underworld with her parents. She yearns to see the surface world and finally does so with help from Aristo the undead Spartan and Sadie the Satyr. The group of adventurers make their way through Ancient Greece in search of a way to bring Aristo back to life. Along the way they'll receive help from Helen's father Hades, Cerberus the hellhound, and other characters and creatures of Greek Mythology. But not everyone they meet is a friend. Helen and her friends are on the run from the other Gods after Hera frames Helen for the death of Zeus.
Records and Bagels (Click here for pilot episode PDF)
(Half-hour adult-animated series. Comedy/surreal.)
Pilot Episode Logline: Jade decides it's finally time to get back into shape, but a very territorial bird gets in the way of her jogging routine and other aspects of her daily life. Meanwhile, her co-workers place a friendly wager to determine if life is worth living or if they should give up on their hopes and dreams and embrace the void.
Series Overview: Records and Bagels is a surreal comedy that takes place at a sleazy record-and-bagel store. It follows the misadventures of Jade and her group of friends/co-workers (Randy, Steve, and Emma). Every episode may start out with a mundane, typical adult-problem but eventually finds a way to get really weird really fast whether it be with an alien invasion, occultists trying to summon a demon, themselves from a dystopian future, or being trapped in a seemingly never-ending standing ovation at the local film festival.
The Adventures of Sir Reginald Dickens (Click here for screenplay PDF)
(Short film. Comedy.)
Synopsis: Sir Reginald Dickens may or may not be a mystical man from the Victorian-era who helps young men become gentlemen. His latest client/pupil, a young, awkward man named Danny, finds out that Sir Reginald Dickens may have an ulterior motive after discovering his house was robbed.