A Screenwriter’s Nightmare Becomes A Happy Ending

I cannot believe that it is finally over. The stress of the past year brought on a wave of panic attacks. Once, I even went to the Emergency Room because I could not breathe and I thought I was dying. Who could have imagined that my dream coming true would result in such a living nightmare?

I wanted nothing more than to be a working screenwriter in Hollywood. After years of knocking my head against the glass ceiling, I sold an action adventure screenplay to a studio. I got a six-figure check up front (ten times more than I had ever made before), and my back end if the film was made was almost a million bucks! With front-page articles about the deal in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, I had finally arrived!

My agent and the production executives promised my movie was on the fast track plus I had meetings with companies all over town. Everyone took me out to fancy lunches and wanted to work with me. Since I knew the big money was coming in, I didn’t bother to put anything aside to pay my taxes. I could deal with that later. Right now I needed a super cool brand-new Lexus convertible and a rental with a Jacuzzi on the deck overlooking the Hollywood Hills.

Then the economy went ugly and Hollywood became worried about expensive budgets. With all the big comic book based movies and CGI, nobody wanted to make an old-fashioned action adventure film. And all those fancy lunches led to nothing, not a single contract or check. When tax time came around, I simply didn’t have the money to cover my tax bill. I immediately went into anxiety mode, and everyone seemed to suddenly abandon me. You see, there are two rules in Hollywood: Never appear desperate or boring! Suddenly, with my panic attacks and my rants about my back taxes, I was both and that was bad news!

I ended up stewing in my fancy new digs, overwhelmed with worry and paralyzed by depression. For almost a year, I did nothing and my agent dropped me. The IRS and the California revenue guys both started calling, demanding their money. I got letters in the mail that I just threw away, pretending my tax debt could be tossed out with the trash. I owed over $ 450,000 to the IRS and the state of California. A large portion of this amount was interest and penalties. What the heck was I supposed to do?

I felt abandoned and all alone. My family didn’t know the truth because I had been lying to them. Surprisingly, the only one who seemed to care was my lawyer. He told me about Peter Stephan and the Tax Resolution Institute. He told me he had sent a bunch of his clients to Peter Stephan when they had real tax problems, and he provided real answers. I figured what the heck — there was nothing more to lose.

I cannot describe the experience without sounding a little silly. It was like somebody turned on a light in a dark room. Peter was helpful and smart and understood my problem right off the bat. He brought me into the office, and we figured out that we could work out an Offer in Compromise. I still had some of the money, and I sold the Lexus to get more. With a single reduced payment to the IRS and one to California, I was off the hook.

Everyone I had contact with at the Tax Resolution Institute promptly returned my calls. My tax nightmare was resolved without a problem thanks to the intelligence and focus of Peter Stephan’s awesome team. Peter negotiated a greatly reduced settlement that helped me continue my dream career as a writer, and I will forever be grateful. Peter never let my personal trials and tribulations prevent him from providing first-rate service. Thank you for your honesty and support and consistently great advice. Peter Stephan and the Tax Resolution Institute transformed my life from a tragedy with no way out into a happy ending. If I can get everyone in the office tickets to the premiere of my movie, if it ever actually gets made, I certainly will!