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1 | Name/Pronouns | Genre | TV, Features, or Both? | Most Recent TV Staffing Level | Recent/Relevant TV Credits | Recent/Relevant FEATURE Credits | About Me | HBCU Grad? Y/N | Hobbies/Special Talents/Unique Life Experiences | Contact Info | TV Availability Y/N (and if no, when are you free?) | FEATURE Availability Y/N (and if no, when are you free?) | |
2 | Brandi Nicole Payne | Dramedy, Drama, Comedy | Adapting original pilot into MOW. Looking to staff for the first time. | Happy Face (CBS All-Access) | Eden (MOW - BET) | The daughter of a juvenile detention officer mom and 2nd strike convicted felon dad led me to write characters that explore duality. Writer/performer & mom of 3 who fell in love with the storytelling process after writing & producing MUTED, a short film about media discrepancy when a child of color goes missing, that aired on HBO. I followed that up with ALOHA, a short film about infant loss. Currently in pre-production for my next short SPIN, a psychological drama that explores the mindf*ck of the aftermath of rape. I'm an HBO Writers Program alum, an Emergence Filmmaker Grant recipient and a proud member of RAINN's Speakers Bureau. | bnicolepayne@gmail.com, @creativelyb on social media, Managers: David Baggelaar (DBaggelaar@good-fear.com) & Jake Weiner (jweiner@good-fear.com) | YES | YES | ||||
3 | Samantha Riley | Comedy, Dramedy | Co producer | Upcoming untitled HBO Max Comedy, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, Fresh Off the Boat | Samantha Riley is a comedy writer that hails from the Bay Area. She's mixed, Japanese and black. She got an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU in 2018, after receiving the Tisch School of the Arts Fellowship. Originally from Berkeley, CA she attended Brown University and worked at Dave Eggers’ publishing house McSweeney’s. Her play HAPPY HOUR was a finalist in the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition. | Manager: Peri Litvak, peri.litvak@gmail.com | YES | ||||||
4 | Zachary Arthur (he/him) | Comedy, Drama, Horror | Both | Co-creator/Co-executive producer | Golden (Hulu) | N/A | Zachary Arthur is a former graduate student in the UCLA MFA Screenwriting Department. A script he wrote in class about a rapper unintentionally getting his big break made the rounds and gained him representation with WME. He found his way into screenwriting after obtaining his master’s degree in Journalism from Harvard University—quickly realizing that he wanted to stay as far away from the journalism space as possible. His love of writing still burned deep, and telling stories for the screen seemed like a great way for him to use a bit of his pent-up creativity. He was hooked after writing his first page. He is biracial (half-black, half-white) and was raised by a single mother in Salt Lake City, Utah. Race is a strong element in everything he writes as his upbringing was unique in a racial sense. He loves to turn common themes on their heads by introducing race in a way that’s rarely been written about before. | No | Nancy Josephson - WME njosephson@wmeagency.com David Meese - WME dmeese@wmeagency.com Chelsea Dern - WME cdern@wmeagency.com Eric Darnell - WME edarnell@wmeagency.com | Yes | Yes | ||
5 | Louisa Levy | Drama/Dramedy/Thriller | TV | Co-EP | Career Opportunities in Murder & Mayhem (Hulu), The Flight Attendant (HBOMax), Stumptown (ABC) | N/A | A biracial (Black/Jewish) LA native, I grew up visiting my dad on set, where he worked as a gaffer. But my way into storytelling was theatre… all the way through college, where I studied abroad at the University of the Witwatersrand and discovered devised theatre, a type of performance art in which the director and cast collaborate to derive a script through research, rehearsals, and improvisation. A process very similar to what happens in a writers room. So when I graduated from Columbia University and came back to LA, broke and jobless, my dad suggested I consider becoming a TV writer. I broke in through the assistant route, working for Tony Phelan and Joan Rater on GREY’S ANATOMY and MADAM SECRETARY and eventually getting staffed on their first show, DOUBT. Since then, I’ve risen up the ranks in various rooms of all shapes and sizes, always learning and growing and bringing the best possible energy into every room I’m in. Now, I’m lucky enough to balance staffing with development, always looking for ways to tell unique and inclusive stories in the most interesting, dynamic way possible. | N | Alyssa Lanz (UTA) lanz_A@unitedtalent.com | No - free in Jan 2023 | Yes | ||
6 | Niceole R. Levy She/Her | Drama | Both | Co-EP | SWAT (CBS), Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix), Cloak & Dagger (Freeform) | The Banker (co-writer); AppleTV+ | After growing up near China Lake Naval Weapons Center in the middle of the Mojave Desert, Niceole escaped to the bright lights of Los Angeles. While studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she realized her true love was writing stories, not playing them out. She worked as a police dispatcher to pay her way through USC undergrad and then completed the Master of Professional Writing program, also at USC. An alum of the CBS Writers Mentoring Program and NBC's Writers on the Verge, and the WGAw Showrunner Training Program, Niceole has written on “Ironside,” “Allegiance,” “The Mysteries of Laura,” “Shades of Blue,” "Cloak & Dagger," and “Fate: the Winx Saga” (Netflix, 2021). She also co-wrote a feature, "The Banker," with former “Allegiance” showrunner and director George Nolfi, available on AppleTV+ | N | Agent: Cori Wellins, WME, CWellins@wmeagency.com Manager: Steven Selikoff, The Shuman Company, sselikoff@shumanco.com | Y | N -- after march 2022 | ||
7 | Robb Chavis | Comedy | Both | Co-Ep | Black-ish, Superior Donuts, Truth Be Told, Bad Judge | Robb is a comedy writer. After graduating from Duke University and Harvard Law School he began his legal career as an intellectual property attorney in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. He worked in advertising, originally joining as Legal Counsel and growing his responsibilities become Chief Operating Officer. After a successful business career, he dedicated himself to his creativity and made the shift to Los Angeles and television writing. | N | rchavis@gmail.com | |||||
8 | Vincent Brown | Comedy/Dramedy | Co-Exec Producer | Carpe, Astro, One Day At A Time, Cousins For Life, K.C. Undercover, A.N.T. Farm, Girlfriends | Black, gay, co-parent, long-term married, Cleveland born, Yale educated. I love helping other writers and show creators to realize their vision. I'm great in the room, usually pretty enthusiastic and I have excellent references! I write character-driven work myself, but I also love multi-cam, physical humor, and character-driven dramas. I've been an activist in causes supporting African-American, LGBT+, Feminist, Latinx and Prison Reform causes since I was in middle school. | Manager: Sheree Guitar, sheree@shereeguitarentertainment.com, 310-286-1900 Vincent's email: writervincent@gmail.com | |||||||
9 | Aurin Squire | Drama/Suspense/Thriller/Horror | Co-Exec Producer | EVIL, THE GOOD FIGHT, THIS IS US | Playwright, journalist, and podcaster interested in exploring social and cultural dynamics. I graduated from Northwestern for radio/tv/fim and Juilliard for playwriting. My stageplays have been produced in London, New York, LA, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, and Toronto. I'm a current resident playwright at New Dramatists, recipient of the Helen Merrill Prize for emerging writers, and work on both EVIL and THE GOOD FIGHT at the consulting producer level. | aurinsquire@gmail.com and my manager is at Grandview: gabrielle@grandviewla.com | No | Yes | |||||
10 | Adam Starks | Comedy, Drama, Genre | TV | Co-Executive Producer | On My Block S1 - S4 (Netflix), The Tick S2 (Amazon), Good Trouble S2 (Freeform), Home Before Dark S2 (Apple Tv+), Snowpiercer S3 (TNT), Vampire Academy S1 (Peacock), Freeridge S1 (Netflix). Currently in development on projects with: UTV, Lionsgate, MACRO, and 87North | The youngest of five but seemingly big brother to all, I was raised in MA and enrolled into the Army out of high school. I found my way to VA where I began acting, which led to me going to college for screenwriting because (as my wife was so kind to point out) I was a better writer than I was an actor. I finally managed to move to L.A., where I continued to write and produce (and yes, I even still tried to act). I landed a day job at a premium studio/network and spent the next three years working across development, production, and post production and eventually working my way up to manager of production before landing my first staffing job on Netflix’s On My Block. Things have been pretty steady since then, I even managed to sell my first show which is currently in development at Starz and am working on numerous other dev projects. | N | Agnts: Antoni Kaczmarek // Antoni.Kaczmarek@a3artistsagency.com Martin To // martin.to@a3artistsagency.com Attny: Dean Bahat // deanb@ziffrenlaw.com | Available late April | ||||
11 | Britt Matt | Comedy/Dramedy | Both | Co-Executive Producer | Marlon S1 & S2 (NBC), A.P. Bio S1 & S2 (NBC), Tracy Oliver Project fka Harlem S1 & S2 (Amazon), First Wives Club (BET) | Feature recently sold to Amazon with Tika Sumpter attached to star and Paper Kite (Amy Poehler) attached to produce. | Upper-level comedy/dramedy writer who enjoys using universal themes to tell culturally specific stories. I love hard jokes, dry humor, wit, music, whiskey & pop culture. After recovering from a career as a reality televsion producer, my motto, borrowed from the great Chicago poet Common, is "writing for my life 'cause I'm scared of a day job." Native Chicagoan. NYU MFA in Dramatic Writing. NBC Writers on the Verge Alum. | Alyssa Lanz, UTA, TV Lit - LanzA@unitedtalent.com Abby Glusker, UTA, TV Lit - GluskerA@unitedtalent.com Anna Flickinger, UTA, Features - Anna.Flickinger@unitedtalent.com | YES | YES | |||
12 | Maiya Williams | Comedy, Dramedy, Animation, Children's, Science Fiction, | Co-Executive Producer | MAD-TV, Futurama, The Haunted Hathaways, Coop And Cami Ask The World | As a kid I moved around a lot, living in Oregon, New Haven, Connecticut and then finally landing in Berkeley, CA when I was a entering Jr. High. I'm a Harvard Grad, majored in American History and Literature and was the first black woman and the first black literary editor elected to the Harvard Lampoon. Since graduating I've been working continually in the entertainment industry and have credits in all kinds of genres - I hate being labeled or pigeon-holed. I'm flexible, multi-talented, can write a solid first draft quickly and am great in a room. I can get along with just about anybody and I run an efficient but fun table. I also write books for middle grade readers, with five published novels. My interests include history, astronomy, equestrian riding, hiking, cooking, reading, watching movies and TV (I'm not just a writer I'm also a fan!) playing piano and harp. I collect antiquarian books and animation art. I'm a social and environmental activist. | Play Piano and Harp, Hiking, Been to all 50 States, environmentalist and social justice activist | Represented by Jack Leighton, APA jleighton@apa-agency.com, 310-888-4240 www.maiyawilliams.com | Yes | Yes | ||||
13 | Safia M. Dirie | Crime Drama/Dramedy/Family Drama | Co-Executive Producer | Power, Seasons 1-5 (Starz), God Friended Me, Seasons 1-Current (WB/CBS) | safiamdirie@gmail.com, Hannah Ozer and Josh Goldenber @ Kaplan Perrone (310) 285-0116 ozer@kaplanperrone.com goldenberg@kaplanperrone.com | ||||||||
14 | Steve Harper | Drama / Dramedy / Fantasy | Co-Executive Producer | Stargirl (CW / HBO Max), #WhileWeBreathe (digital protest online), God Friended Me (CBS), Tell Me Your Secrets (Amazon Prime), American Crime (ABC), SEND ME (BET.com) - (Creator, Emmy Nominated Web Series), Covert Affairs (USA) | Steve is a gay native New Yorker who grew up in a house with a Catholic father and a mother obsessed with Stephen King and true crime novels. He enjoys writing character-based dramas that (sometimes) make use of magical realism. His original web series SEND ME - about time traveling black people - premiered on BET.com and garnered a 2016 Emmy nomination for series lead Tracie Thoms. He has written more than 20 plays, which have been workshopped and produced in New York, L.A. and in between. Once upon a time Steve hosted a kids show in Baltimore and had an extensive career as an actor. Steve is a graduate of the Juilliard playwriting program and the CBS Writers Mentoring Program. | N | Manager: Steven Selikoff at The Shuman Company sselikoff@shumanco.com (310) 841-4344 Agent: Wilhelmina Ross and Jonas Brooks at CAA (424) 288-2000 | N / February 2022 | |||||
15 | Stacey Evans Morgan | Comedy, Dramedy, Animation | Co-Executive Producer, Supervising Producer, Consulting Producer | ANIMATION: Madagascar: A Little Wild (DreamWorks), SITCOMS: Partners In Rhyme (starring MC Lyte - Production begins April 2021) Family Time, Love that Girl, In The Cut, The Parkers (staff writer to Producer), Freelance: House of Payne, Meet the Browns, One on One, Jamie Foxx Show, FILM: Screenplay adaptation of novel "After All" for BET/Arabesque Films, 21 Days of April (short film Directed and written by) PILOT: In Full Bloom (Deal @ BET/ViacomDramedy/Anthology), LIVE SPECIALS: NAACP Image Awards (5 years), PROGRAMS: Warner Bros. Comedy Writers Program | Los Angeles Born, raised in View Park/Windsor Hills, USC alum, lived in DC for 3 years as a docu-style and TV special projects Producer, 26 years as a TV writer, seasoned producer with great leadership experience, strong in the room and first drafts, also the author of three books (debut novel currently being shopped as a film) ... I love what I do and I do it well! | Manager: Tash Moseley Mgmt. (213) 426-1755 Direct: SEMPROinc@gmail.com | Yes | ||||||
16 | Andrea Thornton Bolden | Drama, Genre, Sci-fi, Supernatural, Procedural, Dramedy | Both | Co-Producer | “Superstition” (Syfy), “The Spanish Princess” (Starz), “Tell Me A Story” (CBS All Access/the CW), “LA’s Finest” (Spectrum/Fox), and “Nancy Drew” (the CW) | Andrea is an Atlanta native with a Bachelors from Hampton University and a Masters from Carnegie Mellon University. She probably would have been a tv development executive had she not been bitten by the writing bug. In addition to screenwriting, Andrea is a visual artist specializing in acrylic over mixed media collage. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. And she loves Black people. | Agent: Katt Riley at A3 - katt.riley@a3artistsagency.com. Manager: Stan Spry at The Cartel Management - stan@cartelent.com | ||||||
17 | Angela Yarbrough | Comedy | Co-Producer | Danger Force (Nick) Knight Squad (Nickelodeon), Walk The Prank (Disney), Bet Awards, Brothers In Atlanta (HBO pilot), Reed Between The Lines (BET) Bernie Mac Show | Currently have a pilot in Development at Disney called, "Fairy God Brothers". Oh and I'm really nice. | Gregg Gelman(L) - gg@morrisyorn.com, aryarbrough1974@gmail.com | |||||||
18 | Ashley Charbonnet (She/Her) | Drama | Both | Co-Producer | The Equalizer (CBS) | N/A | The daughter of a Cuban refugee and Creole political influencer, Ashley Charbonnet is a screenwriter and New Orleans native whose roots in the Crescent City date back to the 1700's. Ashley wrote for two seasons on CBS' Magnum P.I., two seasons on Roswell New Mexico for the CW and is most recently serving as a co-producer on The Equalizer on CBS. She is an alumna of the CBS Writers Mentorship Program and holds an MFA in screenwriting and directing from Columbia University. She lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. | N | |||||
19 | Briana "Bri" Belser | Drama, Dramedy, YA, Procedurals | Both | Co-Producer | GREY'S ANATOMY S19 (ABC); LADY IN THE LAKE (Apple); ALL RISE S1 & S2 (CBS); GINNY & GEORGIA S1 (Netflix); DIETLAND S2 MINI ROOM (AMC) | Feature under contract with Confluential Films and Seven Sons to produce | Briana Belser is a writer, actor and singer from Atlanta. Currently, she serves as story editor on CBS’s courthouse procedural ALL RISE, for which she has written and produced two episodes. Briana was a staff writer on the #1 global Netflix series GINNY & GEORGIA, and she co-wrote two episodes. In addition, she staffed on Marti Noxon’s feminist AMC drama DIETLAND, worked on John Singleton’s gritty FX series SNOWFALL, and is currently producing her original feature rom-com entitled SOMETHING REAL with director Kim Raver. In her spare time, Briana can be found sketching 90’s cartoons and practicing dope roller skate moves. | N | Lauren Craniotes (Feature Lit), LCraniotes@gersh.com. Ian Greenstein (TV Lit), IGreenstein@gersh.com. John Tomko, john.tomko@cartelent.com 323.654.3333 (O) 323.823.2580 (C) | N | Y | ||
20 | Christina M. Walker | Drama | TV | Co-Producer | The Flash (CW), October Faction (Netflix), Salvation (CBS), Still Star-Crossed (ABC) | N/A | Drama writer from a Military family and military town. Mom worked for the Agency and traveled abroad "answering phones". I Worked in news across the US before landing in LA. Proficient in post production after post coordinating at Paramount for five years. 2016 Alumni of the Disney/ABC Writing Program. Produced every episode I've written, and during Covid was able to produce remotely. | N | Tennis Scholarship Athlete / Born in Japan + stationed in Naples, Italy with my family for 3 years / Mentor with the WGF's Military Veterans Writing Project | APA - Lucy Tashman (ltashman@apa-agency.com) and Nate DeRemer (nderemer@apa-agency.com) | Y | Y | |
21 | Courtney Perdue & Baindu "B" Saidu | Comedy, Drama, Genre, Animation | Both | Co-Producer | Just Beyond (Disney+), Bigger S1-S2 (BET+), Trinkets (Netflix), Gossip Girl Reboot (HBO Max) | Paranormal Family (rewrite) (Nickelodeon Studios) | Courtney Perdue & Baindu Saidu are a writing team who were most recently Producers on the upcoming Hulu musical series, UP HERE. Prior to that, they were on JUST BEYOND (Disney+), GOSSIP GIRL REBOOT (HBO Max), TRINKETS S2 (Netflix) and BIGGER S1-2 (BET+). In 2018 they were finalists in the inaugural “Script to Screen” contest launched by BET and Issa Rae’s ColorCreative, landing a script deal as a result. The duo are affectionately nicknamed “Sass and Shade” for their snarky one-liners and tell it like it is personalities...but in a good way. Courtney is a connoisseur of pop and nerd culture, while B is a fun-loving artist and fashionista who can throw down in the kitchen. Growing up in their respective families (quirky Africans—B; bold, independent women—Courtney) and culture melting pot communities has prepared them for anything: comedy, drama, tragedy, horror—you name it! They’re down to play in it all! | N | Both grew up in cultural melting pots (DMV area and Philadelphia respectively); Courtney grew up surrounded by Flipino and Korean culture and loves comics, anime, K-Pop and music in general. Baindu is a West African immigrant (via Sierra Leone) turned US citizen who loves to travel, garden, paint/draw and listen to eclectic music. She comes from an Islam background but converted to Christianity in High School with her mother. Both writers are lovers of the arts, pop culture, and food! | Twitter: @CourtneyPerdue1 & @B_is_Beauty Email: Courtneyperdue1@gmail.com & Bnafei@gmail.com Agent: Jeff Greenberg @ GERSH Manager: David Baggelaar @ Good Fear Film + Management | Yes | Yes | |
22 | Evan Waite | Comedy | Co-producer | Family Guy, Kimmy Schmidt, The President Show, Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History, Three Busy Debras, Fairfax, Our Cartoon President, Inside Job, The Onion, Clickhole, New Yorker (Shouts & Murmurs), Mad Magazine | Previously an ESL teacher in Asia. Before breaking into TV, his first writing gig was at The Onion. (His favorite published headlines are "Eminem Terrified As Daughter Begins Dating Man Raised On His Music" and "Bodybuilder Strong, But Now What?") A career highlight was co-writing the infamous "Cats" episode from Season 4 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Evan is from PA but now lives in LA. | Manager: Lisa Mierke (Lisa@mosaicla.com) & Drew Shenfield (Dshenfield@mosaicla.com) [MOSAIC] | |||||||
23 | Jalysa Conway | Drama, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Action, Military, Crime, Romance | Both | Co-Producer | 9-1-1 Lone Star (FOX), Grey's Anatomy (ABC) | Jalysa Conway spent five years working as a Cyber Warfare Officer in the U.S. Air Force, and has been read into things that'd make you want to crap your pant. Since then, she's traded in her Top Secret Clearance for a career as a professional tv writer. She has written for GREY'S ANATOMY, the longest running primetime medical drama in history, and currently writes for Fox's #1 new drama, 9-1-1 LONE STAR. But true to her inner nerdy self, she has also freelanced for LAST KIDS ON EARTH, an animated Netflix zombie series for kids, and has written a futuristic action short for SOLDIER STORIES, a Top Cow military veteran-themed comic anthology. Her life's goals are world domination and to bring fresh, diverse, and inclusive tales to genre television. | N | jalysa.conway@gmail.com Agent: Jeff Greenberg (Gersh) Manager: Trevor Engelson (Underground) | Y | Y | |||
24 | Katherine Kearns | Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi/Supernatural, Horror, Historical, Dramedy, Crime | Both | Co-Producer | Yellowjackets (Showtime,HACKS (HBO Max), Sulphur Springs (Disney) | Katherine Kearns was born and raised in Los Angeles. As an African American woman, adopted and raised by a white gay man, her unique background has shaped her desire for writing stories with diverse perspectives. She's dedicated to highlighting stories about race, gender, and intersectionality in a myriad of genres. Along with her passion for writing, Katherine has a background in documentaries focusing on social justice. Her short documentary about children with gay parents, A FAMILY LIKE MINE, premiered on KCET and was awarded Best of Fest at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. She also continues to produce documentaries with the non-profit Housing Works, to highlight the harrowing stories of Los Angeles' unhoused population. She is currently a Co-Producer on YELLOWJACKETS at Showtime and was previously on HBO Max's Emmy Award-winning comedy, HACKS, along with Disney's SULPHUR SPRINGS. | Manager:jdove@circleofconfusion.com | ||||||
25 | Leland Jay Anderson | Drama/Historical Fiction/Genre/Sci-Fi/Comics | BOTH | Co-Producer | The Rookie (ABC) Bull (CBS) The InBetween (NBC) Madam Secretary (CBS) Untitled WW2 (Revelations Ent.) Untitled F. Scott Fitzgerald Adaptation (Branded Ent.) Incognegro (Darkhorse Comics) | I'm a Los Angeles-based, southern-bred playwright, journalist and screenwriter. After mistaking the old CAA building for an art museum, I began an entertainment career that has encompassed everything from reality TV, to feature film production, to video games. My writing is a catalogue of swindles, perversions and people stubbing their toes on the bed corner of truth. | Y | eljayanderson26@gmail.com Dino Carlaftes, Kaplan Stahler dcarlaftes@kaplanstahler.com Josh Kesselman, Thruline Ent. josh@thruline.com | YES | YES | |||
26 | Michelle Denise Jackson | 1-Hr and 1/2-Hr Drama, 1-Hr and 1/2-Hr Dramedy, Thriller, Historical, Crime, Family, Coming-of-Age, Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Co-Producer | Queen Sugar (OWN) Generation (HBO Max) Maid (Netflix) Pieces of Her (Netflix) | Michelle Denise Jackson is a writer and storyteller from Southern California. Growing up as a Fat Queer Black Girl in a family of Exceptional and Respectable Negroes, she has spent her life grappling with how to embrace her many selves. This has led to her being a: slam poet, playwright, cat sitter, sex educator at Planned Parenthood, senior editor for the Black feminist website For Harriet, and… very difficult daughter. She holds an MFA in Writing for Screen & Television from USC's School of Cinematic Arts, where she was also recipient of both the Annenberg Graduate Fellowship and Edward Small Screenwriting Award. Her pilot, COMING-OF-AGE, was a semi-finalist in Austin Film Festival's AMC Drama Pilot Competition. Prior to being staffed, she worked as an assistant in the writers' rooms of GREY'S ANATOMY, MRS. AMERICA, and the upcoming Netflix series PIECES OF HER. Michelle writes about marginalized people struggling to become their whole selves rather than their “best” selves. She also teaches television writing in USC's John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television. | E-mail: michelledenisejackson@gmail.com Manager: Alex Lerner, Kaplan/Perrone lerner@kaplanperrone.com Lawyer: David Jelenko, LGNA | Yes – Development No – Staffing | ||||||
27 | Naomi Ekperigin | Comedy, Dramedy, Drama | Co-Producer | Broad City (Comedy Central), Great News (NBC), Mrs. Fletcher (HBO). Currently developing a show for ABC with CBS Studios | A Harlem-born, now LA- based stand up comedian and actor who majored in Film and English at Wesleyan University and has been writing for television since 2014. As a comic, you may have seen me on 2 Dope Queens on HBO, Late Night with Seth Meyers, or my Comedy Central Half Hour special. As a writer, I'm great with character and world building, asking "if that, then what else?" to help create characters that viewers get attached to. I love sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and any opportunities to combine those genres with comedy. I also write character-driven comedy, focusing on messy personal relationships. I also co-host the comedy podcast "Couples Therapy." | naomi.ekperigin@gmail.com | Yes | ||||||
28 | Pilar Golden | Drama, Dramedy, Family | Co-Producer | Defiance (SyFy), Hawaii Five-0 (CBS), The Oath (Crackle), God Friended Me (CBS), Gossip Girl (HBO Max) | 2016 WGA TV Writer Access Honoree. Born in PG County, MD, but raised in LA by a single mother who threatened me not to follow in her footsteps. Oh well. She lost that battle. Was raised by many faux aunts and uncles and television like The Nanny, Lois and Clark, and New York Undercover. B.A. and Masters in Screenwriting to hone the craft. I love forever families so I'm very comfortable in rooms and on set. | Manager: Glenn Cockburn & Conrad Sun @ Meridian Artists, (310) 479-2777, Agents: APA, Lindsay Howard/Nate DeRemer | |||||||
29 | Sonja Warfield | Comedy/Dramedy | Co-Producer | I'm a comedy writer. I started my career writing for Will & Grace: 2003-2005. Recently I wrote for Zoe Ever After, The Game, Liv & Maddie. I've pitched, sold, and written 7 pilots for various networks, HBO, and Netflix. I perform stand-up comedy. I'd love to get back into a writers' room. | Manager: Irene Dreayer 213 713-4306 irene@irenedreayer.com/ Swarbabe@gmail.com: Sonja's email | ||||||||
30 | Meredith Dawson | Comedy / Dramedy | Co-Producer / Executive Story Editor | Central Park (Apple+), Four Weddings & A Funeral (Hulu), Champions (NBC), Spark (Feature at Amazon) When Michael Met Carrie and Other People (Feature at Universal) | After graduating from Northwestern, Meredith (a Chicagoland native) moved to LA to pursue a career as a...wait for it.... talent agent! Her seething jealousy of clients led her to finally pursue writing and she accepted an assistant position for Charlie Grandy (The Daily Show, SNL, The Office, The Mindy Project.) When his show "Champions" was picked up to series at NBC, she was promoted to staff writer. She then became a Story Editor on Hulu's adaptation of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and is currently an ESE on Apple's animated half-hour musical, "Central Park". In features, Meredith sold her first spec script, "Spark" to Amazon with Hello Sunshine producing, which also made the 2018 Black List. Additionally, her feature "When Carrie Met Michael and Other People" is setup at Universal with Paul Feig producing that she will also direct. In her free time, she's probably training for her next marathon or baking a cake to eat by herself. | mdpd1104@gmail.com | YES | ||||||
31 | Xavier Stiles | Drama, Horror, YA Drama, Comedy | Co-Writer | Stumptown (ABC), Lil Nas X Holiday Play (Amazon) | Xavier is a comic book enthusiast, type 1 diabetic, former bouncer, son of an LAPD officer and social worker, born in LA and raised between here and St. Louis. He’s an avid BUFFY fan currently working on the reboot under Monica Breen and most recently co-wrote an episode of STUMPTOWN season 2. In addition to working in several writers' rooms, X produced live music shows, events, and music videos with artists like Lizzo at MTV and Lil Nas X at Amazon. All while gaining millions of views on Youtube and Vimeo for his high concept music videos and dance content with his creative collective. | Manager: Christine Coggins (Heroes and Villains Ent) - chris@hvemgmt.com Lawyer: Gregg Gellman - gg@morrisyorn.com | YES | ||||||
32 | Pat Branch | Comedy, Drama, Documentary, Web series | Both | Co-writer, Associate Producer, Director | Jewels Catch One Documentary, Donna (Amazon Prime, iTunes, Apple+ TV, Fandango), Worlds Apart(Vimeo) | Philly native & Temple U film school grad. Novelist, screenwriter, procducer, director. Teacher(day job) of mentally, chronically, & terminally ill students, in their homes or hospital beds, when they are too sick to attend school. Also a stand up comic, which REALLY helps with the day job. Currently developing a scripted series based on JC1 doc with the doc's director, who's my co-writer. And I have a family friendly sitcom pilot, complete with pitch deck, that's ready-to-go, as well as a few award winning feature screenplays! | N | patchbran@gmail.com, 310.569.6944 | Y | Y | |||
33 | Jessiline Berry | Dramedy/Drama | Both | Consultant | A Million Little Things (ABC), Christmas in Harmony (Hallmark) | Samples available | I was called a “writer/director to watch,” by the National Black Programming Consortium, but I don’t think that’s why the old guy two houses down always peeks at me through his blinds as I eat dinner. As a former Texan, hedge-fund admin, New Yorker, assault survivor, accountant, eating disorder recoverer, dog mom, vegan caterer, sugarless baker, and single foster mom (in that order), I’ve seen much, and written a lot of it down. Sharp wit, sharp tongue, and a big, squishy heart. I write good girls who do bad, and bad guys who do good because humanity is rarely black or white, even if people are. I earned degrees in RTF and Acting from UT Austin, and my MFA in film directing from Columbia University. I learned structure, nuance, building character, and how to avoid paying off mounds of education debt for as long as possible. I teach TV/screenwriting, as well as consult with production companies and private clients. I’ve helped clients get into the CBS Mentoring Program, ABC TV Writing Program, and Tribeca All Access. I’m currently writing TV movies, developing my next feature directing project, and working toward licensure as a marriage and family therapist. | N | Jessiline@FemmeMaker.com | N (Available Jan 2022) | Y | ||
34 | Jeanine Daniels | Comedy/Dark Comedy/Drama (Fantasy/Animation would be a dream come true) | TV | Consulting Producer | PValley - consulting producer (STARZ) /// Young-Love - Story Editor (HBO MAX))/// Snowfall - Story Editor (FX/HULU) /// Love Is - Staff Writer (OWN) | Back to the Good Life (BET feature) | I was born & raised in South LA by a black activist mother and liberal father. My talents and hobbies are an eclectic sum of the people I grew up around; anime, aggressive Rap music, stocks, jewelry making, cosplay, and the occasional Crip walk. My entry to writing began when I self published my first book at 11 years old and sold it around the country at literacy festival with my mom. We made a killing. Thats when I first realized, people wanted to hear my voice. After joining WriteGirl.org, it was even more clear to me that writing could really be my future. I went to the Claremont colleges on a full-ride, then landed at a few studios where my passion grew even more. I left my kushy gig at Warner Bros Animation with the $5 copay, and took on the life on a struggling artist and began creating, writing, and directing my own shows which eventually landed me a development deal at HBO. My first feature was licensed to BET/Centric and another series was studied at Spellman. Most recently I was handpicked as a staff writer on OWN’s “Love Is” by Mara Brock Akil who was a fan of my web series and style. In short, I’m a strange bird who loves to write, enjoys a challenge and works hard. No kids, no pets, bald head, so I can work long hours and I get ready fast. | William Brown william.brown@caa.com> | Fall | Fall | |||
35 | Bennie R. Richburg | COMEDY, DRAMA, action comedy, | Consulting Producer / Showrunner | Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , MARTIN, Jamie FOXX SHOW, ONE on ONE, CUTS, THE GAME etc... | Proud to be called a "Jamerican," signifying his Jamaican upbringing and American birth, actor/writer Bashir Gavriel knew early on what he wanted to do with his life. But, understanding the financial instability of the entertainment industry, Bashir put moving to Los Angeles on hold to go to nursing school. Four years later, as a cardio/thoracic Registered Nurse, Bashir moved to Hollywood and hit the ground running. Initially focused on acting, he built a strong resume with over thirty credits on nine different networks. Also, an alumnus of Second City, Bashir fell into writing by way of sketch comedy. He was a Staff Writer on the multi-episode web-series ALMOST 30. The pilot was a Finalist in the 2013 NYTVF Short Pilot Competition for Matthew A. Chery, who won an Oscar in 2019 for his short film, HAIR LOVE. He was a Semi-Finalist in the Austin Film Festival, and his short, Twenty-Two Years, was nominated for a prestigious Imagen Award. In 2016, he joined the WGA by selling a pilot script, PAROLED, to USA Network. In 2019-2020, he worked on RAISING KANAN, a new spin-off series from POWER on STARZ, and co-wrote/produced the second episode. In mid-2020, he joined the writing staff for THE GIRL FROM PLAINVILLE, about the Michelle Carter texting-suicide case with HULU starring Elle Fanning and run by Liz Hannah (Mindhunter) and Patrick McManus (Dr. Death). In July of 2021, Bashir will join CBS' new medical drama GOOD SAM with Sophia Bush and Jason Isaacs as STORY EDITOR. The combination of his diverse upbringing, being a working actor, and a nurse has ultimately helped him become a strong television writer. Plus, heaven forbid, if someone passes out in the writer's room, rest assured that Bashir is fully capable of administering dramatic CPR while screaming clichéd medical lines like, "don't you quit on me now!" | rep: Thomas Vidal tvidal@pryorcashman.com | |||||||
36 | Corey Deshon | Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Comedy | Both | Consulting Producer / Story Editor | A Million Little Things (ABC), The Night Agent (Netflix) | Shine, Trespassers, Daughter | The Artist Formerly Known as Tech Support. Corey began his professional career in the Information Technology field after graduating from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in IT. He worked in the R&D lab of a Department of Defense contractor designing computer networks for military deployments, then as a personnel manager of a web-hosting firm before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue his true passion, filmmaking. A self-taught screenwriter and director, Corey has since gone on to write and direct award-winning short films and theatrically released indie features. Corey was most recently a Consulting Producer on ABC’s A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, co-writing episodes 308 (“The Price of Admission”) and 313 (“Listen”) and is currently in development on an original drama series entitled IN THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS with Netflix and Sony Pictures Television, based on his own feature spec of the same name. He has recently completed his directorial debut feature, a surrealist thriller entitled DAUGHTER, also from his own original screenplay, and co-producing with Paris-based OneWorld Entertainment. As a writer, Corey likes to explore contemporary social themes with introspective character-driven narratives, through a heightened and sometimes surrealist genre lens. | N | Agent (TV Lit): Cori Wellins, Daniela Federman and Dani Potter at WME Agent (Features): Roger Green at WME Manager: David Katsman at Sugar23 Lawyer: Darrell Miller at Fox Rothschild Direct: CoreyDeshon@gmail.com | Y | Y | ||
37 | Roosevelt Brown | Comedy/Dramedy/Horror/Supernatural | Current Studio Assistant---seeking 1st staffing job | I’m a black, gay, Texan who grew up in a funeral home, so my writing tends to skew heavily genre and darkly comedic. But always from the vantage point of someone seldom seen on screen—-with a touch of the supernatural to bring out the frailty and deeply hilarious moments within the human experience. From the yasss queens to the g-blerds, I cover them all. My newest sample "BOUND" is a horror pilot inspired by real events in my hometown of Houston and experience dating in the military, about a soldier with PTSD who loses his husband in a tragic accident and moves his multi-racial family to a small town in Texas. But they soon learn this suburb is built on top of an old plantation, where the residents are possessed by slaves. | Manager: Nathan Miller/Manage-ment; nm@manage-ment.com | ||||||||
38 | Pavar Snipe | Comedy, sketch, late night, topical comedy | Current Writer/Producer NBC Los Angeles-- seeking 1st staff position | CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase, Interactive Game Series, NBC 4 Los Angeles News | Writer and stand-up comedian with a quick wit, dry twist and a little bit of quirk. Creates characters with a comedic dark take on pop culture, politics and society. Pilot "Hollywood and Legal" was a semifinalist in the 2017 Austin Film Festival. Former morning radio host. Long journalism career. | pavarsnipe@gmail.com | |||||||
39 | Darryl Wharton-Rigby | Drama, Foriegn, Anime/Animation, Action, Thriller, Romance, Documentary, Reality | Both | EP (Development Anime Project), Staff Writer, Script Consultant, Head Writer (Japan) | Homicide: Life On The Street, Split Screen, Just Deal, Worldwide Nate: African Adventures (Script Consultant), A Girl Named Joe (Script Consultant), J-Flicks (in Japan) | Stay, Detention | Originally from Baltimore, with over 20 years experience in film, TV, and theatre. MFA in Film Directing (Chapman) & BA in History (Ithaca). I write drama, romance, action, thrillers, as well as horror. I am working in the anime/animation space as well. My work has addressed the plight of BIPOC youth, the disenfranchised, LGBTQ issues, as well as addiction recovery. I write outside of the box and have an international perspective. Currently living in Japan and seeking writing opportunities. I am the second African-American to make a feautre film in Japan. filmsnoirfilms.com | N (But former HBCU Professor) | Swimming (Fomer Life Guard), Tennis, Golf, Japanese, Lived in Japan for over a 16 years), Have literally flown around the world. | filmsnoir@gmail.com darryl@filmsnoirfilms.com | Yes | Yes | |
40 | Keisha Zollar | Comedy/Dramedy | EP(showrunner), Co-EP, Story Producer | Spitting Image, Agent King, Astronomy Club | Keisha Zollar is a bicoastal BIPOC writer-producer-comedian. She's written for narrative, sketch/variety, and late night. This year she's staffed on Agent King (Netflix) and Spitting Image (BritBox). In 2019, she was an Co-EP on Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show, EP of The Read on Fuse, and the writing supervisor on Busy Tonight. She previously worked on The Opposition on Comedy Central, co-headwriter on the digital series Astronomy Club Presents, and was a story editor on Harlem Code. As a human, Keisha is a big picture, problem solving, bleeding heart, Type-A intellectual that grew up like a de facto Huxtable. She's a California neurotic with some New York chill. In 2006 Keisha started her professional comedy journey touring short form improv for kids (think Whose Line meets daycare). In 2007 Keisha found her way to the Upright Citizens Brigade where she took classes and eventually became an improv/sketch performer, writer, teacher and diversity coordinator at the theater. | Y | |||||||
41 | Kevin Arbouet | Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi | Both | EP/SHOWRUNNER | "True Love" created by ME for Amazon/Wondery & "Move" (limited series) for MACRO | Half Latin/Half Black/All Fool. Voted one of the Top 25 Screenwriters To Watch by Moviemaker Magazine. I write wild ass stories about various people in delicious stages of melanin. Directed the super viral video “I Got A Crush On Obama” if that matters at all. | karbouet@gmail.com | ||||||
42 | Josef Sawyer | Crime Drama + Legal + Medical | Exec Story Editor / Story Editor | SEAL Team (CBS) Being Mary Jane (BET) Media (TV-One) | Born in Liberia, I’m also a former crime producer for America's Most Wanted and worked on the Whitey Bulger chase, The Times Square Bomber, Jennifer Hudson Case, etc... I write one-hour cop or legal dramas. I’m passionate about first-hand storytelling and rely less on books and NPR for story ideas and room pitches. I love to spend time talking with current cops, crooks, and prosecutors about their job… Doing ride-alongs… | josef.w.sawyer@gmail.com | |||||||
43 | Judith McCreary | Drama, Procedurals, Genre | Executive Producer | New York Undercover, Law & Order: SVU, CSI, Criminals Minds, Secrets & Lies | While procedurals have been my bread and butter for the last 25 years, I am passionate about the element of drama in genre TV. I'm a lowkey Trekkie and enjoy watching Marvel movies with my grandsons. I've run many rooms and am comfortable with incorporating everyone's experiences into the show's voice. | Manager: Darryl Taja, (310) 444-5592, darryltaja@epidemicglobal.com | |||||||
44 | Dewayne Perkins | Comedy | Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer/ Consulting producer/ | Sausage Party (Amazon), The Amber Ruffin Show (Peacock) Saved by the Bell (Peacock), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC), The Break with Michelle Wolf (Netflix) | Chicago born and raised, Dewayne Perkins is queer comedian/writer. A member of the WGA, Dewayne is currently a writer on NBC's hit show Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Former credits include The Break with Michelle Wolf (Netflix), Undressed (MTV), and The 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner, where a joke he wrote was named one of the best jokes of 2018 by the New Yorker. On the film side, Dewayne is currently writing the feature film adaption of the Comedy Central Digital short "The Blackening," which he wrote for his comedy collective 3Peat. It's being developed by MRC Film and The Story Company, and co-written with Tracy Oliver (Girl's Trip, First Wives Club). Since starting stand up comedy in 2017, Dewayne has been chosen as a 2019 Just for Laughs New Face in Montreal, one of Vulture's "Comedians you Should and Will Know in 2019," Comedy Central's UP NEXT, and a Breakout LGBQT Comedian to Watch by TimeOut New York. His stand up has been featured on Comedy Central, Netflix, LOGO, and festival and stages around the country like Comedy Central's Clusterfest. SF Skechefest, NBC's Breakout Comedy Fest, the Comedy Cellar, Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, Zanies, and more | Professional Dancer | thedewayneperkins@gmail.com | N | Yes | ||||
45 | Aaron Carter (WGAE) | Drama, Sci-fi | Executive Story Editor | Devil in Ohio (Netflix); All Rise (CBS); The Red Line (CBS) | Aaron’s writing focuses on the intersections between race and faith, and is inspired by his lifelong interest in circus, magic and sci-fi. His plays have been produced and developed at Roundabout, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, TimeLine, and the Lorraine Hansberry Theater, among others. His play Gospel of Franklin was in the 2019 Roundabout Underground reading series. His adaptation of the Walter Dean Myers novel Monster was produced at Steppenwolf. His latest play, Possession, uses ghost story structure to explore racial identity and legacy. Aaron previously worked as an Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf Theater Company where he supported projects such as Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu, and The Minutes by Tracy Letts. | adCarter@gmail.com | NO | ||||||
46 | Adrian Dukes | Drama, Dramedy, Comedy | Executive Story Editor | The Quad, Mann & Wife, Last Call, Pool Party (BET), Small Fortune (NBC), Legendary (HBO Max) | Father of three from Knoxville, TN. Attended boarding school before moving on to Morehouse College where I studied English and done good. I love writing dramas (particularly family drama) even though I got my start writing features (family comedy) for Rainforest Films before stepping into multi-cams for TV One and Bounce TV. I thoroughly enjoy crafting flawed characters dealing with difficult life issues and exploring the gray area of relationships. All with a touch of levity. | AdrianLDukes@gmail.com Manager: Adam Robinson adam@therookery-la.com | |||||||
47 | Anil Foreman | Comedy (multi- and single), Drama, Dramedy, Genre, Horror, Procedural, Sci-fi | Both | Executive Story Editor | Ginny & Georgia (Netflix); P-Valley (Starz); The Upshaws (Netflix) | Universal Writers Program (2018-2019) | I spent most of my life in Atlanta. Prior to moving to LA in 2018 for the Universal Writers Program, I was a health care and administrative attorney for the State of Georgia. It was basically medical malpractice work but where I worked for the state against medical practitioners who allegedly harmed their patients. (Think of it like "Law and Order: Health Crimes.") Before that, I worked in publicity and finance for two major record labels. Passionate about trivia, I appeared on America’s favorite quiz show, Jeopardy!, in 2013. I lost, which means my life can be described by a Weird Al song. I'm actually quite proud of that. | N | Manager: Audrey Knox (The Cartel), audrey@cartelent.com; Agent: Halle Mariner (APA), hmariner@apa-agency.com; personal email: writeakforeman@gmail.com | Y | Y | ||
48 | Bashir Gavriel | Drama/Comedy | TV | Producer | MURDAUGH MURDERS (HULU), UNTITLED J. EDGAR SERIES (AMAZON), DR. DEATH S2 (PEACOCK), GOOD SAM (CBS), THE GIRL FROM PLAINVIEW (HULU), RAISING KANAN (STARZ) | Bash, of Jamaican descent, is an accomplished professional in writing, acting, and healthcare. He co-produced the Amazon BOSCH spin-off "THE UNTITLED J. EDGAR SERIES" and contributed as an EXECUTIVE STORY EDITOR for the hit anthology "DR. DEATH" on PEACOCK. He has also written for shows like "THE GIRL FROM PLAINVILLE" on HULU and CBS's "GOOD SAM." Bash's impressive work includes producing and co-writing an episode for Starz's "POWER: RAISING KANAN" and selling a pilot script to USA Network/UCP. With a background as a cardiothoracic Registered Nurse and an actor with over 30 credits, Bash brings unique depth to his creative pursuits. | N | Former ICU registered nurse, actor, and model. | AGENT: Dan Norton (CAA - dan.norton@caa.com) MANAGERS: Geoff Silverman (The Cartel - geoffs@cartelent.com) PERSONAL EMAIL: Bashir.Gavriel@gmail.com | ||||
49 | Brandon A. Schultz | Drama, Genre, Animation, YA | Both | Executive Story Editor | Star Trek Discovery(S2-4), Short Treks (S2) | N/A | Growing up in entertainment my first job (after my paper route) was as a PA at 15. When I got a chance to work on a Lincoln Center play I skipped my senior year of high school in favor of broadway. I'm a graduate of Morehouse College (miraculously) and worked in production in several capacities before co-founding an animation studio and producing youth-culture based content. After writing animated content and comics/graphic novels for clients like Marvel, New Line, Simon&Schuster, Adidas, and developing shows with/for several studios, I transitioned to live-action episodic. Starting over again as a writers assistant, I spec'd an episode of the show that I was yearning to see. Based on that writing I got the chance to co-write a freelance episode and the next season, I got promoted. After getting promoted again I am here in the CBW and the WGAW with all you talented and interesting people who I get to call colleagues. Thrilled to be in the Black Book. Thx! | Y | Managers: Chervine Namaani cnaamani@rainla.com Rick Lefitz rlefitz@rainla.com | Y | |||
50 | Bryce Ahart & Stephanie McFarlane | Drama (YA, Thriller, Horror, Genre, Family) | Both | Executive Story Editor | Legacies (CW) First Kill (Netflix) Houston (Apple TV+) | N/A | Bryce and Stephanie, a black LGBT writing duo, are both recent graduates from NYU Tisch School of the Arts where they each graduated Cum Laude from the Dramatic Writing Department. During their senior year, they were two out of eight fellows selected for the 2017-2018 HBOAccess Writer’s Fellowship where they got to pour their personal ties to gun violence and love of character driven ensembles into Sterling, a pilot about the aftermath of a school shooting in a small Texas town. As the only dramatic selection chosen to be produced through the program, Sterling went on to premiere at SXSW. Most recently, Bryce and Stephanie completed staffing on the CW’s Legacies where they wrote and produced two episodes. | bryceahartwrites@gmail.com & stephaniemcfarlane4@gmail.com | Available after June 4th 2021 | Yes | |||
51 | chandra thomas | Comedy, Dramedy | Both | Executive Story Editor | TACOMA FD (truTV) new adult animated comedy (Amazon) MOM (CBS/Warner Bros) | The proud daughter of immigrants, i am a writer-actor originally from New York. i’m currently Executive Story Editor on the single-cam comedy, TACOMA FD. Previously, i staffed on the Emmy-nominated multi-cam, MOM and a new adult-animated comedy series for Amazon. i was the sole comedy writer in the 2020 CBS Writers’ Program and have a writing/performing background at UCB. i'm also an award-winning playwright. MFA, Columbia University. i’ve gleefully lived all over the country and around the world, and absolutely loves baseball. | iAm@chandrathomas.com | Y | Y | ||||
52 | Curtis Cook | Comedy | TV | Executive Story Editor | Crank Yankers, The Jim Jefferies Show, This Fool, American Dad | N/A | Curtis Cook is a standup comedian and WGA Award-nominated writer who puked after a keg stand on a show called Flophouse, traveled through an Ebola checkpoint for a segment on Vice News, performed standup on Comedy Central, and appeared alongside Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein on Portlandia. In addition to performing, Curtis was a writer for the recent reboot of Crank Yankers and the upcoming Hulu comedy This Fool. He currently writes for American Dad on TBS. | N | Manager: Jordan Tilzer Tilzer@elcentromgmt.com (310) 492-5100 | N | N | ||
53 | Cynthia Adarkwa | Comedy, Dramedy, Drama, Mystery | Executive Story Editor | Saint X (Hulu) | Cynthia Adarkwa is a Ghanaian American writer from Silver Spring, Maryland. She earned a BFA in Dramatic Writing from the Savannah College of Art & Design, then started her career as a writer’s assistant on MTV's short lived but feminist fueled series, Sweet/Vicious. She followed that up by writing for two digital series, CW's Legacies and most recently staffed on a Hulu series called Saint X. Ultimately, Cynthia tells stories about women of color finding their place in the world. | ICM: Howie Tanenbaum & Kyle Jaeger for TV Bryan Diperstein for Features - or email me @ cadarkwa@gmail.com | Y | Y | |||||
54 | Darnell Brown He/Him | Drama/Dramedy/Thriller | Both | Executive Story Editor | IRON MIKE (Hulu) | N/A | Darnell Brown is a TV/Film writer/producer and native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has worked as a mental health professional and traveled the world as a legal videographer, exploring places a Black man from Philly thought he’d never see. Places like: Canada, London, Helsinki, Madrid, Versailles, Paris, Amsterdam…Jersey. LOL! In 2018, his pilot "The Good Book" was one of three finalists (the only Drama) in the ColorCreative competition sponsored by BET Networks and Issa Rae. In 2019, he was chosen as an HBOAccess Writing Fellow and was also selected as the 2019 Drama Writing Winner at WarnerMedia’s American Black Film Festival for his dramedy pilot, LYZ and a 2020 inductee of “The Bitch List” (the top pilot). He was then hired as a WGA Writers’ Trainee for the BET series, AMERICAN SOUL and as a Story Editor on the currently in-development HBO limited series, “Kent State” with Jay Roach. Most recently he worked as an Executive Story Editor on the Hulu limited series “IRON MIKE.” | N | Darnell.Brown723@Gmail.com Agent: Danny Alexander - APA Manager: Randy Becker - Randy@Level4Films.com | Y | Y | ||
55 | Erica Michelle Butler | Drama, Action, Sci-Fi | Both | Executive Story Editor | Law and Order: Organized Crime (NBC, S2), Delilah (OWN), Greenleaf (OWN, S2-5) | Born and raised in Third Ward, Houston, Texas (aka the land of Beyoncé), and graduated with a B.S. in Communications from the University of Miami. I’m drawn to female-driven narratives in big, intricate worlds. Character and dialogue are my specialty, and I’m especially interested in exploring the darkness that is within all of us. Looking to make the leap from family drama to sci-fi. In addition to writing, I act, play the violin medium-well, and pretend to know things about astrology. | N | Email: erica.butler77@gmail.com Manager: Thuan Dang (thuan@gotham-group.com) | N; Available 4/15/22 | Y | |||
56 | Gia Gordon | Drama/Thrillers/Historical | Executive Story Editor | BULL (CBS) | I'm a native Angeleno who writes female-forward true life, true crime and historical dramas. Was a speechwriter and activist before turning to screenwriting. My writing has gotten me into the Black List Feature Lab, CBS Writers Mentoring Program and won the 2019 AFF Drama Spec Teleplay Award. I've written OWA's for producers in London, Beijing, Atlanta and Hollywood. Currently, in my second season on the legal drama "Bull." | Buchwald Rob Kim (rkim@buchwald.com) & Matt Nordsten (mnordsten@buchwald.com) | Available March 2021 | ||||||
57 | Jai Jamison | Drama, Comedy, Superhero, Sci Fi | Executive Story Editor | Superman & Lois (The CW) | Writer/Director from Richmond, Virginia. 2017 Episodic Comedy Writers’ Colony in Nantucket. 2019 WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Fellowship. 2018 Appointed to Virginia’s Board of Tourism (I really love Virginia, y'all). | Direct: calvinjamison@gmail.com Manager: Alex Lerner & Cassie Duffy/ Kaplan Perrone | Yes | ||||||
58 | Kimberly Ndombe | Drama, Sci-Fi, Superhero | Executive Story Editor | Chicago Fire, Sorry for Your Loss, Good Trouble, Raising Dion | Born to Angolan immigrants in Rhode Island and raised in New Hampshire, my writing often zeroes in on the othering experience of growing up with the feeling that my family and I made up the 1% of the black population in the granite state. My writing has been described as emotionally grounded, poignant, and clever. It often centers on dysfunctional and decaying relationships, divorce, identity, authenticity, and agency. I have worked for an impressive list of writers/producers including Marta Kauffman and Judd Apatow. With strong story-structure skills and an innate sense for character and dialogue, I have excelled in writers' rooms. | Dan Halsted // Manage-ment dh@manage-ment.com Melissa Darman // Verve (TV) mdarman@vervetla.com Rich Rogers // Verve TV rrogers@vervetla.com Sara Nestor // Verve (Film) snestor@vervetla.com kimberly@ndombe.com | Film: YES TV: NO | ||||||
59 | Kristin Layne Tucker (she/her) | Comedy/Dramedy | Both | Executive Story Editor | Dead Boy Detectives (S1/HBOmax), The Flight Attendant (S2/HBOmax), A Black Lady Sketch Show (S2/HBO), This Functional Family (TruTV), Dog with a Blog (Disney) | Redd Zone (Netflix) | M.A. in Screenwriting from UTexas. 1 of 8 selected for NBC's Writers on the Verge. Warner Bros. finalist. Fantasy football champion (twice). I was walking down La Cienega, and a stranger who looked like white Jesus on his way to an internship stopped me, and said I am supposed to be a writer. So I'm just trying to do what Jesus said. | N | repeat fantasy football champion, corvette enthusiast (manual engines only), former dancer (from ballet to burlesque), studied french for 8 years, have driven across the country solo multiple times | kris.tuck@gmail.com // ethan stern, 3 Arts | Available Sep. 2022 | Y | |
60 | Lamar Sally | Comedy, Dramedy | Executive Story Editor | Executive Producer/Writer for Sherri Shepherd comedy speical for the Epix network called "It's My Turn To Talk!" Sold half hour comedy to HBO about my experiences as a English Teacher in South Central Los Angeles titled "Suspended" | I've won ABC/Disney, Nickelodeon and Cosby Writing Fellowships. I've sold a pilot to HBO and wrote on a multi camera comedy for ABC. I’ve studied sketch comedy at UCB in New York and done stand up comedy at Caroline’s, plus... I'm really great in a room and have a kick ass pilot! | Manager: Michael Van Dyck at Inspired Entertainment michael.vandyck@inspiredet.com Lamar Sally MrSal40@aol.com | YES | ||||||
61 | Maya Perez | Drama, Thriller, Horror | Both | Executive Story Editor | American Rust (S2) on Showtime | Raised in Kenya, Zambia, and the United States, Maya Perez often writes about displacement and homegoing. Her feature screenplays have been recognized by fellowships from SFFILM/Westridge, Sundance Institute, and NY Stage & Film. Her short stories and essays have been published in American Short Fiction, Joyland, Electric Lit, The Masters Review, and more. Maya was an executive producer on the Emmy Award-winning television series On Story on PBS. She currently teaches at Michener Center for Writers and The University of Texas at Austin in the Radio-TV-Film Department. | N | Manager: Jennie Frisbie at Authentic Management - jennie.frisbie@authenticm.com / Lawyer: Marcie Cleary at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz - MCleary@fkks.com | Y | Y | |||
62 | Mia Katherine Iverson | Drama (Crime, Family, Dramedy, Romance) | Both | Executive Story Editor | Walker: Independence (The CW), 4400 (The CW), Katy Keene (The CW), Charmed (The CW) | Kansas born and Texas raised, Mia is a bicoastal Black / French Louisiana Creole writer splitting her time between NY and LA. After working in marketing for two years, Mia jumped ship to New York and landed in the film and television industry working with esteemed New York filmmakers Kasi Lemmons and Ed Burns. With an itch to write, she worked her way from NY’s fast growing post production arm, onto set, and finally into the writers rooms of LA. | N | Ballet, Black Rodeo (Oklahoma) | Agent: Jennifer Good (Paradigm) Mangers: Krista Sipp, Devon Byers (Heroes & Villains) Personal Email: miakatherinewriter@gmail.com | Y | Y | ||
63 | Michelle Amor | Drama/Comedy | Both | Executive Story Editor | Playin' for Love (UPN), Of Boys & Men (Warner Bros) Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake (Documentary) | Co-chair of the WGAW, Committee of Black Writers. Penned the Dear Hollywood letter that went viral. Sold THE HONORABLE to CBS in the fall of 2019 & Resold it to BET/ViacomCBS in the spring of 2020, where it’s currently set up and I’m re-writing the pilot with Ali LeRoi. I sold the comedy SUGAR MAMAS to CBS Television Studios in the fall of 2020, and my produced feature film projects include PLAYIN' FOR LOVE & OF BOYS & MEN, which still air on cable and streaming. | mgilliewriter@gmail.com | Y | |||||
64 | Racheal Seymour | Drama, Procedurals, Action, CIA, Military, Genre, Mythology | Executive Story Editor | The Rookie (ABC) | Raised in Alaska's interior without running water, central heat, or human neighbors, Racheal Seymour had to develop an active imagination during minus-50 degree winters, and often created "girl-saves-the-world" adventure stories with her huskies and a wolf hybrid named Fargo. Even after leaving The Last Frontier to live in Japan and Russia, Racheal never lost her desire to try and "save-the-world." But after working as a political analyst at the CIA, earning a master's in public policy from Harvard, receiving the key to the city for work in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and serving as a founding member of the Beverly Hills Human Relations Commission, Racheal felt she could better use her creativity and reach more people through the power of television. While co-starring in numerous drama series such as SCANDAL, VEEP, and CRIMINAL MINDS, Racheal progressed into writing, and recently staffed on THE ROOKIE (ABC). Racheal also produced and starred in a short film with Dennis Haysbert, and then created an Alaska-based docu-reality series picked up to pilot at THE WEATHER CHANNEL. Thanks to her EXTINCTION SQUAD pilot, Racheal was a finalist in Disney-ABC’s Writers Program and the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, a semifinalist in NBC’s Writers On the Verge, and her HOMELAND spec garnered a top five placement in FINAL DRAFT's BIG BREAK screenwriting contest. Post COVID-19 “Stay-at-Home orders, Racheal will continue to enjoy playing goalie in a men’s ice hockey league. Holding black belts in Shudokan karate and Kendo (Japanese sword fighting), the lifelong learner currently studies Krav Maga (Israeli martial arts) and Hojutsu (Japanese gun training). | MANAGER: Tom Drumm, Think Tank Mgmt: tom@thinktank-mgmt.com DIRECT: raseymour@att.net | Staffing: Yes Development: Yes | ||||||
65 | Roxy Simons (she/her) | Comedy, Dark Comedy, Romantic Comedy, Animation, Preschool, Kids, Young Adult, | TV | Executive Story Editor | Bunk'd (Disney Channel), Helpsters (Apple TV+), Madagascar: A Little Wild (DreamWorks) | N/A | Roxy Simons is a comedy and animation writer based in Los Angeles. She is currently an executive story editor on Disney's BUNK'D and has previously been a staff writer on Sesame Workshop’s HELPSTERS and Dreamworks’ MADAGASCAR: A LITTLE WILD. She is developing an original series based around a new Disney princess for Disney TV Animation and has written freelance scripts for THE LOUD HOUSE (Nickelodeon), GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE (DreamWorks), and VAMPIRINA (Disney Jr). She received a development deal with Sesame Studios for the original pilot she wrote during the 2018 Sesame Writers Workshop. She also studied sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade. She enjoys writing stories that center around complex girls and women, multi-generational families, absurd humor, immigrant experiences, and musical numbers. A native of South Africa, Roxy brings her unique point of view and sense of humor to all of her work. | N | Personal: roxysimons26@gmail.com Manager: Julie Kane-Ritsch & Matt Shichtman, The Gotham Group, jkr@gotham-group.com & matts@gotham-group.com | No, will be available around June 2022 | Yes | ||
66 | Terence Anthony | Drama/Dramedy/Historical Drama/Sci-fi/Action | Executive Story Editor | Bass Reeves (Paramount+) | Honed writing skills as a playwright whose work explores the American past, present and future through a critical lens of race and class. Many years of experience as a social justice advocate. Worked with civil rights leaders in L.A. to organize low-wage Black workers, and worked with formerly and currently incarcerated people in Oakland to reform our country's racially biased criminal justice system. Great at weaving complex characters, engaging dialogue and narratives of resistance into universal story structures. | Manager: Samantha Starr, Circle of Confusion (sstarr@circleofconfusion.com) Agent: Samara Harris< Michael Moore Agency (samara@michaelmooreagency.com) | Y | ||||||
67 | Valencia Parker | Comedy, Dramedy | Executive Story Editor | My Wife & Kids, Cuts, Let’s Stay Together, Second Generation Wayans, Family Time, Born Again Virgin | I have worked for 19 years in the sitcom genre. I got my start as a writer’s assistant on Jamie Foxx and Moesha, then wrote a script that got me on staff at MW&K. My first drafts are stellar, I’m great with story AND jokes, and I’m a joy to be around in the room! | vparker973@yahoo.com | |||||||
68 | Clayvon C. Harris | Dramedy, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Drama, Comedy, Light to Moderate Drama, YA, Women Centric stories | TV | Executive Story Editor | Soul Food: The Series, Star Trek: Voyager, Living Single, For Your Love, Farscape | N/A | Versatile, character driven writer from Philly with MFA in Screenwriting (USC) and a BA in English lit. (Swarthmore College). Alumna of the Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop and the AFI Science Fiction Writer’s Lab. Semi-finalist for the Writer's Lab competition. Seasoned in traditional sitcom writers’ rooms and experienced in one-hour format. Author of Sub – Inside the Notorious School District of Philadelphia. "There’s a revolutionary energy flowing through the country, I hope to be able to tap into it in an authentic, engaging and meaningful way.” And have some fun along the way. | No | I've worked in ad agencies and corporate America, writers rooms and schools rooms. I've written esays on faith in Year of Trial, Year of Faith: A Catholic's Search for Faith and a light horror/ women-centric superhero pilot. As I mentioned, versatile. ;) | ClayvonHarris@gmail.com/ Bradley Glenn @ bglenn@buchwald.com | Y | N/A | |
69 | Nambi E. Kelley (WGAE) | drama, TYA | both | Executive Story Editor, freelance playwright | LADY IN THE LAKE (Apple) OUR KIND OF PEOPLE (Fox) THE CHI (Showtime) | In development w Lagralane Group on a Harlem Renaissance piece | Award-winning writer and actress, Nambi E. Kelley most recently served as a writer on Fox's upcoming Our Kind of People, Showtime’s The Chi, a new show on Apple (TBA), and is in development with several other film and TV projects, TBA. As an actress, upcoming acting credits include The Mecha Builders (HBO Max) and Coronatown (Amazon). As a writer, Nambi is currently a playwright-in-residence at New Victory Theatre in New York City. She was chosen by Toni Morrison to adapt her novel JAZZ for the stage. Her stage adaptation of Richard Wright’s NATIVE SON has been seen across the country and premiered off-Broadway in 2019 at The Duke on 42nd Street (The Acting Company; AUDELCO Award for “Best Play”). She is currently developing multiple commercial theatre projects for stage, TBA. Nambi's newly formed production company, First Woman Inc, is currently producing a digital and national tour of Nambi's young audiences' play, JABARI DREAMS OF FREEDOM, directed by Daniel Carlton. www.nambikelley.com | N :( | Matt Snow msnow@paradigmagency.com Jonathan Mills jmills@paradigmagency.com | ||||
70 | Maurin Mwombela (he / him) | Comedy, Dramedy, Drama | Both | Executiver Story Editor | Mr Mayor (NBC) / Fraggle Rock (Apple) / Single Parents (ABC) | Maurin Mwombela hails from Washington DC, the middle child of six born to an African immigrant father and a white mother whose parents were Civil Rights activists. He is currently staffed on the Apple reboot of Fraggle Rock and has previously staffed on NBC's Mr. Mayor and ABC's sitcom Single Parents. Before that, Maurin was the writer's PA on The Goldbergs which is why, even though he is only in his mid-20s, he likes to think he knows a few things about the 80s. In college at UPenn, Maurin was a member of a musical and sketch comedy troupe and spent his junior summer producing a friend's indie movie. He loves collaboration and thrives in the fun of comedy rooms, but his solo projects tend to be comedic takes on his more pointed, radical politics. | N | Manager: Katie Newman knewman@3arts.com | N (free in mid-November) | Y | |||
71 | Fola Goke-Pariola | Comedy, Dramedy, Drama, Coming of Age | Both | ExecutiveStory Editor | Paper Girls (Amazon Prime, S1 & S2) | Winner of Powderkeg / Color Creative's TEEN MOVIE CONTEST for THE OTHER ONE | Fola, a queer Nigerian-American writer, was born and raised in the deep south, Georgia. He wrote on PAPER GIRLS Seasons 1 and 2 (Prime Video), and just wrapped writing for TOM SWIFT (CW). He started making waves in LA with projects like his half hour comedy script, SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA, which garnered him a fellowship with the 2019 Outfest Screenwriting Lab. His essay, I GOT CATFISHED ON A DATING APP, BUT THERE ARE OTHER FISH IN THE SEA, recently ran in the LA Times. | N | Manager: Josh Turner Mcguire joshturnermcguire@gmail.com (323) 930-2588 Direct: fgp217@gmail.com | Y | Y | ||
72 | Numa Perrier | Family Drama, Dramedy, Romance, Thriller | Both | feature writer (Also Director)- JEZEBEL pilots for HBO and BET | Haitian American (immigrant by adoption)love character driven pieces and series that deal in taboo subjects - writing my second feature film, and also write as work for hire -rewrites - would love to staff on a progressive new series | YES | |||||||
73 | Kevin Grevioux | Science Fiction, Horror, Action-Adventure, Fantasy | Feature writer/Animation/TV | Underworld/I, Frankenstein | Created and wrote the original screenplays for both the Underworld and I, Frankenstein franchises. Wrote animation for series such as Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes, Ben 10 and Megaman. Sold an animated series to Nickelodeon called Monstroids. I also own a comic book company called DARKSTORM COMICS. | grevioux.kevin@gmail.com 310-281-6203 | |||||||
74 | Colin Costello | Comedy/Superhero/Horror I write as a teenager... alot | Feature Writer/Freelance Director | The Stream (feature) Committed, The After Party | I'm a biracial dad of 2 daughters born and raised in Philly. Spent a few years in New York and then Chicago. Originally from the advertising world. Started Spike Lee's ad agency. I have 2 features (1 on Amazon "The Stream" starring Rainn Wilson. Three shorts I wrote and directed on the fest circuit and had a sample just pass coverage at ABC. | Me: colinfcostello@gmail.com | |||||||
75 | Cezil Reed | Genre, Dark Comedy | Both | feature writer/looking to start at any level in television | Not Alone, The Milli Show (Amazon), Travel Boobs | Not Alone, The Taking | I’m the writer you call when you need someone who knows what it's like to do 1000 pushups and run 48 miles in less than 48 hours. I study martial arts, not so much for self-defense but to challenge the mind. I specialize in all things tech, sci-fi, and pushing the mind, body, and spirit to the limits. I have an interest in characters with special ops training working in highly classified units such as DEVGRU and Delta Force. I’m highly influenced by the X-men and The Matrix. Exploring tech is my thing as I have interest in NFTs, defi and blockchain technologies. I’m deep into anything related to “The Simulation Theory”. I would have become an astrophysicist but my math skills are subpar; however, I still can enjoy a starry night full of constellations. I carry 14 years of production experience, having worked on a few dozen films. I’ve sold two feature scripts. I have two produced features, both genre. First film “The Taking” was an official selection at Sitges. “The Butcher Shop” script was an official selection at the Frontières Co-production market at the Fantasia International Film Festival. Lastly, my script “Old Dog” was a finalist in the ScreenCraft Film Fund. | cezil.reed@bapartfilms.com | Yes | Yes | |||
76 | Patrice Williams Marks | Historical Dramas, Dramady, Comedy, Suspense/Thriller | Freelance | Derek Haas Popcorn Fiction, "The Unfinished." (film noir/scifi) Short story developed at Universal. Amazon Best Seller, "The Abduction of Nelly Don." | LOOKING TO BE STAFFED. I have a background in writing one-hours before transitioning to features. I previously won several screenplay competitions with historical fiction and thriller scripts. I am a grad of the Cosby Screenwriting Program. Most recently I have focused on fiction and non-fiction books; some of which have been best sellers on Amazon. I currently host a podcast (Author Uncut) which focuses on novel and screenwriting; have been a leading Sensitivity Reader/Cultural Consultant for the last several years. I love writing stories about, and am fascinated by, little known people from our history's past. Combining genres is also a forte. Ask me about the American Sherlock Homes who actually solved the Lindbergh kidnapping... and it isn't who history says it is. Visit my pressroom at: https://patricewilliamsmarks.com/pressroom - Latest Specs: The Morning Show, Interpol (original) | #1 Sensitivity Reader in the United States. Have experience with end of life, interracial relationships, being a foster parent, creator of multiple film festivals. Also background as television journalist, professional researcher, novelist of nonfiction and historical fiction/thrillers. | pwm@patricewilliamsmarks.com (Former Rep: Bryan Brucks Luber Roklin Entertainment) My Google Number: 818-934-0614, https://patricewilliamsmarks.com/pressroom | YES | YES | ||||
77 | Adam George Key | Action/Drama/Sci-Fi/Historical/Book Adaptation | Both | Freelance TV 1Hr Drama | NCIS:Los Angeles (CBS). | Canal Street (2019), North of the 10 (2022) | I'm biracial (African American / Jewish) and married with a 6-year-old daughter. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, I started as a Set PA and Assistant Director before breaking into the writer's office, so I have a unique understanding as a new writer of the production side of television. I've delt with a lot of tragedy and trauma in my life, and I tend to incorporate that into the characters I write. | N | Martial Artist: Kenpo and Wing Chun Kung Fu. Runner/Jogger: 5Ks & 10ks. I have a daughter, she is 7, she was a premie and is autistic. Started in Theatre: Actor/writer. | AdamGeorgeKey@gmail.com | Yes | Yes | |
78 | Tommy Wright | Sci-Fi, Horror, Comedy, Dramedy, Action | Both | Freelance Writer | Last Man Standing (FOX) | NA | Tommy Wright is an American Writer/Actor/Director and a 2016 New Voices Sundance Alumni. As a performer, he has appeared in major productions such as Fruitvale Station and Red Tails. Tommy previously worked on Fox networks hit show “Last Man Standing”, where he has received Story By credit on three episodes — “Extrasensory Deception” and “Otherwise Engaged” and “Parent-Normal Activity”. | N | Thomaswright916@gmail.com 916-717-8350 | Y | Y | ||
79 | Italome Ohikhuare | Drama, Thriller/Horror | Freelance Writer/Producer | The Mental Health Channel, Sundance Fellow, WGA West Feature Writers Access Project honoree | I’m an African American female writer-filmmaker based in Los Angeles. I come from a lovable, dysfunctional, and highly superstitious Nigerian family. With my eclectic, cultural background and years working in Off-Broadway theater, my scripts feature diverse characters, complex, social issues and are usually dark, psychological Thriller/Horror dramas. Fresh off an MFA in Film from The University of Miami, I wrote and produced my first film “The Mermaid” which was acquired by The Mental Health Channel. I’m also a 2018 Sundance Institute Grant Recipient and a 2017 Writers Guild Feature Writers Access Project winner. | ||||||||
80 | Garret Williams | Drama, Thriller, Dark Comedy | Freelance Writer/Producer/Director | WGA Feature Writer Access Project Honoree 2018, Film Independent Director and Screenwriter Lab Fellow and past Sundence Screenwriter and Filmmaker Lab Fellow. | Worked mainly in the independent Film. Grants/Support for my work from NEA, ITVS, Sundance Institute, Film Independent, Tribecca. Recently Directed 8 episodes of the true crime series Unusual Suspects for ID. | garretwilliams@hotmail.com | |||||||
81 | Tiffany Black | Comedy, Drama | Freelance Writer/Producer/Director | Finalist: Sundance Episodic Lab, Humanitas, Macro Episodic Lab, Austin Film Festival, Sundance Youtube Lab | WOC, Actor, Writer, and producer. Raised in Florida with an even blend of fearlessness and southern hospitality. Degree in Communication/Journalism and lived in Atlanta for a few years recently. Extremely fast writer. I’m talking 30-60 pages per day. Raised in a family full of women. Writes beautiful dialogue. Lives for a solid character-driven story. Knows how to grow a social media following, manage it and make from it. | tiffanyclassics@gmail.com Attorney: Darrell Miller | |||||||
82 | Asheleigh Conley | Drama, Dramedy, Genre, YA, Horror | TV | Freelance Writer/Researcher | BLACK LIGHTNING (CW/ Netflix) | N/A | Born and raised in Nashville, TN, Asheleigh has always been an artist. She loved to write and tell stories as well as dance. She performed in ballets, plays and her first college paper was published in a textbook. She later decided to switch her career from performance to writing. She holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Hampton University, as well as an MA in TV, Radio, Film from Syracuse University. After a brief stint as a staff writer for Rolling Out Magazine, Asheleigh relocated to Los Angeles to become a development executive. She couldn’t shake the writing bug and eventually turned her focus back to writing. She worked on BET’s THE QUAD, and most recently, she wrote two episodes of the hit CW show, BLACK LIGHTNING. In 2020, one of the episodes was nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Television Series for the Black Reel Awards. | Y | Personal: aoconley@icloud.com; | Y | Y | ||
83 | Cheryl L. Davis | Drama, Legal, Family, Social Justice, Historical Drama | TV | Freelance Writer/Staff Writer | Law & Order: SVU (NBC); Days of Our Lives (NBC); As the World Turns (CBS) | I’m an African-American woman, attorney, and I've written for As the World Turns and am currently a freelance writer for Law & Order: SVU. I love telling stories, especially untold ones. I finished my first full-length play after I graduated from law school (which apparently taught me discipline, as well as a love of parentheticals). I’ve won awards for writing about the experiences of African-American women - a Kleban Award for my libretto for my musical Barnstormer about Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman flyer, and Audelco Awards for my play Maid’s Door, inspired by the untold story of my late grandmother, (the aforementioned maid) who suffered from dementia in later life. I literally beamed while I was reviewing my breakdowns and arc-ing out my character storylines for As the World Turns, and I’ve had a blast in the L&O:SVU room as well. I play very well with others, and have tons of ideas, stories, and voices that I want to share. | N | Baking, knitting, was once in a medically induced coma | cldnyc@cs.com. AGENT: Buchwald, Ricki Olshan/Liz Orr (ricki@buchwald.com; lorr@buchwald.com) | Y | Y | ||
84 | Geno Brooks | Drama, Dramedy, Action, | Freelance,Writer, Director, Producer, Digital Showrunner | VHX | I’m a dramatic writer, who loves authenticity, stories of the underrepresented and those helping to amplify the voices to the voiceless. I’m driven by curiosity about the characters past and current circumstances - about what small choices they may have made that has shaped their psyche. I can relate to this as a man from Chicago, who has lived a hardened life, which only adds substance to the man, father and writer I’ve become. I love grit and vulnerability up against stark, cinematic visuals. | GenoBrooksTV@gmail.com | |||||||
85 | Lauren Ashley Smith | Comedy | Head Writer / Co-EP | A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO), The Rundown with Robin Thede (BET), Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo), Best Week Ever (VH1) | Originally from St. Louis, MO and spent many years doing late night in NYC. Now LA-based. Loves writing relatable comedy with black queer women at the center. | Manager: Katie Newman @ 3 Arts | |||||||
86 | Carmen Askerneese (He/Him) | Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy | Both | Lead Writer/ Producer (Game Studio) | N/A | N/A | Carmen got his start as the Executive Producer, Creator, and Host of a YouTube game review series, Heads Up Display. After working on the series he co-founded a start-up, Develo, a platform for creatives to create a digital portfolio. Develo placed 65th in the National competition Student Startup Madness. Carmen attended UCF's Masters' program at FIEA, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, the number one ranked school in the world by the Princeton Review. He served as the Writer and Project Lead for his thesis project, Child No More. Upon graduation, Carmen worked as the Lead Producer, Writer, and Performance Capture Actor for a virtual reality escape room called iMyth before transferring to EA Sports. At EA he worked as an Associate Game Designer and Writer on both Madden NFL Mobile and NBA Live Mobile. Carmen later moved to EA Austin and worked as a Narrative Designer/Writer on The Simpsons Tapped Out. He also established a chapter of the employee resource group BEAT (Black EA Team) and was elected the Local Chairman for the Austin chapter. Carmen was promoted to Lead Designer/Lead Writer where he led a writing team and collaborated with other discipline leads, the licensor and writers of the Simpsons TV series Gracie Films, and support teams within EA. Carmen recently became a Producer at Wizards of the Coast on Magic the Gathering. When he's not writing games, Carmen writes, produces, and is the Dungeon Master for a tabletop actual play show called Realms & Roleplay. | carmen.askerneese2@gmail.com | Yes | Yes | |||
87 | Fred Thomas Jr. | Comedy, Drama, Multi-cam, single cam, Sketch comedy | Both | Looking for staffing position. | Samples Available | Ladies Book Club (Swirl Films) | Philadelphia born, Seven time N.A.A.C.P award nominee and winner of Best Director, Best Playwright and Best Producer for the play 12’ x 9’. An alumnus of Lincoln University, PA (HBCU), and Masters in Film and Media Arts, Temple University. One of the original friends who spawned and starred in the iconic Budweiser Whassup Guys! commercial campaign. Director and producer on the film 24 Hour Love, writer/director for film Ladies Book Club, and What Would Divas Do? Divalogues, a musical stage play for TV One's series R&B Divas L.A. A Film Independent Screewriting Fellow, WGA Veterans Program Alumnus, and writer of the script Justice Denied a selected streamed reading for the Diversity In Cannes Film Festival. Screencraft Comedy Competition: Quarterfinalist 2022, Inroads Fellowship: Quarterfinalst 2022. | Y | Former Army Combat Medic. Coached little league basketball. | illtown215@yahoo.com www.fredthomasjr215.com | YES | YES | |
88 | Calhoun Cornwell | Comedy, Drama, Dramedy | Both (and Stage Plays) | N/A | N/A | N/A | My name is Calhoun Cornwell. I fell in love with writing at a young age, I wrote my first book in middle school. My high school was big on the arts. I was the only black male in our drama five class. My teacher at the time told me my acting was okay but it was my writing that would take me places. I am a proud graduate of an HBCU (South Carolina State University). While in college I wrote, directed and toured a stage-play that made national headlines, going as far as to receive a front page review in The New York Times. After that I obtained a Masters Degree in creative writing from Savannah College of Art and Design. My screenplays have made it far in numerous competitions including winning an award and being a finalist in B.E.T/Paramount Studios Project Cre8 competition. My short film Black Diamond was also a semi-finalist in HBO's short film competition. I'm also a 2021 semi-finalist in The Academy's Nicholls Screenwriting Fellowship competition. My stage plays have also been successful over the years; winning the Tampay Bay Theatre Festival and Atlanta Black Theatre Festival. Kobe Bryant is my favorite player of all time and I bring his work ethic and mentality into every script. I am a writerholic and work every day to be great at my craft. Mamba mentality, God, faith and sprinkling in a little talent on top and you come out with a writer that will work endlessly to give you a script you envisioned. | YES | CalhounCornwell@gmail.com | Y | Y | ||
89 | Cheri Shannon | Drama, Adaptation, Historical, Narrative | both | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cheri Shannon hails from Baltimore Maryland, the daughter of hardworking parents from a middle-class household in the infamous Forest Park area. Cheri often states, “Writing is my true love because it doesn’t judge me. It listens without criticisms.” In a time, when the writing for television has been outstanding and prolific, it is important to tell stories that are reflective of the world. I have a unique perspective to share from working with emotionally disturbed children to being the only female graduate in my MFA Screenwriting program at Loyola Marymount University. | N | scherimon@aol.com | Y | Y | ||
90 | Christian Elder | Drama, Thriller, Horror, Dramedy | Both | N/A | Hell, California (Podcast, Spotify, Apple) | FRICTION (Optioned Sly Dog Films), Samples Available | Christian Elder is an award-winning writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles, California. Within the wide array of subject matter he appreciates, he often returns to themes about addiction, technology, and racism. He has written, directed and produced podcasts, webseries, spec commercials and short films. At LA’s Cinerokom Film Festival, Christian was given the Earth Award for his farcical noir short film The Big Meet, later to premiere on ShortsTV. His specs have earned official recommendation on The Black List and advancing positions at Tribeca Film Festival’s Tribeca All Access, ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship and the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. Recently, he was granted the de Groot Foundation’s inaugural Courage to Write, Writer of Note Award for his incendiary play #NWORD. Christian has also appeared on the popular YouTube Channel Film Courage, where he can be seen sharing his thoughts about movies and screenwriting. #NWORD is currently in development for an Off Broadway production in New York. | N | Lived in Italy for 2 years. | Twitter:@Xian_Elder www.christianelder.org Email: christian.elder@gmail.com | Y | Y | |
91 | Kellee Terrell | Horror, Genre, Dramedy | Feature, but looking for TV work | N/A | N/A | Script Polish for upcoming Amazon/Blumhouse feature/horror | Terrell is a Los Angeles-based award-winning filmmaker and journalist. Her Columbia College MFA Thesis film “Blame,” a supernatural short about race and sexual assault, screened in over 30 festivals, including the Academy Award qualifying Athens International Film + Video Festival and the Cinequest Film Festival. Her feature script for “Gemma,” a Black lesbian love ghost love story, was named a semifinalist in the 2017 Screencraft Horror Screenplay Contest, winner of the 2017 Pride Film & Plays LezPlay Screenwriting Contest and was chosen for the 2018 Athena/IRIS Screenwriting Lab and the 2016 Outfest Screenwriting Lab. In addition, in 2019 her shorts “Blame” and “Goodnight My Love” (a Black lesbian zombie drama) were included in Shudder’s “Horror Noire” Syllabus. | N | Kellee Terrell: kelleent@gmail.com | Y | Y | ||
92 | Kia T. Barbee (WGAE) | Drama, Sci-fi/Supernatural, Thriller, Dramedy, romance | N/A | Native New Yorker from Queens with a affinity for creative brainstorming. My journey began as an actress/playwright before delving into independent film production. As a storyteller, I gravitate to character driven drama and supernatural themed stories with non pc humor. I'm also a certified teacher (elem ed) and currently producing a virtual live reading series (ScriptRead) for writers of color and women. | ktbarbee@gmail.com (for samples) Instagram: elmhurstent_scriptread | Yes | |||||||
93 | Madison Margeaux | (Prestige) Drama, Historical, Coming-of-Age, Sports, Political | Both | N/A | N/A | N/A | After fleeing Hurricane Katrina, Madison’s parents vowed to never live anywhere low to the ground again. So they moved to the 29th floor of a downtown Dallas high-rise... on the same street John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Fascinated that she lived near the site of endless revelations, Madison writes stories about people who are gasping for self-revelation within suffocating worlds. Madison is a Jack Nicholson Writing Scholar, NAACP/ViacomCBS Writers Mentorship Fellowship Finalist, and an Academy Nicholl Semifinalist for Evacuating Charity. She also enjoys museums, speechwriting, and cheering on the Alabama Crimson Tide! | N | madisonmargeaux.com madisonmargeaux@gmail.com 504 722 9303 | Y/ASAP | Y/ASAP | ||
94 | Victoria Renee | Drama, Dramedy, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi | Both | N/A | N/A | N/A | Victoria Renee grew up in College Park and Southwest Atlanta, GA. She is a George Lucas Scholar and 2021 Screenwriting MFA graduate from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, she studied clinical and forensic psychology at Columbia University and Barry University. She developed her arsenal of stories after working with incarcerated, detained, and at-risk children and adults from Riker's Island via Brooklyn Criminal Court in NYC and at a psychiatric residential treatment facility in Georgia. Victoria Renee writes about characters who navigate different worlds and wrestle with their identity and self-acceptance. She pens dramas and dramedies about people within the African Diaspora living ordinary to extraordinary experiences. She was the 2020 Viacom CBS/ NAACP fellowship award winner. Furthermore, her screenplays have advanced in the Sundance Feature Lab, Warner Brothers Writers Workshop, Diverse Voices by WeScreenplay, Screencraft's Pilot Launch, the MACRO Episodic Lab, and others. In addition to writing, Victoria Renee also serves as a director, assistant director, producer, and production assistant. Victoria Renee also uplifts other artists as a co-founder for an Atlanta-based nonprofit for filmmakers of color called, Film Family Organization and was the 2020-2021 co-president of USC’s African American Cinema Society (AACS). | N | Victoria@VictoriaRenee.net www.VictoriaRenee.net | Y | ASAP | Y | ASAP | ||
95 | Wilandrea Blair | Comedy, Drama | Both | N/A | N/A | N/A | Originally from Flint, Michigan, Wilandrea Blair is an LA-based dramedy writer and a recent graduate of the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory. Wilandrea earned a BA and MA from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and has enjoyed several careers including: broadcast news writer/producer, entertainment copywriter and award-winning creative director. She focuses on hot mess female protagonists navigating diverse worlds with humor and heart – basically, she writes what she knows. Her AFI thesis film was selected for the 2021 Diversity in Cannes Showcase. Most recently, Wilandrea was selected for the inaugural staff writer’s program by The Writers Guild Foundation and The Writers Lab. | N | bwilandrea@gmail.com | Y | |||
96 | Willie J. Hagan | Drama, Thriller, Horror | Both | N/A | N/A | Feature film - Child of Grace | Navy brat, having attended 13 schools between kindergarten and high school. Always the new kid on the block, always trying to fit in. This is why themes of alienation and being the outsider permeate so much of my work. Writing became a place of escape while riding cross-country in the backseat of the car or waiting in a new neighborhood to be welcomed or caught by the local kids. I earned my Ph.D. in Psychology, spent 10 years as a state and federal lobbyist, many more as a universty Vice-President, and seven years as a California State University President. Earned my MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. Adapted the novel Darkfall by Stephen Laws, for Dimension. Adapted the novel, June Bug by Chris Fabry, for Sternman Productions; released under the title Child of Grace. Won a Writers Guild East award for my para-normal feature script, The Furies; and the UCLA Showcase Award for my drama, Ayla. Now working to convert The Furies into my third television pilot. | Agent: Gayla Nethercott, 310-401-8118. gayla@nethercottagency.com | Yes | Yes | |||
97 | M.J. Musey (he/him) | Action/Adventure, Coming-of-Age, Comedy | Both | Narrative Designer/Writer (Call of Duty: MWIII) | Narrative Designer/Writer (Call of Duty: MWIII) | Co-Producer - The Inventorr: Story of Garrett Morgan | I pride myself on professionalism as my content design skills, endless knowledge of entertainment literacy, and a keen eye for recognizing quality content make me equipped to lead, tackle, and perform any task. Traits such as these have led me to work in development at HBO Max, earn two Writer credits on Call of Duty titles as their first Black narrative designer ever, and be awarded a spot on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list all within the last few years. The passions behind these fueled me to establish my own entertainment studio, STMT Media LLC, featuring finely crafted stories and productions centered around underrepresented voices in entertainment. More information can be found about my studio and original IP at www.stmtmedia.com | N | Second generation Ghanaian | matthewmusey@gmail.com 678-206-5802 | Y | Y | |
98 | Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Jr. | Drama, Sci-fi, Horror | Both | None yet | None yet | Black Box (Part of the "Welcome to the Blumhouse" anthology collection from Amazon Studios & Blumhouse) | Born and raised in Houston, Texas to Ghanaian immigrants. As a first-gen American who's always lived between cultures I am passionate about characters struggling with identity and belonging. I'm open to any genre but particular interested in coming of age dramas or social horrors/thrillers. I'm fluent in Japanese and started my career in Japan where I lived for 6 years. Received my B.A. in Film Studies from Stanford University with a minor in Computer Science and completed my MFA in Film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Asia. Was also a fellow in the Disney-ABC TV Directing Program. | e.oseikuffour@gmail.com Manager: Neda Niroumand 310-614-0631 neda.niroumand@gmail.com | Y | Y | |||
99 | Andre Edmonds | Drama, Action, Sci-Fi, Procedural, Mythology, YA | Producer | La Brea (NBC), Black Lightning (CW), God Friended Me (CBS), The Quad (BET) | Born in Boston, MA, raised in a low-income housing development known as Ruggles Street Projects. Studided writing for television at Emerson College, but also have a finance degree/background that oddly lends itself to breaking story and story math. Love to shoot pool and I'm full of useless theories on how the game relates to life - no, I don't believe the world is flat. Two time staff writer looking to make the jump. I have episodic producing experience. Creatively drawn to High Concept, Crime, YA, and Hisorical dramas. Did I mention I have a minor in History? | e. ajedmonds22@gmail.com t. Dre_Edmonds m. Sam Sekoff - ssekoff@rangemp.com | Y | ||||||
100 | Howard Jordan, Jr. | Comedy | Producer | Call Me Kat (WB/Fox), The Unicorn (CBS), Bigger (BET+), Family Reunion (Netflix) 2020 WGA Award Winner, Superior Donuts (CBS) | LA by way of NYC and VA. During my former life in advertising, I was lead writer and creative director for Beats by Dr. Dre, Hulu and Coca-Cola, among others. A little later, while I was a global creative strategist for instagram, I was a CBS Writers Mentoring program participant. Love writing about high functioning dysfunctional people and the families that made them that way. Former D-1 athlete. Current WWE expert. | Manager: Ellie Klein, the Framework Collective | YES |