STORYTELLERS
Whether he was writing scripts for an offbeat independent comedy or a big-budgeted animated film, Michael Arndt always created timeless stories and multidimensional characters that stayed with viewers long after they have left theaters. Arndt first gained acclaim for his Academy Award-winning comedy “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006), a witty, modern take on the family road trip story that sparkled with humor and heart. After making waves in independent cinema, Arndt penned the script for the highly anticipated sequel, “Toy Story 3” (2010), one of the world’s most celebrated animated film franchises. Following his script work on the sci-fi thriller, “Oblivion” (2013) starring Tom Cruise, Arndt was catapulted into the upper echelons of Hollywood screenwriters when he was chosen to write “Star Wars: Episode VII” (2015) after George Lucas made news for selling his franchise to Walt Disney Studios. For infusing both life and depth into his film’s characters Arndt showcased his versatility, and emerged as one of Hollywood’s most successful and original storytellers.
A pre-eminent force in television entertainment, Paris Barclay has directed nearly 200 episodes of television and was active as a Director/Producer for series including: STATION 19, PITCH, SONS OF ANARCHY, IN TREATMENT, COLD CASE, CITY OF ANGELS and NYPD BLUE. He also has directed episodes of a wide variety of series including SCANDAL, THE GOOD WIFE, EMPIRE, HOUSE, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, CSI, LOST, THE SHIELD, THE WEST WING and ER; as well as three films: the feature DON’T BE A MENACE TO SOUTH CENTRAL WHILE DRINKING YOUR JUICE IN THE HOOD; and the movies for television THE CHEROKEE KID and THE BIG TIME. He earned two Emmy Awards and the DGA award for Outstanding Direction of a Drama Series for NYPD BLUE, received nine additional Emmy nominations for both producing and directing, and garnered ten other DGA Award nominations for shows as diverse as GLEE, IN TREATMENT, THE WEST WING, HOUSE, and most recently MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY. With that last nomination, he became one of only a handful of directors in Emmy history to receive nominations in every narrative category – drama, comedy and limited series.
A DGA member since 1992, Barclay was the first African American and openly gay President in the Guild’s history. In addition to his two terms as President of the Guild, his service includes numerous terms on the National Board, the Western Directors Council and chairmanship and participation in several committees, including co-chairing the Television Creative Rights Committee, the Return-to-Work Negotiations Committee, and the African American Steering Committee. He was honored with the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award in 2007, which is given for providing extraordinary service to the DGA, and in 2021 was given the Honorary Life Member Award, the Guild’s highest honor for both service and career achievement. He currently serves as the Guild’s Secretary/Treasurer.
A WGA member before he was a DGA member, Barclay co-created and wrote for the CBS series CITY OF ANGELS with Nicholas Wootton and Steven Bochco, which ran for two years on the network. He co-wrote with James DeMonaco the Showtime pilot HATE, and has written other pilots for CBS and NBC. He wrote with Dustin Lance Black (on his first WGA-credited project) Pedro, a film about the life of AIDS activist Pedro Zamora for MTV, which received Writers Guild and Humanitas Prize nominations. As a playwright and composer, he has had musical dramas produced by Soho Rep, The Village Theatre, the Signature Theater, and the North Shore Music Theatre among others – including LETTERS FROM ‘NAM (AKA ONE RED FLOWER) – adapted from soldiers letters written during the Vietnam War. Prior to his career in television and film, Barclay was a sought-after music video director. He created groundbreaking videos for Bob Dylan, the New Kids on the Block, Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross, Harry Connick, Jr. among others. His eight videos for LL Cool J, including the MTV, Billboard, and Grammy-winning “Mama Said Knock You Out,” are still widely viewed and imitated today.
In 2021 & 2022, Paris partnered with producer Ryan Murphy on the Netflix series MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY (with Evan Peters and Niecy Nash); THE WATCHER, (with Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, Margo Martindale and Mia Farrow); and the FX series AMERICAN HORROR STORY (with Russell Tovey, Joe Mantello, and Patti LuPone).
In 2024, Paris helmed two episodes for FX/HULU: AMERICAN SPORTS STORY: AARON HERNANDEZ, as well as two episodes of MONSTERS: THE ERIK AND LYLE MENENDEZ STORY with Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny. He spent the remainder of the year directing the pilot and executive producing the ABC Series, DOCTOR ODYSSEY, starring Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson.
In 2025, Paris completed work on DOCTOR ODYSSEY, and shot two episodes of Season 3 of Shawn Ryan’s hit Netflix series, THE NIGHT AGENT, starring Gabriel Basso. He followed that up by directing Zachary Quinto’s twisty drama BRILLIANT MINDS. In January of 2026, Paris helmed an episode of Dan Fogelman’s THE LAND, starring Chris Meloni, William H. Macy, and Mandy Moore.
Paris’s first feature documentary BILLY PRESTON: THAT’S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT recently opened in theaters. Paris co-wrote (with Cheo Hodari Coker) and directed the film which explores the life of the iconic keyboard and recording artist Billy Preston. The documentary debuted at the New York City Film Forum and has now expanded to additional theaters in more than 30 cities across the US.
Noah Ballard is an accomplished literary agent with extensive experience in the publishing industry. Currently serving as Literary Agent/IP Team Lead at Verve Talent & Literary Agency since January 2021, Noah oversees the IP Team, focusing on publishing, audio, and media rights related to book-to-screen adaptations. Prior to this role, Noah worked at Curtis Brown, Ltd as a Literary Agent, selling both fiction and non-fiction works to major trade publishers from July 2014 to December 2020, and at Emma Sweeney Agency LLC in a similar capacity from December 2011 to June 2014. Early career experiences include editorial internships at Punch! Media and Platypus Media, as well as editorial leadership positions at the Daily Nebraskan and Laurus Magazine, where Noah received awards for leadership and excellence. Noah holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Joe Barton is a BAFTA winning Writer and Executive Producer of television projects including the BAFTA Cymru awarded thriller, THE LAZARUS PROJECT, HALF BAD: THE BASTARD SON AND THE DEVIL HIMSELF, AMADEUS and three-time BAFTA nominated and winning GIRI/HAJI.
Barton has also penned several feature films including THE RITUAL, for which he was nominated for a British Screenwriters’ Award as well as ENCOUNTER starring Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer.
He is currently working on the second series of his highly acclaimed Netflix spy-drama BLACK DOVES starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw.
Emmy, WGA, and PGA award nominated creator, showrunner, writer, and executive producer Monica Beletsky has become known in the entertainment industry through the dynamic characters and projects she has helped bring to life. Beletsky has worked on over 140 episodes of ensemble dramas, with three series landing on various critics “Best Television” lists.
Beletsky was the creator, showrunner, and executive producer for the Apple TV+ limited true crime/drama series “Manhunt.” “Manhunt, a seven part limited true crime/drama series, portrays the investigation of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The series follows Lincoln’s war secretary and friend Edwin Stanton, played by Emmy Award-winning actor Tobias Menzies (“The Crown”), who was driven by his quest to catch assassin John Wilkes Booth and to carry out Lincoln’s legacy. The series also stars Anthony Boyle, Lovie Simone, Will Harrison, Matt Walsh, Brandon Flynn, Hamish Linklater, and Patton Oswalt. Beletsky set out to tell the investigation with a compelling range of characters from a conspiracy and true crime perspective, breathing new life into the Lincoln assassination story. “Manhunt” made its global debut on Apple TV+ in 2024 and was chosen by The Hollywood Reporter and USA Today on their best TV of 2024 lists. manhunt was also chosen by The New York Times “What to Watch This Weekend” and was featured in The New Yorker, the LA Times, and Vanity Fair.
Aside from “Manhunt,” Beletsky is well known in the industry for her roles as writer/producer on the third season of the Emmy Award nominated FX series “Fargo.” The series received multiple nominations during its third season including 16 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. As the only woman writer/producer nominated in her category at the time, Beletsky received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Limited Series for a Limited Series or a Movie with her collegeagues. She also went on to receive a Writers’ Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Long Form, Golden Globe and PGA Award nomination for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television for her time on the series. Additional notable credits for Beletsky include serving on the staff for NBC’s fan favorite series “Parenthood” for the first four seasons. She landed her first Writers’ Guild Awards nomination for Outstanding Drama Series for her work on NBC’s critically acclaimed drama series, “Friday Night Lights.” Beletsky worked on FNL for two seasons including the final season which went on to land multiple Emmy Award-nominations and wins.
From 2019 to 2022, Beletsky was on an overall deal at Apple TV+ where her development led to the creation of “Manhunt.” Beletsky has also developed studio features and pilots for FX, Amazon, HBO Films and TriStar. Additional writer/producer television credit also includes Peabody Award winning series, “The Leftovers” (S1-S2, HBO).
Beletsky is an annual mentor for The Black List and Women in Film Episodic Writing Lab which focuses on preparing women and writers of underrepresented genders for careers in writing.
Beletsky resides in London after receiving a UK Global Talent Visa and has two sons. She is repped by 42 and Ziffren Law.
David has worked in the entertainment industry for 25 years, exclusively within the studio system, and as an executive on the creative side at more studios than almost anybody in Hollywood today. In these capacities he has developed, overseen and contributed to over 50 movies including major blockbusters, Academy Award nominated films, and worked with some of the biggest movie stars and acclaimed filmmakers of our time. David is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Television Academy, and the Producers Guild of America.
The most recent movie he produced, Fatherhood, starring Kevin Hart debuted on Netflix as one of their most successful original films. He also is an Executive Producer of the hit TV show The Night Agent which premiered at #1 globally for the platform and became one of the most watched streamed shows of all time.
Previously he worked as an Executive Vice President at Sony, both at Columbia Pictures and TriStar. Before that he held the same positions at Paramount and DreamWorks. Prior to that he was at Warner Bros. where he was a Production Executive after being the right hand to the President of the studio.
Prior to coming to Los Angeles, David worked at the White House for President Clinton for 5 1/2 years, lastly as Special Assistant and Senior Advisor in the Office of Cabinet Affairs after working on his initial Presidential campaign in 1992.
David Boxerbaum is a prominent literary agent and partner at Verve, representing top tier writers, directors, Showrunners across all genres. While he has earned his reputation as the very best at selling original material, specs, IP etc. David also champions a diverse roster of clients from new voices to the top established talent in their respective fields. He began his career working for producer Jerry Bruckheimer before moving to the William Morris Agency, transitioning to Endeavor and then to Paradigm where he cemented himself as a leader within the agency and the literary field. As a part of the Verve Partnership, David was involved in the monumental decision to sign the WGA Code of Conduct in May 2019, and in the move to up assistant pay in response to the #payuphollywood initiative.
Craig Brewer is renowned for his gritty, music-driven storytelling, beginning with his breakout hit Hustle & Flow, which was produced and financed by his late mentor, John Singleton. The film premiered at Sundance and earned an Academy Award for Three 6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” making them the first hip-hop group to win in that category. Brewer followed Hustle & Flow with his Southern blues fable Black Snake Moan, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake. His Netflix feature, Dolemite Is My Name, marked the return of megastar Eddie Murphy, winning the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy and earning Murphy a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Rudy Ray Moore. Brewer and Murphy continued their collaboration with the long-anticipated sequel Coming 2 America, a major streaming hit for Amazon. Brewer recently directed and executive produced Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist for Peacock, starring Kevin Hart, Don Cheadle, and reuniting Brewer with Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, and Taraji P. Henson. Brewer’s next film, Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as two down-on-their-luck performers who form a Neil Diamond tribute band, is scheduled to open domestically on Christmas Day for Focus Features.
Candace Bushnell was born on December 1, 1958 in Glastonbury, Connecticut, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Sex and the City 2 (2010), Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City (1998).
GURINDER CHADHA is one of the U.K.’s most proven and respected filmmakers with an illustrious body of work over 30 years. Her award-winning films as a Writer, Director and Producer have earned over $300 million at the international box office. The British Film Institute’s recent filmography study on British Cinema history named Chadha as the U.K’s most prolific female director working today.
She began her career as a broadcast journalist for BBC News and moved into directing with her first documentary I’M BRITISH BUT… for Channel 4 and the BFI in 1989 and subsequently made several award-winning documentaries for BFI, BBC and Channel 4.
Chadha directed her first short film, NICE ARRANGEMENT, in 1990. Her first feature, the landmark comedy-drama BHAJI ON THE BEACH, which centred on the experiences of a group of Asian women from three generations on a day trip to Blackpool, received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best British Film and the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Newcomer to British Cinema.
Chadha’s next feature, WHAT’S COOKING?, a comedy-drama that tells the story of four different families (Latino, Vietnamese, African-American and Jewish) all preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner, was the Opening Night Film of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and was the first British script to be invited to the Sundance Institute’s Writer’s Lab. The film was voted joint Audience Award winner in the New York Film Critics’ 2000 season (with Billy Elliott).
Her next film, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, was the highest-grossing British-financed, British-distributed film ever at the UK box office (at time of release) and topped box office charts internationally. The film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), a BAFTA Award nomination for Best British Film, a European Film Academy nomination for Best Film, and a Writers Guild of America nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Her other hit films include BRIDE & PREJUDICE – a film that marries Jane Austen with Indian and Western musicals – which was the first film ever to open at #1 in the UK and India on the same day; ANGUS, THONGS AND PERFECT SNOGGING, based on the international bestseller which was released worldwide by Paramount in 2008/2009; IT’S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before releasing internationally in 2010; and VICEROY’S HOUSE, an epic drama on Indian Independence and Partition, starring Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Manish Dayal and Huma Qureshi. The film, which made its world premiere at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival, received critical acclaim and achieved global box-office success.
In 2015, Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges mounted the stage musical version of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM in London’s West End to five-star reviews and critics’ awards. Chadha’s BLINDED BY THE LIGHT broke sales records at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was released internationally by Warner Bros to great acclaim.
Chadha also creates diverse scripted and unscripted global TV content. Her BAFTA-Nominated drama series, BEECHAM HOUSE, launched on ITV in the UK in 2019, and on Masterpiece / PBS in the U.S., June, 2020.
Chadha is currently finishing her new film CHRISTMAS KARMA – a contemporary musical take on Charles Dickens’ Classic ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’, affectionately set in vibrant, diverse London, in the same joyous spirit as BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM. Cast features Kunal Nayyar, Eva Longoria, Billy Porter, Hugh Bonneville and Boy George.
Chadha has received several Honorary Doctorates from British Universities and was awarded an O.B.E. in the 2006 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services to the British Film Industry.
Jay Chandrasekhar is a director, writer, actor, and co-founder of Broken Lizard, the comedy troupe he formed with four friends at Colgate University in the early ’90s. Together they built one of the most fiercely independent creative partnerships in Hollywood — writing, directing, and starring in every film as a unit, from their Sundance debut Puddle Cruiser to the cult phenomenon Super Troopers, Club Dread, and Beerfest. This August, Super Troopers 3 arrives via Searchlight Pictures.
Beyond Broken Lizard, Chandrasekhar has directed hundreds of television episodes across some of the most beloved comedies of the past two decades, including Arrested Development, Community, Happy Endings, and The Goldbergs. He also directed the studio blockbuster The Dukes of Hazzard and the 2022 feature Easter Sunday. His memoir, Mustache Shenanigans, chronicles how he and his college friends willed their way into Hollywood — and stayed there.
Matt used to sneak into the second act of shows in the West End and then read the first acts the next day in Samuel French’s bookshop. It taught him about structure but also what an audience didn’t need to know. After graduating from University College London, Matt did a string of terrible jobs while writing his first play, A NIGHT AT THE DOGS, which won the 2004 Verity Bargate Award and premiered at Soho Theatre. He went on to write five more plays – three world premieres staged at the National Theatre (THE FIVE WIVES OF MAURICE PINDER, THE OBSERVER and GREENLAND), where he was writer-in-residence, REGRETS at Manhattan Theatre Club, and THE MACHINE at the Park Avenue Armory.
Matt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for BRIDGE OF SPIES– a film he pitched to and wrote for Steven Spielberg. Other film work includes SUITE FRANCAISE (2015), KILLER HEAT (2024) and as producer OPERATION FINALE (2018). Matt founded Binocular to produce his own writing and help champion new voices. Recent work includes TREASON (Netflix, 2022), HOSTAGE (Netflix, 2025), and PRISONER (Sky, 2026). Later this year production starts on two new TV shows written by Matt, DIRTY (Amazon) and WILDER (Peacock).
Diablo Cody, aka Brook Busey, grew up in Lemont, IL. After working a series of unfulfilling agency jobs, she moved to Minneapolis and took up writing, acting as Arts Editor for the local independent weekly and creating a popular blog detailing a brief foray into stripping. Her blog attracted the attention of her manager Mason Novick, who encouraged her to write a book based on her experience. That book, “Candy Girl,” was published in 2006. Novick also encouraged her to try her hand at screenwriting, and her first attempt, “Juno,” was picked up by Fox Searchlight. It was an immediate hit, and garnered her an Oscar for Best Screenplay in 2008.
Since then, she’s written and produced a number of hit films and cult hits, including “Jennifer’s Body,” “Young Adult,” “Tully” and “Lisa Frankenstein,” as well as the television series “United States of Tara.” She also penned the book for the successful Broadway musical “Jagged Little Pill,” based on the music of Alanis Morrisette. She lives in Los Angeles.
Lee Daniels is an Academy Award® nominated filmmaker whose work is trademarked by authenticity and candor. Daniels’ most recent film THE DELIVERANCE debuted on Netflix on August 30th and quickly became the #1 Top Movie on Netflix in the U.S. and remained on the top ten list over three weeks after releasing. Daniels wrote, directed and produced the faith-based horror film inspired by the true story of a family in Indiana that discovers strange, demonic occurrences in their home. It stars Glenn Close, Mo’Nique, Andra Day, and Aunjanue Ellis.
In 2001, Daniels founded Lee Daniels Entertainment, a full-service production company that is home to inclusive storytelling and serves as a platform for diverse and underrepresented voices to create authentic and original content. LDE made its feature film debut with MONSTER’S BALL, making Daniels the first African American producer of an Academy Award®-winning and nominated film. He is best known for his Academy Award®-winning film PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE, which was nominated for six Academy Awards®, including nominations for Daniels in the categories of “Achievement in Directing” and “Best Motion Picture of the Year.” In 2013, he released the critically acclaimed box office smash LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER, that tells the story of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), an African American butler who served at the White House during seven presidential administrations between 1957 and 1986.
In February 2021, Daniels’ THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY, was released by Hulu. A drama based around the court case of famed singer Billie Holiday (Andra Day) after she was arrested at her apartment for the possession of narcotics, Daniels both directed and produced the film. Daniels’ work with Andra on the film yielded her a Golden Globe Award® for “Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama” and a Best Actress Academy Award® nomination.
In addition to his work on the big screen, Daniels created the hit television series EMPIRE, where he wrote and directed the pilot and served as an executive producer on the series until its season six finale in April 2020. The ground-breaking drama premiered in January 2015 and broke rating records during its first season.
In May 2021, Daniels signed a new multi-year overall deal with 20th Television, extending his previous deal with the studio that began in 2014. He continues to create, develop, write, direct and supervise new projects under his Lee Daniels Entertainment banner. His recent projects include the critically acclaimed hit series THE WONDER YEARS, MS. PAT. Following the success of the Grammy-Award® winning soundtrack of THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY, Daniels unveiled Lee Daniels Music, a global joint venture with Warner Recorded Music that encompasses recorded music projects, including soundtracks, as well as artist signings.
In late 2022, Daniels expanded into theater as the producer of the critically acclaimed Broadway comedy, AIN’T NO MO’. Written by, and starring, Jordan E. Cooper, the youngest American playwright in Broadway history, AIN’T NO MO’ dared to ask the incendiary question, ‘What if the U.S. government offered Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa?’ The answer came in the form of an outrageous and high-octane comedy about being Black in today’s America. AIN’T NO MO’ received six Tony nominations for Best Play, Best Direction, Featured Actor, Featured Actress, Costume Design and Sound Design.
Throughout his career, Daniels has been a trailblazer, using his platform to amplify underrepresented voices and shed light on pressing societal issues. He sits on numerous boards, including that of Ghetto Film School, a nonprofit that helps to develop the next generation of great American storytellers. He is also a longtime LGBTQIA activist, as well as a strong supporter of many charitable organizations.
Charmaine DeGraté is an Emmy-nominated writer, producer, and creator whose work spans
some of television’s most iconic franchises and critically acclaimed dramas. She is among the few women writing and producing across multiple global cinematic universes, including Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Warhammer, and Marvel. In May of 2026, it was announced that
DeGraté is developing a series inside the Fast and Furious universe.
Known for infusing large-scale storytelling with emotional depth and character-driven
narratives, DeGraté’s career reflects a sustained commitment to storytelling as both a cultural force and a conduit for our shared human experience.
Her credits include Daisy Jones & The Six, Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon, Star Wars:
The Acolyte, The 100, and Manhunt, with film and television projects developed for Disney,
Warner Bros., Lucasfilm, HBO, Netflix, Skydance Media, Apple TV+, and Amazon Studios. Most
recently, she signed a First-Look deal with Universal Studios to develop and produce television projects through her Crest View banner.
Alexander Dinelaris is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, playwright and producer who works across film, theatre and musical theatre.
He shared the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE) with Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone and Armando Bo, along with the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice Award. He went on to serve as co-producer on Iñárritu’s THE REVENANT.
His new film, DIGGER, is a black comedy starring Tom Cruise, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Michael Stuhlbarg, directed by Iñárritu and released by Warner Bros. and Legendary on October 2, 2026. Dinelaris co-wrote it with Iñárritu, Giacobone and Mexican playwright Sabina Berman.
Other screen work includes CARMEN, directed by Benjamin Millepied, which premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, and THE MEHTA BOYS. Through his New York production company Lexicon, he is writing and producing a feature adaptation of JEKYLL & HYDE, which he is also readapting for the London stage.
In theatre, he wrote the book for ON YOUR FEET!, the Broadway musical based on the lives of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, directed by Jerry Mitchell, earning an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Book of a Musical. He also wrote the book for THE BODYGUARD, which opened in the West End and has since played worldwide. His plays include RED DOG HOWLS, which premiered at New York Theatre Workshop with Kathleen Chalfant, STILL LIFE, and FOLDING THE MONSTER.
Born in Washington Heights and raised in East Rockaway, Dinelaris began his career as a playwright in New York City. He came to theatre after playing Tevye in a school production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, first studied directing, and moved to writing at the urging of his aunt, an acting teacher.
SAM ESMAIL is an award-winning writer, director and producer known for his bold visual style and masterful command of psychological storytelling.
Upcoming, Esmail brings his signature tension to PANIC CAREFULLY, a paranoid thriller from Warner Bros. Pictures, which he wrote and directed. The film stars Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Olsen, Eddie Redmayne and Brian Tyree Henry.
Esmail most recently wrote, directed and produced the feature LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND for Netflix, adapted from Rumaan Alam’s acclaimed novel. The apocalyptic drama stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold, and premiered to critical acclaim as one of the platform’s most-watched films upon release.
He previously created and directed the groundbreaking USA Network series MR. ROBOT, starring Rami Malek, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin and won the “Audience Award for the Best Episodic.” The cultural phenomenon received a Golden Globe for “Best Television Series—Drama,” a Peabody Award, a Critics Choice Television Award for “Best Drama Series,” the Television Critics Association Award for “Outstanding New Program,” and a Writers Guild of America Award for “Television: New Series,” over its four-season run.
Following MR. ROBOT, Esmail directed and executive produced the first season of Amazon Prime Video’s HOMECOMING, starring Julia Roberts, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. He went on to executive produce Starz’s GASLIT, a political thriller centered on the untold stories of the Watergate scandal and starring Roberts alongside Sean Penn, earning four Critics Choice nominations and a Golden Globe nomination.
Under his production banner Esmail Corp and its television deal with Universal Content Productions, he has also produced acclaimed series including Peacock’s ANGELYNE, starring Emmy Rossum, BRIARPATCH and THE RESORT.
A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and the American Film Institute’s directing program, Esmail first appeared on the industry’s radar with his original screenplay SEQUELS, REMAKES & ADAPTATIONS, which landed on the Black List, followed by NORM THE MOVIE. His feature directorial debut, COMET, starring Emmy Rossum and Justin Long, was released through IFC Films.
Esmail is based in Los Angeles and New York City.
Alison Flierl was born in Potsdam, New York, USA. Alison is a writer and actor, known for BoJack Horseman (2014), School of Rock (2016) and Random Tropical Paradise (2017).
Geoffrey Fletcher is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director. He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE, directed by Lee Daniels and presented by executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. He is the first African American to win an Academy Award for screenwriting.
For PRECIOUS he also received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture, the Black Reel Award, and adapted screenplay honors from the Satellite Awards, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and several critics’ associations. Variety named him one of its Ten Screenwriters to Watch.
Fletcher wrote TRIAL BY FIRE, the death penalty drama directed by Ed Zwick and starring Laura Dern and Jack O’Connell. His feature directorial debut, VIOLET & DAISY, which he wrote and directed, starred Saoirse Ronan, Alexis Bledel, and James Gandolfini, and received the Cinevation Award for imagination, inspiration and innovation in cinema.
He began making films as a child with a video camera and a cast of action figures. A graduate of Harvard University, he earned his MFA in film directing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and apprenticed under Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee. His student short MAGIC MARKERS was recognized by the Directors Guild of America and screened at the Sundance Film Festival. He has taught as an adjunct professor of film at Columbia University and NYU.
Unanimously regarded as one of Britain’s finest directors, Stephen Frears has always embraced a wide variety of styles, themes and genres. He worked almost exclusively for the small screen in the first 15 years of his career, with programs such as One Fine Day by Alan Bennett and Three Men In A Boat by Tom Stoppard. Stephen’s TV work includes Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight for HBO and Channel 4’s The Deal starring Michael Sheen and David Morrissey. In the mid-1980s he turned to the cinema, shooting The Hit (1984), starring Terence Stamp, John Hurt and Tim Roth. The following year he made My Beautiful Laundrette for Channel 4, which crossed over to big-screen audiences and altered the course of his career. After directing its companion piece Sammy And Rosie Get Laid and the Joe Orton biopic Prick Up Your Ears, he began working in Hollywood, with Dangerous Liaisons and The Grifters (for which he was Oscar®-nominated) among his most notable titles.
Returning closer to home, he directed The Snapper and The Van, two Irish films based on Roddy Doyle stories and, after a second spell of making American films (The Hi-Lo Country and High Fidelity), based himself largely in Britain. Frears showed his versatility with two vastly different movies – Dirty Pretty Things, a realistic account of immigrant life in London, and Mrs Henderson Presents, a nostalgic backstage comedy-drama. For his 2006 film The Queen he was again nominated for an Oscar. His subsequent films included Cheri and Tamara Drewe. He followed these with Philomena, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, which won a BAFTA and was nominated for three others, along with three Golden Globe and four Oscar nominations; The Program, which starred Ben Foster as seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong; and Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, which received various accolades including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture and an Oscar nomination for Streep. Frears followed this with Victoria & Abdul, which starred Judi Dench, then The Lost King starring Steve Coogan and Sally Hawkins in 2022.
Frears’ return to TV was with the acclaimed three-part BBC television series A Very English Scandal, which starred Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, and won Stephen a BAFTA for Best Director. This was followed by the Emmy award-winning short form series State Of The Union written by Nick Hornby for Sundance TV, and then the equally scandalous Quiz for ITV. Most recently, he directed Brian And Margaret for Channel 4 shortly after helming The Regime for HBO, starring Kate Winslet.
Three-time Emmy-winning creator, writer, star, and executive producer of the global Netflix phenomenon BABY REINDEER, Richard Gadd, adapted the series from his Olivier Award-winning one-man show. Baby Reindeer has received worldwide acclaim – earning Richard a Peabody Award (2025) and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Limited Series (2025) as well as the BAFTA for Drama writing. Baby Reindeer began as a sold out run at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, and London’s Bush Theatre before continuing to become a streaming sensation. Gadd’s next original drama series, Half Man, is currently in production and will be produced by Mam Tor for the BBC and HBO.
Richard won the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Comedy Show at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe with his hit show Monkey See, Monkey Do. Nominated for the Total Theatre Award for Innovation, and Best Performer at the Off West End Theatre Awards, and earning a Chortle Comedian’s Comedian Award.
Celebrated for both his acting and writing, Gadd won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series (2025).
His new show HALF MAN has debuted to critical acclaim on HBO and the BBC.
Craig Gering is an Executive and Motion Picture Agent at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Gering works in both the New York City and Los Angeles offices and represents many of the world’s leading filmmakers and actors, including Darren Aronofsky, Jesse Eisenberg, Tom Ford, Lee Daniels, Chris Pine, Joe Kosinski, David Gordon Green, Todd Haynes, Jeff Nichols, Todd Field, Derek Cianfrance, Alexander Payne, Sam Raimi, Jason Bateman, Nancy Meyers, Denis Villeneuve, Brady Corbet, and Ang Lee.
Gering also leads CAA’s Washington, D.C. initiative, representing former President Joseph R. Biden, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, former Vice President Kamala D. Harris, Secretary Antony J. Blinken, Senator Joe Manchin, and Representative Justin J. Pearson.
Prior to joining CAA in 1999, Gering was a Motion Picture Agent at the William Morris Agency (WME) for two years, working out of both its New York and Los Angeles offices. Before joining WME, Gering served as Director of Production and Development at Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal’s Tribeca Productions in New York City, where he supervised such films as A BRONX TALE, FAITHFUL, and MARVIN’S ROOM. Contrary to Hollywood lore, Gering did not begin his film career as De Niro’s limousine driver, but rather as a location scout for various feature films in New York. In the early days of scouting locations for A BRONX TALE, De Niro was a frequent passenger in the scouting vehicle.
Through the CAA Community and Impact division, Gering is actively involved in a number of volunteer and charitable activities. Additionally, he and his family support the YWCA, CoachArt, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
A native of New York, Gering received his bachelor’s degree from Boston University. He lives with his wife, Jane, and their three children, Holden, Gable, and Blythe.
For PRECIOUS he also received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture, the Black Reel Award, and adapted screenplay honors from the Satellite Awards, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and several critics’ associations. Variety named him one of its Ten Screenwriters to Watch.
Fletcher wrote TRIAL BY FIRE, the death penalty drama directed by Ed Zwick and starring Laura Dern and Jack O’Connell. His feature directorial debut, VIOLET & DAISY, which he wrote and directed, starred Saoirse Ronan, Alexis Bledel, and James Gandolfini, and received the Cinevation Award for imagination, inspiration and innovation in cinema.
He began making films as a child with a video camera and a cast of action figures. A graduate of Harvard University, he earned his MFA in film directing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and apprenticed under Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee. His student short MAGIC MARKERS was recognized by the Directors Guild of America and screened at the Sundance Film Festival. He has taught as an adjunct professor of film at Columbia University and NYU.
Scott Glassgold is known for Prospect (2018), Tarot (2024) and Hurricane Season (2009).
Jeff Goldsmith is a cinephile, journalist and host of The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith podcast in iTunes and publisher of Backstory magazine.
Previously he served as the Editor-In-Chief of Creative Screenwriting.
Jeff’s interviews and film screening Q&As have featured the most prolific filmmakers in the world.
Dan Goor was born on April 28, 1975 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Parks and Recreation (2009), Killing It (2022) and Late Night with Conan O’Brien (1993).
Tony Grisoni tells urgent tales of the weird. He moves between film, series, art & protest — always with mischief & humanity.
His recent work includes 2073, a visionary collaboration with director Asif Kapadia exploring today’s interrelated threats of right-wing populism, techno-authoritarianism, and climate collapse.
Grisoni’s acclaimed series credits include The City & The City (BBC Two), Crazy Diamond (Channel 4), The Young Pope(HBO), and the haunting Southcliffe (Channel 4), which was praised as “spellbinding and terrifying.” He also wrote Samantha Morton’s directorial debut, The Unloved (BAFTA winner, 2009) and adapted David Peace’s Yorkshire Noir Red Riding quartet – “Red Riding delves deep into darkness and corruption, leaving viewers with a profound, albeit unsettling, experience.” – David Thomson.
His long-standing collaborations with directors include co-writing Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Tideland, and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote with Terry Gilliam, and In This World with Michael Winterbottom, which won the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlinale.
Grisoni has also worked across film, art, and performance, partnering with artists such as Oona Grimes, Marcia Farquhar and Brian Catling (RIP). His short films include the BAFTA-nominated Kingsland #1 The Dreamer, The Pizza Miracle and The Sands Of Venus.
He began his career writing Queen Of Hearts, which won the Grand Prix at the Festival du Film de Paris, 1989.
A passionate mentor, he supports writers through the Netflix / Tatino Films Accelerator initiative, Torino Film Lab, Le Groupe Ouest, the European Writers Club, and the Filmmakers Stammtisch.
DAVID GUGGENHEIM’s career started with the sale of the Denzel Washington/Ryan Reynolds starring movie SAFEHOUSE and he never stopped working after that.
Most recently he wrote the Netflix hit action film THE UNION that stars Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. He just finished writing the action film RUN FOR YOUR LIFE for director Rob Hargrave for Universal Pictures. He is currently writing an untitled NFL action film for Skydance Sports and the NFL.
He’s worked on UNCHARTED at Sony, BAD BOYS FOR LIFE for Sony and production work on various big IP/franchises around town. He also produced, sold, and pitched the idea for CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES to Netflix which is now a franchise. He went on to sell multiple specs and pitches to Universal, Sony, Lionsgate and his spec NARCO SUB was in development with the late great Tony Scott.
In Television, David was the Creator and Executive Producer of the ABC/Netflix series DESIGNATED SURVIVOR that ran for 3 seasons starring Keifer Sutherland.
Megan Halpern is a writer and producer working across film, television and audio, with a focus on championing original voices and emerging storytellers. She produced the feature DEBORAH, starring Sophia Bush, and co-created, co-wrote and executive produced the LAist podcast “Nobody Knows Anything.” She is also the producer of craft podcast “Word by Word” with host Ed Solomon, and has multiple feature projects currently in development.
Halpern serves as Senior Vice President of The Black List, where she oversees strategic partnerships and the company’s film, television, and podcast slate. For more than a decade, she has led The Black List’s film and television labs, intensive craft workshops supporting emerging writers and helping launch careers. Alumni include Hannah McMechan and Danya Jimenez (K-POP DEMON HUNTERS), Noga Pnueli (MEET CUTE), Yvonne Hana Yi (MR. AND MRS. SMITH), and Zara Meerza (INDUSTRY).
In a previous literary life, she worked in publishing at Picador and Penguin Random House in New York. A recovering boarding school alum, she is a graduate of New York University and now lives in Los Angeles and London.
Soo Hugh served as showrunner, creator, and executive producer behind the drama series PACHINKO which premiered on Apple TV+ in 2022 to critical acclaim. Based on the international best-selling novel. The show has won numerous awards including The Peabody, The Gotham Awards, and The Critics’ Choice Award.
Additionally, she is currently writing a spin off of the Monsterverse for Apple TV, an adaptation of a Robert Ludlum property as well as producing a slate of films for Media Res and A24.
She is also writing and directing an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s TENDER IS THE NIGHT for Searchlight Pictures, partnering with Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley for LuckyChap and Keri and Lucy Putnam for Putnam Pictures.
Hugh was previously the co-showrunner for the critically-lauded first season of AMC’s THE TERROR, produced by Ridley Scott and starring Jared Harris, Ciarán Hinds, and Tobias Menzies. She also created THE WHISPERS for ABC, based on a Ray Bradbury short story and produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by Mark Romanek. The series was sold when Soo was a staff writer. Other television credits include writing on THE KILLING (AMC) and UNDER THE DOME (CBS). Hugh formerly had a multi-year overall deal with UCP to develop, write and produce projects. As part of the deal, she launched an incubator program, “The Thousand Miles Project” to help bring more AAPI stories to cinematic life and jumpstart fruitful careers in the entertainment industry.
She earned her BA from Yale University and her MFA from University of Southern California’s film school. Hugh lives in New York City.
Jon Hurwitz was born on November 15, 1977 in Byram, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Cobra Kai (2018), Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) and Obliterated (2023). He has been married to Randy Hurwitz since June 30, 2007. They have two children.
Cord Jefferson was born on January 26, 1982 in Tucson, Arizona, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for American Fiction (2023), The Good Place (2016) and Watchmen (2019).
Lee Jessup is a career coach for screenwriters, specializing in guiding emerging and professional scribes toward long-standing and prolific screenwriting careers in both TV and feature writing, as well as a Business of Screenwriting Professor with the David Lynch Grad Program for Cinematic Arts. Lee has provided consulting services to NBC International, the Universal Writers Program, the Final Draft Big Break Contest and Inevitable Foundation just to name a few. Her one-on-one coaching clients include everyone from showrunners and studio writers to contest winners, TV writing fellows as well as writers just starting out. She is the author of the best selling books Breaking In: Tales From the Screenwriting Trenches and Getting It Write: An Insider’s Guide to a Screenwriting Career.
Danya is a Mexican American writer who grew up in Orange County. She learned English by repeating everything Lizzie McGuire said. Hannah is from a small town right beneath Yosemite National Park where everyone has a country accent for some reason…even though it’s NorCal. The two met as college freshmen and have been best friends/roommates/writing partners/co-workers/sisters/enemies/etc. ever since.
The duo, most recently named to Variety’s prestigious Screenwriters to Watch for 2025 list, were just 24 years old when they co-wrote KPOP DEMON HUNTERS, which exploded into the zeitgeist last summer – becoming Netflix’s most-watched film of all time and topping global music charts with its soundtrack. Since its release, the film has won two Golden Globe and two Critics’ Choice Awards and have earned 10 Annie Award nominations (including Best Writing – Feature) as well as five Grammy nominations. The film was also named TIME’s 2025 Breakthrough of the Year.
Up next, the duo is set to write Tim Burton’s reimagining of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, alongside Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap, who are developing and producing. Currently, the two are taking out their original series A REALLY BAD PERSON with Legendary producing, as well as an original feature, a queer western. Previously, they developed a LORD FARQUAAD feature for DreamWorks Animation and a CHEECH & CHONG BIOPIC with Todd Lieberman’s Hidden Pictures. In TV, they are writers and Co-Producers on BROTHERS, the upcoming Matthew McConaughey/Woody Harrelson show for Apple+ and Skydance and staff writers for the REN & STIMPY REBOOT for Comedy Central and Paramount+
Famed TV writer and producer MARTA KAUFMAN is known for creating the hit 10-season sitcom Friends and Grace and Frankie. Marta created NBC’s long-running hit Friends with David Crane, and the iconic series earned 63 Emmy nominations, winning Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002. They were awarded the 2016 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for lifetime achievement in television writing by the WGA West, and reruns continue to delight with Friends: The Reunion being a ratings juggernaut. Marta recently finished the Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and has spoken about creating a hit show that features octogenarian actors and combatting ageism across industries.
Marta’s other credits include Georgia, Five, Veronica’s Closet, The Powers That Be, Call Me Crazy: A Five Film, and the documentary Seeing Allred. She has served on several Boards of Trustees including CalArts, Oakwood School, The Lung Cancer Foundation of America, Big Sunday, and IKAR. Marta earned the 2016 Outstanding Television Writer award at the 23rd annual Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference as well as the Kieser Humanitas Award. She recently received an Honorary Doctorate from Brandeis University. Marta has spoken for groups including The New Jewish Home, BANFF, and motivational commencement keynotes for Wesleyan University and Brandeis University.
source: HarryWalker.com
A Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award-nominated writing team, Robert and Michelle King have been creative collaborators for more than 25 years and married for over 35 years. They have served as co-creators, showrunners and executive producers of the critically acclaimed series THE GOOD WIFE on CBS, along with THE GOOD FIGHT and EVIL on Paramount+, and as executive producers of the Showtime series YOUR HONOR. They co-created and are executive producers of the CBS drama ELSBETH, which returns for a third season this fall. They also serve as executive producers of Paramount+ series HAPPY FACE.
Robert and Michelle also served as co-creators, showrunners and executive producers of BRAINDEAD on CBS, “Would I Lie to You” on The CW, “The Bite” on Spectrum and the series “In Justice.”
Prior to their work in television, Michelle worked in development at various studios and production companies, while Robert wrote a dozen produced feature films, including the mountain-climbing action feature “Vertical Limit,” starring Chris O’Donnell, and “Red Corner,” starring Richard Gere.
Robert and Michelle have been honored by their peers from the American Film Institute, the Writers Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, as well as the Television Critics Association. In addition to creative recognition, they were awarded the Sidney Lumet Award for Integrity in Entertainment, the Humanitas Prize and the prestigious Peabody Award.
Adam Kolbrenner is the founder and President of Lit Entertainment Group – a Beverly Hills, CA- based literary management and feature film and television production company.
In feature film, Lit is producing DAY DRINKER, written by Lit client Zach Dean, and is set to star Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, and Madelyn Cline. Marc Webb will direct. Also, Lit is currently in production on BY ANY MEANS, co-written and Executive Produced by Lit client Sascha Penn and starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Lit most recently produced the Skydance/Apple+ film THE GORGE, starring
Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Sigourney Weaver and directed by Scott Derrickson. This was an original screenplay from Lit management client Zach Dean. It released on the streaming platform on Valentine’s Day in 2025.
Lit was a producer of Disney/Fox’s film FREE GUY, along with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. The film starred Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, and Taika Waititi and was directed by Shawn Levy. This was an original screenplay from Lit management client Matt Lieberman. It released worldwide in theaters on August 13, 2021.
Lit was also a producer on Amazon/Skydance’s film THE TOMORROW WAR, along with David Goyer. The film starred Chris Pratt and was directed by Chris McKay. This was an original screenplay from Lit management client Zach Dean. It was released worldwide on Amazon on July 2, 2021.
Previously, Kolbrenner was a Producer on Denis Villeneuve’s film PRISONERS starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, which was nominated for an Oscar for the work of Roger Deakins. This was an original screenplay from Lit management client Aaron Guzikowski.
Lit is also an Executive Producer on the Netflix franchise CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES. Chris Columbus (Harry Potter, Home Alone) directed the sequel to the hit first film. This is an original screenplay from Lit management client Matt Lieberman with story by Lit client David Guggenheim.
In television, Lit Entertainment was an Executive Producer on the HBO Max sci-fi television series RAISED BY WOLVES. Ridley Scott was Executive Producer and directed the first two episodes. This was an original series from Lit client Aaron Guzikowski, who was the Creator and Executive Producer.
Lit was an Executive Producer on the ABC primetime drama series PROMISED LAND, which premiered in January 2022 on both ABC and Hulu. This was an original series from Lit client Matt Lopez, who was the Creator and Executive Producer.
On the management side, Lit Entertainment Group represents some of the top creators working today and has distinguished itself in discovering new voices for feature film anD television. Additional clients include Justin Marks (Creator/Showrunner of FX’s “SHOGUN” and writer on “TOP GUN: MAVERICK”), Dave Andron (Co-creator/Showrunner of FX’s “SNOWFALL”), Sascha Penn (Creator/Showrunner of Starz’s “RAISING KANAN”), Craig Doyle (Showrunner “grownish”), David Guggenheim (“Safe House,” “Designated Survivor”), Dan Kunka (“Lift”/Netflix), Patrick Sean Smith (Showrunner “Virgin River”), Jason Tracey (Creator/Showrunner “CSI:VEGAS”).
Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw are the creators and showrunners of the FX series “Adults,” a Best of 2025 pick from The Atlantic, Vulture, Marie Claire, Decider and TV Guide. They began their careers as the youngest writers in the history of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and were named to Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood list. Their short story collection “Naked in the Rideshare” was published by HarperCollins in 2023, and they have written for McSweeney’s and Shouts & Murmurs. Current projects include features at DreamWorks, Amazon and Searchlight.
Their partnership first gained attention when their Yale graduation speech—delivered in front of Hillary Clinton—went viral with over 8 million views.
Tony Kushner’s plays include A Bright Room Called Day, Angels in America, Slavs!, Homebody/Kabul, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With A Key To The Scriptures, and the musical Caroline, or Change with composer Jeanine Tesori. He has adapted Pierre Corneille’s The Illusion, S.Y. Ansky’s The Dybbuk, Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit and Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechuan and Mother Courage and Her Children. He wrote the screenplays for Mike Nichols’s film of Angels in America, and for Steven Spielberg’s Munich, Lincoln, West Side Story, and The Fabelmans. His books include Wrestling With Zion, co-edited with Alisa Solomon; Brundibar, illustrated by Maurice Sendak; and The Art of Maurice Sendak, 1980 to the Present. Among other honors, Kushner was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama. He lives in Manhattan with his husband, Mark Harris.
Academy Award® Winner SPIKE LEE’s iconic body of storytelling has made an indelible mark on filmmaking and television. He recently released his latest joint Highest 2 Lowest, his fifth film with Denzel Washington via A24. The film is currently streaming globally on AppleTV+. He previously directed Da 5 Bloods for Netflix.
In 2018, the visionary filmmaker co-wrote and directed the Academy Award®-nominated and critically acclaimed hit feature BlacKkKlansman, which won the Oscar® for Best Adapted Screenplay.
His career spans over 30 years and includes: She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Clockers, Girl 6, Get on the Bus, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Bamboozled, 25th Hour, She Hate Me, Inside Man, Miracle at St. Anna, Red Hook Summer, Old Boy, and Chi-Raq. Lee’s outstanding feature documentary work includes the double Emmy® Award-winning If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise, a follow up to his HBO documentary film When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and the Peabody Award-winning A Huey P Newton Story. In the Television arena, his Netflix original series She’s Gotta Have It, ran 2 seasons on the platform. The series was a contemporary update of his classic film.
Lee is also known for his legendary Air Jordan TV commercials and marketing campaigns with Michael Jordan for Nike. In 1997, he launched the advertising agency Spike DDB, a fully integrated agency with a focus on trendsetter, cross-cultural, and millennial audiences. He recently directed new additions to the Capital One “Road Trip” national campaign featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Charles Barkley.
In addition to his films, TV series, and commercials, Lee has directed a number of music videos and shorts for artists such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Public Enemy, Branford Marsalis, Bruce Hornsby, Miles Davis, and Anita Baker.
Spike Lee is a five-time Oscar nominee (Do The Right Thing for Original Screenplay, 4 Little Girls for Documentary Feature, BlacKkKlansman for Picture, Director and Best Adapted Screenplay-Winner) and was awarded an Honorary Oscar in 2015 for his lifetime achievement and contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he is a tenured Professor of Film and Artistic Director. Lee’s Production Company 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks is based in Da Republic of Brooklyn, NY.
Warren Leight is a writer and showrunner who is currently helming Law & Order: Special Victims Unit during its historic 21st season. Previously, he developed new projects for Sony’s television division and was showrunner and Executive Producer of the NBC drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from 2011 – 2016 (Imagen, NAACP and PRISM Awards). He was also showrunner and Executive Producer of HBO’s Peabody Award-winning In Treatment, the FX drama Lights Out, and the Edgar-winning Law and Order: Criminal Intent. He wrote and directed “The Night We Never Met,” and co-wrote the documentary “Before the Nickelodeon” (New York Film Festival).
Warren’s play “Side Man” won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Play, and was a 1999 Pulitzer Prize Finalist. Other plays include “No Foreigners Beyond This Point” (Drama Desk nomination), “Home Front”, “Fame Takes a Holiday,” “Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine” (ATCA nomination) and “The Loop.” He wrote the book to the musical “Mayor” (Drama Desk nomination) and co-wrote the book to “Leap of Faith” (Tony Award nomination). Two collections of one-acts, “Dark, No Sugar,” and “Stray Cats,” have been published by DPS.
His many articles and humor pieces have appeared in dozens of periodicals including the International Herald Tribune, Rolling Stone, Village Voice, Mademoiselle, National Lampoon and BOMB magazine.
Warren is a former President of The Writer’s Guild of America, East, and is a current member of the Dramatists’ Guild council. He is an enthusiastic supporter of The 24 Hour Plays.
Warren is a graduate of Stanford University. He lives with his wife and daughters in New York City.
Franklin Leonard is an entrepreneur, cultural commentator, and occasional film and television producer. He is the founder and CEO of the Black List, a company dedicated to identifying and supporting remarkable screenwriting and fiction through its annual survey of Hollywood’s most liked screenplays and its online marketplace for screenplays, television pilots, theatrical plays, and novels. To date, more than 500 scripts from the Black List’s annual survey have been produced as feature films, resulting in more than $30B in global box office and 300 Academy Award nominations and 50 wins, including four Best Pictures and nearly half of the screenwriting Oscars awarded since 2007. Leonard has worked in feature film development at Universal Pictures and the production companies of Will Smith, Sydney Pollack & Anthony Minghella, and Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s been a juror at the Sundance, Toronto, and Mumbai film festivals and one of Hollywood Reporter’s ’35 Under 35′, Black Enterprise magazine’s “40 Emerging Leaders for Our Future”, and Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business.” A recipient of the 2019 Writers Guild of America, East (WGAe) Evelyn Burkey award for elevating the honor and dignity of screenwriters and the 2024 Gotham Film Organization’s Anniversary Tribute, Leonard is also contributing editor at Vanity Fair and served as an advisor for the 2022 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Exhibition “In America.” He is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Executives branch of the Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). His TED talk – How I Accidentally Changed the Way Movies Get Made – has been viewed more than 1.8 million times.
Thomas Lennon is an actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer best known as Lieutenant Jim Dangle on Comedy Central’s Reno 911! and as a founding cast member of MTV’s The State. Working alongside his longtime writing partner Robert Ben Garant, Lennon co-created Reno 911!, which ran for six seasons, and has written numerous studio films including the Night at the Museum franchise, The Pacifier, and Balls of Fury. Beyond his screen work, Lennon is also the author of the New York Times bestselling children’s novel Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles, and he and Garant co-authored Writing Movies for Fun and Profit, a book about the studio system that Anna Kendrick called “the best book about Hollywood.”
Plays: This is Our Youth (The New Group, 1997 Drama Desk Award Best Play nominee; 2015 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play nominee); The Waverly Gallery (2001 Pulitzer Prize finalist); Lobby Hero (Playwrights Horizons, 2001 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award Best Play nominee; 2003 Olivier Award Best New Comedy nominee, 2018 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play nominee); The Starry Messenger (The New Group; 2009); Medieval Play (Signature Theatre, 2012); Hold on to Me Darling (Atlantic Theater Company, 2016) and The Waverly Gallery (Broadway, 2018).
Film: You Can Count on Me, 2001 Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for Best Original Screenplay; Margaret – Extended Edition, 2012 European Film Critics’ FIPRESCI Award; and Manchester by the Sea; 2016 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, 2016 BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Screenplay, among numerous other international awards and nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Director. Screenplays include Analyze This (co-writers Harold Ramis and Peter Tolan) and Gangs of New York (co-writers Jay Cocks and Steve Zaillian; 2003 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay).
Teleplays: “Howards End” (BBC and Starz Network 2017-2018, 2018 BAFTA TV Award for Best Mini Series nominee). Mr. Lonergan lives in New York City with his wife, J. Smith-Cameron, and their daughter, Nellie.
Cynthia López is the Chief Executive Officer of New York Women in Film & Television, an award-winning media strategist, and former Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, where she implemented strategies to support film and TV production throughout the five boroughs. López is the recipient of many coveted industry awards including: 11 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, a Special Emmy Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, three Peabody Awards, and two duPont-Columbia Awards. Prior to working as Commissioner, López was Executive Vice President and co-Executive Producer of the award-winning PBS documentary series American Documentary | POV, and was involved in the organization’s strategic growth and creative development for 14 years. Her ability to forge strategic partnerships among corporate and public interest media has been a signature of her work. Notable partnerships include: New York Times, Reuters, Al-Jazeera Network, Discovery Communications, The Moth, Story Corps, Harpo Studios and ABC News, NIGHTLINE with Ted Koppel.
Kailey Marsh is a Brooklyn-based literary manager and producer focused on identifying and championing distinctive voices in film, television, and emerging media. After six years at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Marsh returned to independent management and founded Five Line.
At just 22 years old, Marsh founded the annual BloodList, which she led for 15 years. Under her direction, the BloodList and its accompanying platform, BloodList.com, became an influential resource for discovering emerging screenwriters and filmmakers working in horror, thriller, and other dark genres. The platform helped shine a spotlight on new voices and became a respected part of the genre community.
Marsh’s producing credits include serving as Co-Executive Producer on Season 1 of Hulu’s supernatural horror series Light as a Feather and Executive Producer on Season 2.
Her influence within the genre and broader entertainment community has been recognized by Variety, which named Marsh as part of their New Leaders List in 2023. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for Screamfest Horror Film Festival.
Born in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the North of England, Neil Marshall has been working successfully in both feature films and television since his feature debut ‘Dog Soldiers’ in 2001. His second feature as both writer and director,’The Descent’ 2005 was an even bigger critical and commercial hit, winning several awards including the BIFA for Best Director, and the Empire award for Best Horror. He followed this success with the post-apocalyptic action movie ‘Doomsday’ 2008 for Universal and historical adventure ‘Centurion’ 2010. In 2012 Neil made his debut in the world of high-end television with ‘Game of Thrones’ S2 Ep9 ‘Blackwater’, and followed that up with S4 Ep9 ‘The Watchers on the Wall’ for which he received an Emmy Nomination for Best Director.
Marshall continued to work in the network, cable and streaming arenas directing projects such as the pilot episodes of ‘Black Sails’ for Starz, DC’s ‘Constantine’ and ‘Timeless’ both for NBC. Marshall also directed notable episodes of ‘Hannibal’ for Showtime and ‘Westworld’ for HBO. In 2017 Neil developed, produced and directed the Netflix reboot of classic sci-fi series ‘Lost in Space’, quickly followed the same year by the feature film reboot of ‘Hellboy’ released in 2018.
In 2020 Marshall made his return to independent film and the horror genre with the multi-award winning witch-hunt saga ‘The Reckoning’ which was the opening movie at Fantasia festival in Canada that year. Marshall’s next movie ‘The Lair’, an all action-creature-feature set in Afghanistan was the opening night presentation at Frightfest 2022 in London and also played Sitges in Spain before being released on Shudder in Feb 2023.
Marshall switched genres yet again for the violent gangster revenge movie ‘Duchess’, due to be released by Saban in the US in September 2024. Most recently Marshall directed the erotic giallo thriller ‘Compulsion’ and is developing several projects including WW2 alien invasion thriller ‘Invaders’, tense action thriller ‘Dead Stop’ and land speed record drama ‘Mach One’.
Stephanie McFarlane is known for FBI (2018), Heels (2021) and Legacies (2018).
Queenie Miller (Have I Got News For You, QI) is a development producer at the UK’s leading independent television production company, Hat Trick Productions (Derry Girls, Father Ted).
She develops original scripted comedy and helps to shape new projects within the company’s celebrated portfolio of award-winning programming. Alongside television development, she is a critically acclaimed live producer known for championing distinctive comedic voices and creating ambitious, sell-out stage shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and London’s Soho Theatre. Her productions have been widely recognised, earning nominations for the Comedian’s Choice Award, the ISH Award, the Malcolm Hardee Award, and Next Up’s Biggest Award in Comedy, while also being named among the British Comedy Guide’s Best Reviewed Shows of 2024 and 2025.
After two years producing live comedy independently to major success, Queenie is bringing a slate of shows to the Edinburgh Fringe with Hat Trick Productions in 2026.
Queenie specialises in developing bold new talent and bringing innovative comedy to stage and screen.
Jenna Milly is a writer and executive producer known for The Fabulous Four (starring Bette Midler and Susan Sarandon) and Golden Arm (100% on Rotten Tomatoes). She is also a journalist and has written for CNN.com, The Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly. She studied screenwriting at UCLA and lives in Los Angeles.
Joy C. Mitchell is an international TV drama writer best known for her work writing and producing season one of the award-winning Netflix drama series BRIDGERTON. She started her career as a music journalist and travel blogger, before moving into screenwriting. She has lived between L.A., Berlin, Lisbon, and London. She was a writer on the Netflix fantasy series “The Letter for the King” and Hulu/Amazon’s “Deutschland 86,” the second season of the Emmy award-winning international spy drama series “Deutschland 83.” She has sold pilots and developed drama series with Apple, Disney, Gaumont, Lionsgate, FilmNation, Fifth Season, and CBS Studios. All were originals she created or best-selling novels she adapted for television. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Emerson College and graduated with honors in Journalism from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, LaToya Morgan is a graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory where she received an MFA in Screenwriting. She’s an alumna of several prestigious fellowships including the Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop, the Producers Guild Power of Diversity Fellowship, Film Independent’s Project: Involve and its Producer’s Lab, and the WGA’s Feature Access Project. She’s been a writer on Shameless, Parenthood, Complications, TURN: Washington’s Spies, Into the Badlands and The Walking Dead. After back-to-back overall deals at AMC, this two-time NAACP Image Award nominee inked a new multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television to write and develop new television series across their family of prestige networks and across digital platforms. Under the pact, she founded TinkerToy Productions, her new producing banner and has been tapped by J.J. Abrams to co-create, showrun and executive produce the upcoming HBO Max series Duster.
Graham Moore was born on October 18, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Imitation Game (2014), The Outfit (2022) and The Holdout.
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are Oscar and Emmy nominated screenwriter/producers. Since breaking out in 2009 with their original screenplay (500) Days of Summer — nominated for Best Picture – Comedy at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards and winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay — Neustadter and Weber have written multiple projects across many genres.
Their adaptation of The Disaster Artist was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018. In addition, their limited series Daisy Jones & the Six, starring Riley Keough and Sam Claflin, was nominated for 9 Emmy awards in 2023.
Neustadter & Weber’s other writing credits include The Fault in Our Stars starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, which grossed over 300 million worldwide, as well as the Independent Spirit Award nominee The Spectacular Now. Other works include Rosaline, Paper Towns and Our Souls at Night.
Most recently they’ve completed an adaptation of the Edgar Award winning novel Five Decembers. They are currently writing Dynamic Duo for Warner Bros/DC as well as a biopic of the actor/comedian Chris Farley for New Line Cinema.
Andin is development exec at Firebird Pictures where she has been developing a slate of projects. She’s currently in production as script exec on BBC One’s WAHALA with Theresa Ikoko writing. Before joining Firebird, Andin script edited ITV/Amazon US’ RICHES (Abby Ajayi) and Amazon’s THE RIG (David Macpherson). Prior to this she was in development at Hillbilly Films and was part of the production team on Reggie Yates’ debut feature PIRATES. Andin got her break in scripted TV & film as junior researcher at Daybreak Pictures working on a Peter Kosminsky project, after getting her foot in the door in factual TV. Recently, Andin produced short film THE HOLD which premiered at BFI Flare and has just been shortlisted for The Iris Prize amongst being received at other festivals. Andin is passionate about bringing new, fresh, bold perspectives to the screen.
Kate Oh is known for Him (2025), Imago (2025) and OG Korean Strains.
Mary Pender is an agent in the Literary Media Department at WME, based in the agency’s New York office, where she represents authors and other intellectual property for adaptation to film, television, stage and podcasts, and works with writers who want to move into screenwriting and producing.
Her projects include RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE for Amazon MGM Studios and Berlanti-Schechter Films, adapted from Casey McQuiston’s novel; THE HATE U GIVE and ON THE COME UP, from the novels by Angie Thomas; PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION, the first Emily Henry adaptation, released by Netflix in January 2026; NUREMBERG, adapted from Jack El-Hai’s THE NAZI AND THE PSYCHIATRIST, written and directed by James Vanderbilt and starring Rami Malek and Russell Crowe; UNPREGNANT; and OUR CHEMICAL HEARTS.
Pender joined WME in 2024 after nine years as a media rights agent at United Talent Agency, where her clients included Angie Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton and her packaging company Cake Literary, Casey McQuiston and Emily Henry. She began her career as a journalist before spending a decade at Maria B. Campbell Associates as a literary scout for Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Bros. Television, Horizon and several international publishers, and held an earlier role in WME’s Book Department. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.
Zak Penn’s career began as a screenwriter when he sold his first script, LAST ACTION HERO, at the age of twenty-three. Since then, Penn has become known for his work on numerous films based on Marvel comics, including X-MEN 2 and X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, ELEKTRA, THE INCREDIBLE HULK and THE AVENGERS. He has also dabbled in other genres, writing scripts for disparate films such as P.C.U., BEHIND ENEMY LINES and SUSPECT ZERO.
Penn’s shift into independent cinema began when he collaborated with his idol, Werner Herzog, on the script for RESCUE DAWN. Penn directed and co-starred with Herzog in INCIDENT AT LOCH NESS, his award-winning “hoax” documentary about the legendary director’s attempts to make a film about the equally legendary monster. THE GRAND, Penn’s second completely improvised film, was his third film with Herzog, and featured an eclectic cast including Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines, Dennis Farina and Gabe Kaplan.
In addition, Penn co-wrote the original story for ANTZ and produced the animated film OSMOSIS JONES. He has also acted in a number of independent films, including STAR MAPS and CHUCK & BUCK. His first foray into television was the critically acclaimed original series ALPHAS starring David Strathairn. Penn directed the documentary ATARI: GAME OVER for Xbox Entertainment Studios.
More recently, Penn adapted the New York Times bestselling novel READY PLAYER ONE for Warner Bros. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film was released in 2018. Penn also co-wrote the script for the action comedy FREE GUY, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer. The film is directed by Shawn Levy and was released in August of 2021.
Christina runs Imagine Talent, a small boutique talent agency representing Writers and Directors, which was nominated for Best Agency for New Talent at the New Voice Awards 2024. She also founded and hosts the writers’ group for Women in Film and Television UK, which has been active for nearly 16 years, and chairs the jury for the WFTV Kay Mellor Screenwriting Lab. She’s been commissioned to write feature films, consulted for production companies, financiers and ad agencies, as well as a spell freelancing at United Agents. She also spent a number of years working in film development finance for a fund that invested in 300 British film projects over 3 years. Christina can often be found giving talks to try and help demystify the process of getting an agent for emerging talent, and recently launched her own script services consultancy to give writers access to the expertise of an agent in a new way.
John Quaintance has written extensively in television and film for over 20 years, most recently as the creator and showrunner of the critically acclaimed series GOOD COP / BAD COP starring Leighton Meester, Luke Cook, and Clancy Brown. He has served as an Executive Producer and writer on shows like WILL & GRACE, REBOOT, and WORKAHOLICS, and has written movies for Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Duff, and Jeremy Renner, as well as the hit adaptation of Alice Hoffman’s AQUAMARINE.
Edward Ricourt is known for Now You See Me (2013), Raising Dion (2019) and Now You See Me 2 (2016).
Katie Robbins is known for Sunny (2024), The Affair (2014) and Good American Family (2025).
Eric Robinson is a Partner at The Gotham Group in Los Angeles. He is currently in post production on the feature film Deliver Me From Nowhere, the forthcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic directed by Scott Cooper and starring Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong.
Previous credits include the Netflix film Kodachrome, starring Ed Harris, Elizabeth Olson, and Jason Sudeikis, the Blumhouse film Stephanie directed by Akiva Goldsman, and the upcoming feature Last Days, directed by Justin Lin which had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Prior to joining The Gotham group, Robinson was EVP, Production and Development at The Weinstein Company where he shepherded such films as Inglorious Basterds, Silver Linings Playbook, The King’s Speech, and The Hunting Party. He resides in LA along with his wife, four children, two cats and a dog.
Zoe Ross is a literary agent at United Agents, where she has worked for nearly 17 years. Following degrees in modern languages and psychoanalysis, she began her career selling translation rights, before moving on to selling book-to-screen rights and developing her own list of authors, which ranges from prize-winning literary novelists to bestselling commercial fiction, from investigative journalism to chart-topping celebrity memoir, and much in between.
Eric Roth is an American screenwriter. He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump (1994). He also co-wrote the screenplay for Michael Mann’s The Insider (1999), the Steven Spielberg film Munich (2005), and David Fincher’s film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), all of which were nominated for Oscars.
He also received the WGA Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement and the USC Scripter Award.
Roth was born in New York City, New York, the son of Miriam “Mimi”, a teacher, studio executive, and radio writer, and Leon Roth, a university teacher and film producer. He has a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from UCLA Film School as well as a degree from University of California.
Joe Russo just sold the spec he co-wrote, PORTRAIT OF GOD, to Universal Pictures, which he is producing alongside Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi.
As a three-time BloodList screenwriter, Joe Russo’s feature writing credits include the Peyton List-starring THE INHERITANCE, the Bruce Willis-starring HARD KILL, the Ryan Phillippe, Ving Rhames and Kate Bosworth-starring THE LOCKSMITH, the Neal McDonough-starring SOUL MATES, and the thriller THE AU PAIR NIGHTMARE, which Russo directed.
As a producer, Russo’s feature credits include the Mickey Rourke-starring horror anthology NIGHTMARE CINEMA and the Zac Efron and Russell Crowe-starring THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER.
In the podcast space, Russo produced seven seasons of the award-winning horror series POST MORTEM WITH MICK GARRIS, featuring over a hundred conversations with genre legends like Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, James Wan, Edgar Wright and many more.
Russo is repped at Untitled, Fictional Entity and Yorn Levine.
Hayden Schlossberg was born on June 9, 1978 in Livingston, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Cobra Kai (2018), Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011).
John Patrick Shanley’s plays include Prodigal Son, Outside Mullingar (Tony nomination), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Savage in Limbo, Italian-American Reconciliation, Welcome to the Moon, Four Dogs and a Bone, Dirty Story, Defiance, Beggars in the House of Plenty, and Brooklyn Laundry. His theatrical work is performed extensively across the United States and around the world. For his play, Doubt, he received both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In the arena of screenwriting, he has ten films to his credit, most recently Wild Mountain Thyme, with Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, and Christopher Walken.
His film of Doubt, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis, which he also directed, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay. Other films include Five Corners (Special Jury Prize, Barcelona Film Festival), Alive, Joe Versus the Volcano (which he also directed), and Live From Baghdad for HBO (Emmy nomination). For his script of Moonstruck he received both the Writers Guild of America Award and an Academy Award for best original screenplay. In 2009, The Writers Guild of America awarded Mr. Shanley the Lifetime Achievement In Writing.
Arran is a producer and emerging screenwriter with over ten years of experience in television development and production.
In 2025, Arran graduated from the Channel 4 New Writers’ Scheme, where he developed an original series that went on to feature on the prestigious Brit List.
He began his career at the BBC, spending five years working his way up to script editor, with credits across EASTENDERS, HOLBY CITY, DOCTORS and SILENT WITNESS, before moving into high-end series as a script editor on the first season of INDUSTRY (HBO/BBC) and MARY & GEORGE (Sky/Starz). He’s also served as Head of Development for actress Keeley Hawes and was recently a development producer at Hera Pictures, where he also story produced and co-produced on the BAFTA-nominated BBC series WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL.
Thea Sharrock is a British theatre, film, and television director. At 24, Thea became the youngest Artistic Director in British theatre when she ran the Southwark Playhouse, having received the JMK Trust award, which recognises young theatre directors, in the same year. Following this, Thea became the Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre. Since then, Thea has worked extensively in film, television, and theatre.
Thea’s most recent directorial project, Ladies First, stars Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, alongside an ensemble including Richard E. Grant, Emily Mortimer, Charles Dance and Fiona Shaw. This English-language comedy is based on Eléonore Pourriat’s Je Ne Suis Pas Un Homme Facile and released on Netflix this May. It was also recently announced that Thea will direct the feature film adaptation of The Things We Leave Unfinished from bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.
Also this year, Thea directed the world premiere stage adaptation of High Noon at the Harold Pinter Theatre starring Billy Crudup and Denise Gough. The production ran from December 2025 – March 2026.
In 2023, Thea directed Wicked Little Letters, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Based on a true story, the film takes place in 1920s Littlehampton, when a series of poison pen letters cause outrage amongst the seaside town. Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley lead the cast in this comedy, which premiered in the UK February 23rd and the US March 29th. Also that year was Thea’s heartwarming film for Netflix, The Beautiful Game. Led by Bill Nighy and Michael Ward, the story follows the England football team, as they compete at the annual Homeless World Cup. The film released globally on Netflix March 29th.
Thea’s film debut was the adaptation of Jojo Moyes’ bestseller Me Before You, starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. The film brought in over $200m at the box office. She went on to direct Mike White’s The One and Only Ivan for Disney and Disney+, which was nominated for an Academy Award for its visual effects, featuring a star-studded cast including Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, and Angelina Jolie.
Thea’s West End and Broadway directorial credits include The Bodyguard, Equus (Daniel Radcliffe, Richard Griffiths), The Sunshine Boys (Danny DeVito, Richard Griffiths), The Misanthrope (Keira Knightley, Damian Lewis), and After The Dance (Benedict Cumberbatch), which was nominated for 8 Olivier Awards, including Best Director, prompting Sam Mendes and Neal Street to offer her episode ‘Henry V’ of The Hollow Crown series starring Tom Hiddleston.
Kevin Smith is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob. Clerks won the Award of the Youth and the Mercedes-Benz Award at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards.
Jay and Silent Bob also appeared in Smith’s later films Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and Clerks III, which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films share crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the View Askewniverse, named after Smith’s production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.
Since 2011, Smith has mostly made horror films, including Red State (2011) and the comedy horror films Tusk (2014) and Yoga Hosers (2016), two in a planned series of three films set in Canada dubbed the True North trilogy. In 2024, Smith released The 4:30 Movie, and in May of 2025 Dogma returned to the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Cannes Classics Program.
Smith owns Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, a comic bookstore which became the setting for the reality television show Comic Book Men (2012-2018). As a podcaster, Smith co-hosts several shows on his SModcast Podcast Network, including SModcast, Fatman Beyond, and the live show Hollywood Babble-On. He is known for participating in long, humorous Q&A sessions that are often filmed for DVD release, beginning with An Evening with Kevin Smith.
A writer who happily dabbles in many genres, it was as a freshman at Occidental College that screenwriter Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith began pursuing her first love, poetry. At 19, she had her first poem published. Since then, she has had over 40 poems appear in literary magazines such as “The Gettysburg Review”, “Witness”, “The Massachusetts Review”, and “Prairie Schooner.” And now, she has her first book of poems being published by Little Brown — a novel-in-verse called “The Geography of Girlhood.”
Best known as the screenwriter of such comedies as Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You and Ella Enchanted, Kiwi has a new movie out: “She’s the Man” starring the brilliant young comedienne Amanda Bynes.
Kiwi has been a writer-in-residence at The MacDowell Colony; attended the 1993 Breadloaf Writer’s Conference on fellowship; and received numerous prizes, including “Nimrod’s” Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry. She has studied under writers as diverse as Amy Hempel, Robert Pinsky, Lucille Clifton and Marilynne Robinson.
Upon realizing she couldn’t exactly make a living as a poet unless she was dead, Kiwi turned her attentions toward her other love: movies. She attended NYU’s film program and upon graduataing from Occidental, she worked at CineTel Films, where she received her first screen credit on the sextravaganza Poison Ivy 2 , for a poem she contributed to the script. All that studying had finally paid off – Kiwi was having her literary work published in a straight-to-video movie!
It was at CineTel that Kiwi met her screenwriting partner, Karen. They began plotting their first script together the night they met (February 5, 1996, in case you’re interested) on some margarita-soaked cocktail napkins. Since then, they have written 23 scripts together.
Jason Solomons is a former film critic turned independent producer. He is currently in pre-production on his first feature, A Waiter in Paris, an adaptation of Edward Chisholm’s bestselling memoir starring Leo Woodall and Clémence Poésy and directed by Peter Hoar.
After more than 25 years as one of the UK’s best-known film critics and broadcasters – including a long-running Observer column and a weekly slot on BBC Radio London – Jason founded Movie Love Productions in 2023 to move into producing distinctive, auteur-driven films. His debut production, Beshert, won the Pears Short Film Fund award in 2025.
He sits on the BAFTA film committee, is a former chairman of the London Film Critics’ Circle, has served on the board for the UK Jewish Film Festival, and curates the Cinedrome at Green Man Festival.
Celine Song is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and filmmaker whose signature blend of emotional depth, intelligence, and humor has established her as an essential voice in today’s entertainment landscape.
Most recently, Song presents her highly anticipated sophomore feature, MATERIALISTS, which released internationally on June 13 through A24 and Sony Pictures. Written, directed, and produced by Song, the film follows Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker torn between the perfect match (Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Chris Evans).
Released by A24 in Summer 2023 following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Song’s feature debut PAST LIVES has received widespread critical acclaim. The film earned Academy Award® nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture, alongside numerous other honors including the Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film, Best Feature Film at the 2023 Gotham Awards, the Film Independent Spirit Award for both Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Golden Globe®, Critics’ Choice, and BAFTA nominations.
As a playwright, Song is best known for ENDLINGS, which premiered in 2019 at American Repertory Theater and had its New York debut in 2020 at New York Theatre Workshop. She has been a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and a semifinalist for the American Playwriting Foundation’s Relentless Award. Song also wrote on the first season of Amazon series THE WHEEL OF TIME.
NIA VARDALOS is the only woman to have solo-written an original film franchise.
Vardalos wrote and starred in the number one romantic comedy of all time, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING and its two sequels (directed the third.)
Selected film credits include CONNIE AND CARLA, I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY, MY LIFE IN RUINS, LARRY CROWNE, CHUCKY, IVY + BEAN, Guillermo Del Toro’s CABINET OF CURIOSITIES.
Television work includes, CHUCKY, LAW and ORDER: SVU.
Voice work includes creating her original Audible series, MOTIVATED!, and series regular roles on STAR vs. EVIL, WONDER WOMAN, DUCK TALES.
An award winning alumnus of The Second City Toronto and Chicago, 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, TWELTH NIGHT, KISMET, MUSIC MAN, COMPANY, Ms. Vardalos is the New York Times Critic’s Pick and on the list of Top Ten Most Produced Playwrights for her play, TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, directed by (HAMILTON) Thomas Kail. This year, Ms. Vardalos also performed the play in Greek, in Athens, Greece.
Ms. Vardalos is the New York Times bestselling author of her memoir INSTANT MOM and donates all proceeds to adoption charities which has resulted in 2000 children being placed in permanent homes.
2026: Vardalos will next be seen in YOU, ME and TUSCANY with Halle Bailey, and is currently filming 21 DOWN with Ashley Judd, and NUTMEG and MISTLETOE with Cedric Yarbrough.
James Watkins is an English filmmaker. He is best known for horror films such as Eden Lake (2008), The Woman in Black (2012), and Speak No Evil (2024). He has also directed episodes of series such as Black Mirror (2016) and The Ipcress File (2022), and was the creator, writer, director, and executive producer of the series McMafia (2018).
K.J. Yossman is International Correspondent at Variety, based out of London, where she covers international film and TV markets (and occasionally music). She was previously freelance, writing for publications including ELLE, The New York Times, The LA Times and Animation Magazine, and prior to that was a diary reporter at the print edition of the Daily Mail. She loves theme parks, cheerleader movies and chocolate.