In Laura Kroeger's Big Break Winner, Bigger in Texas, the police arrive regarding the sex toys.

      Laura Kroeger won the Grand Prize in Final Draft's Big Break 2024 features competition with her debut screenplay, Bigger in Texas. She drew on valuable life experiences to enhance her script.

      Kroeger served for several years as an aide to Senator Dianne Feinstein, gaining extensive knowledge about the legislative process. Bigger in Texas is inspired by an actual Texas law that prohibits individuals from owning more than six sex toys, a statute enacted in 1973 and enforced as late as 2007.

      “I describe the script as being based on actual crimes rather than real individuals,” Kroeger explains.

      The screenplay, pitched as a blend of Hustlers and Erin Brockovich, centers on Nora, “a 40-something former pageant queen who finds the ideal vigilante method to navigate her mid-life crisis: leveraging Texas’s sex toy ban to blackmail influential men,” as outlined in the logline. It’s a complex, suspenseful, and provocative narrative that emerged from Kroeger's experiences in Washington.

      “My initial career was in politics, and while writing is a completely different path for me, my first career definitely influenced my second,” she clarifies.

      A California native, Kroeger began exploring the Texas law after falling into “one of those Wikipedia rabbit holes,” as she describes.

      “I was introduced to it by someone collecting research in that area, and it stuck with me,” she recalls. “As I investigated how the law has been enforced over the years, it started to seem increasingly absurd, leading me to create a story that showcased both the ridiculousness and the damaging nature of obscenity laws.”

      She began writing Bigger in Texas in 2021, teaching herself the craft of screenwriting along the way. Eventually, she produced a draft that earned her a spot in the Women in Film and Video Narrative Script Development Program.

      “It really helped me transform what was initially a rough concept over nine months into something far more refined and industry-ready,” she notes.

      Since completing Bigger in Texas, she has written another feature and two pilots. However, Bigger in Texas resonated strongly with contemporary themes when she submitted it to Big Break. Her narrative concerning sex toys serves as a metaphor for various laws and regulations that restrict individuals who aren't causing harm to others.

      “The law is rooted in larger court cases, like Lawrence v. Texas, which decriminalized homosexuality. These are also cases that the Supreme Court has sought to overturn, and lawmakers have expressed a desire to reverse,” she states.

      Furthermore, recent discussions among some conservative politicians have indicated intentions to reinstate laws governing personal conduct — “not only in Texas but across the nation,” she adds.

      Laura Kroeger on Winning the 2024 Final Draft Big Break Contest

      Laura Kroeger, Grand Prize winner for features at Final Draft Big Break, and Maia Mulcahy, Grand Prize winner for TV, attended the Writers Guild Awards. Image courtesy of Final Draft.

      Final Draft’s Big Break competition is renowned as one of the most prestigious screenwriting contests, known for opening doors for aspiring writers. Kroeger affirms that it has indeed provided her with a significant opportunity.

      “Since winning the contest, everything has changed for me,” she shares. “Even prior to my win, Big Break was incredibly beneficial… They kept you informed as you advanced from quarterfinalist to semifinalist. I won in the drama category, then started reaching out to see which managers were actively seeking new clients. I signed with my manager just days before I was awarded the Grand Prize.”

      Winning the Grand Prize entails a $10,000 award, an Apple iPad, a Dell XPS laptop, roundtrip airfare and a three-night hotel stay in Los Angeles, meetings with managers, producers, and executives, and participation in the New York Film Academy’s online Fellowship program. (Find out more about the 2024 TV Grand Prize winner, Maia Mulcahy, here.)

      “Everything has kind of unfolded simultaneously: my manager, opportunities from Big Break, and the incredibly generous prize package — it’s like stepping into a whole new world,” Kroeger remarks.

      Registration for Final Draft’s 2025 Big Break Screenwriting Contest is now open.

      Main image: Screenwriter Laura Kroeger of Bigger in Texas, courtesy of Final Draft.