WTNH.com

Hallmark Channel screenwriter makes Connecticut her home

AVON, Conn. (WTNH) — Avon’s Julie Sherman Wolfe got her start as a writer’s assistant on the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond.” That experience helped her get to where she is today, a screenwriter for the Hallmark Channel.

“As a result of that job, I wrote a speck, like a fake episode of Raymond,” Wolfe said. “That ended up sort of spring boarding my entire writing career.”

How she ended up in Avon is another interesting story. A native of San Francisco, Wolfe lived in Los Angeles until about five years ago. Long before that, she knew she wanted to live in New England.

“I always knew this is where I wanted to be. My husband, I guess, this is why we were meant to be. He had the same thing,” Wolfe said.

Most of the movies Wolfe writes for Hallmark are Christmas movies. The advantage?

There is usually much more time to develop characters. But, not always.

She said that is where sitcom writing, where you have a week to write an episode, comes in handy.

“Every so often I will rewrite a script that’s not quite ready to get made but they’re starting production in two weeks” she said. “You come in and sort of have to just learn this world, these characters, who they want them to be and sort of make it work and you have two weeks to do it.”

Whenever she can, Wolfe tries to have her movies set in Connecticut. To her, it is the perfect backdrop.

“My office overlooks the front of my house. I literally can be writing a Christmas movie and all of a sudden it’s snowing, it’s Christmas outside. It’s so magical to me. Every time it snows I still get excited, and we’ve been here for almost five years.”

Wolfe admits there is a touch of irony to her writing Christmas movies.

“Yes, we are Jewish. You probably know many, many of the most famous Christmas songs, Christmas movies and stories were all written by Jewish people. We love it in the most cultural way that you could possibly love Christmas.”

Wolfe would like to see more of her movies set in Connecticut. She had the next best thing in the movie “Taking a Shot at Love.” It featured a New York Rangers player rehabbing an injury with the Hartford Wolf Pack. A scene featuring a fictional Avon Winterfest was in reality shot in Vancouver, Canada.

“It happens in Connecticut when it works out,” she said.

For Wolfe and her family, the move here has worked out a happy ending, like a Hallmark Christmas movie.