2025 Script Competition Semifinalist Judge Announcements

We are thrilled to announce this year’s semifinalist judges for the 2025 script competitions! Our panel of judges are made up of industry leaders from some of the most influential and respected studios, production companies, management groups, and talent agencies in the business.

Judges are posted on a rolling basis throughout the summer. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow our socials for the latest announcements.

Jennifer Au

Jennifer Au is a literary manager and producer. She began her career working at an independent production company followed by time at The Firm and CAA, and was previously a literary manager at Caliber Media and Untitled Entertainment prior to launching her own company. She graduated with honors from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She has been a mentor for HRTS, Cinestory and the Stowe Story Labs. Jennifer is a firm believer in the magic and power of storytelling, in the ability of stories to heal and inspire, and in the responsibility we have to and with the stories we create and share.

Greg Bekkers 

Greg Bekkers is a filmmaker, writer, and entrepreneur originally from the Belgium and now based between Los Angeles and New York. After a decade of talent management—building careers for actors—he transitioned into producing films with a focus on character-driven stories that blend commercial appeal with festival sensibility. Greg is the co-founder of Two Lands Films, a production company focused on telling bold, human-centered stories from international and multicultural perspectives. He has also worked as a producer’s rep, selling and distributing indie films internationally. Greg is passionate about empowering filmmakers and frequently shares insights on navigating the indie film business through his educational content and YouTube channel. 

Tracy Brigden  

Tracy currently serves as the Senior Artistic Producer at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis where she recently directed Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Fredrick Knott’s DIAL M FOR MURDER.

Prior to Guthrie, Tracy served as Artistic Director at City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh for 16 years leading the company to its prominent and respected place as a major incubator and producer of new plays and musicals. Under her leadership, City produced almost 200 plays, and launched an extensive play development program including a new play festival.

As a freelance director, she has worked around the country, principally on new plays. Productions include world premieres by Christopher Durang, Adam Rapp, Theresa Rebeck and Keith Reddin.

Tracy has also served on the artistic staffs of Manhattan Theatre Club and Hartford Stage Company. She holds a BS in Theatre from Northwestern University and a Masters of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from Point Park University.www.tracybrigden.com

Sean Butler 

Sean M. Butler is the President and Co-Founder of Cultivate Entertainment Partners and Stoked Sports, where he develops and manages a diverse slate of talent and projects across film, television, audio, and sports. Known for his ability to champion underrepresented voices and hybrid talent, Butler bridges the gap between entertainment and culture with a global lens.

Butler co-created and executive produced Showtime’s hit basketball docuseries ALL THE SMOKE and the acclaimed Audible Original MOVE: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy, co-produced with Oscar-nominated MACRO Television Studios. In scripted television, he has produced series including Dead Places (AMC+), SNAP (AMC ALLBLK), and Nowhere Man (Amazon Prime). His film credits include The Available Wife, A Holiday Chance, and Wayward on BET.

Earlier in his career, Butler worked at esteemed production companies such as Scott RudinProductions, The Weinstein Company, and Mess Media, and at networks like MTV and Nickelodeon. His agency experience includes tenures at ICM Partners, Innovative Artists, and Paradigm, where he collaborated with elite filmmakers such as Boaz Yakin, Sofia Coppola, Tomas Alfredson, and Thomas Vinterberg.

Today, Butler manages a dynamic roster of creators and talent including Vanessa Middleton, Ben Cory Jones, Curtis Bryant, Jamal Hill, Eric Benét, MC Lyte, Keith Arthur Bolden, David Crownson, Kyle Anderson (NFL Super Bowl Champion), and Shay Murphy (WNBA Champion). He has sold content to nearly every major buyer, including HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime, AMC, Sony Pictures Television, Lionsgate, and more.

Katie Cates 

Katie Cates has spent fifteen years working in the talent management and agency representation business. She is currently a manager based in the Los Angeles office of Artists First, a premiere management/production company whose partnership is led by Peter Principato. Previously, Katie spent 12 years as a television literary and packaging agent, primarily at ICM Partners, where she worked with industry-leading writers, directors, actors, comedians, musicians, authors, playwrights and on-air personalities to bring their scripted work to the screen. As a manager Katie now focuses primarily on representing creators, showrunners, filmmakers and multi-hyphenate talent, with an affinity to push creative boundaries and who want to challenge the status quo.  A great joy and priority for Katie has been not only elevating female and underrepresented artists, but also working with talent to expand their vision and artistry beyond their “core” area of expertise.   

Katie views the future of representation as a true partnership where she is excited to not only work “for,” but most importantly “with,” clients building a relationship based on values of mutual integrity, transparency and the relentless pursuit of art across all platforms. She relishes her role as an innovative strategist, career architect and creative collaborator to all of her clients. Katie is a graduate of Ohio University’s Honor Tutorial College.  

Angelina Chen

Angelina Chen is a literary manager at Energy Entertainment, Brooklyn Weaver’s company. Energy Entertainment represents screenwriters, directors and book authors. Some of their company’s credits include RUN ALL NIGHT, OUT OF THE FURNACE and the TV show EXTANT. Being a minority, Angelina’s focus is particularly on minority and LGBTQIA+ writers/directors, with an emphasis on AAPI clients.

Prior to Energy Entertainment, Angelina was an asst at Management 360. Before Management 360, Angelina was at an asst at CAA in the talent and literary departments. She graduated from UCLA with an undergraduate degree in political science and also attended USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program for graduate school in producing.

Chris Coggins

Chris Coggins has over a decade of experience in feature, television and digital series development and production. She began her career directly after graduation from The University of Southern California School for Cinematic Arts working as a Creative Assistant at Escape Artists/Sony Pictures.  

 At Escape Artists she assisted on productions The Pursuit of Happyness, The Weather Man, The Taking of Pelham 123, Knowing and The Great Debaters. There, she ascended through the ranks and procured numerous projects for the company including The Ends of the Earth, Fall From Grace, Seven Pounds, Masterpiece, Rumspringa! and I Want to *$&% Your Sister. She also secured the scripts for and co-produced The Back-Up Plan and Hope Springs . 

 Coggins then moved on to working at Allison Shearmur Productions at her home studio Lionsgate and procured projects Burial Rites, Endangered and Nerve for the studio. There, she also developed Pride, Prejudice and Zombies and Cinderella. 

 She then progressed to Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment as Head of Development. There she built a production slate, produced the PSA Take Yourself on a Date and was responsible for development on the company’s new media projects for The Oscars, HBO and Amazon. 

 Coggins’ recent independent projects include producing the spec pilot Angelino Heights, PSA Not on My Watch and the music video for Alekesam’s All is Forgiven.  

 Next, Coggins worked at Luc Besson’s studio EuropaCorp and procured projects Unt. Aniston Superhero Project, Fae and the English-language remake for the Japanese blockbuster Shield of Straw. 

 She moved into management at Heroes and Villains Entertainment representing writers, actors, directors and wellness professionals.  

 Currently, She is a member of Film Independent, LACMA, the LA Conservancy and the spcaLA. 

Chris Cook

Literary Manager and Producer, Skyway Entertainment 

Chris Cook is a literary manager and producer at Skyway Entertainment, representing screenwriters in film and television. While finishing his studies in TV / Film and English at Cal State Fullerton, Chris interned for Harold Ramis’s Ocean Pictures, and then started his career working in development at Bob Zemeckis’s ImageMovers. He then transitioned into management, working at Kustom Entertainment and then Madhouse Entertainment, before opening his own shop, Skyway Entertainment in 2016. 

Jennifer Aurianne DaRe

Jennifer Aurianne DaRe is the founder and CEO of ATN Entertainment and ATN Productions, a premier talent management and production company based in West Hollywood, CA. Since launching ATN in 2015, she has built a diverse roster of over 100 clients across film, television, music, and literature—with a strong emphasis on amplifying women and LGBTQIA+ voices.

Jennifer is hands-on in all aspects of her clients’ careers—from evaluating talent and building strategic teams to advising on business affairs, marketing, and long-term career development. Her commitment to artist advocacy and creative collaboration led to the formation of ATN Productions, the company’s original content and development arm.

Raquelle David 

Raquelle David is a Producer and Literary Manager based in Los Angeles, hailing from Sydney, Australia.  Raquelle comes to literary management with a fifteen-year international career working across independent film and television as a producer and development and production executive in Australia and Canada. Her multiple film credits have garnered a number of accolades including nominations for Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Australian Academy Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Award and the Screen Producers Australia Award. In Australia, Raquelle worked for Goalpost Pictures, Seven Network, Screen NSW and ran her own production company, Goliath. In Canada, Raquelle worked for Rhombus Media in Toronto.  Raquelle’s clients include writers and filmmakers across film and television, such as comedian/writer Jenny Yang (The Gordita Chronicles), Amos Mac (Gossip Girl), Dani Parker (Midnight Mass), Sean King O’Grady (The Mill), Perry Blackshear (They Look Like People), Aisling Chin-Yee (The Rest of Us) Johnny Ma (To Live To Sing) Jovanka Vuckovic (Riot Girls) and Aislinn Clarke (Frewaka).  

Zoë Dennis 

Zoë Dennis is a Manager of Development at Feigco Entertainment. She most recently served as an Associate Producer on ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR for Prime Video. In addition to her work in film, she was a producer of the award-winning podcast Funny Cuz It’s True with Elyse Myers through Paul Feig and Laura Fischer’s Powderkeg Media. In true Hollywood fashion, she got her start in the mailroom at Lionsgate. Prior to landing in LA, she spent a year in Chicago as part of the inaugural class of the Harold Ramis Film School at The Second City. Before that, she studied at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study through NYU while simultaneously working at the Magnet Theater and getting to be a fly on the wall of the New York comedy scene.

Andrea Dimity 

Andrea Dimity is a seasoned film producer and literary manager whose projects consistently balance commercial appeal with compelling storytelling. She executiveproduced Kandahar, the first major U.S. action film shot in Saudi Arabia. starring Gerard Butler and produced by Thunder Road Pictures, and produced the Amazon Prime feature Viral Viral. On the literary side, she represents screenwriter Pete Barry, writer of the actionadventure film Marian, currently in development with producers Amy Pascal and Donald DeLine. Her broader management career has included guiding bestselling authors such as Sara de Waard, whose 2024 novel Defy earned critical acclaim and strong sales. With a global production perspective, a keen eye for emerging talent, and unwavering advocacy for the creatives she champions, Andrea Dimity continues to shape engaging stories for screens and shelves alike.  

Shelby Eggers 

Shelby Eggers (she/her) is a Literary Manager and Producer. Lit Entertainment Group was founded in 2019 and produced features like THE GORGE, FREE GUY and THE TOMORROW WAR, and series like RAISED BY WOLVES on HBO MAX and PROMSIED LAND on ABC/Hulu. 

Elissa Friedman

Elissa Friedman is a manager, producer, and former development executive with twenty years of industry experience. Before becoming a literary manager at Zero Gravity Management, Elissa ran production and development at Covert Media and QED International, the company behind such films as Fury, Dirty Grandpa, and District 9. She produced Ophelia, starring Naomi Watts and Daisy Ridley; Rock the Kasbah, starring Bill Murray and Kate Hudson; and The Secret: Dare to Dream, starring Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas. She has an MBA from USC and was named one of Variety Magazine’s New Leaders in Film. Elissa is based in New York.

Lindsay Goffman 

Lindsay is the founder of Gratitude Production, with projects in collaboration with major companies such as Apple, FX, Amazon Freevee, Perfect Storm, The Roots, Day Zero, Get Lifted, Jon M. Chu, MGM, and Universal Television. Her recent accomplishments include producing “THE COMPANY YOU KEEP,” a series based on a Korean format, which premiered to rave reviews and is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Previously, Lindsay championed the hit series THE GOOD DOCTOR after discovering the Korean format early on. The show became ABC’s #1 new series and was awarded the Humanitas Prize. 
 
Lindsay actively contributes to various arts and entertainment organizations, mentors the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, serves on the board of the Creative Coalition, and participates in the Media Xchange. Lindsay’s advisory roles include Girls Inc, One Hope Wine, a purpose-driven community, and she judges at renowned events like the Austin Film Festival and the UCLA Screenwriter Showcase. Her work has been recognized with awards, including the 2022 Anthem Award, and she was nominated for the LA Business Journal’s Women Leadership Award in 2023. 

Adrian Gonzalez 

After graduating from the Radio-Television-Film program at The University of Texas at Austin, Adrian started as an intern at Culture Creative Entertainment and quickly worked his way up to EA, promoted to a literary coordinator, and then an agent at the agency. He was instrumental in developing the agency’s well regarded internship program, built a rapport with numerous execs across the industry, and has developed a passion for storytelling. Driven by his love for his clients and their material, he took a step back from the agent world and stepped into being a manager at Yak Yak mgmt; which has allowed him to immerse himself into the talent’s world and foster a community while redefining storytelling for a global audience. 

Jacob Hayman 

Jacob Hayman began his entertainment career as a projectionist and culture writer, eventually working as an agent assistant and script reader before finding a home in casting for several years. A veteran of the wider commercial and unscripted spaces in said home, his focus was primarily on independent features, where he started as a Casting Assistant, working repeatedly for Universal, while also leading to franchise collaborations alongside legendary genre producers Charlie Band and Roger Corman. His own three credits as Casting Director have all played in various festivals, netting nominations for Best Actor and Best Comedy Feature (Wine Club), leading to a Best Actress win (This Is Your Song), and another for Best Drama (Trust), among others. His producing debut, Fudgie Freddie, was nominated for both Best Actor and Best Midnight Short at FilmQuest. Until the latter’s death earlier this year, he was a script reader for Oscar winner Fred Roos. Currently, in his capacity as a Literary Manager with Citizen Skull, he hosts the First and Third Wednesdays networking event, and reps previous winners of the Austin Film Festival, Slamdance, and WGA Awards. His primary goal is to help usher more heart and silliness into the world before it explodes. 

Annie Huang 

Annie Huang is a first-generation Asian American who grew up in Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong before immigrating to the U.S. at age 11, where she learned English as her 4th language with the help of subtitled films. She has over 7 years of experience working in creative development, film production, and marketing strategy at Warner Bros. Studios, Universal Pictures, Searchlight Pictures, CBS Studios, and Sony Pictures.  

 Annie has produced over 10 short films with filmmakers from around the world, in collaboration with organizations like Film Independent, Netflix, the Latino Film Institute, the Alliance of Women Directors, and CAPE. Her goal is to empower emerging filmmakers and help them break into the studio realm. Annie is a member of the inaugural class of the Academy of Motion Pictures GOLD program, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Scholar, a Women In Film Independent Producing Fellow, a Dear Producer Mentee, a Soho House x Creative Futures Fellow, and an APIA NBCUniversal Award recipient. 

Ashley Jeffalone

Ashley Jeffalone is a senior games writer. She has contributed writing on Flintlock: Siege of Dawn, and upcoming titles like Dispatch. Previously, she has worked with 2K Games and Fishlabs.

Liz Kelly

Director of Creative Talent Development & Inclusion at Disney Entertainment Television

Liz Kelly is Director of Creative Talent Development & Inclusion at Disney Entertainment Television. In this role, she works with the network and studio to staff writers and directors across ABC, ABC Signature, Freeform, Disney Channel, 20th TV, FX, Nat Geo, Disney+ and Hulu’s scripted television shows. She runs the industry-leading Disney Writing Program and Disney Directing Program. She has staffed talent on THE GOOD DOCTOR, THE ROOKIE, A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, DAVE, HOW I MET YOUR FATHER, SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, THE GOLDBERGS, STATION 19, RAVEN’S HOME, and BLACK-ISH, among other scripted series. Prior to Disney, Kelly worked for 6 years at Fox, most recently as Associate Director of Production and Development Labs – Film & TV, for 21CF Global Inclusion. Kelly staffed writers and directors on FOX’s scripted television shows, including THE GIFTED, THE COOL KIDS, LUCIFER, LAST MAN ON EARTH, THE EXORCIST, THE RESIDENT, and LETHAL WEAPON, among others. She managed the Fox Writers Lab, Fox Directors Lab, Fox DP Lab, and Fox Filmmakers Lab, tracked and maintained network diversity statistics regarding on-air and behind-the-camera creative talent, and managed the department’s partnerships and sponsorships with non-profits and film and TV festivals.

Kelly has been a judge, script reader, or panelist for numerous film and TV festivals across the country, including the Tribeca Film Festival, New York Television Festival, Austin Film Festival, ATX Television Festival, SeriesFest Denver, CAAMFest San Francisco, San Diego Latino Film Festival, NALIP Media Summit, LA Skins Fest, Outfest, BlackStar Philadelphia Film Festival, and Humanitas New Voices. In 2017, she was invited to be part of Creative Artists Agency’s “Amplify: Next Gen” group of up-and-coming entertainment artists, agents, and executives.

Kelly is a member of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society. She has a BA from UCLA and is a graduate of UCLA School of Theater Film & Television’s graduate-level Professional Program in Screenwriting.

Adam Kolbrenner

Zak Kristofek

Ethan Labouisse 

Jason Lubin 

Mark Marshall 

Ansley Martinez 

Alyss Masundire

Gabriel Mena

Troy Miller

Chloe Morris

Beth Bruckner O’Brien

Producer, Big Moody Curve Productions 

Beth Bruckner O’Brien is an independent creative producer operating under her development and production banner “Big Moody Curve Productions,” specializing in thrillers, horror, and action across film and television. Beth’s aim is to tell high concept entertainment with thematic resonance and profound character transformations. 

Most recently, Beth led the drama team at the newly relaunched Fox Entertainment Studios, where she drove development on a slate of bold 1-hour, character-driven, scripted series for Fox Network and third party buyers.  

Previous to Fox, Beth spent the better part of two decades shaping over 36 films—including genre-bending thrillers, prestige dramas, and wildly entertaining popcorn hits. Her credits include Hypnotic (Ben Affleck, dir. Robert Rodriguez), Unhinged (Russell Crowe), The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson), The Paperboy (Nicole Kidman, dir. Lee Daniels), Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard), Bullet Head (Adrien Brody, John Malkovich), Criminal (Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman), Mechanic: Resurrection (Jason Statham, Jessica Alba), and franchise powerhouses like Olympus Has Fallen, The Expendables, SAW, and Texas Chainsaw. 

Beth began her career at ICM before holding senior roles at Solstice Studios and Millennium Films. She got her start in development at A Bigger Boat/GreeneStreet and has also taught producing and “the business of screenwriting” at both UCLA and USC.  Beth also serves as a judge for the Austin Film Festival screenwriting competition. 

Big Moody Curve takes its name from a notorious hairpin on Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains—known for its beauty, danger, and the thrill of what’s around the bend. 

Nick Oleksiw

Producer at Mischief Entertainment 

Nick Oleksiw is an independent producer partnering with various production companies around town. He recently set up a comedy remake called ‘Doble’ along with Davis Entertainment and Sony. He is working with producers Jon Glickman and Dan Farah on genre projects, along with actor/producers Andre Holland and Andrew Bachelor on a documentary and comedy, respectively. He has additional thrillers being packaged with Anonymous and The Solution. Nick executive produced the 2018 thriller ‘Welcome to Mercy’ distributed by IFC Midnight. 

Mary Rohlich

Mary Rohlich is a film, television and documentary film producer working under her new banner, Ikigai Owl Pictures, which is currently in post-production on an independent feature film, Paring. Rohlich was most recently Head of TV and Film for Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Purple Pebble Pictures where she developed a slate of diverse projects under their first look deal at Amazon Prime Video. Prior to that, she served as an Executive Producer on the Netflix series Atypical. She has also produced several television pilots/series including The Good Doctor (Co-EP), Sneaky Pete (Producer), The Goldbergs (Co-Producer), and Breaking In (Co-Producer). Mary began working with director Seth Gordon on Four Christmases (Associate Producer), and co-produced the hit comedies Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief, and Baywatch. She has produced several notable documentary features including Gleason, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2017. Other documentary credits include The Bitter Pill which will be released on POV in the fall 2025, Wrestle, Bill Nye: Science Guy, Finders Keepers, Print the Legend, Freakonomics, and Make Believe. Mary was named one of The Hollywood Reporter Next Gen “35 under 35” for industry up-and-comers. She enjoys serving as board chair and founding member for the non-profit film organization, Vidiots, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees for The Children’s Institute, a non-profit supporting children and families emotional well-being and educational success. Mary is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Samantha Shear

A graduate of USC’s prestigious Peter Stark Producing MFA program, Samantha Shear has established herself as an exemplary development executive and producer. She has close to two decades of experience creating and developing character-driven, visual stories in film, television and animation with a heavy focus on IP adaptation.

Samantha Shear has twice been integral in the creation, formation and success of new live action development production companies. Previously in her twelve years as Head of Film and Television Development at Kickstart Entertainment (The Boys, Preacher) and again in 2018 when she joined Emmy-winning global entertainment company Zoic Studios to launch their new content division Zoic Pictures.

With Zoic, Shear is producing several feature film and television projects including, the original screenplay SID at Amazon Studios with Davis Entertainment to be directed by Ahern & Loughman (Extra Ordinary) as well as the holiday film The Stocking Stuffer with Mattel Films and in television the arcane punk comic book series Battle Chasers created by Joe Madureira and to be adapted by Derek Kolstad (John Wick) with Alcon Entertainment.

Other current producing projects include The Blacksmith, with AGC and producers Jon Shestack and Jeremy Stein as well as The Teller, written and to be directed by Ben Ripley (Source Code) with Catchlight Studios.

As a producer, Shear previously produced the live action indie feature films, Shades of Ray and Bounty Killer. In animation, Shear was a Co-Executive Producer on the animated holiday specials Dear Dracula, Frozen in Time, Under Wraps, Abominable Christmas, The Naughty List and Monstrous Holiday.

As a development executive, Shear has set up many projects over the years including television pilots Demo at Syfy Channel, Demonika at MTV, Molly at Lifetime and Hench at NBC, Ward 6 with Cineflix, and Space Trash at FTVS as well as feature films including The Secret Tree at Disney Channel, Kissing Ezra Holtz at Amazon, Crenshaw based on the Katherine Applegate novel at Fox, Monster Attack Network at Disney and the adaptation of the book 1421: The Year China Discovered America with Warner Brothers China.

Samantha is a produced screenwriter in live action film with such films as the romantic comedy Road Less Traveled, starring country music star Lauren Alaina for CMT, as well as in animation with such holiday films as Bob’s Broken Sleigh Disney XD and Monsterous Holiday, The Naughty List and Abominable Christmas for Cartoon Network.

Shear has experience in comic book publishing as the editor of an indie comic publisher overseeing thirty-two unique graphic novel titles. She has moderated numerous panels at SXSW and San Diego Comic Con on topics such as Women Writing in Genre and the Impact of AI on Creative Industries.

She is also an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University at an undergraduate and graduate level where she strives to educate and inspire the next generation of storytellers.

Omar Tarbush

Creative Executive at FilmNation’s INFRARED Pictures

Omar Tarbush is a Palestinian-American creative executive at FilmNation’s genre division, Infrared. Having grown up in Switzerland before attending film school at American University in Washington DC, his multi-cultural background bolstered his deep passion for global cinema, and he aspires to create more opportunity for international creatives in Hollywood. He is an avid fan of genre stories, particularly horror and sci-fi, that can bridge the gap between cultural commentary and commerciality.

He began his career in the business/legal department at FilmNation Entertainment (Arrival, Promising Young Woman, The Big Sick), before transitioning over to development and production at FilmNation’s Infrared: a division of the company founded in 2022, focused primarily on high-concept genre films in the action, comedy, sci-fi, and horror/thriller spaces. Infrared’s first film, NOVOCAINE, was directed by Dan Berk & Robert Olsen and starred Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder

Ray Utarnachitt

Ray Utarnachitt is a TV writer/producer. He is a Michigan native and like any good Asian student, was pre-med at the University of Michigan for 3 years. Much to his parents’ dismay, he switched tracks and graduated with a Film degree. Ray broke into the business working in production on commercials, music videos, and features. He was a writer and Executive Producer on DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW. He’s also written for PERSON OF INTEREST, THE TOMORROW PEOPLE, THE FLASH, and SUPERGIRL. He is an alumnus of the Warner Bros. Writers Workshop.

Meta Valentic

Meta Valentic began her career as the youngest member of the DGA Assistant Director’s Training Program. Her assistant director credits include “Nixon”, “Castle”, “Lost”, (nominated for 2 Directors Guild Awards) “Bones”, “The Dropout”, and the Emmy and Golden Globe winning musical comedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”. Most recently, she was the Unit Production Manager on the successful action drama “9-1-1” for ABC.

Meta Executive Produced “The Donors”, the first scripted web series for Kevin Hart’s LOL

Network. Meta recently worked with producer Sandy Climan (“The Aviator”) in Entertainment Media Ventures, dedicated to creating groundbreaking television shows and feature films inspired by true events and real people in the espionage genre. Meta also consulted on large scale projects in the Middle East: creating a film school, building sound stages, and working with foreign partners on how to structure their tax incentives. She spearheaded efforts to bring studios and filmmakers to the Middle East to shoot their projects. Currently, Meta helps filmmakers achieve their projects on time and on budget.

Meta has been Producer’s Guild Diversity Workshop Fellow, and a Sundance Film Financing Intensive Fellow. She is a judge and conference panelist at the annual Austin Film Festival. Meta spearheaded the Producers Guild of America’s Mentorship Program and helped create new Mentoring pathways for producers.

Maddy Weese

Junior Manager at Bellevue Productions. 

Maddy Weese is a Junior Literary Manager at Bellevue Productions. Prior to literary representation, she worked as a Creative Executive at Beacon Pictures overseeing the development of both film and television. She has worked as an independent producer and has been a writers’ assistant and script consultant on many projects. She got her start in the industry working on the original TV series CSI: LAS VEGAS and also worked as a writer for two of the CSI Video Games. She was raised in Southern California and she attended Loyola Marymount University. 

John Zaozirny

John Zaozirny oversees the feature film production slate for Bellevue and the Literary Management Team.

His clients’ writing and directing credits include COBWEB, INFINITE, PARALLEL, ELI, BAD MATCH, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2022), HEAVY TRIP, OFFICE UPRISING, JOLT, and SPLINTER amongst others. His clients have written feature scripts that are set up at Warner Bros, Paramount, Fox, Lionsgate, New Line, Focus Features, Fox 2000, Sony, Universal, amongst others. As well, his clients have had 37 scripts on the last ten Black Lists, the annual list of the best unproduced feature scripts, including BLONDE AMBITION, the number one script on the 2016 Black List, HEADHUNTER, the number one script on the 2020 Black List, and CAULIFLOWER, the number one script on the 2021 Black List.

His clients have written on TV shows such as FBI INTERNATIONAL, BOSCH: LEGACY, MR ROBOT, KIFF, SHANTARAM, TRAINING DAY, TINY PRETTY THINGS, HAWAII FIVE-O, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE and HAND OF GOD, amongst others. He also reps the writer of the Eisner-nominated comic book LITTLE BIRD.

As a producer, John’s feature film projects include CRISTO (set up at Warner Bros, Black List 2010), WARDEN (set up at New Line) CAPSULE (set up at Fox, Black List 2013), BLONDE AMBITION (set up at Universal, Black List 2016), and LIONHUNTERS (set up at Warner Bros, Black List 2017.) He was an executive producer on the feature films ALWAYS WATCHING and PARALLEL and produced ELI, which was released by Netflix in 2019. He most recently produced Paramount’s INFINITE, which was directed by Antoine Fuqua and starred Mark Wahlberg, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Dylan O’Brien, was released on Paramount Plus in 2021.

Raised in Vancouver, Canada, John is a graduate of the Tisch Film and Television program at New York University.

Katie Zipkin-Leed

Katie Zipkin-Leed is an LA native whose journey in the industry began with internships at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and United Talent Agency (UTA). After graduating from Tulane University, she returned to the mailroom at UTA, eventually landing a role in the TV talent department. In the midst of the pandemic, Katie transitioned over to the management company Artists First where she currently serves as their literary coordinator. Katie is dedicated to working with diverse, queer, and female creators across both Television and Features. Zipkin-Leed’s clients have projects in development with Pacific Electric Picture Company, Original Film, Room 101, and Broken Road, amongst others. Katie is also on the board of the Junior Hollywood Radio and Television Society (JHRTS).  

Walford Campbell

Walford has been a movie lover for as long as he can remember, drawn to everything from indie festival gems to big-screen blockbusters. He got his start in production as an Office PA on tick, tick… BOOM!, later transitioning into VFX on Netflix’s Spaceman. He now works on the Motion Pictures team at FilmNation Entertainment, producers of the Oscar-winning films Anora and Conclave. Walford’s goal as a producer is to champion emotionally resonant, diverse stories that spotlight the richness of the African diaspora.