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1 | To get added, email Steve Peterson at sppeterson@gmail.com or David Daitch at ddaitch@gmail.com with your information or request an invite to edit via the Google docs interface. Also make sure to visit vmeconnect.org It's a fantastic resource. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Name | Contact | Genre | Military Branch | Deployments | IMDb/Website | Bio/writing experience | Writing Sample | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Adam Korenman | adam.korenman@gmail.com | Action, Sci-Fi-Fantasy, Supernatural, Comedy | US Army National Guard | CONUS Ops only, Hurricane Gustav Recovery, Operation Quick Response, CAARNG Fire Response, CAARNG Flooding Response, NTC Support | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7776806/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 ; www.adamkorenman.com | Adam is an author, screenwriter, and producer who served in the US ARMY as an infantryman, commissioned Armor Officer, and Tank Company Commander. Aside from studying film and television writing at Boston University, Adam is a Knight in the Order of St. George and a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Adam has written seven award-winning short films and is currently producing and directing a one-hour play. Adam is looking to staff as a staff writer. Writing partner of Samir Khushal. | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aIDDYTkYgaZ-ECqvlpaH4ZouDrPccomf | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Brooke Roberts | brookecyan@gmail.com | TV drama | US Army | Cryptolinguist (Modern Standard Arabic) with TS/SCI clearance. Attended DLI. Separated while stationed at Fort Carson in 2013. | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1074940/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 | 3 years on The Flash, starting year 3 on NCIS: New Orleans, Co-Executive Producer level. Sold 2 pilots to ABC Family. | Sample on request. | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Chris Roessner | chris_roessner@me.com | Action/Drama | U.S. Army | OIF 1 | Chris Roessner is a decorated war veteran and American screenwriter. His debut screenplay, SAND CASTLE, cracked the 2012 Black List, was produced by Mark Gordon (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) and sold to Netflix for $13million in one of the most lucrative deals of the 2016 Cannes Film market. The film, based on Chris’s 200 missions as a machine gunner in Iraq’s Sunni Triangle, was shot in Amman, Jordan and starred Henry Cavil (SUPERMAN) and Nicholas Hoult (MAD MAX). Chris was then hired by Ben Affleck to adapt the award-winning book KING LEOPOLD’S GHOST, a sprawling historical piece about King Leopold’s pillage of the Congo at the turn of the 20th Century. Affleck is set to direct and produce. Other credits include ON THE JOB, an action film for Universal Studios with Baltasar Kormakur (EVEREST) attached to direct and, for television, an adaptation of the book CALIFORNIA FIRE & LIFE by NYT Bestselling author and Raymond Chandler Award recipient Don Winslow. Currently he is writing and producing PAPARAZZI FOR THE DEAD AND DYING for Michael De Luca Productions, Jean-Stephane Sauvaire (A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN) is attached to direct. He is repped by LBI Entertainment. | ||||||||||||||||||
6 | David Daitch | Mike Goldberg, Malcolm Hamilton, Lucy Tashman @ APA | Action, Thriller, Historical Fiction | US Navy | US 5th Fleet, Persian Gulf, Somalia, US 7th Fleet forward deployed Sasebo Japan | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3447057/ | Written for Call of Duty, Shooter, Splinter Cell, adapted a Gearbox game title for television, ADVERSARIES (ABC), INTERCEPTOR (FOX), CANDYGRAM (ABC). Writing partner of Katie J Stone. | On Request | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Drea Garcia | thepuertopina@gmail.com | TV Drama, TV Comedy | USMC | IWAKUNI, Japan/ USS Nimitz | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4328126/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 | After Garcia completed active duty in the USMC, she returned home to San Francisco to complete her theater degree. After gaining her EQUITY card she moved to Los Angeles to continue studying, but this time behind the camera. She gained membership into the Television Academy as a Performer shortly after received her MFA in Producing from the American Film Institute. She has landed roles in features as well as several major national commercials to include the JEEP Halftime SUPER BOWL commercial campaign with Oprah Winfrey and PEPSIs NFL Kickoff campaign. Garcia can be found on GREY'S ANATOMY, CRIMINAL MINDS, ANGIE TRIBECA and most recently SHAMELESS. Currently volunteers at the Writers Guild of America West and rescues senior special needs dogs. | On Request | ||||||||||||||||
8 | Dustin Paddock, writing partner Shawna Baca | dustinpaddock@gmail.com, shawnabaca@hotmail.com | TV Drama | Army National Guard | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0655615/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinpaddock/ shawnabaca.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnabaca/ | Shawna and I are a writing partnership. Shawna is an award-winning filmmaker, half Latina and half Native American, with experiences from the Pala Indian Reservation to Dartmouth. I wrote two freelance episodes of "House," and have many years experience as a Script Coordinator on dramas, including all eight seasons of "House." We met in the Fox Diversity Writers' Program and were friends for many years, then decided last year to write together. Our medical drama CURANDERA, is about an intern who becomes a Curandera, or faith healer, her teen siblings she has to care for, and an atheist MD coworker at the clinic serving the underprivileged. Attended WGA Foundation Veteran Writers' Workshop. | https://drive.google.com/file/d/11p4fz_J8mCeUfBhmIDsPM7oAyGO-Xblq/view?usp=sharing&authuser=0 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Dwayne Conyers | dwacon@vivaldi.net | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy (Feature and TV) | US Air Force | Iraklion AS, Greece as Signals Intelligence Officer Kelly AFB TX as Signals Intelligence Officer NSA Fort Meade MD as writer producer of training video programming | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1291689/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 | Dwayne Conyers served as an Officer in the United States Air Force and as a consultant at the White House, Central Intelligence Agency, and other federal agencies. After his undergraduate studies, he attended programs with the American Film Institute, Harvard University, the Warner Brothers Writers Workshop, and the Writers Guild of America Foundation’s mentorship for military veterans. At the end of the WGA program, a showrunner expressed his desire to get him staffed. Unfortunately, a former employer sent a “plant” to infiltrate the WGA program and kill all job offers. Dwayne wrote and produced ten CGI productions streaming on Amazon Prime in the USA, UK, Germany, and Japan (http://bit.ly/dwacon-vid). He has authored books including “Beltway Bandit” (https://amzn.to/309SHKl) and “Pater Familias” (https://amzn.to/2vR9ZxV). | https://drive.google.com/open?id=18HUgfllAi-CoHxKeXUe5lHGvqCqUyTdj | ||||||||||||||||
10 | Francisco Martinezcuello | francisco.martinezcuello@gmail.com | Fiction, Creative Nonfiction | Marine Corps | OIF/OEF | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8422970/?ref_=tt_cl_t9 https://www.themotorcyclewriter.com/ | Francisco Martínezcuello was born in Santo Domingo, República Dominicana and raised in Long Island, New York. He has been writing short stories and journaling since he was a teenager. His passion for literature and writing continued throughout his 20 years of Marine Corps service and helped him understand the impact of war on our nation’s veterans. He is an Into the Fire Writing Retreat Scholarship Recipient, a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellow, and a contributing co-editor for the forthcoming veteran anthology, Incoming: Sex, Drugs, and Copenhagen. He has been published in Bull Magazine, Hobart, Construction Literary Magazine, The War Horse, Split Lip Magazine, River Teeth: Beautiful Things, Collateral Journal and the Dominican Writer’s Association. | www.themotorcyclewriter.com/work | ||||||||||||||||
11 | Jackie Perez | jackiedperez@gmail.com | Horror, Sci-fi, True stories, STEM | US Navy (Nuclear Surface Warfare Officer) | Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, US 5th and 7th Fleets, Anti-Piracy (Gulf of Aden) | www.jackierageperez.com www.beachworldfilm.com | Jackie Perez an MIT nuclear engineer turned screenwriter. Her writing super power is humanizing science-y worlds and filling the screen up with blood. Sometimes in the same film. She spent 10 years in the Navy both Active duty and Reserve as a Nuclear Surface Warfare Officer. Her horror script U-666 won Best Screenplay at Screamfest 2017 and her latest short film Beachworld, a Stephen King Dollar Baby, premieres on DUST spring 2021. She's been published in Cut-Throat Women, The Mary Sue, Ms. In The Biz, and has an essay in "When Women Wrote Hollywood: Essays on Female Screenwriters in the Early Film Industry," She's currently writing a biography on astronaut Sally Ride for ABC-Clio publishing and wrote an episode on QCode Media's new horror anthology podcast BAD VIBES. She was recently chosen for a Coverfly development mentorship and is currently seeking representation. | https://directories.wga.org/member/ccbe0a76-ab1e-4180-8648-ebd82284173e | ||||||||||||||||
12 | Jacqueline Wright | jacquie1945@gmail.com 317-603-1613 | Drama, comedy, action | US Navy | CONUS with NSA/CSS | stage32.com/jacquie | After completing a 6-year enlistment as a Hebrew linguist and Middle East intelligence analyst, I pursued a career in acting and screenwriting where I was represented in Los Angeles by Ensemble Entertainment and created a 60-min scripted show for television that initially went into development with Level One Entertainment. Presently, I'm majoring in international business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and seeking literary representation to further my screenwriting career. | Screenplay available upon request. | ||||||||||||||||
13 | Jennifer Willis | jenny.willis1@yahoo.com | Drama, crime, suspense, sci-fi, military | Army (22 years active duty, Lieutenant Colonel, 1994-2016) | Kuwait (4 months); Honduras (12 months); Germany (42 months); Egypt (12 months); Afghanistan (13 months) | https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm10419310 | Jennifer Willis writes episodic, short and feature scripts in drama, suspense, crime, and sci-fi. Her passion project is a true-story feature trilogy spanning 15 years of love, family, war and its aftermath, drawn from her life as an Army officer, wife, mother and combat veteran. Her writing is informed by 22 years of military service, including seven years overseas and a combat tour in Afghanistan that left her damaged, but surviving. Also an actress, Jennifer excels in roles that demand strength, wisdom, compassion, and grit - qualities that served her well in uniform and now as a writer. | Upon request | ||||||||||||||||
14 | Joshua Keller Katz | Stuart Arbury - Ramo Law PC (Ent. Attorney) stu@ramolaw.com | True Story/IP Adaptation, 1hr Drama, half-hr Comedy | US Navy (Gunner's Mate/Missile Technician) | U.S. 5th Fleet, Operation Noble Eagle (1st military responder to both NY and DC on 9/11), Operation Enduring Freedom (Arabian Sea) | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0441751 , http://www.facebook.com/JoshuaKellerKatz, http://www.twitter.com/joskelkat | Joshua Keller Katz is an actor and screenwriter in Los Angeles, CA. He was first published as a young teen freelance writer for the popular Cincinnati paper: Everybody's News. Upon completing high school, he served in the United States Navy as a Gunner's Mate. He received special training to become a VLS Missile Technician and deployed to NY and DC on 9/11 as a first defense responder, then also deployed to the Arabian sea for Operation Enduring Freedom. After the military, Katz graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in electronic media. He moved to Los Angeles in 2013 where he began to pursue screenwriting. He continues to work in film and television, including a reoccurring co-star role on all three seasons of "Code Black" on CBS and working as a military advisor in Hollywood. Katz is a graduate of the Writers Guild Foundation's Veterans Writing Project, a year-long screenwriting mentorship. Since graduating, he has written a commercial for Under Armor and had screenplays optioned by various producers. His original screenplays have placed in competitions ranging from New York to Hollywood. | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Justin Sloan | justinsloanauthor@gmail.com | TV Drama, Video Games | USMC | Camp Foster, Japan | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1733364/ | Justin Sloan is a video game writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He has written on how to take your writing from hobby to career in such books as Creative Writing Career and its sequel, and on how veterans can pursue their creative passions in his book Military Veterans in Creative Careers. Justin studied writing at the Johns Hopkins University MA in writing program and at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television's Professional Program in Screenwriting. Justin was in the Marines for five years and has lived in Japan, Korea, and Italy. His credits include work as an episodic game writer at Telltale Games, on such titles as Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Minecraft: Story Mode, and Tales from the Borderlands. | On Request | ||||||||||||||||
16 | Kadyn Michaels | Kadyn.Michaels@gmail.com | TV Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Supernatural, Crime | US Navy | OIF/OEF/Kingdom of Bahrain | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5122898/ | Kadyn is a former U.S. Navy Lieutenant and a graduate of Chapman University’s MFA in Film Production Program. His scripts have been finalists at the Austin Film Festival and in Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope screenwriting contest. He writes character-driven supernatural, science fiction, and thrillers for both TV and feature films. Kadyn resides in Los Angeles, CA. He is represented by John Tomko at Rain Management Group. | Upon Request | ||||||||||||||||
17 | Kimberly Seilhamer | KSeilhamer@KiloEntertainment.com | horror, thriller, historical drama, drama | United States Marine Corps | Cold War (remained Stateside) | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0989920/ www.KiloEntertainment.com | Kimberly Seilhamer (WGAw, IWC) has written three produced feature films and one produced TV movie in the drama, horror, and thriller genres. Presently, she's in development of a high concept horror anthology series. While in the USMC, she was granted a top secret/special category clearance and worked in telecommunications dealing with matters of national security. In addition, she has been honored with numerous awards for her public service in the civilian sector for her work with the Trauma Intervention Program. These awards include Certificates of Appreciation from the US Senate and the California State Senate, Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition from both the US Congress and the US House of Representatives, and also a certificate of Recognition from the California State Assembly. | https://directories.wga.org/Files/WriterSampleDocuments/1e2617d9-05d6-4b5c-9496-93cc52d513d0_Four%20Gallows%20Pilot%201-5%20-%20KSeilhamer.pdf | ||||||||||||||||
18 | Libby Friz | Hannah Ozer at Kaplan Perrone ozer@kaplanperrone or libby.friz@gmail (direct) | Drama: mystery, crime, spy thriller, historical fiction, animation. | US Navy | Japan, Australia | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5397791/ | Libby Friz is a television and feature film writer. Staffed on all four seasons of AMC’s TURN: WASHINGTON’S SPIES, she wrote and produced episode 305: ‘Hypocrisy, Fraud, and Tyranny’, and episode 407: ‘Quarry’. Prior to her work on TURN, Libby served in military intelligence in the U.S. Navy for six and a half years, a year of which she spent studying cryptologic spy-craft. Libby was granted Top Secret (TS/SCI) clearance, and partnered with various intelligence agencies to collect secure and sensitive information for the U.S. She was stationed in Central Australia, Denver, Colorado, and Japan, where she studied Budo Taijutsu with the grand-master. Additionally, Libby has a BA in Biblical studies, as well as an MA in History. She also holds a black belt in Karate. Post-Navy, Libby spent time working for an NGO, teaching English in Pakistan, Nepal, and China. | Upon Request | ||||||||||||||||
19 | Mark Larson & Michael Larson | Feature: Matt Martin (CAA) TV: Adam Biren, Mina Ross (CAA) Personal: mark_larson11@yahoo.com / m303larson@yahoo.com | Espionage, Action, Thriller, True Crime, Historical | US Army / US Navy | Afghanistan (OEF 10) / USS Bonhomme Richard | Mark Larson spent his former life as an Army Ranger and infantry officer. While deployed in Afghanistan, when he wasn’t off whomping on the Taliban, he contributed pieces to the New York Times and other publications. A student of history and the world, he's managed to get shot at on two of the six continents he's visited; the first time in a rebel uprising during a vacation to Eastern Congo. Michael Larson first plied his trade on the high seas as a Navy officer during the Iraq War, before escaping to the world of journalism, where he wrote on intelligence and the military for National Geographic, the New York Times, the Daily Beast, and many others, reporting (and living) in Cairo during the Arab Spring and Moscow during the 2012 protests. | Upon Request | |||||||||||||||||
20 | Mitch Bechtold | MitchBech@gmail.com IG/Twitter: mitchB_nCoffee | Mystery / Thriller / Action | US Air Force | Luke AFB, AZ | https://www.mitchbncoffee.com/, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10948108/ | Mitch is an English and Chinese speaking Military Veteran. He was recently accepted into the WGF's Veteran's Writing Program where alumni and volunteers of the Writer's Guild are helping him take his writing to the next level. Mitch is currently serving freelance as a 1st AD and has previously served as a Writer's Assistant, Script Reader, and developed numerous projects with Snapchat. | https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p_sVAyaMQD2hoNaKK4tyT0BlUg-mwM3V?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||
21 | Noah A Waters III | executiveassistant@flawlessarts.com (assistant), TVcreative@ramolaw.com, (Legal) tiffany@ramolaw.com, (LEGAL) adam@mediacircuspr.com, (PR) | drama, Sci-Fi, Dramedy, Thriller, Fantasy, Comedy | US ARMY, Mercenary (Private) | Somalia (Counter NarcoTerrorism), Afghanistan (VIP extraction), Libya (State Department), Iraq (Escort and patrol)... | www.FlawlessArts.com www.imdb.com/name/nm6415015/ https://vme-connect.com/user/778110 | Noah is a FilmMaker, a stand-up comedian, Playwright, Screenwriter, and actor who served in the US ARMY and several private outfits as a Mercenary. Besides being a combat vet, he is also a thirty second degree FreeMason and a knighted member of several orders with education and training in writing and directing for the stage and screen. Noah is looking to staff as a staff writer. | https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Bz0dVkdjsxsy28i7qnarJD_J69PfZO7R | ||||||||||||||||
22 | Sarah Hopkins | sarahhopkins.writer@gmail.com (personal), Jeff Portnoy jeff@bellevueprods.com (manager), Paul Miloknay (ent. attorney) paul@miloknayweiner.com | Action Thriller, Drama, Dramedy, Comedy | US Air Force | 90's/did not deploy. Stationed at Andrews AFB and RAF Lakenheath U.K. | SARAH HOPKINS is an US Air Force veteran and award-winning feature and television writer rep’d by Bellevue Productions. From female-driven action to dramedy, her unique voice offers many life experiences and vantage points. She's a mother, Key Spouse for the unit her Reservist husband commands, and somehow finds time to coordinate an annual military family retreat. She wrote her first screenplay at the age of 40 between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am. Her work has been recognized in several contests, fellowships and film festivals including: Nicholl Fellowship (top 15%), ScreenCraft (Action & Thriller Feature Runner Up), Big Break, Austin, and in 2017 she was a semifinalist for HBO’s Access Writing Fellowship (top 1%). Sarah’s worked on several projects (TV and Feature) with co-writers and loves collaboration way more than running Ragnar races. Currently Sarah has two drama TV series with producers attached, finishing a work-for-hire feature, pitching another action-thriller feature and looking forward to participating in the 2019-2020 WGA Foundation Veterans Writing Project and is a VME member. | Upon Request | |||||||||||||||||
23 | Shannon Corbeil | Shannon.Corbeil@gmail.com | TV Drama, Action, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Supernatural | US Air Force | Republic of Korea, Cyber Threat Analyst at National Security Agency | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4860562/ www.shannoncorbeil.com | Shannon Corbeil is a United States Air Force Intelligence Officer turned screenwriter with a serious crush on stories about heroes and the supernatural. An alumna of the Writers Guild Foundation Veteran Screenwriting program, her writing has been featured by Business Insider, We Are The Mighty, and Military.com. She has also written more than 200 digital shorts that have amassed over 30 million views across YouTube and Facebook. | Upon Request | ||||||||||||||||
24 | Steven Palmer Peterson | Gordon Firemark (Ent. Attorney) gfiremark@firemark.com, direct: sppeters@fastmail.fm | horror, sci-fi, thriller | U.S. Army | South Korea - DMZ, Fort Irwin - OPFOR | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2967774/ | Steve Peterson (WGAw) has written 16 produced feature films in a variety of genres, including family, comedy, horror, thriller, and science fiction. He served in the U.S. Army on the South Korean DMZ, and in the OPFOR at Fort Irwin's NTC. He studied philosophy at UCLA, USC, and Rutgers, specializing in philosophy of science. | https://directories.wga.org/member/3280ac36-b204-4a9d-9a07-4f57d73e3f2c | ||||||||||||||||
25 | Tessa Scott | Twitter: @whoistessascott | US Navy | Tessa Scott is a biracial, LGBT, dramedy television writer by day and by night, the hilariously self-deprecating voice behind Instagram's popular comedy account: @yourfavoriteexgf. Hailing from Virginia, Tessa always loathed her home state. In attempt to escape, she joined the U.S. Navy only to get stationed in Norfolk, Virginia for the duration of her term. Four long years and two unpleasant deployments later, Tessa was finally free and on her way to the City of Angels with a full ride to a great acting school. It wasn’t long before an Emmy-nominated writing teacher at her school convinced her to donate her playbooks and download final draft. Her connection to the comedy genre was instant. She started writing comedy sketches, dabbled in stand up, and eventually created a comedy Instagram account that today has over 350,000 followers. One divorce, rock bottom and quarter life crisis later, Tessa’s odyssey of self-exploration introduced her to a new understanding of love, life and her own vulnerability, allowing her to become a more authentic storyteller and now, a drama writer. Two-time Finalist for Warner Bros. Fellowship, NBC Late Night Writers, Blcklst’s Macro Episodic Lab. | 8-WHEELED ASSASSINS: A down on her luck, single mom takes a walk on the wild side when she joins a roller derby team, only to find out she's been initiated into a murdering vigilante gang. Script Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LHXMDVP55UwgE_ZrV0onP6FilAlvIv8J/view?usp=drivesdk | |||||||||||||||||||
26 | Bobby Telatovich | rtelatovich@gmail.com | TV Comedy/TV Drama | US Navy | Naval Flight Officer OEF and OIF, 5th Fleet Staff Tour | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9027562/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 | Bobby Telatovich is a writer and filmmaker born in LaPlace, LA and raised in Camp Hill, PA. After receiving a commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, Bobby graduated flight school and served three years as a Naval Flight Officer on the P-3C Orion deploying twice to the Middle East. Bobby then moved to Washington D.C. where he worked as an Analyst. Bobby's last assignment was back in the Middle East as a Ballistic Missile Defense staff officer. Bobby works as a writers' assistant in Los Angeles, CA. | Samples on request. | ||||||||||||||||
27 | Thomas Ryan | Tryanhh@gmail.com | Comics/Graphic novels | US Army | OEF AFGHANISTAN WARDAK | Www.vivpanel.com | Thomas Ryan is a Conic book writer born and raised in Brooklyn NY currently majoring in illustration at the University of New Haven | samples on request. | ||||||||||||||||
28 | Ryan Martinez-Slattery | Kaplan Stahler Agency - Dino Carlaftes / Nacelle Company - Michael Pelmont & Matt Ochacher | TV Drama | US Navy | Afghanistan (Resolute Support); US Fifth Fleet, Bahrain; Jordan | https://directories.wga.org/member/ryanmartinez/ | Ryan is a veteran, foster dad, LGBTQ+ activist, and recovering unscripted executive. Growing up in a military family, Ryan found refuge in creative outlets. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his MFA from the UCLA Film School. His UCLA thesis film premiered at Sundance in 2012. After grad school, Ryan became a producer and executive in unscripted and digital content, ultimately serving as an SVP at two major production companies. Ryan is also a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve, having served all over the world, aboard aircraft carriers at sea, and on a lengthy deployment in Afghanistan. He’s won or placed in several competitions including Launch Pad, Screencraft, Harvardwood and the Most Staffable Writers List. Ryan and his husband, Rudy, are the founders of the LGBTQ+ Voices Scholarship at UCLA and are currently foster parents of a very active toddler. Ryan is currently staffed on MANIFEST (Netflix) and is an alum of the Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop. | Samples on request. | ||||||||||||||||
29 | Tom Lough | tom.lough@gmail.com | Thriller, drama, sports documentary, comedy | U.S. Army | Korea - Combat engineer Viernam - Combat engineer Germany - Topographical engineer Germany - Separate light engineer company commander | After a ten-year period of military service, including Ranger and Airborne school, Lough left the Army to become a teacher. Recently he became interested in storytelling and set his sights on developing feature-length screen plays. He has studied screenwriting on his own, including mentoring and participating in VME workshops. He is a recent winner of a Writers Guild Foundation fellowship for screenwriting. | Available on request. | |||||||||||||||||
30 | Jamaul Phillips | jamaul.phillips23@gmail.com | Action, Comedy, and Horror | U.S. Army | Afghanistan, West Paktika Province | From the crucible of my childhood, where storytelling became my refuge from impending punishment, a passion was ignited. Upon leaving the army, I was determined to transform my dream of storytelling into a tangible reality. As a standout finalist in Screencraft's Comedy Competition and a recognized contender in competitions like the Action Competition and BlueCat, my journey gained momentum. An invitation to the exclusive Nostos Screenwriting Retreat further accelerated my path. Inspired by the groundbreaking work of Spike Lee, the sole mentionable figure in my youth's landscape of black filmmakers, my goal is to craft narratives that resonate. I aspire to feature characters of color, serving as an inspiration for the next generation of storytellers. Now, standing on the precipice of realizing my dream, I extend an invitation for you to join this compelling journey. Support a storyteller emerging from adversity and become a part of a narrative that transcends time—a journey toward a future where every voice is heard, every story is told, and every dream is realized. | Available on request. | |||||||||||||||||
31 | Harsha Rao | harshasrao@gmail.com | Comedy, Action, Horror, Sci-fi/Fantasy | U.S. Army | Iraq | Bio/writing experience: Harsha is a former US Army captain, McKinsey consultant, YouTube and Amazon product manager, corporate lawyer, and cryptocurrency startup advisor. His Indian mother is still disappointed he didn’t become a doctor. He’s an alumnus of Wharton (MBA), Georgetown (JD), the WGF Veterans Writing Project, the Iraq War, and the Universal Writers Program, where he developed two original features with Jay Polidoro and Kerry Washington. A member of the WGA, he’s written a world-building/superhero origin story for Sony, which he pitched and sold as a new movie franchise, and developed a horror feature with Original Film and Van Lathan, comedy projects with Broken Road Productions, 3Pas Studios (Eugenio Derbez), CrossCheck Studios, and Broadway Video. He's also developed an animated fantasy TV series with Baobab Studios and daily bedtime stories for his three children under the age of 10 (they consistently rate the stories as “mid” and “too short”). | ||||||||||||||||||
32 | Charlie T. Savage | ct.savage@charlie-savage.com | Dramatic Comedy, Thriller | Navy / Navy Reserves | OIF /OEF | www.charlie-savage.com | Charlie T. Savage (she/her) is a Navy Veteran and New Orleans native, as well as the Founder of Charlie Bit Me Joints, where she creates and develops captivating and comedic content that highlights the Black female experience. She was a fellow at Collective 5 Entertainment's Showrunner's Mentorship Academy, working to promote diversity in entertainment. Her contributions also extended to the Writer's Guild Foundation Veterans Project, and she was honored as a finalist in the Prince William Little Theatre's Original Works Festival. Additionally, she was named one of the Top 10 Finalists in Ms. Veteran America. Armed with a postgraduate degree in Management and a background in Journalism and Mass Communications, Charlie combines creativity with intellectual depth. She is a devoted mother residing in Los Angeles. | Upon request |