Greg Pincus ‘86

Current Roles: Writer, Parent

Concentration: Computer Science and Creative Writing

GISP: Screenwriting

In recalling his education at Brown, Greg valued the chance to take a diverse selection of classes. “I had a wonderfully broad range of classes and experiences at Brown. Besides getting to double major in computer science and creative writing... I took classes all along that fed my interests and gave me a broader view of the world (even via classes I ultimately dropped).”

With all of this freedom, Greg found comfort in the option to take classes S/NC. “S/NC helped me take a few classes that I might not otherwise have... and also relieved any pressure on a few classes I had to take but knew I’d struggle more in.”

Greg’s GISP on screenwriting allowed him to take a semester focusing on an interest he would eventually pursue after graduation. “It probably didn’t teach me all that much about screenwriting more than reading a book or two would’ve. However, I moved to Los Angeles after Brown to become a screenwriter and ultimately had many scripts produced. Would I have done that without the GISP? Perhaps, but the chance to really focus on it for a semester at school definitely helped.”

His experience with Professor Paula Vogel ultimately helped steer Greg in the right direction. “I focused on playwriting in my Creative Writing track, and my final professor, Paula Vogel (I believe it was a graduate level class, as I’d taken the others, but I am not sure) also impacted me with both writing instruction and her openness about what being a playwright meant. I chose to pursue screenwriting instead of playwriting, as it became clearer to me that the theater path wasn’t right even if writing was.”