
Independent Writers' Caucus
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- Pepper Reed | IWC List
< Back Pepper Reed Pepperreed@me.com https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4213808/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk Coverfly Pepper Reed grew up devouring books sitting atop one of the turrets of the playhouse her dad built for her. She uses genre tropes as metaphors, inviting the audience to connect with people marked as “the other” who are trying to find their place in the unexpected worlds. Originally from Oklahoma, Pepper received her BFA from New York University & has directed short films, plays, & music videos. She also regularly wears historically inspired fashion that she sews herself. Honors & Awards Finalist, NBC Writers on the Verge - INNOCENT BLOOD - 2019 Semifinalist, ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship - INNOCENT BLOOD - 2020 Quarterfinalist, Final Draft Big Break - GIRL ANACHRONISM - 2023 Non-WGA Female, 40+, LGBTQ INNOCENT BLOOD (Supernatural YA TV Drama - Riverdale meets The Vampire Diaries) A young vampire struggles with her opposing desires to find the biological family she was kidnapped from as an infant and her adoptive family’s mission to rescue other vampires like themselves. THE CURIOUS HAUNTING OF GEORGIE PRICE Family TV Drama with Ghosts - Gilmore Girls meets Ghost Whisperer After the death of her younger brother a woman gets the opportunity to go after her dreams; however, his ghost decides to go after his own aspirations and to help her to learn how to live. FIRST TO DIE Queer Zombie Roadtrip Feature - Bottoms meets Zombieland When a zombie outbreak descends on Los Angeles on Christmas Day, a former survivalist does whatever is necessary to get herself and her friends out of the city. Character-driven, Female-centric, Queer, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical/Alternative History, YA, Magical Realism Female, 40+, LGBTQ unrepped
- Sabine El Gemayel | IWC List
< Back Sabine El Gemayel sabine.el.gemayel@gmail.com http://www.sabineelgemayel.com SABINE EL GEMAYEL is a writer, director, and editor known for exploring socio-political dynamics across Canada, France, Iran, the Levant, and the US. Born in Tehran to a Lebanese father and French mother, her artistic journey reflects the diverse cultural influences and the intense civilian war experiences that have shaped her. Her feature narrative NILOOFAR and feature documentary GENERATION ZAPPED have garnered international acclaim, along with nominations and awards at prestigious festivals like Berlinale, Cannes Junior, AFI FF, Sedona IFF, Dubai IFF, and many more. Her screenwriting skills have earned her fellowships from Hedgebrook and DreamAgo. Her screenplay, BRINGING IT HOME, was nominated at the Breaking Through The Lens 2022 screenplay competition and became a semi-finalist for The Abortion Pipeline Grant of the Athena FF in 2024. As a film editor, she edited Lebanon’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2020 Oscars, 1982, as well as Palestine's submission in 2004, THE OLIVE HARVEST. Fluent in French and English and proficient in Arabic and Persian, El Gemayel's multilingual and multicultural background adds a unique perspective to her storytelling. Currently, El Gemayel has several projects in the pipeline and is actively engaged in the industry, mentoring for the Royal Film Commission of Jordan's MOSAIC Post Lab 2025, serving on their Film Fund 2024 jury, and evaluating for Film Independent’s Global Media Makers program. Honors & Awards Fellowships from Hedgebrook (2019) and DreamAgo (2010 & 2012). Nominated at the Breaking Through The Lens 2022 screenplay competition - BRINGING IT HOME - 2022 Semi-finalist for The Abortion Pipeline Grant of the Athena FF - BRINGING IT HOME - 2024 non-WGA Female BRINGING IT HOME (Drama) When Kay, a war veteran with a high-risk pregnancy due to depleted uranium exposure, meets Hadiya, a refugee and former Iraqi midwife, they’re forced to find common ground over the fate of Kay’s unborn child. BE MY BABY (Trilingual drama) Colette, a French working professional and single mother living in LA, hires Tracy, an American surrogate, and Luna, a Hispanic wet nurse and caregiver, only to be confronted with the complexities of motherhood as Tracy carries the baby, Luna cares for him, and Colette only has the time to raise him part-time. Character-driven, Female-centric, Coming-of-Age, Limited Series, Satire, Naturalistic, International Female repped
- Roxanne Beck Raye | IWC List
< Back Roxanne Beck Raye Attorney: Judith Karfiol, Esq., 323-463-4800, Judith@karfiol-law.com ; roxannebeck1@gmail.com 323-377-6366 https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0065270?ref_=hm_prof_name IMDB The Black List Screenwriter, author, and actor Roxanne Beck Raye took the scenic route from Arkansas to LA, making detours in Nashville and New York. There she performed with countless bands, recorded two albums and accumulated a long list of music and animation voiceover credits. But her love of movies and storytelling inspired her to move to Hollywood, where an Oscar®-winning producer optioned her first script. Credits include "Miss Famous" starring Kristen Wiig, as well as uncredited rewrites for major studios and production companies. Her TV drama script "The Queen of Magic," based on the true story of the most successful woman magician of the 20th century, received a '9' rating on The Black List and is currently available. A graduate of UCLA’s MFA in Screenwriting program and a Humanitas Drama Fellowship nominee, Roxanne’s writing tends to focus on women who refuse to be silenced and underdogs who never give up. She lives in Sherman Oaks with her wonderful dogs Dolly and Lucky. Honors & Awards Top 1% of TV Dramas, Coverfly - THE QUEEN OF MAGIC - 2024 Humanitas Drama Fellowship Nominee - THE INTENDERS - 2012 Oliver's Prize, UCLA - CATERPILLARLAND - 2011 non-WGA Female, 40+ TILL DEATH DO US PART Feature, Crime/Drama – "The Staircase" meets "All Good Things" Based on true events: When a young wife and mother disappears without a trace in Nashville, the only real suspect is her ambitious attorney husband. But without a body, will he ever be brought to justice? THE QUEEN OF MAGIC TV Drama - "The Queen's Gambit" meets "Mrs. Maisel" Based on a true story: The ambitious daughter of a Midwest circus owner overcomes the hurdles of a broken home, a rival magician, and 1920s sexism to become the undisputed “Queen of Magic” and the greatest female magician of the 20th century. Black List '9' rating. FLORIDA (Feature - Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN meets STAND BY ME) Cousins Luke, 19, and Matt, 22, set out on a road trip from North Carolina to Florida on spring break in 1982, envisioning a week of easy girls, alcohol, and partying. But when they pick up a beautiful, pregnant young hitchhiker, they get much more than they bargained for. Character-driven, Female-centric, Crime, Coming-of-Age, Animation, Satire, Magical Realism Female, 40+ unrepped
- Kelly Jo Brick | IWC List
< Back Kelly Jo Brick kellyjobrick@gmail.com https://kellyjobrick.com Kelly Jo Brick is a Sundance Fellow and alum of the Women In Film Writer/Showrunner Mentoring Program. She received specialized training through both the FBI and LAPD community academies and is a member of a national intelligence-gathering agency dedicated to protecting US infrastructures. Originally from a small town in the heart of Wisconsin’s dairy country, Kelly Jo developed a love for storytelling when as a child she’d gather up her stuffed animals and toy horses to create adventure after adventure. With degrees in creative writing and English, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin where she played trombone in the highly acclaimed Wisconsin Marching Band. She writes "The Bricks of Breaking In," an interview series for Final Draft that focuses on breaking in and growing your writing career and is currently the Vice Chair of the WGA Genre Committee. From crime and mysteries to underdogs and dysfunctional families, Kelly Jo is fascinated with building the journeys of characters put into situations where they have to struggle, grit, and grind through huge hurdles and do so with heart, perseverance, and passion. WGA Associate Member Female THE RIDGE (TV Crime Drama) A Las Vegas FBI agent exposes corruption in the police department of her suburban Pittsburgh hometown, resulting in her being appointed interim chief, set with the task of chasing down a powerful drug ring while also having to survive her wildly dysfunctional family. Character-driven, Crime, Thriller, Procedural Female unrepped
- Marty Lang | IWC List
< Back Marty Lang Jason Bellitto and Mark Myers, Citizen Skull Management JasonB@citizenskull.com Coverfly Marty Lang is Director of the MFA in Film, Television & Digital Media at the University of Georgia. He has written and directed two feature films, STAY WITH ME, to be released internationally by Allen Media in 2025, and RISING STAR, released internationally by Content Film/FilmRISE. His web series writing credits include MAX AND FRIENDS!, Best Comedy and Best Ensemble Cast nominee at the 2022 International Academy of Web Television Awards, and THE DAILY, a SeriesFest 2020 world premiere. He is also a prolific indie producer, whose credits include the 2020 Sundance world premiere web series THE RIDE, the 2016 Indie Spirit Award nominee OUT OF MY HAND, and CHOMPY & THE GIRLS, featuring Udo Kier, released internationally in 2021 by Freestyle Digital Media. His book THE SELF-SUSTAINING FILMMAKER, about crowdfunding and community filmmaking, was the #1 Film/TV book on Amazon the week of its release in 2024. Honors & Awards Best Feature Film, South Georgia Film Festival - STAY WITH ME - 2023 Best Comedy Writing, International Academy of Web Television Awards - MAX AND FRIENDS - 2022 Jury Prize, Best Arkansas Film, Arkansas Shorts Film Festival - THE DAILY - 2022 non-WGA Male, Disabled, Over 40 TECHNOCRACY (One hour sci-fi drama) A skittish social media director uses deepfake audio and video to help her mother become Missouri's governor, which brings tragic results - and a new mission that will utilize her unique technology skills. THE DAILY (Half hour drama) An intrepid college journalist discovers a conspiracy at her university, but must navigate the politics of journalism to get the story out into the world. Based on Lang's award-winning webseries. Character-driven, Coming-of-Age, Satire, Bittersweet, Naturalistic Male, Disabled, Over 40 repped
- Philip Pierce | IWC List
< Back Philip Pierce Agent: David Saunders, APA - dsaunders@apa-agency.com Philip Pierce is a writer/producer as well as a clinical psychologist and UCLA Lecturer. He wrote and produced the feature film BOY CULTURE based on the novel by Matthew Rettenmund. It premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival, won 21 international awards, and was distributed theatrically. He produced the sequel BOY CULTURE: THE SERIES, which premiered at OutfestLA and the British Film Institute in London. It has won 4 Best Film Fest prizes. A number of Philip's scripts have won awards and been optioned. In addition, FREUD AND JUNG IN AMERICA was a finalist for a Sloan Grant and was selected by the WGA for a showcase performance and LOST LEGEND was selected by the WGA Latinx Committee for a scene reading and was a Nicholl Fellowship Semi-Finalist. MOVE by Academy Award Nominee Matthew Diamond (DANCEMAKER) to which Philip contributed a rewrite was optioned by United Artists. non-WGA Male, LGBTQ+, Over 40 BIO RUN (Sci-fi Thriller - THE FUGITIVE meets CONTAGION) A doctor, suspected of starting an epidemic of a rare disease, goes on the run to clear his name and find the real perpetrator while a relentless FBI bioterrorism agent pursues him. LOST LEGEND (Action/Adventure, Latinx) Set in 1790's California, a privileged young woman, struggling to avenge the death of her father, takes on a dual identity as Zarra. Ultimately, she becomes the unlikely defender of the oppressed Indigenous people: the legend before the legend. Insprired by the public domain novel, The Curse of Capistrano . BLOOD SECRETS (Psychological Thriller) A young FBI behavioral analyst struggles with inner demons as he tracks down an escaped serial killer -- his own father. Character-driven, Science, Medical, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Psychological, Historical/Alternative History, International Male, LGBTQ+, Over 40 repped
- Teresa Sullivan | IWC List
< Back Teresa Sullivan teresasullivan307@gmail.com 703-980-1941 https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm5557614/?ref_=m_recent_view The Black List Born in Scotland and raised in New Jersey, Teresa, along with her four children, moved eighteen times as the military spouse of a two-star Admiral. Finally settling in the Santa Monica mountains they found themselves fleeing for their lives one hour ahead of the Woolsey Wildfire that turned their home and their every material possession into ash. But, starting over is baked into the military lifestyle and so Teresa is rebuilding her home and forging ahead with her screenwriting ambitions. Teresa’s got a secret weapon – a great sense of humor - has to - (did she mention four kids?). She’s got a black belt in Taekwondo, an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA, and a Samuel Goldwyn Award for her drama pilot, DOUBLEBLIND. Teresa is a (jolly good) Telluride Fellow with an optioned comedy feature, STEWARDESS. She penned two adaptations, TEN HOURS UNTIL DAWN, based on the harrowing rescue at sea during the blizzard of ’78; and THE DODGER, the true story of the only person to earn both a Purple Heart in Vietnam and an MLB World Series Championship ring, Roy Gleason. She wrote on James Franco's anthology HEYDAY OF THE INSENSITIVE BASTARDS (Netflix) and has two produced shorts. Teresa’s nostalgic stage play, THE BEATLE CLUB, recently completed a successful three-week run in the D.C. area. She is currently creating and developing a character-driven, prestige-y, limited series, FAYE, about the surprisingly famous first host of Late-Night TV that you’ve never heard of – Faye Emerson. Honors & Awards Theatrical Production, Providence Players - THE BEATLE CLUB - 2021 Short Produced - LUCKY DAY - 2020 Best of the IWC award - "Faye" (pilot) 2024 non-WGA Female, Over 40, Over 55 STEWARDESS (Comedy Feature) 78-year-old DODIE is about to lose her family’s ranch when she wins her long-dormant lawsuit against Global Airlines for wrongful firing, allowing her to return to her beloved job as airline stewardess, now flight attendant, to complete her career, collect her pension and save her ranch - if she can pass the test! THE DODGER (Feature, Adaptation) The true story of Roy Gleason, a gifted athlete who achieves his dream of playing for the Dodgers. But it’s the turbulent ‘60s, and fate and the U.S. Army have other plans for him. FAYE (Limited Drama Series) 1940’s Hollywood actress Faye Emerson battles the restrictive norms corseting mid-century women to become the first host of Late Night TV. Character-driven, Female-centric, Romantic, Historical/Alternative History, Limited Series, Slapstick, Late Night Female, Over 40, Over 55 unrepped
- Merridith Allen | IWC List
< Back Merridith Allen merridith.allen26@gmail.com http://www.merridithallen.com Coverfly The Black List Merridith Allen proudly comes from a big, loud, Jewish family in New York City with deep roots in the theater and performing arts. A writer/director/producer, Merridith tells stories about women in the martial arts, drama and action spaces. She has won several writing scholarships and fellowships from such prestigious organizations as the Sewanee Writer's Conference, the San Miguel de Allende Writer's Conference, Stowe Story Labs, and VCCA. Notably, she was a finalist for the Austin Film Festival's writing competition, The Blacklist/WIF TV fellowship, and the Juilliard Fellowship. Merridith's plays have been produced and published nationally and abroad, and her first short film, BLACK ROSE, based on the award-winning feature screenplay, is set to come out in 2025. Further, Merridith enjoys creative non-fiction, and she has been published by The Sun Magazine, Burlesque Press, and The Edinburgh University Review. Merridith's day jobs have included screenwriting/creative writing instructor, martial arts instructor, audio description writer, true-crime podcast writer, and yoga instructor. When Merridith is not diving into a story on her lap top or throwing people across the room on the mats, she can be found searching for the perfect cup of coffee and a decent bagel in her adopted city, Los Angeles. All suggestions are welcome. Merridith is absolutely thrilled to join IWC and looks forward to creating and collaborating with the wonderful writers in the organization. Honors & Awards Finalist, Austin Film Festival - SENSEI - 2023, Finalist, Stowe Story Labs FINALIST, Stowe Story Labs - THE LAST DAYS OF ROCK AND ROLL - 2024 FINALIST/LONG-LIST, The Blacklist/WIF TV Lab - STUNTWOMAN - 2024 non-WGA Female, Multi-Ethnic, 40+ SENSEI supernatural horror - BLACK SWAN meets KILL BILL In order to inherit her lover's dojo, a troubled martial artist travels to Japan for one final test, where she must face all of her demons...and may just become one herself. STUNTWOMAN half-hour dramedy, single cam TV Jordan Lee attempts to curb her alcohol dependency and take care of her ailing mother by pursuing her latent dream of becoming a stunt performer…at age 40. Character-driven, Female-centric, Psychological, Horror, Coming-of-Age, Dark, International, Magical Realism Female, Multi-Ethnic, 40+ unrepped
- Kim Turner | IWC List
< Back Kim Turner redharecreatives@gmail.com 850-543-7559 http://www.themightykim.com Coverfly The Black List Kim Turner is a professional screenwriter and has performed in improvisational and sketch comedy for over 25 years. She was in the nation's first all-female improv team, "Big Purse", in 1992. She complemented this work with an Associates Degree in Theater from Palm Beach State College. Kim attended the Second City Training Program in Chicago - completing both the writing and improvisation programs and being accepted (on the first attempt) to its exclusive Conservatory Program. Additionally, she completed the writing program at iO (formerly Improv Olympic) and worked with the Annoyance Theater (Chicago). Following her experience in Chicago, Kim was selected as one of twelve screenwriters for the inaugural Meryl Streep Writers Lab in 2015 (and only comedy!). Kim has quartered, semifinaled or finaled at the Austin Film Festival, the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship, Stowe Story Labs (Tangerine Fellowship), Final Draft/Big Break and many others. Kim makes tremendous chocolate chip cookies and reads stories aloud in unique voices. She has a comprehensive knowledge of 80s trivia, Star Trek lore and can recite much of the dialogue from the animated Hobbit and Raising Arizona. Honors & Awards Austin Film Festival (Comedy Feature) - Winner YMH Comedy Fellowship - Chasing Shadows (with Tony Ferrendelli) - 2024 The Writers Lab supported by Meryl Streep - (Comedy Feature) - Winner - Christy's Got Cancer! - 2015 (Inaugural year) Austin Film Festival (Comedy Feature) - Semifinalist - Christy's Got Cancer! - 2020 non-WGA Female, Over 50 CHASING SHADOWS (with Tony Ferrendelli) A coming-of-middle-age story about a couple who separates just shy of their 25th anniversary and must figure out if being alone is better than feeling alone in a relationship. Marriage is not for the faint of heart. MEDICINE SHOW (Half-hour Western Comedy - 30 Rock meets Blazing Saddles) A glorified confidence man finds himself in desperate need of help when he is discovered half-dead in the desert by a First Nations woman and a traveler looking to settle in the Old West. CHRISTY'S GOT CANCER! (Comedy Feature - Think Little Miss Sunshine meets The Big Sick) When Kate’s hypochondriac, maelstrom of a self-involved mother gets the kind of news no one (but she) wants, Kate must marshal her family’s collective dysfunctional superpowers to come up with a care plan and resolve their relationship in time. Character-driven, Sketch, Satire, Late Night, Magical Realism, Bittersweet, Dark, Fantasy Female, Over 50 unrepped
- Gabe Berry | IWC List
< Back Gabe Berry gabe.m.berry@gmail.com 574-527-8095 Coverfly From unshowered rock bands to traveling the country training surgeons with cadavers, Gabe’s writing is inspired by real life and death. His character-driven stories entertain and normalize mental illness and LGBTQIA+ relationships. Honors & Awards Six Scripts in top 1%, Coverfly - 2024 PAGE Awards - Finalist - DEAD MELODY - 2024 Atlanta Film Festival - Finalist - THE PURPOSE OF A LIGHTHOUSE - 2023 non-WGA Male, 40+ DEAD MELODY DONNIE DARKO meets SING STREET Formaldehyde and ancient mummification techniques are not enough to keep a grieving teen from decomposing before he can leave his mark on the world. THE PURPOSE OF A LIGHTHOUSE LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE meets NEBRASKA with all female characters A dying, anxiety-ridden woman uses cartoon action figures and a cardboard box to survive a road trip to the country’s smallest lighthouse. NEXT SEMESTER THE SKELETON TWINS meets THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN A down-on-his-luck dad struggles to find purpose when left with no choice but to move into a college dorm room with his undelighted daughter. Character-driven, Female-centric, Queer, Psychological, Coming-of-Age, Bittersweet Male, 40+ unrepped
- Lisa Kenner Grissom | IWC List
< Back Lisa Kenner Grissom lisa.kenner@gmail.com 310-770-8887 https://lisakennergrissom.com Coverfly The Black List Lisa is a Boston-born, LA-based award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and producer who writes comedic dramas and dramatic comedies. She is known for creating multi-layered characters, exploring the complexity of human emotions, and finding levity in discomfort. Lisa wrote and produced the multiple award-winning short film, TATTOO YOU, which has screened at 15+ film festivals nationally and internationally. Lisa is currently on a jag writing about female Jewish resistance fighters and is generally drawn to writing stories about fascinating, undiscovered, badass women, set either in the past or today. Her hour-long TV Pilot, FANIA IN THE FOREST, was a Top 5 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship Finalist, among other accolades. Additional TV and Film projects include FOLLOWING FANIA, a documentary in development, and the comedy feature, GROWN-UP BULLY. In the works is a feature adaptation of her award-winning, critically-acclaimed play, HERE COMES THE NIGHT. In addition to the IWC, Lisa is a proud member of The Dramatist Guild, Playwrights Union, and Reboot. Lisa is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received her MFA in Stage and Screen at Lesley University. When she’s not typing away, she’s probably walking on a beach, taking in some art, or listening to live music. Fun fact: Lisa played left wing for her Division 3 collegiate women’s ice hockey team. Honors & Awards Top 5 Finalist - ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship - FANIA IN THE FOREST - 2022 non-WGA Female, Over 40 FANIA IN THE FOREST (TV hour-long Drama - A SMALL LIGHT meets WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES ) When a rebellious 16 year-old Jewish girl narrowly escapes the Vilna ghetto for the forest to join a group of young resistance fighters intent on disrupting the Nazi war machine, her goal to find her scattered family will test the safety of the entire brigade. GROWN-UP BULLY (Comedy Feature) When Tammy, the bully who never grew up and never left her small town, learns that her teenage daughter is being bullied, she embarks on a mission to seek forgiveness from her high school target, redeem herself as a mom, and grow up—even if it means finally leaving her hometown to do it. Character-driven, Female-centric, Historical/Alternative History, Coming-of-Age, Limited Series, Bittersweet, Snarky, Naturalistic Female, Over 40 unrepped
- Helena Zhen | IWC List
< Back Helena Zhen helenazhen1@gmail.com 917-270-5806 Coverfly Helena Zhen an actor/writer/director whose short films have played worldwide. She's been nominated for a DGA student filmmaking award, won one of the top writer/director awards given at NYU, and garnered a chance to work with the late, great Wes Craven as an up-and-coming director. Her scripts have won the Disney Writing Fellowship and the NexTV Grand Prize while other screenplays have been finalists at top-tier contests, such as Sundance, Tracking Board Launchpad, and Austin. She has just completed an Acting program at UCLA. Her brand of writing tends towards high-concept, commercial fare with an edge of indie. While her writing is fairly diverse, she is drawn to grounded sci-fi and elevated genre material. non-WGA Female, BIPOC, Asian, Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander EX HUMANA (Sci-Fi TV Drama - WESTWORLD meets ALTERED CARBON) In the near future, a government health agent learns that the nanobots that everyone now uses to monitor their health has become self-aware and is editing out human traits to create the next stage of human evolution. COLONY 14 (TV Crime Drama – YELLOWSTONE meets SONS OF ANARCHY) An undercover FBI agent infiltrates a secretive group of off-the-grid survivalists intent on overthrowing the government and starting the next Civil War. THE STORY OF YOU (Feature Drama – PACHINKO meets BACK TO THE FUTURE) After the death of her father, a woman gets spirited back in time and must make the right choices in a choose-your-own-adventure style quest in order to return to her life as well as those of her parents. Character-driven, Female-centric, BIPOC-centric, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Horror Female, BIPOC, Asian, Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander unrepped