Announced Virtual Panelists
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All panelists are confirmed, schedule permitting.
Mara Brock Akil
Taking notice, BET stepped up and struck a deal to renew the series and develop additional episodes. When season 4 of The Game premiered on BET in 2011, the series exceeded all expectations drawing in 7.7 million viewers, becoming the most-watched scripted-series premiere ever on ad- supported cable. The series continued on for a total of 9 seasons, earning praise throughout its run for its verisimilitude and, during the reality television boom, was one of the few shows on television that felt truly specific to its moment. In 2013, Akil developed her first one-hour drama, BET’s Being Mary Jane, further cementing her ability to tell powerful and engaging stories that speak to women through honest, true-to-life reflections. Unquestionably, Akil’s work put BET scripted series on the map for the first time ever with back-to-back hits gleaning such large audiences. Akil has continued that legacy and passion through her most recent projects, including The CW’s Black Lightning and OWN’s Love Is__.
Beyond her work as a writer and producer, her peers have consistently recognized Akil as a leader in the industry. In 2019, Akil was honored with the prestigious Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award by NATPE for exhibiting extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision through her work, as well as for her contributions to the medium of television as a content creator. In 2017, she was inducted into Northwestern’s Medill Hall of Achievement and received the distinguished Northwestern Alumni Medal, the highest honor bestowed unto alumni by the Northwestern Alumni Association. She garnered both of these awards from her alma mater within the same year. Some of her prior accolades include Essence magazine’s Visionary Award during their annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, being named to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter’s Showrunner Power Lists, as well as The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power100, multiple times.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Mara Brock Akil
Mara Brock Akil
executive producer Girlfriends, The Game, Being Mary Jane
Scott Alexander
They are best known for writing very unusual biopics with larger-than-life characters. They wrote the highly-acclaimed Ed Wood, for which they were nominated for Best Screenplay by the Writers Guild. They followed this with The People vs. Larry Flynt, for which they won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, as well as a special Writers Guild award for civil rights and liberties. They scripted the extremely postmodern Man on the Moon, the life story of Andy Kaufman. They wrote Big Eyes, the strange-but-true story of Margaret and Walter Keane, for which they received an Indie Spirit Best Screenplay nomination. For their first television project, they created the hit miniseries American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, for which they won the Emmy, Golden Globe, PGA and WGA Award for Best Limited Series. Their newest film, Dolemite Is My Name, the celebrated tale of Rudy Ray Moore, came out last year.
Other than biopics, Alexander and Karaszewski are quite eclectic. They wrote the hit Stephen King adaptation 1408. They produced the Bob Crane biopic Auto Focus, and they wrote and directed the comedy Screwed. They have also written numerous family films, including Problem Child, Problem Child 2, Agent Cody Banks, and Goosebumps.
Alexander, a native of Los Angeles, started his Hollywood career toiling on low-budget horror films as a music editor. As a director, his work has appeared on MTV and Nickelodeon. He also wrote for HBO’s Tales From The Crypt and the television series Monsters, which he directed. Scott is a Mentor in the USC School of Cinema, and he’s served four terms on the Writers Guild’s Board of Directors. He has volunteered as a Sundance Writing Lab advisor numerous times, as well as teaching at writing workshops around the world. Scott is married, with three children.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
Scott Alexander
writer Dolemite Is My Name, Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flint, Man on the Moon, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson
Matt Balzer
His feature script for The Catch received recognition at numerous film festival competitions as well as receiving Faculty Honors from the Columbia University graduate film program, from which Balzer received his MFA in Directing. Matthew lives in Brooklyn with his girlfriend and their son.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Matthew Balzer
writer/director The Catch
Tanya Barfield
PANEL SESSIONS:
Playwrights in the Writers Room
Tanya Barfield
playwright/writer Mrs. America, Raising Dion, The Americans
Alec Berg
PANEL SESSIONS:
On Creating Barry: A Conversation with Alec Berg and Bill Hader
Alec Berg
co-creator Barry
Christian Bersani
PANEL SESSIONS:
Semifinalists and AFF Filmmakers: Development & Production with Josephson Entertainment
Christian Bersani
Creative Executive, Josephson Entertainment
Geoff Betts
PANEL SESSIONS:
Geoff Betts
WGAE Director of Contract Enforcement and Credits
Jenny Bicks
PANEL SESSIONS:
Writing About Sexuality in Film and TV presented by HUMANITAS
Jenny Bicks
writer Sex and the City, The Greatest Showman, Rio 2
Jenna Block
PANEL SESSIONS:
Semifinalists & AFF Filmmakers: Working with an Agent (Verve)
Jenna Block
Feature Film Literary Agent, Verve Talent & Literary Agency
Elsa Boccuzzi
Elsa’s current position focuses on identifying fresh voices and shepherding original ideas through the development process while protecting and elevating the unique perspective and vision of the filmmaker and writer.
Elsa hails from the great Pacific Northwest and is a graduate of the University of Washington. When she’s not reading, you’ll find her outdoors hiking or camping with her husband and dog.
PANEL SESSIONS:
YFP Pitch 1
Elsa Boccuzzi
Senior Creative Executive, Walt Disney Animation Studios; co-producer David Makes Man, What/If
Max Borenstein
In television, Borenstein created and served as showrunner on Steven Spielberg’s television adaptation of his hit film Minority Report for the Fox network. He conceived and co-created the second season of AMC’s acclaimed horror anthology, The Terror, and is the creator/showrunner of an upcoming HBO series about the Showtime-era Lakers directed by Adam McKay.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
Max Borenstein
creator Untitled Lakers Project, The Terror: Infamy, Minority Report, writer Worth, Godzilla vs Kong (2021), Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla (2014)
David Boxerbaum
PANEL SESSIONS:
Semifinalists & AFF Filmmakers: Working with an Agent (Verve)
David Boxerbaum
VERVE Talent and Literary Agency
Keith Bunin
PANEL SESSIONS:
Keith Bunin
co-writer Onward
Wendy Calhoun
PANEL SESSIONS:
Wendy Calhoun
writer/producer Prodigal Son, Station 19, Empire, Nashville, Justified
Stephen Christy
Stephen Christy is the President of Development at BOOM! Studios, managing the company’s multimedia development slate and overseeing BOOM!’s first looks at Netflix and 20th Century Studios. He is currently producing adaptations of BOOM!’s comic books and graphic novels for Netflix, Apple, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon, Peacock, Paramount+, Lionsgate, and Nickelodeon. Prior to running development at BOOM! he was the Editor-in-Chief of Archaia Entertainment, where he became the only editor in the industry to win back-to-back Eisner Awards for Best Original Graphic Album two years in a row, for Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand and Return of the Dapper Men. He is a graduate of Emerson College.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Stephen Christy
President of Development at BOOM! Studios
Brenda Chapman
Brenda Chapman started her career as a story artist at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1987, where she worked on her favorite fairytales: The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. She also worked on a few other nonfairytales and was the story supervisor on the original The Lion King for which she won an Annie. Chapman then helped launch DreamWorks Animation Studios, where she co-directed The Prince of Egypt. In 2003, Chapman joined Pixar Animation Studios where she created, wrote and directed Brave – inspired by her relationship with her daughter – and won an Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe. Chapman recently finished her first live-action film Come Away, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is due to be released November 13, 2020. Currently, Chapman is working on a novel, a memoir and a children’s book.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Brenda Chapman
Brenda Chapman
writer/director Brave; co-director The Prince of Egypt; story supervisor The Lion King (1994)
Jordan Cobb
PANEL SESSIONS:
Listen Up: Writing a Fiction Podcast
Jordan Cobb
founder/head writer No Such Thing Productions
Glenn Cockburn
PANEL SESSIONS:
Glenn Cockburn
President & Founder, Meridian Artists
Mary Coleman
Mary Coleman
Head of Creative Development, Pixar Animation Studios
Matt Cook
PANEL SESSIONS:
Matt Cook
writer/co-producer Triple Nine, By Way of Helena, co-writer Patriots Day
Carter Covington
PANEL SESSIONS:
Writing About Sexuality in Film and TV presented by HUMANITAS
Carter Covington
writer 10 Things I Hate About You, Faking It, Charmed
Micah Cyrus
Micah Cyrus
writer All American
Mikki Daughtry
Mikki and Tobias are currently writing a sequel to Dirty Dancing for Lionsgate Films (with Gillian Bohrer and Jonathan Levine at Megamix producing), Nightbooks for Netflix (with Sam Raimi at Ghosthouse Pictures and Mason Novick at MXN Entertainment producing), and are adapting Mikki’s novel All This Time (Simon & Schuster releasing September 29th, 2020) for Lionsgate Films (also with Gillian Bohrer and Jonathan Levine producing).
PANEL SESSIONS:
Mikki Daughtry
co-writer The Curse of La Llorona, Five Feet Apart
Christina Davis
As head of Drama Series Development for CBS for 11 years, Davis delivered the network the #1 New Drama in nine out of 11 years had a hand in developing the CSI and NCIS franchises and such acclaimed series as The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-O, Elementary, Madam Secretary, Scorpion, Bull, MacGyver and Code Black.
Davis previously served as Executive Vice President, Drama Series Development, CBS Entertainment, a role she held from 2009 – 2017. Having started in the CBS drama series department in 1997 as assistant to then drama head Nina Tassler, Davis spent nearly 20 years rising through the ranks in both development and current series at CBS Entertainment.
Following her departure from CBS, Davis co-founded the television production company Maniac Productions, with writer-producer Michael Seitzman in 2017, based at ABC Studios.
Davis is a graduate of UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. A former honoree for The Imagen Foundation’s “Powerful & Influential Latinos in the Entertainment Industry,” she sits on the Board of Directors for HRTS (Hollywood Radio and Television Society) and Girls Inc. Davis also serves on the Advisory Board of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers’ (NALIP) Diverse Women in Media Forum.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Christina Davis
President of Original Programming at Starz
Deniese Davis
Originally from Las Vegas NV, Deniese is an alum of CUNY-Brooklyn College and the American Film Institute Conservatory.
PANEL SESSIONS:
The Writer Producer Relationship
Deniese Davis
producer Insecure, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Awkward Black Girl, Guidance
Charmaine DeGraté
Her other works include the critically acclaimed sci-fi series, The 100, in addition to other Amazon and Netflix shows.
Charmaine attended Vassar College where she spent summers working as a Congressional intern in Washington, DC and producing plays at The Powerhouse
Theatre. She graduated from Vassar with a double major in English Literature and Political Science. A recipient of The August Wilson Playwright Fellowship,
Charmaine is also a graduate of The Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop, an alum of the Austin Film Festival, and an active member of Women In Film. In the spring of 2020, Charmaine partnered with Margot Robbie and Christina Hodson on the sale of her first feature film. In the summer of 2020, she signed a development deal with Warner Bros Television.
Ms. DeGraté has a long-standing commitment to humanitarian causes and is an advocate for the education of young women in America and around the world.
Currently, she works with Girl Up, Write Girl, and the International Rescue Fund.
PANEL SESSIONS:
YFP Pitch 1
Charmaine DeGraté
writer/co-executive producer Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon, Daisy Jones, The Six; writer The 100
Lindsay Doran
Lindsay’s first film credit was as Executive in Charge of Production on the mock-documentary This is Spinal Tap. As a producer, her credits include Dead Again, Sense and Sensibility, Nanny McPhee, and Stranger Than Fiction. She is currently in the early stages of producing a stage musical adaptation of Nanny McPhee, written and directed by Emma Thompson.
As an executive, Lindsay worked on dozens of films including The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes Trains and Automobiles, The Naked Gun, Pet Sematary, Ghost, The Thomas Crown Affair, The World is Not Enough and Tomorrow Never Dies.
She is an Oscar nominee and the winner of numerous awards including the Golden Globe Best Picture Award and the British Academy Award for Best Film, both for Sense and Sensibility. More recently she received the Pioneer Award from the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center for “igniting a movement toward Positive Film.”
Lindsay tries to be guided by the Three Rules of Drama, found in an ancient text, as the basis for what motion picture entertainment ought to be:
#1 It must be arresting and amusing to the drunk.
#2 It must address the question, “How should we live?”
#3 It must address the question, “How does the universe work?”
Simultaneously, she tries to be guided by the three rules of scene writing, found in the less ancient writings of David Mamet, as to the three questions that must be answered in every scene:
#1 Who wants what?
#2 What happens if he or she doesn’t get it?
#3 Why now?
PANEL SESSIONS:
The Movie that Made a Difference with Lindsay Doran
Lindsay Doran
producer Stranger Than Fiction, Sense and Sensibility, Nanny McPhee, Dead Again; executive producer The Firm, Sabrina; former President/COO, United Artists
John Scott Dryden
PANEL SESSIONS:
Listen Up: Writing a Fiction Podcast
John Scott Dryden
Director & Executive Producer, Gold Hawk Productions
Rick Dugdale
Dugdale has most recently completed post-production on Peace, starring Alexander Ludwig, Sam Keeley and Franco Nero. Based on a true story from the celebrated novelist Richard Bausch and written and directed by Academy Award® winning filmmaker Robert Port, the principal photography was shot around Dugdale’s hometown in Enderby, Canada. Peace will be released in 2019.
Shortly before this, Dugdale completed work on Enderby’s most ambitious project to date: The Intrigo Anthology – three films shot back to back, based upon a series of European best-sellers by the immensely popular Swedish author Håkan Nesser. The three stand-alone thrillers, adapted by Daniel Alfredson & Ditta Bongenhielm are individual stories interconnected by the ‘Café Intrigo,’ which gives the three films their anthological title. Daniel Alfredson directed each of the films with Pawel Edelman as Director of Photography. Intrigo: Death of an Author stars Sir Ben Kinglsey and Benno Fürmann. Intrigo: Samaria, stars Andy Buchan, Phoebe Fox and Jeff Fahey. Intrigo: Dear Agnes stars Carla Juri and Gemma Chan. An example of independent filmmaking at its most daring, this ground-breaking anthology was greenlit, financed and cast as one package and will be distributed in various territories worldwide by Fox International and Miramax and released simultaneously worldwide in 2019. Dugdale also served as producer on the upcoming thriller, Night Hunter, starring Henry Cavill, Sir Ben Kingsley, Alexandra D’Dadario and Stanley Tucci.
Dugdale’s career started in his native British Columbia, where he gained extensive experience in physical production, working at all budget levels in feature film, television commercials and music videos. In the early 2000s, Dugdale also gained experience in public sector financing and investor relations while working in oil, gas and uranium markets. The experience and insight he gained during this period led Dugdale to formulate a convergent strategy with film and outside ventures which he continues developing to this day. With a particular interest in both blockchain technologies and developmental industrial technologies, Dugdale has positioned himself prominently at exciting new ventures such as sBetOne and Helicoid Industries.
In 2003, Dugdale joined Daniel Petrie, Jr. & Company as Vice President, Production before becoming a full partner in the company in 2004. In the motion picture industry, the first decade of the 21st Century saw an acceleration in the growth of independent productions to fill the vacuum left by the major studios, who each year became increasingly focused on making fewer and bigger-budgeted so-called “tent-pole” movies, a trend that continues to this day. At the same time, the transition from celluloid to digital image capture made some aspects of filmmaking radically less expensive, lowering the medium’s costs of entry; this at a time when, paradoxically, the costs of making studio-style tent-pole movies continued their seemingly limitless escalation. On the distribution side, time-honored practices of releasing those tent-pole movies were joined by release patterns that increasingly allowed more independent films to find audiences. Observing that many independent films seemed to be made for no better reason than that the resources were available, Dugdale and Petrie believed that a production company that put the emphasis back on story, on the creative side, and on transparency, on the financial side, could thrive. This insight led them to found Enderby Entertainment.
Whilst Enderby Entertainment is based in Los Angeles, Dugdale has always been committed to growing the film and television sector in the province of British Columbia where the town of his birth, and the namesake of his company, Enderby is located. Having produced multiple films in British Columbia for Enderby Entertainment, Dugdale was awarded with the Job Makers Award for 2016 by the Province of British Columbia. As of 2019 Enderby Entertainment is preparing to expand its operations into Canada with the opening of new production offices and joint ventures in the Canadian market.
Prior to the Intrigo trilogy, Dugdale produced the psychological thriller An Ordinary Man in collaboration with actor/producer Sir Ben Kingsley and was written and directed by Brad Silberling. As Enderby’s CEO, Dugdale also greenlit and financed the film, which features outstanding performances by Kingsley and Hera Hilmar. Dugdale also arranged for its international distribution by Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment, marking Enderby’s second collaboration with Electric. An Ordinary Man had its U.S. premiere at the 24th annual Austin Film Festival in October of 2017 and was released theatrically by Saban Films in April 2018.
Before this, Dugdale produced and financed the thriller Blackway, the first film collaboration involving Alfredson, Enderby Entertainment and world-wide distributor Electric Entertainment. The film featured a remarkable cast headed by Sir Anthony Hopkins, Julia Stiles, Alexander Ludwig, Hal Holbrook and with Ray Liotta in the title role. Directed by Daniel Alfredson, Blackway was adapted for the screen by Joseph Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and based upon the novel Go with Me by Castle Freeman, Jr. The film was feted with a gala world premiere at the 72nd Venice Film Festival ahead of its 2016 release.
Previously for Enderby, Dugdale produced Dawn Patrol, starring Scott Eastwood, Jeff Fahey and Rita Wilson, and Rosemont, starring Grace Zabriskie, Brad Dourif and Michael Gross; both films were directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr. Dugdale also produced About Cherry starring Ashley Hinshaw, James Franco, Heather Graham and Dev Patel, co-written and directed by Stephen Elliott. For Tony-Seven Films, Enderby Entertainment’s genre film division, Dugdale served as executive producer on The Speak, Vile and 5 Souls and as producer on A Haunting at Silver Falls, No Tell Motel and Blood Shed. Dugdale also served as executive producer on Tony-Seven Films’ first sequel, the upcoming A Haunting at Silver Falls 2.
Dugdale is particularly proud of Enderby Entertainment’s involvement with the Austin Film Festival and Conference. In 2012, the Austin Film Festival announced the addition of a new “Enderby Entertainment Award” to the festival’s screenwriting competition. The new award is open to feature screenplays in all genres with an original concept and distinctive voice that can be independently produced with a budget under ten million dollars. Finalists and winners are selected by Dugdale and Petrie.
Dugdale is a proud member of the Producers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of Canada.
Rick Dugdale
President, Enderby Entertainment; Producer Intrigo Anthology, An Ordinary Man, Blackway, Recon (2020)
Matt Dy
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Working with a Manager (Lit Entertainment Group)
Matt Dy
Literary Manager, Lit Entertainment Group; Former Director of Script Competitions, Austin Film Festival
Paul Feig
His most recent work includes directing the stylish thriller A Simple Favor for Lionsgate, which stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively and Henry Golding, and producing The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale for Netflix.
As a producer, Feig counts series like Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist for Lionsgate TV and NBC, the HBO MAX series Love Life starring Anna Kendrick, the Netflix romantic comedy Someone Great, and Fox’s Peanuts among his vast slate.
In 2016, Feig directed and co-wrote the critically acclaimed reboot of Ghostbusters, starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Feig directed from a script he co-wrote with Katie Dippold. The film, beloved by audiences worldwide, won the favorite movie award at the 2017 Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Awards and was nominated for a Hugo Award.
In 2015, Feig wrote, directed and produced the comedy Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Jason Statham and Rose Byrne. This third collaboration between Feig and McCarthy earned over $230 million worldwide and garnered two Golden Globes nominations for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy. Feig’s other films include the buddy cop comedy The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, which grossed over $220 million globally and the hit comedy Bridesmaids starring Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy and Jon Hamm, that grossed over $283 million worldwide. The film also earned Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay along with Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Feig is the founder of Feigco Entertainment, which produced Spy, A Simple Favor and Last Christmas and which has first-look deals with both Universal Studios and Lionsgate TV. Feigco specializes in developing edgy and commercial comedies with an emphasis on complex female lead characters. Feigco also produced the comedy Snatched, which starred Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn.
Feig also recently launched Powderkeg, a digital content company that aims to champion new voices with a commitment to female, LGBTQIA+ creators and filmmakers of color. Their first projects include the Muslim-American digital shortform series East of La Brea and the Powderkeg: Fuse program, which produced six short films written and directed by diverse female filmmakers.
Feig’s critically acclaimed original series Other Space premiered in the spring of 2015, and marked Feig’s return to television. The show is a half-hour galactic adventure comedy that chronicles a misfit group of space adventurers who stumble upon an alternate universe. Feig created the series which is now available at ShareOtherSpace.com.
A three-time EMMY nominated writer/director and DGA Award winner, Feig is also known for creating the beloved and critically acclaimed series Freaks and Geeks and serving as director and co-executive producer of The Office.
Feig was selected as the Distinguished Artist for the American Film Institute Conservatory’s Directing Workshop for Women and won the first ever Artemis Action Rebel Award in 2016. That same year he was also awarded the inaugural Athena Leading Man award at Athena Film Festival in celebration of his extraordinary body of work, support and outspoken stance for women throughout his career. Feig is the first male to ever be honored by the Festival. He was most recently given the second annual Spirit of the Industry Award by the National Alliance of Theater Owners.
Recently, Feig has been hosting a Quarantine Cocktail Time on his Instagram Live every night at 5pm PST while in quarantine.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Paul Feig
writer/director/producer Freaks and Geeks, Bridesmaids, Spy
Kelsi Fleming
PANEL SESSIONS:
Semifinalists and AFF Filmmakers: Development & Production with Josephson Entertainment
Kelsi Fleming
Creative Executive, Josephson Entertainment
Gillian Flynn
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation With Gillian Flynn
Gillian Flynn
writer/executive producer Utopia; writer Widows, Gone Girl, Sharp Objects
Stephany Folsom
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
Stephany Folsom
writer 1969 A Space Odyssey: Or How Kubrick Learned To Stop Worrying And Land On The Moon,co-writer Thor: Ragnarok, Star Wars Resistance series, Toy Story 4
Scott Frank
Out of Sight and Logan were both nominated for Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. Out of Sight won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America as well as Best Screenplay awards from the National Society of Film Critics and the Boston Society of Film Critics
Logan was also nominated for a Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Get Shorty was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. His directorial debut, The Lookout, won the Independent Spirit Award for “Best First Feature.”
Godless was nominated for 12 Emmy awards, including nominations for writing and directing, as well as nominations from the Directors and Writers Guilds.
Frank’s first novel, Shaker, was published by Knopf in 2015.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Research: A Writer’s Best Friend…and Worst Enemy
Scott Frank
writer/director The Queen’s Gambit, Godless; writer Get Shorty, Out of Sight
Rodrigo Garcia
Nobbs starring Glenn Close; and Mother and Child starring Annette Bening, Naomi Watts and Samuel L. Jackson. In 2000, Rodrigo’s first film as a writer and director Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her won the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Last Days in the Desert starring Ewan McGregor premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and this past January Four Good Days, starring Glenn Close and Mila Kunis and directed and co-written by Rodrigo, premiered at Sundance as well. Among his television credits are the cable series In Treatment, on which he served as executive producer and showrunner for the first season and received a Writers Guild of America Award in the New Series category. Other TV credits include Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Carnivȧle, and Big Love, for which he directed the pilot episode and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Garcia also directed the pilots for CBS’s hit drama Bull starring Michael Weatherly and of the Party of Five reboot from Freeform and Sony Pictures Television. Garcia is also the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Indigenous Media, a next generation digital studio focused on producing original content for digital and emerging platforms worldwide. He is Co-Creator of WIGS, the digital drama channel offering over 180 episodes of scripted content. For WIGS, Rodrigo wrote and directed the WIGS series Blue, starring Julia Stiles, and Christine, starring America Ferrera.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Rodrigo Garcia
writer/director Nine Lives, Last Days in the Desert
Matt D. Gellar
In television, Geller produced the half-hour comedy FOUR IN THE MORNING, written by Ira Parker. Ordered straight to series by the CBC, the show explored a romanticized look at life in your twenties, following a group of friends on their adventures at four o’clock in the morning. He also produced a one-hour, high-octane conspiracy series DEPARTURE, now streaming on NBC’s Peacock Network. The show reunited Geller with actor, Christopher Plummer.
Previously, Geller ran Six Point Films, a production company owned by Branko Lustig, who received Academy Awards for producing SCHINDLER’S LIST and GLADIATOR. During his tenure, the company put together a US/Chinese co-production, LEAVING SHANGHAI, based a true story about a Jewish family who escaped The Third Reich by immigrating to China.
Geller also oversaw the director-driven production company, Wonderfalls Entertainment, spearheaded by Kristin Hanggi, who was nominated for a Tony Award for creating the musical ROCK OF AGES. During his tenure, Hanggi directed the films NAOMI & ELY’S NO KISS LIST, DEAR DUMB DIARY, and SURF – A Beach Boys Musical, at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Together, they also developed musicals based on films, CLUELESS and ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION.
Prior, Geller held a creative position at Lightworks Pictures, specializing in producing branded franchises of Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) novels with partner Sony AFFIRM. He oversaw the production of a reality series, AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE for the Game Show Network and the documentary SERVING LIFE, narrated by Forrest Whitaker. The film was purchased by Oprah Winfrey’s OWN and subsequently won the Humanitas Award.
Geller also tenured at Focus Features where he worked on distribution campaigns for such films as HOT FUZZ, EASTERN PROMISES, LUST, CAUTION and ATONEMENT (BAFTA Award).
Prior to Focus Features, Geller tenured at DLT Entertainment, working on BBC1’s comedy MY FAMILY, the reunion specials of the hit comedy AS TIME GOES BY, starring Dame Judi Dench, a Russian version of THREE’S COMPANY for REN TV, and US distribution of the Australian soap opera NEIGHBOURS on Oxygen Media.
Geller is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences. He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with his wife Rebecca and son Emmett.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Semifinalists and AFF Filmmakers: Development & Production with Josephson Entertainment
Matt D. Gellar
Executive Vice President/Head of Features, Josephson Entertainment
Carrie Gillogly
PANEL SESSIONS:
Carrie Gillogly
Senior Vice President of Scripted Programming at AMC Networks
Akiva Goldsman
His feature writing credits include The Client, Batman Forever, A Time to Kill, Batman and Robin, Practical Magic, Cinderella Man, I Am Legend, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and I, Robot. He also wrote A Beautiful Mind, for which he won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award.
Goldsman’s feature producing credits include Paranormal Activity 2, 3, and 4, and under his Weed Road Pictures banner, Deep Blue Sea, Constantine, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, I Am Legend, Hancock, Fair Game, Lone Survivor, Without Remorse starring Michael B. Jordan, and the upcoming The Map of Tiny Perfect Things for Amazon.
Goldsman’s television work as a creator, producer, writer, and/or director include Fringe, for which he garnered a Saturn Award and a Hugo Award nomination; Childhood’s End; and WGN original drama series, Underground, which was nominated for multiple NAACP Image Awards. Current projects include the live-action Titans, Star Trek: Picard, and the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for CBS All Access.
Goldsman’s feature directorial debut, Winter’s Tale, starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, Will Smith, and Russell Crowe was released in February 2014. Most recently, he directed the sci-fi horror film Stephanie for Blumhouse Productions and Universal.
Upcoming feature projects include Firestarter, based on Stephen King’s novel; The Billion Dollar Spy directed by Amma Asante; Brilliance starring Will Smith; and Major Matt Mason starring Tom Hanks. Upcoming television includes The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, based on Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel; as well as Gormenghast, based on the books by Mervyn Peake, both for Showtime.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Akiva Goldsman
Akiva Goldsman
writer The Client, Batman Forever, A Time to Kill, Batman and Robin, Practical Magic, Cinderella Man, I Am Legend, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, A Beautiful Mind, I, Robot
Emily V. Gordon
PANEL SESSIONS:
The Creative Career: Practical Tips for Starting Out presented by the Writers Guild of America West
Emily V. Gordon
writer The Big Sick, developer Little America
Howard Gordon
Gordon was a Showrunner and Executive Producer of the long-running hit television series, 24, for which he received both the Golden Globe and the Emmy Award for Best Drama Series in 2006. A thirty-six year industry veteran, Gordon first gained national attention for his award-winning work on Fox’s groundbreaking series The X-Files, for which he won multiple Golden Globes. His other credits include Tyrant, Legends, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Beauty and the Beast, Sisters, and Spenser: For Hire. In 2011, Simon and Schuster released Gordon’s first novel, Gideon’s War, followed by a sequel, Hard Target, in 2012. Gordon graduated from Princeton University, and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and youngest of their three children. He is the former president of the Stroke Association of Southern California, and is currently on the advisory board of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon
co-creator Homeland, executive producer 24
Akilah Green
PANEL SESSIONS:
The Creative Career: Practical Tips for Starting Out presented by the Writers Guild of America West
Akilah Green
writer A Black Lady Sketch Show, Perfect Harmony
Bill Hader
In its second season, Barry only got darker, funnier and more addictive culminating in a whopping 17 Emmy Award nominations including nominations in all of the major categories: Series, Writing, Directing and Actor (for which he won for). In 2018’s first season, the series received 13 Emmy nominations, including victories for Best Actor and co-star Henry Winkler for Best Supporting Actor. Hader was bestowed awards from the Directors Guild (DGA), Writers Guild (WGA) and Producers Guild (PGA) and was nominated for Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Golden Globe Awards. Barry also received a 2019 AFI Award and a Peabody Award as well. For season 2, Hader and the series were recently nominated for Golden Globe and SAG Awards. BARRY will return to HBO for its third season in 2021.
Hader is also co-creator of IFC’s Documentary Now! which garnered four 2019 Emmy Award nominations. Hader spent eight seasons on Saturday Night Live and garnered four Emmy Award nominations for his work on the series.
He has starred in such films as Trainwreck, Superbad, Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder. He segued to show his versatility with a dramatic role in 2014’s critically-acclaimed feature film The Skeleton Twins opposite his former SNL castmate, Kristen Wiig. He most recently starred in the 2019 box office hit, It Chapter Two, the sequel to the 2017 horror film, IT.
PANEL SESSIONS:
On Creating Barry: A Conversation with Alec Berg and Bill Hader
Bill Hader
co-creator/star Barry
Brigitte Hales
PANEL SESSIONS:
Brigitte Hales
writer Enchanted 2, Epic, Amazing Stories, Once
Ryan P. Hall
Prior to Roenberg, Hall spent several years in physical production at Paramount Pictures before being named Creative Executive at Jon Turteltaub’s Junction Entertainment. During those years, Hall worked on such films as Cloverfield, Indiana Jones 4, Star Trek and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Ryan P. Hall
Head of Rooster Teeth Studios, executive producer Blood Fest, Lazer Team 2, Shark Week: Immersion, gen:LOCK
John Lee Hancock
PANEL SESSIONS:
Creating Compelling Characters
John Lee Hancock
writer/director The Alamo, The Blind Side, director The Highway Men, The Rookie, Saving Mr. Banks, The Founder, writer A Perfect World, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Liz Hannah
Other credits include Lionsgate’s Long Shot, directed by Jonathan Levine and starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen; Netflix’s All The Bright Places, starring Elle Fanning and Justice Smith, which Hannah also executive produced; Hulu’s upcoming limited series The Dropout, for which Hannah was a writer and executive producer, it will star Kate McKinnon and is based on the podcast of the same name.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
Liz Hannah
writer/producer The Post, Long Shot, All the Bright Places, Mindhunter
James V. Hart
His writing/producing credits include; Hook, directed by Steven Spielberg based on an idea by Hart’s then 6 year old son, Jake, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Muppet Treasure Island, directed by Brian Henson, and Contact, directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Other writing/producing credits include: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Tuck Everlasting, Jack And The Beanstalk: The Real Story. Sahara, Lara Croft: Tombraider – The Cradle Of Life, August Rush, Epic, and the TV series, Crossbones.
In 2019, The Hot Zone, the acclaimed series for Nat Geo based on Richard Preston’s best selling book, was created by Hart, who also shared writing and story credits on each episode and served as an Executive Producer.
Hart is a co-founder of the Peter Pan Children’s Fund, a non-profit that fosters youth philanthropy supporting Children’s Hospitals, has served on the Meadows School of the Arts board at SMU, is a founding member of the Writer’s Guild Initiative board, and founder of Lionfish University, a non-profit .org dedicated to reef preservation and conservation.
His renowned story mapping tool app, TheHartChart, and the HartChart toolkit, were launched online and in print at the 2015 Austin Film Festival.
“Go with Gravity” is Hart’s primary mantra for the writing life.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
YFP Pitch 2
James V. Hart
creator/executive producer The Hot Zone; writer Hook, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Contact, Tuck Everlasting, Muppet Treasure Island, August Rush, Epic, Crossbones; creator, HartChart
Chuck Hayward
Chuck was born and raised in the entertainment Mecca of Wilmington, Delaware in Huxtable-esque splendor. Next stop, Syracuse University where he majored in Television, Radio and Film and minored in Overindulgence.
Chuck then moved to LA where he worked as an assistant at production companies Spirit Dance Entertainment, and State Street Pictures before assisting on the hit shows Everybody Hates Chris and Entourage.
After years of perfecting the arts of scheduling, coffee orders, and lunch runs Chuck landed his first staff writing gig on the NBC series Bent. He then wrote for the Nick at Nite sitcom Wendell &Vinnie. In 2014 Chuck became a staff writer on the new NBC series, One Big Happy. Then in 2015 he worked on the Fox series, Cooper Barrett’s Guide To Surviving Life. In 2016, clearly the best year of his career thus far, he had two movies produced, Fat Camp (available on all on-demand platforms) and Step Sisters (streaming on Netflix), and sold the film, Glow Up, to The Firm and PepsiCo. He wrote for three seasons on Netflix’s hit series, Dear White People; he was a producer on Marvel’s upcoming limited series, WandaVision, for Disney+; and was a supervising producer on the first season of ABC’s Mixed-ish. He’s currently fulfilling his childhood dream of writing a remake of the cult classic, Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead.
Call his agents at APA, or his managers at Heroes and Villains for more info on Chuck, or if you just want to chat.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Chuck Hayward
writer Dear White People (TV series), Fat Camp, Step Sisters, Cooper Barrett’s Guide To Surviving Life
Leslye Headland
PANEL SESSIONS:
The Creative Career: Practical Tips for Starting Out presented by the Writers Guild of America West
Leslye Headland
writer/director/showrunner Russian Doll, writer/director Bachelorette
Jason Headley
PANEL SESSIONS:
Jason Headley
co-writer Onward
Brian Helgeland
Among the films Brian has written & directed are Legend starring Tom Hardy & Emily Browning, 42 starring Chadwick Boseman & Harrison Ford, A Knight’s Tale starring Heath Ledger and Payback starring Mel Gibson.
As a screenwriter his credits include Curtis Hanson’s L.A Confidential starring Russell Crowe, Tony Scott’s Man on Fire and The Taking of Pelham 123 both starring Denzel Washington, Richard Donner’s Conspiracy Theory starring Mel Gibson & Julia Roberts, Paul Greengrass’ Green Zone starring Matt Damon, Spenser Confidential starring Mark Wahlberg & Winston Duke and Clint Eastwood’s Blood Work and Mystic River which starred Sean Penn & Tim Robbins.
Helgeland is the recipient of the Academy Award, the Writers Guild of America Award, the PEN Center Literary Award, the Edgar Alan Poe Award, a two time recipient of the USC Scripter Award, the Sidney Lumet Award for Integrity in Entertainment and the Austin Film Festival Distinguished Screenwriter Award.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Creating Compelling Characters
Brian Helgeland
writer/director Legend, 42, A Knight’s Tale, Payback, writer L.A Confidential, Man on Fire, The Taking of Pelham 123, Conspiracy Theory, Green Zone, Blood Work, Mystic River, Spenser Confidential
Felicia D. Henderson
She co-created and executive produced The Quad, a one-hour drama for BET Networks and also co-executive produced the Netflix adaptation of Marvel’s The Punisher, and has written and co-executive produced such high-profile shows as Gossip Girl, Fringe and Everybody Hates Chris. Continually in pursuit of knowledge, she recently earned a Ph.D. in Cinema and Media Studies at UCLA, as well. Her research interests include culture, class, race, and gender issues in television writers’ rooms, political economics of the 2007 WGA strike, and the “othering” of single women in the media. Although Felicia’s roots are Mississippi southern, she was born and raised in Pasadena, CA, where she currently resides with Muffin, her four-legged human.
Having earned B.A. and M.F.A. degrees from UCLA, Felicia was honored with UCLA’s Tom Bradley Alumnus of the Year Award in 2014 and the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2010. She has been published in some of the most prestigious academic journals in her field.
Felicia is a member of the Diversity Committee for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, a trustee for the Humanitas Prize, and mentor for the Humanitas Prize New Voices program. She is a Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (a public service sorority), a board member of Dancing N.E.D. (a non-profit that raises funds for the treatment of women’s cancers), and an honorary board member of Los Angeles based Coalition for Restoring At-Risk Youth (a non-profit that provides social, mental, and medical care to at-risk and homeless youth). Recently, she founded WaterWalk’s Hand Up in partnership with the San Gabriel Children’s Center. Through this program, WaterWalk provides household, electronic, and personal care essentials for young men aging out of foster care and entering sponsored adult living facilities.
Although Felicia’s roots are Mississippi southern, she was born and raised in Pasadena, CA, where she currently resides with Muffin, her four-legged human.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Felicia D. Henderson
writer/executive producer Empire, Marvel’s The Punisher, The Quad, Gossip Girl
Christina Hodson
In addition to writing, Christina is also producing through her company, Hodson Exports, which she runs with executive Morgan Howell. In 2019, Hodson Exports teamed up with Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment to launch the Lucky Exports Pitch Program. The initiative was designed to get more female-identifying writers hired by studios to write action-centric movies. Six applicants were selected to join a month-long writers room with each writer working to develop their own original feature pitch. Guest speakers included Chad Stahelski, Chris Morgan, Walter Hamada and Sue Kroll.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
Christina Hodson
writer/co-producer Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn); writer Bumblebee
Lauren Hynek
In high school, they joined forces while working at the same Shakespeare theater in the summers. Lauren and Elizabeth continued to work in classical theater together after college, producing plays on shoestring budgets and getting paid out of a passed hat. However, frustrated with the limited roles for women in Shakespeare’s work, they started to dream of creating their own stories — ones that featured strong women that their little girl selves could look up to. Lauren and Elizabeth let their imaginations run to tales that couldn’t be tackled on the stage, they demanded the big screen.
After spending a few years teaching themselves how to write (and properly format) a screenplay, Lauren and Elizabeth swung for the fences and wrote a live-action Mulan on spec. Disney bought it and it’s due out in September of 2020 on Disney+.
In the meantime, Lauren and Elizabeth have won a handful of writing contests, wrote a Lifetime movie Christmas Perfection, and were hired to adapt a NY Times bestseller into an hour-long drama series for Alcon Entertainment. Currently, they’re working on a biopic about computer pioneer Grace Hopper for Middleton Media as well as rewriting an action flick for a trio of companies. In their spare time, they strive to make the world a more equal place as co-chairs of the Committee of Women Writers at the WGAW.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Lauren Hynek
co-writer Mulan
Tobias Iaconis
Mikki and Tobias are currently writing a sequel to Dirty Dancing for Lionsgate Films (with Gillian Bohrer and Jonathan Levine at Megamix producing), Nightbooks for Netflix (with Sam Raimi at Ghosthouse Pictures and Mason Novick at MXN Entertainment producing), and are adapting Mikki’s novel All This Time (Simon & Schuster releasing September 29th, 2020) for Lionsgate Films (also with Gillian Bohrer and Jonathan Levine producing).
PANEL SESSIONS:
Tobias Iaconis
co-writer The Curse of La Llorona, Five Feet Apart
Carrie Isgett
She majored in theatre at the College of Charleston before moving to Sydney, Australia to study film at the International Film School Sydney. She began her career is 2009 as a writer’s assistant on the long-running Australian series ALL SAINTS before moving into physical production working as a coordinator for an international producer based out of Fox Studios Australia.
After moving to Los Angeles, Carrie joined Madhouse Entertainment in 2013 as an assistant where she worked her up to manager, representing a diverse list of emerging voices. She joined Lit Entertainment as a manager when the company launched at the beginning of 2019 before transitioning to focus solely on development for the company’s producing slate in 2020.
Carrie lives in Los Angeles with her wife, neurotic dog and weirdly social cat. She was recently inspired to take up watercolor as a hobby, which was a messy mistake for the whole household.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Working with a Manager (Lit Entertainment Group)
Carrie Isgett
Development & Production Executive, Lit Entertainment Group
Ava Jamshidi
PANEL SESSIONS:
Ava Jamshidi
Manager, Industry Entertainment
Eric Johnson
PANEL SESSIONS:
Eric Johnson
co-writer The Outpost
Tillery Johnson
PANEL SESSIONS:
YFP Panel: You Have a Great Idea, Now What?
Tillery Johnson
writer Glitch Techs
Rolin Jones
His award-winning musical collaboration with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, THESE PAPER BULLETS! received its 2014 world premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre and was later produced at the Geffen Playhouse and Atlantic Theater Company (NYC). His play The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow received the OBIE Award for Excellence in Playwriting and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. His play The Jammer received an Edinburgh Fringe First Award for Best New Writing and was also produced Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre Company.
His new production shingle, DWIGHT STREET BOOK CLUB- a Television, Podcasting and Beautifications Company is under a two year overall deal with AMC Studios. Credits include Perry Mason for HBO, the podcast Ask Ronna with Ronna (& Bryan) and the upcoming interactive dining experience Feast: Every Year I Grow Again. Dwightstreetbookclub.com
PANEL SESSIONS:
Playwrights in the Writers Room
Rolin Jones
co-creator/showrunner Perry Mason
Neil Jordan
In 1982 Neil wrote and directed his first feature film, Angel, for which he won The London Evening Standard’s Most Promising Newcomer Award. The Company Of Wolves (1984) garnered Best Film and Best Director Awards from the London Critics Circle.
Mona Lisa (1986), starring Michael Caine, Cathy Tyson and Bob Hoskins, won Best Actor at Cannes and a Golden Globe and was nominated for, a Los Angeles Film Critics Award and a Best Screenplay nomination from The Writer’s Guild Of America. Mona Lisa was followed by two comedies, High Spirits (1988) starring Darryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg and Peter O’Toole, and We’re No Angels (1989) starring Robert De Niro and Sean Penn. He returned to Ireland to make The Miracle in 1991, starring Donal McCann and Beverly D’Angelo.
In 1992, Neil wrote and directed The Crying Game which was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Stephen Rea), Best Supporting Actor (Jaye Davidson) and which won Neil an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
In 1994 Neil filmed an adaption of Anne Rice’s novel Interview With The Vampire, starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas and Christian Slater. Next came the film of the Irish revolutionary Michael Collins (1996), starring Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn and Julia Roberts, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film festival and was nominated for two Academy Awards.
His adaptation of Patrick McCabe’s novel The Butcher Boy (1997) won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film festival in 1998.
In 1999 he made the psychological thriller In Dreams, starring Annette Bening, Robert Downey Jr, Aidan Quinn and Stephen Rea.
In the same year he directed his own adaption of Graham Greene’s novel The End Of The Affair, starring Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore and Stephen Rea. The film was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards and ten BAFTA Awards, Jordan was honoured with the BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay. Neil went on to direct a fourteen-minute film based on Samuel Beckett’s play, NOT I, which starred Julianne Moore and premiered in the Cannes Film Festival in the year 2000. That was followed by The Good Thief (2002) starring Nick Nolte.
Breakfast on Pluto another McCabe adaptation followed in 2005.
He directed Jodie Foster in The Brave One for Warner Bros. in 2007.
Ondine, starring Colin Farrell was released in 2009.
From 2011 to 2013 Jordan wrote, directed and produced the television series The Borgias for Showtime.
His film Byzantium was released in 2012.
His latest film is Greta, starring Isabel Huppert and Chloe Grace Moretz.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
writer/director The Crying Game, Michael Collins, Breakfast on Pluto; director Interview with the Vampire
Barry Josephson
starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel; the international hit comedy Dirty Grandpa, starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron; NBA darling Like Mike; Wild Wild West starring Will Smith; The Last Boy Scout starring Bruce Willis; and Ricochet starring Denzel Washington.
Josephson is also preparing a number of feature projects, including Caster at Paramount; The Dive, a biopic about a world-renowned free diver Francisco “Pipin” Ferreras; “Untitled Steve Wise Project” a biopic about the leading animal rights attorney with Thor Freudenthal attached to direct; as well as the sequel to Enchanted.
In television, Josephson produced Bones on FOX, which aired for 12 seasons, AMC’s period drama Turn: Washington’s Spies, which aired for 4 seasons, and his comedy series The Tick, written by Ben Edlund, is on Amazon. His previous television credits include the FOX drama The Finder, the critically acclaimed Maximum Bob, Fantasy Island, and the cable series Tales from the Crypt. He also executive-produced the syndicated show Pat Croce Moving Inc., as well as a number of cable comedy specials.
Before embarking on full-time producing duties, Mr. Josephson was President of Worldwide Production for Columbia/Sony Pictures. During his tenure, Josephson was responsible for launching such hits as Men In Black, Air Force One, In The Line Of Fire, The Fifth Element, Anaconda, Bad Boys, The Professional, and The Craft. Prior to Columbia Pictures, Josephson held a similar post at Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures, overseeing films such as Die Hard 2, and Lethal Weapon 3.
Previously, Josephson was a founder of Sandollar Films, which produced the cult classic feature Buffy The Vampire Slayer, along with several other feature films and telefilms. Josephson’s earlier endeavors included a post at Lorimar Productions, where he oversaw the music division’s interest in feature film and television programming. Working in the realm of personal management, Josephson shepherded the careers of performers such as Whoopi Goldberg, Patti Labelle, Barbra Streisand, The Pointer Sisters, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Paula Abdul. Josephson is a founding member of Comic Relief. Previously hosted by Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, the comedy concert series has raised millions of dollars to aid the plight of the homeless. He is an active advocate of animal rights and sponsors The Cesar Millan Foundation. Josephson played a pivotal role in the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival, and is currently involved in the following organizations: The Commitment to Life Benefit (Supporting AIDS Project Los Angeles), The NHL Entertainment Board, and The Austin Film Festival. Josephson lives in Pacific Palisades, CA, with his wife, Brooke, his daughter, Shira, and his son, Murray.
Barry Josephson
Josephson Entertainment, producer Enchanted, Dirty Grandpa, The Last Boy Scout, executive producer The Tick, TURN: Washington Spies, Bones
Larry Karaszewski
They are best known for writing very unusual biopics with larger-than-life characters. They wrote the highly-acclaimed Ed Wood, for which they were nominated for Best Screenplay by the Writers Guild. They followed this with The People Vs. Larry Flynt, for which they won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, as well as a special Writers Guild award for civil rights and liberties. They scripted the extremely postmodern Man on the Moon, the life story of Andy Kaufman. They wrote Big Eyes, the strange-but-true story of Margaret and Walter Keane, for which they received an Indie Spirit Best Screenplay nomination. For their first television project, they created the hit miniseries American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, for which they won the Emmy, Golden Globe, PGA and WGA Award for Best Limited Series. Their newest film, Dolemite Is My Name, the celebrated tale of Rudy Ray Moore, came out last year.
Other than biopics, Alexander and Karaszewski are quite eclectic. They wrote the hit Stephen King adaptation 1408. They produced the Bob Crane biopic Auto Focus, and they wrote and directed the comedy Screwed. They have also written numerous family films, including Problem Child, Problem Child 2, Agent Cody Banks, and Goosebumps.
Karaszewski, born and raised in South Bend, Indiana, worked as a film critic for an NBC affiliate’s nightly news program, as well as writing and directing Beyond Our Control, a weekly half-hour satirical television show. Larry is an active Los Angeles cineaste and is the Vice President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. His humorous commentaries on cult movies can be seen at TrailersFromHell.com.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
Larry Karaszewski
writer Dolemite Is My Name, Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flint, Man on the Moon, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson
James Kim
PANEL SESSIONS:
Listen Up: Writing a Fiction Podcast
James Kim
creator Moonface
Adam Kolbrenner
Kolbrenner produced Oscar-nominated film, Prisoners, for Warner Bros/Alcon Entertainment, written by Lit client Aaron Guzikowski. Kolbrenner also executive produced Netflix’s recent holiday film, Christmas Chronicles starring Kurt Russell, written by Lit client Matt Lieberman based on an original idea by Designated Survivor creator David Guggenheim, another Lit client who also served as an executive producer on the film.
In film, Kolbrenner is next producing Fox’s Free Guy, along with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. The film, starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Shawn Levy, is an original spec from Lit client Matt Lieberman that was sold in a competitive situation. Kolbrenner is also producing Skydance’s Ghost Draft, an original sci-fi tentpole film written by Lit client Zach Dean, with David Goyer also producing. Kolbrenner also will serve as executive producer on the recently ordered TNT/Scott Free sci-fi series, Raised by Wolves, with its first two episodes helmed by Ridley Scott. The original series hails from Lit client Aaron Guzikowski, who will serve as creator and showrunner.
Kolbrenner is a member of the PGA. As the top representative (manager or agent) of all Black List screenwriters cumulative in the history of the annual Black List, Kolbrenner has distinguished himself in discovering new voices.
On the Lit management side, Kolbrenner reps top creators and filmmakers in the industry, including Dave Andron (Snowfall); Josh Campbell & Matt Stuecken (10 Cloverfield Lane); Mikki Daughtry & Tobias Iaconis (the upcoming The Children from New Line, and CBS Films’ Five Feet Apart); Craig Doyle (Grown-ish); Liz Garcia (Disney’s Princess Diaries 3, writer/director of One Percent More Humid); Aaron Guzikowski (Prisoners, Raised by Wolves); David Guggenheim (Safe House, Designated Survivor); Matt Lieberman (the upcoming Addams Family and Playing with Fire); Justin Marks (Disney’s Jungle Book, Top Gun 2 and Starz’s Counterpart); Sascha Penn (Creed 2); Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel and writer/director of The Slows); Justin Rhodes (the upcoming Terminator film from Tim Miller; and Robocop from Neil Blomkamp); Ed Ricourt (Now You See Me franchise); Greg Russo (Mortal Kombat); Hayley Schore & Dr. Roshan Sethi (The Resident); Kerem Sanga (First Girl I Loved, upcoming The Violent Heart); Jason Smilovic & Todd Katzberg (Condor, War Dogs); Gaia Violo (Absentia).
He lives in Encino, CA with his artist wife Loryn, their daughter Georgia and three dogs, Stella, Walter and Lucy.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Working with a Manager (Lit Entertainment Group)
Adam Kolbrenner
Literary Manager, Lit Entertainment Group
Paul Kowalski
PANEL SESSIONS:
Paul KOWALSKI
writer/director Paper Tiger
Audrey Knox
Audrey Knox
Manager, Cartel Entertainment
Jayme Lemons
Lemons produced the critically-acclaimed HBO series, Enlightened, after which she and Dern founded their production company, Jaywalker Pictures. They now have projects in development at numerous networks and have most recently signed a multi-year, first look deal with Platform One Media, after having been in a pact with HBO for four years. Lemons was an Executive Producer of the Emmy-nominated HBO film, The Tale, and produced the just-launched television series, Shine On With Reese, for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine channel on DirecTv.
PANEL SESSIONS:
The Writer Producer Relationship
Jayme Lemons
executive producer The Tale, producer Enlightened, Antiquities, Shine On with Reese
Adam Levine
PANEL SESSIONS:
Semifinalists & AFF Filmmakers: Working with an Agent (Verve)
Adam Levine
VERVE Talent and Literary Agency
Adele Lim
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
Adele Lim
writer Crazy Rich Asians, writer Raya and the Last Dragon
Damon Lindelof
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Damon Lindelof
Damon Lindelof
creator Watchmen, The Leftovers, Lost
John Logan
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with John Logan
John Logan
creator Penny Dreadful, writer Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator
Rod Lurie
PANEL SESSIONS:
Rod Lurie
director The Outpost
Halle Mariner
PANEL SESSIONS:
Halle Mariner
agent APA
Aaron Mark
PANEL SESSIONS:
Aaron Mark
creator The Horror of Dolores Roach
Melanie Marnich
PANEL SESSIONS:
Writing About Sexuality in Film and TV presented by HUMANITAS
Melanie Marnich
writer The OA, The Affair, The Big C, Big Love
Lucas Martell
Entertainment).
PANEL SESSIONS:
YFP Panel: You Have a Great Idea, Now What?
Lucas Martell
creator Spies In Disguise, writer/director The OceanMaker
Elizabeth Martin
In high school, they joined forces while working at the same Shakespeare theater in the summers. Lauren and Elizabeth continued to work in classical theater together after college, producing plays on shoestring budgets and getting paid out of a passed hat. However, frustrated with the limited roles for women in Shakespeare’s work, they started to dream of creating their own stories — ones that featured strong women that their little girl selves could look up to. Lauren and Elizabeth let their imaginations run to tales that couldn’t be tackled on the stage, they demanded the big screen.
After spending a few years teaching themselves how to write (and properly format) a screenplay, Lauren and Elizabeth swung for the fences and wrote a live-action Mulan on spec. Disney bought it and it’s due out in September of 2020 on Disney+.
In the meantime, Lauren and Elizabeth have won a handful of writing contests, wrote a Lifetime movie Christmas Perfection, and were hired to adapt a NY Times bestseller into an hour-long drama series for Alcon Entertainment. Currently, they’re working on a biopic about computer pioneer Grace Hopper for Middleton Media as well as rewriting an action flick for a trio of companies. In their spare time, they strive to make the world a more equal place as co-chairs of the Committee of Women Writers at the WGAW.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Elizabeth Martin
co-writer Mulan
Hannah McCarthy
PANEL SESSIONS:
YFP Pitch 2
Hannah McCarthy
Creative Director, Rooter Teeth Production
Cindy McCreery
PANEL SESSIONS:
YFP Pitch 2
Cindy McCreery
writer/producer Haven, Free Willy: Escape from Pirates Cove, The Honey Girls, Quaranteen’d
Paul Merryman
PANEL SESSIONS:
Paul Merryman
producer The Outpost
Ashley Edward Miller
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
Ashley Edward Miller
writer Thor, X-MEN: First Class, writer/producer Fringe, Black Sails, Lore
Raamla Mohamed
PANEL SESSIONS:
Raamla Mohamed
writer/co-executive producer Little Fires Everywhere
Tess Morris
Tess Morris
writer Man Up, Casual, writer/co-producer The Great
Grace Moss
Grace has been actively involved with numerous organizations, including Asian Pacific Americans@NBCUniversal, where she serves as a Hub Leader, and Filipino Hollywood Mafia, where she acts as the Co-Chair. She was a selected participant for Comcast’s Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP), Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) Rising Leaders Program, the National Association of Multiethnicities in Communications (NAMIC) Leadership Seminar and, most recently, the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute Corporate Athlete Training Program. She also received Comcast’s Ingenuity Award in 2008 for her contributions to the Style Network.
Grace graduated from UCLA with a BA in English and Minor in Asian American Studies.
Grace Moss
Head of Talent Development & Inclusion, NBC Entertainment
Mimi Munson
2001 Researcher, The Flight of the Phoenix, written by Scott Frank
2003-2004 Researcher to the Director and Production team on Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2005 Researcher, Bonnie and Clyde remake, written by Scott Frank 2006 Researcher, The Lookout directed by Scott Frank
2008 Researcher, How to Disappear Completely, Ed Solomon/Hannah Minghella
2010 Researcher, Howl directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
2011 Researcher and Story Consultant, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2012 Researcher and Story Consultant, Houdini, Amy Pascal / Francis Lawrence
2013 Story Consultant, Lovelace, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
2014 Story Consultant, A Walk Among the Tombstones, written/dir. by Scott Frank
2015 Researcher and Story Developer: Women in Vietnam, Karen Croner / CBS
2016 Associate Producer, Godless, written and directed by Scott Frank (Netflix)
2017 Researcher, The Post, Stephen Spielberg / Amy Pascal
Researcher/Story Consultant, Roe v Wade, Callie Khouri/ABC
Researcher/Story Consultant, Chernobyl, Craig Mazin/ HBO
2018-2019 Associate Producer, Barkskins, written/created by Elwood Reid for Scott Rudin/NatGeo/Fox
Education: St. Paul’s School, Concord, NH 1988-1992
Columbia University, BA 1993-1998
USC SCA Screenwriting Division: MFA with Distinction 2012-2016
PANEL SESSIONS:
Research: A Writer’s Best Friend…and Worst Enemy
Mimi Munson
Associate Producer Godless; Researcher Chernobyl
William Nix
With Producer Salma Hayek, he served as Executive Producer of an animated feature film, distributed by Universal and Netflix, based on Kahlil Gibran’s iconic work, The Prophet. Written and directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) and starring Salma Hayek, Liam Neeson and John Krasinski, scored by Gabriel Yared, with Yo-Yo Ma, and songs by Irish singers Damian Rice, Glen Hansard and Lisa Hannigan. Dreamlike animated tone-poem sequences were created by eight world-class animation directors from around the world. Among its ten award nominations were three Annie-Nominations and inclusion in the Oscars Animated Feature Film Nomination Short List.
His recent projects include two documentary features: Power, about access to the global and local energy systems, and a historical overview of an important era of American musical and cultural history entitled This is Ragtime: The Birth of American Music. He is also producing a dramatic biographical feature entitled Gibran, a theatrical stage musical entitled Broken Wings, based on Kahlil Gibran’s first novel about his lost love, Selma, and two fictional dramatic television series, one entitled Trailblazers, based on the pre-NBA stories of professional African-American basketball teams and the other An Accidental Cuban, about a Cuban national in the colonial seaside city of Cienfuegos, hustling as a translator, desperate to leave Cuba and return to America. He and his partners are also developing projects to expand the Daytona International Speedway, and its related family of brands, into a character-based animated/live-action film, television and multimedia entertainment franchise distributed worldwide in all media and ancillary channels.
His work involves both traditional media and multiple content delivery platforms, technologies and genres. He is currently an Advisory Board member of Journeys in Film, a non-profit organization that develops and produces innovative curriculum, discussion guide and other educational materials for teachers/students to use in order to support the reach, understanding and legacy of films and television programs. In addition, he is an Advisory Board member of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood Health & Society, the Global Arts Corps, Partnerships for Change and a former Advisory Board member of the Austin Film Festival and Project GRAD USA.
PANEL SESSIONS:
The Writer Producer Relationship
William Nix
Chairman/CEO of Creative Projects Group
Kevin Noel
Noel was one of the first staff members at Sony Pictures Animation as the assistant to the producers of the studio’s first CG feature, Open Season. He followed that by working on many films for both Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks. Some of his credits include titles in the Hotel Transylvania, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Smurfs series.
After a stint at Mattel where he produced original content for some of the toy giant’s most lucrative brands, Noel returned to Sony Pictures Animation in 2016 in a new role as the executive director of physical production.
Noel began his career as an executive assistant at the management and production company 3 Arts Entertainment. He is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a degree in Cinema.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Kevin Noel
Senior Vice President of Production, Sony Pictures Animation
Adam Pava
Before transitioning to movies, Adam spent ten years in television. In 2006, he co-wrote and executive produced the hybrid live-action/animation TV movie Re-Animated, Cartoon Network’s highest rated TV movie at the time. He has written for Cartoon Network (Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends, Johnny Bravo), Adult Swim (Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law), MTV (Clone High), Nickelodeon (Glenn Martin DDS), Dreamworks TV (Kung Fu Panda tv spinoff), and the Jim Henson Company (various Muppet projects you don’t remember).
Adam grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and and currently lives in Los Angeles. He hasn’t been outside in five months.
Adam Pava
writer The Boxtrolls, Clone High, Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends
Prentice Penny
Penny currently serves as showrunner and executive producer of the HBO comedy series Insecure starring Issa Rae. Based on the award-winning web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, the series follows the friendship of two modern day African-American women navigating their way through the tricky professional and personal terrain of Los Angeles. The show, which debuted to rave reviews from critics and quickly became a fan favorite, is currently airing it’s fourth season.
In addition to his work behind the camera, Penny also serves as host of the truTV lifestyle series Upscale with Prentice Penny. The series, which premiered on March 21st, marks an exciting new chapter in Penny’s career, moving him in front of the camera. Known for his trendsetting and fearless fashion choices, Penny has built his career working primarily behind the camera until this point. The show, which he co-created and serves as executive producer on, follows Penny as he takes viewers on a journey to demystify what it means to live an upscale life, exploring a variety of topics ranging from food and wine to travel and fashion. From buying a better bottle of wine to getting a custom-made suit for less than some off-the-rack options, the show is aimed at brings viewers ways to live a more elevated lifestyle in unlocking a world that often feels unattainable.
Previously, Penny served as a co-executive producer on the Golden Globe-winning freshman season of Fox’s comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and returned as a consulting producer in Season 2. He also worked on ABC’s critically-acclaimed sitcom Happy Endings as a supervising producer and writer and garnered two NAACP Award nominations for the show in the “Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series” category. During this time, he simultaneously produced the pilot for FOX’s Breaking In starring Christian Slater.
Penny also created, executive produced, and ran his first series, the NAACP Award-winning show The Hustle. Billed as the first scripted hip-hop dramedy, The Hustle was Fuse Network’s landmark show with guest stars including Jadakiss, Freddie Gibbs, and DJ Skee among others.
Penny’s additional producing credits include the hit ABC show Scrubs and FOX’s comedy Do Not Disturb starring Jerry O’Connell. Prior to this, Penny worked as a substitute teacher and tutor at a foster home for two years before his first break in 2004 when he became a Writer’s Guild Trainee on the award-winning UPN show Girlfriends. He continued to work his way up to Executive Story Editor throughout the show’s final four seasons.
Penny, a native Angeleno, attended USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, majoring in “Writing for Screen and Television.” Upon graduation, he wrote and directed his first independent feature film YOU SAY TOMATO before beginning his successful career in television.
Penny currently resides in Los Angeles.
PANEL SESSIONS:
The Creative Career: Practical Tips for Starting Out presented by the Writers Guild of America West
Prentice Penny
showrunner/executive producer Insecure, writer/director Uncorked
Nicole Perlman
PANEL SESSIONS:
Nicole Perlman
writer Guardians of the Galaxy, Detective Pikachu
Lowell Peterson
Peterson was partner in the law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein where he represented a number of unions, including the Communications Workers of America, the Laborers, and the United Auto Workers. Representing laid-off workers in the Enron and WorldCom bankruptcies, he won tens of millions of dollars in severance pay, and in many other cases he defended unions from attacks on organizing and other activities. He also successfully litigated against employers for evading contract obligations.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Lowell Peterson
Executive Director, Writers Guild of America, East
Daniel Petrie, Jr.
Daniel Petrie, Jr. is a partner in Enderby Entertainment, an independent film finance and production company, founded in 2006 by Petrie and producer Rick Dugdale.
In 1985, Petrie received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his first produced script, the box-office hit Beverly Hills Cop, starring Eddie Murphy. Next came Petrie’s original screenplay of the romantic thriller The Big Easy, starring Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin.
Petrie then served as producer of the thriller Shoot to Kill, starring Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger, and as executive producer of the comedy Turner & Hooch, starring Tom Hanks; Petrie co-wrote both films, which were both directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Nearly a decade later, Petrie executive produced the sci-fi action picture The 6th Day, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, also directed by Spottiswoode.
Petrie’s directorial debut was the film Toy Soldiers, starring Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, and Louis Gossett, Jr., which he co-wrote. Petrie then directed the HBO film Dead Silence, starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, and adapted and directed the TNT movie Framed, starring Rob Lowe and Sam Neill.
Petrie’s next two directorial outings were both produced by Dugdale and financed by Enderby Entertainment. The first, the no-holds-barred, NC-17 indie feature Dawn Patrol, starred Scott Eastwood, Jeff Fahey and Rita Wilson in an original screenplay by Rachel Long & Brian Pittman. The second, the very G-rated drama entitled Rosemont (in the US) or Christmas at Rosemont (in Canada) starred Grace Zabriskie, Brad Dourif, Michael Gross, Ayla Kell and Brendan Michael Coughlin.
In 2011, Petrie was executive producer, showrunner and co-creator of Combat Hospital, simulcast on Canada’s Global TV and ABC in the U.S.
Petrie served two terms each as president and as vice president of the Writers Guild of America West. Currently, Petrie is president of the Writers Guild Foundation. He is a former governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a long-time member of the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Committee.
An active volunteer, presenter and panelist at the Austin Film Festival and Screenwriting Conference, Petrie is a member of the Festival’s Board of Advisors. In 2012, the AFF announced the addition of the Enderby Entertainment Award to the festival’s screenwriting competition. Finalists and winners are selected by Petrie and Dugdale.
Daniel Petrie, Jr.
writer Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy; director Toy Soldiers, Dawn Patrol; Partner, Enderby Entertainment; President, Writers Guild Foundation; former President, WGAW
Jeff Portnoy
Jeff Portnoy
Literary Manager, Bellevue Productions
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Most recently from Prince-Bythewood is the action drama feature, The Old Guard, which she directs and stars Charlize Theron and Kiki Layne. A Netflix original feature, it is based on the popular comic book series created by author Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernández. The blockbuster is already among the Top 10 most popular Netflix films of all time since its July 10 release with Prince-Bythewood becoming the first Black female directors on the list.
Other recent credits for Prince-Bythewood include the special event series, Shots Fired, which she and her husband Reggie Rock Bythewood served as Series Creators and Executive Producers. The ten-hour series for Fox examined the dangerous aftermath of two racially charged shootings in a small Southern town. In addition, Prince-Bythewood directed the pilot for Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, which launched to strong reviews and viewers, starring breakout actors Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph as two teenagers with newly acquired superpowers who are mysteriously linked to one another.
Next up for Prince-Bythewood is directing the historical epic, The Woman King for TriStar Pictures, starring Viola Davis. The Woman King is inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story follows Nanisca (Davis), General of the all-female military unit, and her daughter Nawi, who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.
An advocate for equal representation in film, Prince-Bythewood funds a scholarship for African American students in the film program at UCLA, her alma mater.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood
director The Old Guard, writer/director Love & Basketball
Kori Rae
Producer
Pixar Animation Studios
Kori Rae joined Pixar Animation Studios in June 1993 as a producer in the studio’s Commercials Division, producing several award-winning commercials. She was part of the dynamic and entrepreneurial team that helped shape and build Pixar in the studio it is today.
Kori Rae was the producer of Pixar’s fourteenth feature film, Monsters University. Released in the summer of 2013, Monsters University grossed over $738.9 million worldwide at the box office, and received the 2013 “Hollywood Animation Award” from the Hollywood Film Awards. Rae most recently produced Onward, which was released on March 6, 2020.
With a background in education and coaching, Rae finds producing similar. The role of managing a continually changing story and a large creative team in a deadline-driven atmosphere is quite a lot like coaching a team to a championship.
After the success of Toy Story, Rae moved forward as animation manager on Pixar’s second feature film A Bug’s Life. She then worked as animation manager for the Golden Globe® winner, Toy Story 2 and continued on as associate producer for Monsters, Inc. and the Academy Award®-winning feature, The Incredibles. Rae also contributed her producing talents to Up as pre-production producer, and worked as producer on the first group of Pixar’s Cars Toons.
Born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, Rae moved to Florida in high school and went on to earn a degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Kori Rae
producer Onward
Dania Ramos
PANEL SESSIONS:
Listen Up: Writing a Fiction Podcast
Dania Ramos
creator Timestorm
Pamela Ribon
PANEL SESSIONS:
Pamela Ribon
writer Moana, Ralph Breaks The Internet; comic book writer Rick and Morty, My Boyfriend is a Bear
Khaled Ridgeway
PANEL SESSIONS:
Khaled Ridgeway
writer/director Death of a Telemarketer
Alvaro Rodriguez
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
Alvaro Rodriguez
co-creator/executive producer SEIS MANOS
Phil Rosenthal
Rosenthal was born in Queens, New York and moved with his parents and brother to New City, New York in Rockland County, where he was raised. After graduating from Hofstra University on Long Island, where he majored in theater, he embarked on a career as an actor, writer and director in New York City. In 1989, he relocated to Los Angeles.
Rosenthal’s early writing credits include the series “Down the Shore” and “Coach.” In 1995, Rosenthal created the hit CBS comedy, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which premiered in 1996. He was the Showrunner/Executive Producer for all nine years of the show’s very successful run, which ended in 2005.
During its original run, “Everybody Loves Raymond” was nominated for over 70 Emmy awards, and won 15 awards, including two for Best Comedy Series in 2003 and 2005. Rosenthal won the 2002 Writers Guild Award for Excellence in Television Writing for his “Everybody Loves Raymond” script, “Italy.”
Rosenthal co-wrote “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” the 9/11 telethon which aired on all four networks in September 2001, for which he won a Peabody Award and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing.
Rosenthal is also an author, having penned a book on the art of comedy and the making of a sitcom classic. “You’re Lucky You’re Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom” was published in 2006.
In April 2011, Rosenthal wrote, directed and starred in his first feature film for Sony Pictures. “Exporting Raymond,” the true story about the attempt to turn “Everybody Loves Raymond” into a Russian sitcom, was met with critical acclaim.
Rosenthal’s first travel food series, “I’ll Have What Phil’s Having,” premiered on PBS in fall 2015 and received two Taste Awards as well as the winner of the 2016 James Beard Award for Best Television Program, on Location.
Rosenthal lives in Los Angeles, with his wife, actress Monica Horan (who played Amy on “Everybody Loves Raymond”), and their two children.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Phil Rosenthal
creator/executive producer/host Somebody Feed Phil; creator Everybody Loves Raymond; writer/director Exporting Raymond
Dan Scanlon
Director / Vice President, Creative / Executive Producer
Pixar Animation Studios
Dan Scanlon joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2001 as a storyboard artist on Pixar’s award-winning feature films Cars and Toy Story 3. During the initial production stages for both films, he worked closely with the directors to bring their ideas to the screen.
Scanlon went on to co-direct the original short film, Mater and the Ghostlight, which is included as one of the bonus features on the Cars DVD. In addition to his work at Pixar, Scanlon simultaneously wrote and directed the live-action film Tracy, released in 2009.
Scanlon made his animated feature directorial debut in 2013 with Monsters University, which grossed over $738.9 million worldwide at the box office, and received the 2013 “Hollywood Animation Award” from the Hollywood Film Awards. Scanlon also directed Pixar’s most recent original feature film Onward, which released on March 6, 2020.
In his role as Vice President, Creative, Scanlon is involved in key creative decision-making at the studio and consults on films in both development and production. Scanlon will serve as the Executive Producer on two upcoming unannounced Pixar films.
As a child growing up in Clawson, Michigan, Scanlon possessed a love for Warner Bros. cartoons, animated Disney films, and as fate would have it, Pixar short films. His passion inspired him to study film and animation in high school and in college, where he focused on illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD).
Upon graduating from CCAD, Scanlon began working as an animator and story artist for Character Builders, a 2D animation company that produced feature and commercial work in Columbus, Ohio.
Scanlon currently resides in San Francisco with his wife Michele, dog Carol, and one-eyed cat Chichi.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Dan Scanlon
co-writer/director Onward
Jessica Sharzer
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Conference Q&A
Jessica Sharzer
writer A Simple Favor, Nerve, American Horror Story
Lauren Shippen
PANEL SESSIONS:
YFP Panel: You Have a Great Idea, Now What?
Lauren Shippen
writer/director, Atypical Artists
Monice Mitchell Simms
PANEL SESSIONS:
Monice Mitchell Simms
writer/director Flower Girl Productions
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Scripted Literary Coordinator, APA Agency
Ed Solomon
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Ed Solomon
Ed Solomon
writer HBO’s Mosaic, Men in Black, No Sudden Move, co-writer Bill & Ted Face the Music, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Now You See Me 1 & 2, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show
Robin Swicord
In 2009 Swicord received an Oscar nomination for her contribution to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a project Swicord originated and worked on for more than a decade. Her original feature script The Promise, set during the Armenian genocide, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival 2016, with Terry George co-writing & directing, starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac.
Swicord made her feature-directing debut with Sony Classic’s The Jane Austen Book Club, produced by Julie Lynn and John Calley, for which Swicord also wrote the screenplay adaptation.
Swicord is currently a Governor for the Writers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and chairs the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship. She mentors for the Sundance Screenwriting lab, and often co-leads Film Independent’s Writers Lab. In 2015 she helped create and launch the inaugural Hedgebrook Screenwriting Workshop for women writers, which will take place again in October of this year. Swicord is married to writer-director Nicholas Kazan; they have two daughters, actor-writer Zoe Kazan and actor-writer Maya Kazan.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Creating Compelling Characters
Robin Swicord
writer When They See Us, Little Women, Memoirs of a Geisha, Practical Magic, Matilda; writer/director The Jane Austen Book Club, Wakefield
Amy Talkington
In the television arena, Amy has developed pilots for network, streaming and cable. She was a co-executive producer and writer on Hulu’s Emmy-nominated hit series “Little Fires Everywhere,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, who also executive produce. And she is currently adapting Lawrence Wright’s book “Saints and Sinners” into an anthology series for HBO-Max.
Previously, Amy wrote and directed the independent feature film “The Night of the White Pants” as well as five short films which won multiple awards (including Best Student Short from Austin Film Festival) and played festivals all over the world, including Sundance.
Before making films, Amy wrote about music and film. She has written for Spin, Mademoiselle, College Music Journal, Interview, Seventeen and Ray Gun Magazines.
Originally from Texas, Amy graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College with a degree in Art History and earned an MFA in Film from Columbia University’s Film Division, where she won their top directing prize.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Amy Talkington
Amy Talkington
writer Valley Girl (2020); writer/co-executive producer Little Fires Everywhere
Paul Tamasy
Paul and Eric wrote and executive produced The Finest Hours – a true story about the U.S. Coast Guard’s most successful maritime rescue. Based on the book by Casey Sherman and Michael Tougias, the project was released by Disney winter 2016 with Chris Pine and Casey Afleck starring and Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) directing. Paul and Eric also co-wrote and executive produced the award winning film Patriot’s Day, a true story based on the events surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings. The film was directed by Peter Berg, released in 2016 and starred Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons and Michelle Monaghan and is one of only 49 films to receive an A+ Cinemascore. Paul and Eric co-adapted the GQ Article: My Father and Me: A Spy Story. The true life drama is set up at Fox with Ben Stiller attached to direct and Langley Park and Red Hour producing. Paul and Eric wrote the action drama Kelly, the true story about Grace Kelly’s father Jack Kelly who went from pauper to world champion rower. The film is set up at Flashlight Films with Allyn Stewart producing. Paul and Eric wrote the family drama Bullet – set in the world of greyhound racing. The project is now being produced by Arclight Films with Jeffrey Walker directing and slated for fall production. For Paramount and Jerry Bruckeimer, Paul and Eric wrote and will be executive producing Churchill’s Secret Warriors – an action drama based on the book by Damien Lewis. It is the the true story of how Churchill’s first-ever secret agents “licensed to kill” set Europe ablaze, changed the course of the war, and gave birth to modern Black Ops. For Legendary, Paul and Eric created and cowrote the one hour drama CHAIN, about the production and control of the world’s most valuable commodity: food. The series is out to buyers with Paul Executive Producing.
Paul and Eric wrote and Paul produced The Outpost for Millennium Films, a true story based on the best selling book by CNN’s Jake Tapper. The film was directed by Rod Lurie, stars Scott Eastwood, Orlando Bloom and Caleb Landry Jones, was released in 2020, received rave reviews and was the number one film of the summer on all platforms. Paul and Eric were recently hired by Imperative to adapt Neal Bascomb’s book Faster, the true story of Jewish driver Rene Dreyfus and his win over the Nazi’s in the 1936 Grand Prix.
Paul and Eric wrote and Paul is producing along with Jordan Gertner, the action-drama 13 Angels, based on the real life case of Logan Clarke, a private eye hired to repo 13 Harley Davidsons from the Hell’s Angels in 1972. The script is out to directors. Paul cowrote and is producing along with Ian Bryce (Saving Private Ryan), The Remarkable Alfie Hinds, a true story about the famous prison escape artist. Farren Blackburn is attached to direct.
Paul wrote and is producing along with Vincent Newman and Endeavor Content, The Painter, a suspense thriller based on the best selling book by Peter Heller. Michael Roskam (The Drop) is attached to direct and the project is out to cast. Paul also cowrote and is executive producing Fearless, a true story about Jamie Vardy’s and Leicester City Football Club’s unlikely climb to top of the English Premier League. The project is financed by Sky Media with Simon Egan and Gareth Ellis-Unwin (The King’s Speech) producing and Nima Nourizadeh (Project X) directing. Paul co-wrote and is attached to direct and produce the thriller Depravity, originally written by renowned book author, Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Shutter Island). The project is financed by Arclight Films, and will star Emma Roberts.
Paul is an active member of the DGA, WGA and SAG.
Paul carries both U.S. and British citizenship.
Paul is repped by Michael Prevett and Ashley Berns at Circle of Confusion.
Paul’s attorney is George Davis at Nelson/Davis.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Paul Tamasy
co-writer The Outpost
Kendrick Tan
PANEL SESSIONS:
Second Rounders and Above: Working with a Manager (Lit Entertainment Group)
Kendrick Tan
Literary Manager, Lit Entertainment Group
Dan Tischler
Prior to joining Josephson, Dan was the Head of Development for TV Director/Writer/Producer, Michael Dinner (Justified, The Mob Doctor, Kidnapped, Karen Sisco, etc.), and his Sony Pictures Television – based production company, Rooney McP Productions. There, he spearheaded the identification and development of targeted IP as well as original, writer-driven concepts including Ingress, a large-scale sci-fi drama based on the hit Google alternate reality game (In partnership with Google/Niantic Labs. – creators of Pokemon GO – and writer/EP’s Jon Zinman & Patrick Massett), The Deep, a high-octane action/adventure series based on the bestselling novel by Peter Benchley (In partnership with Mandalay Pictures. Jason Richman & Michael Dinner writer/EP’s), Custer’s Trials, a historical event series based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel from T.J. Stiles (Rene’ Balcer writer/EP), and a Latino-centric crime thriller based on an original concept from a writer/producer on American Crime.
Before joining Rooney McP, Dan was an independent producer with a production deal at BBC Worldwide Productions where he was previously VP, Creative Development and Production. Under the auspices of his deal, he developed and sold a diverse group of projects including feature film, Peter and the Wolf (with IM Global), comic book adaptation, Peter Panzerfaust (with notable writers Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharaoh), supernatural drama series, Modern Gothic (with director Jon Turtletaub/Junction Entertainment and CBS TV Studios for CBS), and a TV adaptation of the sci-fi/crime comic book series, The Fuse.
Previously, during his employment at BBC Worldwide Productions, the unique nature of his hybrid creative position enabled him to develop original concepts for both Television and digital platforms, and led to his founding of the company’s in-house content incubator tasked with developing new types of IP and creative concepts to augment the company’s traditional development efforts. Some of the notable programming Dan executive produced under this initiative includes Gigi: Almost American, a comedy series starring Josh Gad (1600 Penn, The Book of Mormon, Frozen), interactive motion comic series, Torchwood: Web of Lies – a companion series to Starz’s Torchwood: Miracle Day – alongside series creator/EP, Russell T. Davies, and sports lifestyle series, Behind the Lights, with comedian Andrew Santino (Punk’d, Mixology), for Break media.
Prior to joining BBC Worldwide Productions, Dan worked in multiple capacities across the media and entertainment industry including as a Producer at Brand Arc LLC, where he developed and executed branded entertainment deals for clients such as Toyota and Roche Pharmaceuticals, at 20th Century Fox Television, where he was an original member of the Brand and Franchise Management department tasked with developing ancillary revenue generating opportunities for studio owned properties (i.e. The Simpsons, Family Guy, 24, etc.), and at Reveille LLC, where he helped launch a number of successful TV franchises including The Office, Nashville Star, and The Biggest Loser under company founder, Ben Silverman.
Dan began his entertainment career as a department coordinator in the alternative packaging area at talent agency, ICM, working across high-profile reality properties including Joe Millionaire, America’s Next Top Model, and daytime syndicated program, Ellen.
PANEL SESSIONS:
Semifinalists and AFF Filmmakers: Development & Production with Josephson Entertainment
Dan Tischler
Senior Vice President/Head of TV, Josephson Entertainment
Donald Todd
NBC, SAMANTHA WHO? for ABC, and SLEEPY HOLLOW at FOX. Besides writing screenplays for Kennedy/Marshall, Curtis Hanson, and many others, Donald has created both drama and comedy for TV, including the Christina Applegate-starring Samantha Who?, which won an Emmy and a People’s Choice Award and many other prizes during its run of nearly 36 episodes. Donald was nominated for an Emmy, Writers Guild Award and Golden Globe for THIS IS US, and he won a Writers Guild Award for UGLY BETTY. He lives with his family in the mountains above Los Angeles, where there are many bears.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Donald Todd
Donald Todd
writer/executive producer/showrunner This is Us, Samantha Who?, Sleepy Hollow
Meta Valentic
Meta Valentic
Executive Producer/Production Executive, Entertainment Media Management
Oren Uziel
PANEL SESSIONS:
Oren Uziel
writer/director Shimmer Lake, writer 22 Jump Street, Freaks of Nature, The Cloverfield Paradox
Silas Wang
Silas Wang
United Talent Agency
Sarah Rhea Werner
Sarah Rhea Werner
creator Girl In Space; host Write Now with Sarah Werner
Virgil Williams
director, Dee Rees for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Currently Williams is developing 2 TV series. One with producers, Courtney Kemp and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, for the Starz network inspired by the modern world of
professional boxing. The other is alongside screenwriter, Billy Ray, Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and the Mark Canton Company and it’s a modern retelling of the Kurosawa film “Rashomon”.
On the big screen, Williams adaptation’ of Pulitzer Prize Winner, Dana Candedy’s bestselling memoir, “A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN”, is set to be directed by Denzel Washington with Michael B. Jordan attached to star. Williams was born and raised in Chicago, and his scripts often draw from his experiences growing up as a bi-racial kid in a city with a long history of racial tension. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California.
Virgil Williams
co-writer Mudbound
Kevin Willmott
He also co-wrote and is the Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed film, Chi-Raq also directed by Spike Lee. The film is on numerous best of 2015 lists including best film and best screenplay by The New Yorker Magazine.
Award winning Films written and directed by Willmott include Ninth Street, CSA -Confederate States of America, the Battle for Bunker Hill, Jayhawkers and Destination Planet Negro.
Documentaries directed by Willmott include: From Separate to Equal: The Creation of Truman Medical Center, Gordon Parks Elementary, Fast Break: The Legendary Coach John Mclendon, and William Allen White: What’s the Matter with Kansas.
He currently co-wrote with Spike Lee the feature film, Da Five Bloods for Netflix. Willmott recently co-wrote and directed the feature film The 24th about the Houston Riot of 1917.
Willmott grew up in Junction City, Kansas, and attended Marymount College receiving his BA in Drama. After graduation, he returned home, working as a peace and civil rights activist, fighting for the rights of the poor, creating two Catholic Worker shelters for the homeless, and forcing the integration of several long-standing segregated institutions. He attended graduate studies at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, receiving several writing awards and his M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing.
Willmott is a Professor in the Media and Film Studies Department of Kansas University.
PANEL SESSIONS:
A Conversation with Kevin Willmott
Kevin Willmott
cowriter Da 5 Bloods, BlacKkKlansman
Tracey Scott Wilson
PANEL SESSIONS:
Tracey Scott Wilson
writer Respect; co-executive producer/writer Fosse/Verdon
Rebecca Windsor
Rebecca Windsor
Director, Warner Bros. Television Workshop
Carly Wray
PANEL SESSIONS:
Carly Wray
executive producer The New Wilderness; co-executive producer Watchmen
Winsor Yuan
Winsor Yuan
Vice President of Film & TV, A Stern Talking To
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