Your Hosts
Welcome to Ignite the Spark Retreats!
Born from a shared love of storytelling and a vision to create a truly transformative experience, Ignite the Spark Retreats is the brainchild of two accomplished screenwriters/filmmakers, Robin Bradford and John Strong. The pair met at a writing retreat and were inspired to take the best of that experience and elevate it, envisioning a retreat where creativity would flourish, ideas would take shape, and meaningful connections would be nourished. So join us, and let’s ignite that spark together! We can’t wait to see where your storytelling journey takes you.
Robin Bradford
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Bradford boasts an impressive portfolio of completed scripts as well as produced stage plays. Notable highlights include an optioned screenplay to be filmed in Ireland, the screenplay “La Bella Diva,” optioned by Robert Altman’s production company, and her Pulitzer Prize-nominated stage play "Low Hanging Fruit,” which achieved professional productions across the country. She wrote and produced the feature film “Frank,” (starring Jon Gries and Britt Robertson) and produced the feature film “Graduation” (alongside veteran Jason Blum). Her current projects include producing Lee Sankowich’s musical “For Honor” (for which she wrote the lyrics).
Throughout her career, Bradford has been an active member of various Non-Profit boards, contributing her expertise to organizations like the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the San Francisco State University Graduate School of Business.
John Strong
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John got his professional start during college by working at a TV station in New Orleans, where he directed and hosted a local music video TV show. He moved on to Hollywood, where he worked at a literary agency for over two years and received a Peter Glenville fellowship to produce a short film about Hurricane Katrina.
Since then, he has directed a music video, a festival-winning short film, and an 8-part docuseries filmed in Europe & the Middle East, which premiered on a PBS member station in South Carolina. He is also the recipient of the NC Arts Writing Fellowship.
He spent several summers teaching filmmaking to teenagers in Austria and then volunteered with the NC chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. He created and hosted their most successful program for five years, a monthly writer’s gathering called… Ignite the Spark!
“John and Robin are fantastic writers (and beautiful people) who have curated a unique experience for creators to come together for shared inspiration, concept development, mentorship, and FUN.”
-Dalisia, writer and Oct ‘25 attendee