Sandi Jerome

The former Sandy Cook of Escondido

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Sandi Jerome (Sandra Cook Jerome), is a writer and graduate of UCLA's Advanced Screenwriting program. Her screenplay, Runaway Cricket, is being produced as an animated musical by BlackOrb.com. She has been a finalist in most of the major contests, Nicholls, Page International and Austin Film Festival. See Awards page.

Sandi grew up on an avocado farm in Escondido and was the "go to" kid to climb up high and pick the top fruit. She would then jump down into the thick pile of leaves and thought she could fly! She created the young adult fantasy series, Kira and Henry, where the teen princess must hide the secret that she can fly or be banished from the kingdom. The first book, Quest into the Forbidden Lands, was a 2nd Rounder in 2023 Austin Film Festival and a 2024 Kindle Book Review finalist.

Sandi is an enrolled and blood member of the Cherokee Nation and a two-time winner of the Native American Media Alliance fellowship. In her first NAMA TV writing fellowship, she wrote Technically Soccer, a half-hour comedy about a Women's Professional Soccer team getting an AI-Robot coach. Sandi is an avid women's soccer fan; she coached and played soccer for over twenty years. Blood Moon Wolf (TV Pilot and Feature) was completed as part of her 2nd Native American fellowship, about a wolf who turns into a girl to become a spirit guide. Her middle-grade book, Sleep Warrior, about her Cherokee ancestor, was #3 on Coverfly's Red List of Animated Manuscripts. To get her message into schools, she is seeking a more traditional publisher for her Native American books.

As a Floridian and a long-time Disney fan, annual passholder, and certified Disney expert, Sandi wrote Pixie Dust Death set at Disney World, then created a non-Disney version, Wilma Wallaby Genius Girl Detective, set at a theme park she invented, and the series bible to be developed into a kids' series by a UK Production company. She is also the author of the Amazing Animals of Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Sandi wrote a book adaptation of Hijacked for producer Melissa Shevela of Helicopter Productions. Her next book adaptation to film was Jake and Clara based on the book, Jake & Clara: Scandal, Politics, Hollywood and Murder by Wall Street Journal bestselling author, ghostwriter, broadcaster, David R. Stokes. Blair Underwood optioned David's previous book.  She and David wrote a book very personal to Sandi, Churchill’s Mum: The Story of Jennie Jerome, after years of research connecting Sandi’s husband, Keith, to the American heiress who was Winston Churchill’s mother and Keith’s fifth cousin. It presents the premise that Winston's half-American status helped defeat Hitler. She had done almost a dozen "writer for hire" gigs that involved book adaptations or co-writing books with producers who had a great idea.

Sandi is a scientist and loves designing edible gardens and doing botany experiments. Her early fascination with science and the nearby San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station inspired her to write an action script, Use of Deadly Force. Her husband was a technical writer in the nuclear industry and ensured the authenticity of her work.  She belonged to a Science and Technology group and helped develop a volunteer Web on Wheels program that brought email to residents of assisted living centers. This inspired her body-switching comedy, Time for Lily, which was a First-Round Finalist in Script Magazine Open Door Contest. She is working on a technical book on salt-tolerant plants with her biologist granddaughter.

She wrote a Sci-Fi thriller script, Last Woman, that explores the multiverse and technology gone awry. It was a semifinalist in Final Draft's Big Break contest. Sandi was the first editor of Digital Dealer Magazine and wrote computer software reviews for major publications and numerous published computer guides. She sold her technology company in 2022, and now writes full-time, at least 10 pages a day.

For Sandi, "Writing is life!"

Leave comments on her publisher's Contact page, www.SmilingEagle.com

Coverfly is gone, but below are Sandi’s rankings. For example, her Young Sheldon spec script won 2nd place in the 2024 Scriptapalooza contest - putting her in the top 5% of TV comedy writers.

14 Scripts in Coverfly’s Top 25% in 2025

Coverfly ranking of Sandi Jerome's scripts
Coverfly ranking of Sandi Jerome's scripts including 'First Man', 'Nature's Way', 'Aloha Princess', 'Sleep Warrior', 'Use of Deadly Force', and 'Blood Moon Wolf'.
Coverfly ranking of Sandi Jerome's scripts including Delta Pi, Runaway Cricket, Shy of Christmas, Christmas Bonbons, Kira and Henry: Quest into the Forbidden Lands, and Python Pursuit.
Sandi Jerome had 2 scripts that were finalists in The Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting

Awards & reviews

  • Technically Soccer (former AI-Me) Golden Pen Award (2023, 3rd Edition) First Place TV Pilot

    Young Sheldon - Meteorites and Sons Scriptapalooza Television Writing Competition (Fall 2023) 2nd Place Winner

    Last Hand Launch Pad Pilot Competition (2024) Top 100 scripts

    Kira and Henry Austin Film Festival (2023) Second Rounder

    Use of Deadly Force First Place Winner of Writemovies.com A/Exposure Contest (2003)

    Backup - Top 10 finalists in FilmMakers.com’s New Millennium Celebrations, Screenplay Contest. Honorable Mention –Willamette Screenwriting Contest

    Aloha Princess - Second-round 2003 Austin Film Festival

    Delta Pi - First Round Finalist  Open Door/Benderspink, Second-round Austin Film Festival, Top 100 in Scriptshark.

    First Man - Second-round Austin Film Festival




  • Last Hand Outstanding Screenplays Feature Competition (2022) Semifinalist

    Last Woman Big Break (2023) Semifinalist

    Churchill's Mum - The Story of Jennie Jerome, an American HeiressNexTV Writing & Pitch Competition (2025)Semifinalist

  • Kira and Henry 2024 Emerging Screenwriters Animation Screenplay Competition Quarterfinalist

    Last Hand 2024 Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition Quarterfinalist

    Aloha Princess 2024 Final Draft Big Break Quarterfinalist

    Technically Soccer Page International 2024 Quarterfinalist

    First Man Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards (Winter 2022-23) Quarterfinalist

    First Man Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards (Spring 2023) Quarterfinalist

    First Man ScreenCraft Comedy Competition (2023) Quarterfinalist

    First Man Nicholls Fellowship 2003 Quarterfinalist

    First Man Up Outstanding Screenplays Feature Competition (2022) Quarterfinalist

    Last Hand Inroads Fellowship (Season 6) Quarterfinalist

    Last Hand Nicholls Fellowship 2003 Quarterfinalist

    Last Hand INROADS SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIP 2003 Quarterfinalist

    Nature's Way Big Break (2023) Quarterfinalist

    Princess Quest Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards (Spring 2023) Quarterfinalist

    Release the Droids! (AimMe) ScreenCraft Comedy Competition (2023) Quarterfinalist

    Sleep Warrior ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition (2023) Quarterfinalist

  • Blood Moon Wolf 2023 Native American Media Alliance Feature Film Fellowship

    Technically Soccer (former AI-Me) 2023 Native American Media Alliance Writer's Lab Fellowship

    Delta Pi LA Independent Women Film Awards 2023 Selected

    Last Woman Scriptmatix 2023 Selected

    Reintroduction of Humans Vegas Shorts 2023

    Last Hand and First Man - Academy Nicholl Fellowship 2003 - Quarter finalists

    First Man - Semi-Finalist in the Chesterfield Writer’s Film Project.

Poster for the 6th Annual Native American Feature Film Writers Lab, featuring photographs of five individuals: Alex Nystrom, Talitha McMillion, Derek Quick, Kristen Calderon, and Sandi Jerome. The background has film reel and keyboard graphics, with sponsor logos at the bottom including Comcast NBCUniversal, the National Endowment for the Arts, US Bank, Cherokee Nation Film Office, and A+E Networks.
Poster for the 3rd Annual Native American Writers Seminar featuring photos and names of eight speakers: Stanley Bain, Natalie Benally, Chris Carrea, Autumn Cavender, Dacotah Hasvold, Chris Hoshnic, Marcie Price Jackson, Tyli Jacob, and Sandi Jerome. The event is presented by the Cherokee Nation Film Office and US Bank.

Member Since 2022

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