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< Back Cynthia Crofoot Cynthia.crofoot@gmail.com 416.826.0608 http://www.cynthiacrofoot.com IMDB Profile Cynthia’s female-driven drama and genre screenplays combine robust story arcs with well-defined characters in complex, nuanced worlds where moral and ethical tenets are challenged. Her completed screenplays have consistently received positive recognition from industry peers and professionals and to date has penned over 20 screenplays, with several of those in the hands of producers, managers and directors in Los Angeles and Toronto. Her produced films have been well received on the festival circuit, garnering national and international praise for her talents. With over 25 years in the industry, Cynthia continues to excel in her creative pursuits and currently has several projects in various stages of development. She is a dual Canadian/American citizen. Honors and Awards Big Apple Screenplay Competition , Semi-Finalist - BRACEWATER - 2020 Hamilton Screenplay Competition , Top Ten Finalist BRACEWATER - 2021 Hollywood Just 4 Shorts , Winner- SAVIOR - 2021 Toronto Independent FF , Winner - SAVIOR - 2021 Global Shorts , Top 10 Finalist - SAVIOR - 2021 non-WGA Female, 55+ ONE DATE... Romantic Dramedy A widowed mother and her single daughter find new love with the help of friends and on-line dating platforms, but their happiness is jeopardized when they discover the troublesome past that links the new men in their lives. PAUSE Horror/Thriller A menopausal FBI agent hunting a group of vicious women who maintain their youth through cannibalistic rituals, must embrace the strength and beauty of her older self in order to defeat the murderous sect. BRACEWATER Cop Thriller/Drama A highly decorated small town detective is put on leave after her sister commits suicide, but when a close family friend disappears, she convinces her captain to reinstate her, unaware that the DA involved is withholding pertinent information about a murderous criminal they believe is responsible for the kidnapping. Character-driven, Female-centric, Crime, Thriller, Western, Romantic, Horror Female, 55+ unrepped

< Back William T. Sutphin Agent: Sharon Fraizer, Crystal Ship Artists - sharon@crystalshipartists.com 310-962-1151 Coverfly William Sutphin is a former 2008 DGA winner for his short film, UNCLE KILLA, which he later licensed to HBO/Cinemax. He is a graduate of Columbia University's Film MFA program and has gone on to place as a quarterfinalist in the Nicholl Fellowship. Most recently, William was one of sixteen finalists for the 2020 Universal Writer's Program. WGA Post-current Member Male, BIPOC, Black, Over 40 HOODWINKED (Feature Dramedy - GET OUT meets FRIDAY) A woke vegan neighborhood activist and a Soul Food Matriarch must put aside their differences to save their beloved Wakefield from greedy corporate house flippers. Will they save their neighbors from eviction, or a fate worse than death..raisins in their potato salad. BOOKER & OLIVIA (Period, THE GREAT DEBATERS meets HARRIET) Two idealistic education missionaries journey to the Deep South to build a school for ex-slaves but when the local cartel cottons loses their workers to a classroom, they threaten to burn the school and everything in it down. Will Booker & Olivia protect their school and build a legacy? LATE IN THE GAME (Half hour comedy pilot) Late-middle-aged pharmacist Jermaine must decide on accepting secure contracted employment or taking a quick buyout and journeying to LA to pursue his writing dreams amid a room of Gen Z influencers. Character-driven, BIPOC-centric, Western, Historical/Alternative History, Coming-of-Age, Limited Series, Snarky, Magical Realism Male, BIPOC, Black, Over 40 Repped

< Back Maria Eugenia Mealla mariamealla@gmail.com http://mariamealla.com Coverfly Maria was raised in La Paz, Bolivia on a healthy balance of cultural folklore and Catholic superstition. She moved to Austin, TX where she studied Theater Arts before moving to the Bay Area, where she ventured into filmmaking and taught herself the craft through work-trade. She is currently Head of Production at Glass and Marker, a full service creative studio in Oakland, California. Maria was selected to participate in the 2019 Artist in Residency program at the Napa Film Festival with her feature debut, BRING ME AN AVOCADO, a Cinequest Audience Award winner streaming on Amazon Prime. She is a 2022 Sidewalk Narrative Labs Fellow. Her short film LA MACANA, won HBO's 2023 Pa'lante Competition and was licensed to Max for a year. Her latest project in development, BODY SHOP, was selected as a finalist in the 2023 Tribeca Untold Stories competition and pitched live during the festival. In 2024, BODY SHOP was accepted into the NALIP Media Accelerator Program and PGA Create. Maria plans to film a proof of concept for this film in 2024. Most recently, Maria was selected as a Latino Public Broadcasting grantee for her short film JUANA PELOS. The film was completed winter of 2024 and will hit the festival circuit in early 2025. non-WGA Female, Latinx RAFA Coming of age, drama - Lady Bird - Yes, God, Yes In the mountains of Bolivia, Rafa, a Catholic teenager, gets a job as a barback using a fake ID to save money for a New Year's Eve trip to Peru, where she's made a pact with her best friend to lose their virginities before New Year. BODY SHOP Magical Realism, Comedy In an alternate reality where “body shops” replace hospitals, Lupe’s body suffers an accident that forces her into the loaner frame of a white Anglo woman. Desperate to expedite the repairs, Lupe ventures to a rumored black market to source skin that matches her true identity. Character-driven, Female-centric, Coming-of-Age, Magical Realism Female, Latinx unrepped

< Back Bettina Lopez Mendoza bettina.lopez.mendoza@gmail.com Coverfly Having spent her childhood moving across borders, first to Mexico then to the U.S., Bettina has always been fascinated by reality as a subjective construct. Her work often centers underdog characters who challenge the limits the world imposes on them. After studying Psychology and Screenwriting at the University of Southern California, Bettina worked with and mentored under director Michael Gracey (“The Greatest Showman"), helping develop and produce works for commercials, film, theater, and animation. Most notably, it was through this close collaboration that she learned how to push the limits of cinematic storytelling through visual language. During this time, Bettina also had the opportunity to shadow Academy Award-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt (“Little Miss Sunshine”). These experiences led to Bettina’s first writing assignments, including adapting Tom Fletcher’s best-selling novel “The Christmasaurus,” co-writing Netflix’s animated film “Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie,” and showrunning Audible’s Ambie Award-winning fiction podcast “PREVIA: A Tech Heist,” which she also directed. Currently, Bettina oversees the fiction slate at Sonoro Media, where she has developed and story edited over 20 fiction podcasts. Most recently, Bettina completed her debut short film “Más Allá,” a live-action coming-of-innocence tale, which uses magical realism to explore the power of imagination in a young girl’s will to survive. The film is set to make its festival premiere in 2025. Honors & Awards Ambie Award for Best Fiction Podcast, The Podcast Academy – PREVIA: A TECH HEIST – 2024 Semifinalist, ScreenCraft Film Fund, ScreenCraft – MÁS ALLÁ – 2023 non-WGA Female, BIPOC, Latinx VIVAS Dark Comedy, Crime, Mystery - The White Lotus & Big Little Lies When a Y2K New Year’s Eve party leaves a dead body in its wake, four upper class women in Mexico City become the prime suspects. THIS WICKED WORLD Dark Comedy, Crime - Fargo & Burn After Reading Set in 1977 after the real-life kidnapping of Charlie Chaplin’s corpse from his grave, this dark comedy pins incompetent criminals against incompetent detectives, while a grieving widow finds bizarre comfort in what seems to be her late husband’s final practical joke. WILD ONES Coming-of-Age, Dramedy - The Kings of Summer & Hunt for the Wilderpeople When a cynical, young girl who suffers from paralyzing climate anxiety learns she was adopted from a Native American community, she sets off to find her biological grandmother. Character-driven, Female-centric, BIPOC-centric, Thriller, Psychological, Coming-of-Age, Animation, Magical Realism Female, BIPOC, Latinx unrepped

The Independent Writers' Caucus is guided in its efforts to lead its membership into eligibility with the Writers Guild of America by its leadership - which includes the guidance of the Board. The Board is comprised of Howard A. Rodman, Meg LeFauve, Lorien McKenna, Nitza Wilon, Elizabeth Kaiden (of The Writers Lab), Garrick Dion and AJ Feuerman. Independent Writers' Caucus Chairs and Board Members IWC Chairs - 2025 Our Chairs are members of the IWC whose leadership helps elevate all of our members and bring opportunity to the organization James Moorer James, one of the newest co-chairs to serve with the IWC brings the same passion for helping he created while working for Roadmap Writers. James proudly serves on several committes including Diversity and New Membership. James is also a champion for writers with disabilities and helping writers understand the business of screenwriting. Kimberley Sparks Kim has been a member of the IWC since the organization’s inception, and she became a Chair in 2023. She is happy to serve on the Script Challenge, Meet and Greet, and New Members committees. She is dedicated to helping writers of film, television, and video games develop and further their careers Kim Turner Kim has been a Chair since the IWC's inception in 2021. She is proud to serve in Leadership as well as a member of the Marketing/PR/Merchandise; Finance; Best of the IWC; and New Membership committees. She is an engaged advocate for emerging writers and enjoys building relationships that help to bring opportunity to the group. Rich Orstad Rich joined IWC in 2024, volunteered for Finance Committee, and became Treasurer later that year as IWC pursues 501c7 non-profit status. Passionate about storytelling and helping others to do so, Rich brings this same passion to the future of IWC’s growth, outreach, and stability as Chair. IWC Board of Directors - 2025 Carolyn Kras is a Co-founding Member of the IWC and former Co-chair. She has developed projects for 20th TV Studio, Escape Artists, Welle, and more. Her awards include the Alfred P. Sloan First Place Screenwriting Award, Hamptons International Film Festival Screenwriters Lab, Visionary Playwright Award, New York Television Festival Official Selection, Plume & Pellicule Screenwriting Award, Middlebury Script Lab Selection, Hearst Creative Artist Fellowship, and a Fulbright to the United Kingdom. Carolyn Kras AJ Feuerman AJ FEUERMAN is a PR and social media executive representing a diverse client roster across the entertainment industry. AJ founded @ajfeuerman Communications in January 2018; clients have included agencies (i.e., Rogers & Cowan PMK), indie studios and distributors (Gravitas, Freestyle, VMI), podcasts and individual talent, among others. As Valhalla Entertainment’s VP of Publicity and Marketing, she directed all publicity, social media and marketing efforts for the industry stalwart, best known for titles like The Terminator, The Abyss and “The Walking Dead.” AJ was previously VP of Communications at influencer marketing agency QYOU and was the Director of PR and Social Media for global film distributor, Gravitas Ventures. Elizabeth co-founded The Writers Lab with Nitza Wilon in 2015, and they co-produce the flagship international lab based in New York, plus labs in the UK, Europe, Canada, in addition to global virtual programming for audiences in Africa, Australia and more. Elizabeth is also a founding Partner, with Nitza, of Women in the Script Trade (WIST), where she works individually with exceptional women screenwriters. WIST developed and ran the Athena Screenwriting Labs alongside the Athena FIlm Festival from 2016 to 2019. Elizabeth previously served as Head of Development at Tangerine Entertainment, an independent production company that produces films directed by women, and has mentored at Stowe Story Labs. A former theater and film critic and graduate of Princeton and the Yale School of Drama, she lives in New York with her family. Elizabeth Kaiden Nitza Wilon Nitza co-founded The Writers Lab with Elizabeth Kaiden in 2015, and they co-produce the flagship international lab based in New York, plus labs in the UK, Europe, Canada, in addition to global virtual programming for audiences in Africa, Australia and more. Nitza is also a founding Partner, with Elizabeth, of Women in the Script Trade (WIST), where she works individually with exceptional women screenwriters. WIST developed and ran the Athena Screenwriting Labs alongside the Athena FIlm Festival from 2016 to 2019. Prior to committing to script development for women, Nitza was an actor, journalist, and magazine and book editor. She earned her BA from the Annenberg School of Communications at UPenn. In addition to her work advocating for women in film, Nitza is a writer and voice actor. She lives in New York City with her family. Lorien McKenna Lorien McKenna is an Emmy-nominated and NAACP Image Award-winning writer. As a Story Manager at Pixar Animation Studios, Lorien worked on UP, BRAVE, INSIDE OUT, and THE GOOD DINOSAUR . She was the Development Producer on several animated features at Paramount Animation and was the Co-Executive Producer for CURIOUS GEORGE for the TV series and animated feature films. She has written and developed for platforms including NBC, Hulu, Comedy Central, and Netflix. Lorien has also worked on multiple projects for the CGI media based attraction studio Red Raion, and as a script editor for Screen Australia, Screen Queensland, and Screen Ireland. Recently, she was the Showrunner for the Emmy-winning YouTube/Kids at Play preschool show TAB TIME . A mentor for the Cinestory Foundation and the Nostos Screenwriting Retreats, Lorien also served as an adjunct professor for St. Mary’s College of California, where she received her BA and MFA. Meg LeFauve An Oscar Nominated writer, Meg LeFauve won an Annie Award for writing Pixar’s blockbuster Inside Out and its sequel, Inside Out 2 . She also wrote Pixar’s Golden Globe nominated film “The Good Dinosaur” and was a writer on Marvel’s “Captain Marvel.” She adapted the classic book “My Father’s Dragon” for Netflix and Cartoon Saloon in 2022. She began her career running Jodie Foster’s Egg Pictures , developing and producing films nominated for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a Spirit Award and she won a Peabody Award. A world wide consultant, she has taught at AFI and UCLA Graduate Film School, and is a returning mentor at The Writer’s Lab (sponsored by Meryl Streep), the Sundance Creative Labs and is a mentor and Board Member of the CineStory Script Sessions . Garrick Dion is a former VP of Development at Brön, following an 8-year run in a similar role with Bold Films. At Bold, Garrick was involved with such acclaimed projects as Damien Chazelle's Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning drama Whiplash; Nicholas Winding Refn's Drive; the coming-of-age drama Middle of Nowhere starring Anton Yelchin and Susan Sarandon; Sony Pictures' sci-fi sequel Starship Troopers: Marauder , and Lost River , the forthcoming directorial debut of actor Ryan Gosling. He has overseen a slate of projects that includes Robert Rodriguez's live-action remake of Ralph Bakshi & Frank Frazetta's Fire and Ice; and screenwriter Dan Gilroy's directorial debut Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Prior to joining Bold, he worked in feature development for producers Joel Silver (The Matrix ) and Denise DiNovi (Batman). Garrick Dion Howard A. Rodman Howard A. Rodman is a screenwriter, author and educator. He is the former President of the Writers Guild of America, West; professor and former chair of the writing division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts; and an artistic director of the Sundance Institute Screenwriting Labs. Rodman is a Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is a member of the National Film Preservation Board, which advises Librarian of Congress on the annual selection of films to the National Film Registry, and on national film preservation planning policy. He also serves on the Brown University President’s Advisory Council on the Arts. AJ Feuerman Elizabeth Kaiden Nitza Wilon

The Top 20 screenplays & TV pilots written by IWC members within the last year. The IWC Best Of List, 2025 A list of the Top 20 screenplays and pilots written by IWC Members within the last year. Scroll through the list below, or download it here .

The Independent Writers' Caucus is a collaborative group of emerging, professional screenwriters - working together to create an infrastructure of opportunity for each other. Your Next Great Project Begins with an IWC Writer About Us The Independent Writers' Caucus was founded in January of 2022 following the dissolution of the Writers Guild of America (West) Caucuses. The program was a way to integrate writers into the Guild and help prepare them for full membership. Over 150 vetted, professional writers found each other and fashioned its own powerful infrastructure to create opportunities for their collective membership. From those passionate beginnings, the Independent Writers' Caucus was born. Our membership is notably diverse - with over half of the Caucus identifying as female, a quarter as LGBTQ+, some as veterans, neurodiverse, disabled, First People, Middle Eastern, Latinx, AAPI, African-American, immigrant, multi-ethnic and more. Our diversity serves the mandates of ever-expanding, modern writers' rooms. We are professional, motivated, inspired storytellers with a cache of materials - ready to help bring story to life in the world. Contact Us First Name Last Name Email Address Message Submit Thanks for your message! The 2024 window for New Member Applications has closed. Application for membership will reopen in Fall 2025. Thank you for your interest. Members Only Access