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< Back Leah Simmons lsimmons.johnstone@gmail.com (605) 359-4627 Coverfly ISA Leah is a genre writer from South Dakota specializing in horror and sci-fi that ranges from the deep exploration of humanity's darker nature to laugh out loud funny. Honors & Awards Omaha Film Festival - Feature Finalist - WEREWOLVES CAN SUCK IT! - 2024 Launch Pad Feature Script Contest - Top 100 - PRO LIFE - 2024 The Women's Lab - Quarterfinalist - GERMINATION - 2024 non-WGA Female, 40+ GERMINATION Horror Feature In the wake of a family tragedy, a fiercely independent woman reluctantly assumes guardianship of her pregnant teenage niece. But as the details of her sister's grisly death come to light, she discovers that the thing growing inside her niece is not only alien, but infectious. LAST LAUGH Contained Horror Feature A woman placed in a high-tech prison that allows users to tandem into their bodies for free rein must escape and exact revenue on the one person who's purchased every available session of her sentence: the man responsible for her sister's murder. THE LOCKSMITH Horror Feature After witnessing a grisly murder, a woman discovers she is the last of thirteen victims being stalked by a masked killer collecting the mysterious key each has surgically implanted inside their body. Character-driven, Female-centric, Queer, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Horror, Dark, Snarky Female, 40+ unrepped

< Back Michael Monteiro michaelm@netscape.com IMDB The Black List Michael Monteiro was born in Detroit, Michigan, as Michael Henry Monteiro, proudly of Cape Verdean descent. The eldest of six children, he spent his early years in Wareham, Massachusetts, before moving to the Bronx borough of New York City. He is a graduate of the UCLA Extension Feature Film Writing and the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television’s Professional Screenwriting Programs. An award-winning screenwriter and retired U.S. Navy Iraq War veteran, Michael brings discipline, honesty, and emotional depth to every project he undertakes. His screenwriting achievements include winning the Wiki Screenplay Contest for My Yoga Mat and being a quarter finalist in the Final Draft Big Break Contest for Soul Food Saigon. His experience in acting and directing—supported by multiple directing awards—continues to influence his cinematic approach, emphasizing strong visual storytelling, complex characters, and authentic human emotion. Beyond his work as a screenwriter and director, Michael has appeared in several film and television projects, including I Thought You Knew (2022), To Kill a Cop (2021), and Abigail Haunting (2020). He remains committed to telling stories rooted in truth, character, and lived experience. His latest project, Lessons Unbound, is currently in post-production, marking the next step in his expanding body of film and television work. Honors & Awards Winner, Best Screenplay, Festigious International Film Festival, MY YOGA MAT - 2025 Winner, Best Screenplay, Wiki: Screenplay Contest, MY YOGA MAT - 2024 Winner, Best Direction, IndieFest Film Awards, TO KILL A COP - 2022 Non-WGA/Caucus-only Member Male, Black ONE WHO GIVES VICTORY Crime, Drama An Iraqi exchange student, covertly recruited by extremists, struggles with her conflicting loyalties between duty and a forbidden romance with a Black Muslim classmate as her secret life raises suspicion and begins to draw the attention of the FBI. SOUL FOOD SAIGON War, Romance During the Vietnam War, a Black soldier deserts the army to build a new life with his Vietnamese girlfriend, risking everything to open a soul food restaurant in Saigon as racial conflict and military police close in around them. JUVIE HALL Crime, Drama A mental health counselor is determined to save a teenage girl who suffers with acute depression. She is being released on probation from the Juvenile Detention Center, "Juvie Hall"; her life on the outside is uncertain. Character-driven, Crime, Limited Series Male, Black unrepped

< Back Arun K. Vir arunvirproductions@gmail.com Award-winning writer/director Arun K. Vir tells stories that capture hearts. Her honest approach to explorations of gender, race, and identity in America are her gifts as a storyteller in spaces and settings both local and completely unknown. A single mom living in New York and working multiple jobs, she collaborated with the Nuyorican Poets Café-Fifth Night series. Arun found her voice and wrote THE LAST WEEKEND earning her the prestigious "Directing Workshop for Women Award." She then moved to Los Angeles with her daughter to develop her project. THE LAST WEEKEND, starring the late Suzanne Douglas (PARENTHOOD) won Best Short at the Pan African Film Festival. Continuing to sharpen her skills as a director, Arun wrote and directed more shorts including RESET, nominated by The Africa Movie Academy Awards & Winner of Programmers-Pan African FF. Arun’s feature script, SUBURBAN TURBAN was voted Finalist by The Academy Nicholl Fellowship in 2016. She was a Pitch Finalist for the 2018 Humanitas New Voices Award and Semifinalist for Writers on the Verge in 2019. Her most scripts include pilots WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, THE GIVER, I LOVE YOU, and MONA SINGH and feature screenplay THE PERFECT CANDIDATE – a Final Draft/Rocaberti Winner. Honors & Awards Finalist, Nicholl Fellowship - SUBURBAN TURBAN - 2016 Semifinalist, NBC Universal Writers on the Verge - SUBURBAN TURBAN - 2019 Semifinalist, ScreenCraft Competition - RIVER MAMMA - 2022 non-WGA Female, BIPOC, Asian THE PERFECT CANDIDATE (Think HIDDEN FIGURES meets BROOKLYN) 1955. Harlem. The true story of Patricia Banks, a Harlem girl who had her heart set on achieving her dream job: Flight Attendant for Capital Airlines. But, at age 19, when Banks filed a lawsuit, not a single U.S. Airline had ever hired a black stewardess. Character-driven, Female-centric, BIPOC-centric, Queer, Thriller, Historical/Alternative History, Coming-of-Age, Dark Female, BIPOC, Asian unrepped

< Back Steve Holbert Steveisholbert@gmail.com Coverfly Steve comes from a long line of carneys and sex workers. He grew up in the trailer parks of Georgia’s poorest town. He paid the bills by selling food stamps and tombstones. After becoming a first-generation college student, he paid the bills hosting drag shows and doing wedding makeup. Steve moved back to the trailer park when his dad became terminally ill. He was his caregiver until his father died. Then, the state dropped two kids on his porch, and he became a foster parent to his teenage and four-year-old cousins. Now, he is a thirty-year-old grandpa. Growing up, the media always portrayed Appalachian Americans as victims, so Steve makes sure the next generation sees themselves as heroes. Then, life can finally imitate art. He writes hour TV and features that explore bi-ness, using queer teens, horror, and the South. He's had generals with Glen Mazzara, Berlanti Productions, Paramount, and others, and was a writer’s assistant for Heidi Schreck, Evette Vargas, Katie Tabaldi, and AT HOME WITH AMY SEDARIS. When not writing, Steve is an amateur ghost hunter. He volunteers at nursing homes, so has attended over 300 funerals. He was a classical pianist for ten years. If Pokémon were real, he'd be an ice-type gym leader. MFA in Dramatic Writing, NYU, Tisch School Of The Arts. non-WGA Male, LGBTQ+ EM & TOBY VS. THE GULCHES (Feature - WRONG TURN meets SHAMELESS) In this horror remix of The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz , a waitress saves her runaway brother from a family of killers and learns the meaning of “home.” SLAY (Hour Drama - MEAN GIRLS meets THE LOST BOYS) A trailer park virgin sneaks off to his first Pride seeking community. But he finds a herd of killer unicorns. SCRAPS (Hour Drama - SWEENEY TODD meets SHAMELESS) A broke foster parent is losing his family’s barbecue shack – until he finds a killer, free meat supply. Character-driven, Female-centric, Queer, Fantasy, Horror, Coming-of-Age, YA, Dark Male, LGBTQ+ unrepped

< Back David Ngo doubleohthreeproductions@yahoo.com https://davidngofilm.wordpress.com David Ngo is an engaging screenwriter with a multifaceted writing background. Recently, he was under contract to write animated feature screenplays at DreamWorks Animation and Illumination Entertainment as a cohort of the inaugural Universal Animation Writing Program. With prior experiences in copywriting and script reading, David is a communications specialist with expertise in creative consultation, content programming, and podcasts. As a filmmaker, David directed THE QUEEN FROM VIRGINIA, an award-winning feature documentary chronicling his aunt’s journey from war refugee to beauty queen as she competed in a national pageant for women over 60. David is also an honoree of NBC Writers on the Verge, Project:Involve, and the Visual Communications Armed with a Camera fellowship. His screenwriting has earned him a Top 75 distinction from The Tracking Board and a CAPE New Writers Award. David has worked for several media companies including Netflix, NBCUniversal, HBO, and Disney+. Outside of writing, David serves as an Asian American Studies lecturer at Cal State Fullerton and hosts the cathartic podcast series Best Story I Never Told. Honors & Awards Universal Animation Writing Program - 2021 Hollywood Reporter Article Top 75, Tracking Board Feature Competition - BOY BANDS TO MEN - 2018 non-WGA Male, BIPOC, Asian, Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander NOT SCHOOL FOR SCHOOL (1/2 Hour Comedy - THE WONDER YEARS meets FRESH OFF THE BOAT) When California’s Prop 187 bans undocumented children from public schools, a free-spirited middle schooler and her uptight brother handle the threat of deportation in opposing ways. BOY BANDS TO MEN (Feature Comedy - PITCH PERFECT meets POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING) A washed-up R&B heartthrob attempts to manage his estranged son for an audition for the first K-pop boy band comprised of only non-Koreans for the hope of a substantial commission. Character-driven, BIPOC-centric, Coming-of-Age, YA, Animation, Satire Male, BIPOC, Asian, Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander unrepped

< Back Shirley Miller shirleymillerdigsyou@gmail.com After lying to his parents that he was “just visiting” LA, Shirley worked for years on film and TV productions such as Interstellar and Silicon Valley, before graduating with an MFA in Writing for Screen and Television from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. While there, he received a scholarship for graduating with the highest grade-point-average (4.0) and he was also awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship worth $17,500.00 for his first-ever attempt at hour-long television. Since then, he’s won and placed in multiple fellowships, including a fresh stint on Ken Kesey’s farm in May, where he was accepted into a writing workshop led by Ronald D. Moore. His favorite color is pink, he loves to make pottery even though his skill level hasn’t much improved, he’s a formerly-licensed English teacher and currently-licensed scuba diver, and – perhaps most importantly – he’s terrified of bees because he’s never been stung by one. Honors & Awards Kesey Farm Writing Workshop (led by Ronald D. Moore) - 2025 ScreenCraft Drama Pilot - Finalist - DRY - 2023 Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship Award - NERVE - 2018 non-WGA Male DO THE WORK Dark comedy Comp: BARRY An ignoramus is inadvertently recruited by an LBTQIA+ rights activist group and he quickly learns that they don't just fight for justice – they kill for it. Character-driven, Crime, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Horror, Satire, Dark, Snarky Male unrepped

< Back Shauna Ray Ratapu Shaunarayratapu@gmail.com http://shaunarayratapu.com The Black List Shauna Ray Ratapu (she/her) is a California-born, Aotearoa/New Zealand-seasoned Gen X storyteller whose work blurs the line between the tragic and the absurd. A former high school drama teacher and theater company owner, she now writes women-centric, character-driven dark comedies infused with serendipity and a touch of magical realism. A Page Awards Semifinalist, Stowe Story Labs Semifinalist, and two-time Austin Film Festival Second Rounder, Shauna draws inspiration from a life raised by a single, alcoholic archaeologist mother and a bar-owning, gunslinging grandmother — figures who taught her that chaos and humor often share the same barstool. After nearly two decades in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Shauna returned to Southern California in 2019. Her writing carries the layered textures of both worlds, shaped by her Māori husband of 30 years and their three exceptionally talented grown-ass children — two queer, two women, all Indigenous, and one disabled. Through them, and through her cross-cultural lens, Shauna explores the beautifully messy intersections of identity, resilience, and belonging. Honors & Awards Semifinalist, The Page Awards - HEN - 2025 Second Rounder, Austin Film Festival - STARS ALSO DIE - 2025 Semifinalist, STOWE STORY LABS FELLOWSHIP AWARDS - 2024 Non-WGA/Caucus-only Member Female, 55+ STARS ALSO DIE Feature | Darkly Comedic Family Drama HIS THREE DAUGHTERS meets THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS but with a cosmic twist When their emotionally abusive, Carl Sagan-obsessed mom is put on hospice care, four estranged siblings reunite for a hilariously dark and cosmically chaotic Thanksgiving. HEN Halfhour Dramatic Comedy | Mystery | SciFi In the spirit of HACKS , BETTER THINGS , and a splash of THE GOOD PLACE A sharp-witted empty nester becomes obsessed with a mystical sourdough and the enigmatic TikTok baker behind it, sparking a cosmic unraveling of her reality, identity, and everything she thought she’d already baked in. BIG WHEEL Feature | Darkly Comedic Family Drama THE SKELETON TWINS meets HONEY BOY in THE FLORIDA PROJECT When a helicopter mom with PTSD takes in her recovering “asshole” brother, her suburban sanctuary begins to crumble with every reminder of the feral and fearless little girl she was in 1976. Character-driven, Female-centric, Queer, Coming-of-Age, Dark, International, Magical Realism Female, 55+ Unrepped

< Back Christine Sneed sneedchristine@gmail.com http://christinesneed.com In May 2018, Christine Sneed packed her bags, said goodbye to friends, frenemies, and family, and tossed out the ancient spices in her cupboards before pointing the car west from Chicago. A few days later she landed in southern California, lower back in outrage, hair in a semi-permanent snarl. Four+ years on, she still has some boxes to unpack, if we’re being honest here. She's written features and pilots based on her short stories and novels (three novels and two story collections published by Bloomsbury and indie press 7.13 Books, and a forthcoming story collection from Northwestern University Press) as well as original scripts. Comedy is her first love, but she's an experienced writer of dramas too. Her most recent books are Please Be Advised: A Novel in Memos and The Virginity of Famous Men (stories). Direct Sunlight (stories) will be out in June 2023. She has an MFA in poetry and a bachelor’s in French, which has been useless job-wise but in her mid-20s she had a good-looking French boyfriend. Presently, she lives in Pasadena with her long-time partner and teaches part-time for Northwestern University's and Regis University's MFA programs (fiction-writing). Honors & Awards Semifinalist, Nicholl - THE FEMALE GAZE - 2020 Finalist, ScreenCraft Short Story Contest - QUALITY OF LIFE - 2019 Finalist, The Los Angeles Times Book Prize - PORTRAITS OF A FEW OF THE PEOPLE I'VE MADE CRY - 2011 WGA Associate Member Female, 40+ FIVE ROOMS (Feature or limited series, YA dramedy - JUNO meets SCENT OF A WOMAN) Ignoring her better judgment, a lovelorn teenage girl, struggling over her own recent break-up, agrees to help the blind man she works for after school win back his unfaithful girlfriend. PARIS, HE SAID (Feature or limited series, drama - AUTUMN IN NEW YORK meets PARIS, JE T'AIME) Devil's bargain or golden ticket? When a young destitute painter in NYC is offered the chance to move to Paris and focus on her art, she must decide if it's possible to have the career she longs for without sacrificing her chance at true love. THE HEMINGWAY MYSTIQUE (Feature dramedy - THE BOOKSHOP meets YOU'VE GOT MAIL) When their store is threatened by an unscrupulous landlord, a bookstore owner and her son are helped by the ghost of Ernest Hemingway, who has escaped the afterlife in order to check up on his literary legacy. Character-driven, Female-centric, Romantic, Coming-of-Age, Satire, Bittersweet Female, 40+ unrepped

< Back Shoshana Rosenbaum John Zaozirny - Bellevue Productions IMBD Shoshana Rosenbaum is a writer and filmmaker based in Washington, D.C. Her feature directorial debut, The Other You, won Best Metro DC film at the DC Independent Film Festival and the Narrative Feature Award at the Chesapeake Film Festival. Shoshana makes films that use magical realism, science fiction and horror to explore alternate realities and gender dynamics. Her short films --The Goblin Baby (a supernatural thriller about the first year of motherhood), Hide And Seek (an alternate reality tale about a rock musician turned stay-at-home dad) and Night Waking (a domestic sci-fi thriller) — have won awards and screened at festivals across the U.S. and internationally. In 2021, Shoshana was part of the inaugural cohort of the Destroy All Boundaries Directing Mentorship and named DC Filmmaker of the Month by the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment. Her work has been recognized by The Bitch List, Stowe Story Labs, Austin Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival and DC Shorts Film Festival, among others. Non-WGA/Caucus-only Member Female, 40+ A.I.L.A. Drama/Science Fiction A visionary tech CEO invents a domestic AI to help raise her family -- a that project threatens to derail both her career and her relationship with her children. A near-future, feminist Frankenstein. THE LAMIA Drama/Supernatural Horror An ambitious young woman fighting the toxic culture of the venture capital industry confronts what it means to be a monster when she accesses power passed down through the ages by shape-shifting snake-women. AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS Drama/Supernatural Horror An overwhelmed new mother inadvertently awakens a dark spirit in the forest, which threatens to replace her. Character-driven, Female-centric, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Magical Realism Female, 40+ repped

< Back Shaene M. Siders writer@DragonUnderGlass.com http://www.DragonUnderGlass.com Shaene Siders is an IBM-certified computer geek and an award-winning action, science fiction, and fantasy writer. Never read her scripts without a helmet! Her work has reached from the deepest seas (THE OCTONAUTS) to the farthest stars (NASA). A Humanitas Prize nominee, Shaene is a writer of fine explosions who geeks out over swords, sorcery, and superheroes. She recently finished as a staff writer on Cartoon Network’s Young Adult anime series INVINCIBLE FIGHT GIRL and she wrapped 5 seasons as Co-Creator, Head Writer, and Executive Producer for HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS SUPERCUTE ADVENTURES. (Her show had more explosions than you might think!) You’ll also see her work on MARVEL'S AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, DC SUPER HERO GIRLS, the Emmy-Award-winning NIKO AND THE SWORD OF LIGHT, and LEGO MONKIE KID. Shaene is open to projects with impact. Heartwarming, heart-pounding, or fists-in-face impact. Honors & Awards Finalist Nominee for The Humanitas Prize, Humanitas - NIKO AND THE SWORD OF LIGHT, "The Automatron" - 2020 non-WGA Female, Disabled INNER DEMONS (Supernatural action thriller - Similar to CONSTANTINE or BLADE) In a mental hospital for the possessed, demons torment Dr. Brinkman's patients. Her cure? Invade Hell. With the help of a mysterious, battle-scarred angel, she fights the unrelenting archdemon Belthadar to stop him from unleashing his wrath on Earth. Character-driven, Science, Thriller, Procedural, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Animation, Magical Realism Female, Disabled Unrepped

< Back Roxanne Beck Raye Attorney: Judith Karfiol, Esq., 323-463-4800, Judith@karfiol-law.com ; roxannebeck1@gmail.com 323-377-6366 IMDB The Black List Award-winning screenwriter, author, and voice actor Roxanne Beck has been writing and performing since she was seven. After a successful career as a singer and voice actor in Nashville and New York, she eventually headed to Hollywood, hoping for better weather. But when an Oscar-winning producer optioned her first script, she knew she would never leave Oz again. Credits include "Miss Famous" starring Kristen Wiig; as a script doctor, she's done uncredited rewrites for studios and production companies. Her children's book "Caterpillarland" is available on Amazon and Audible. A proud graduate of UCLA’s MFA in Screenwriting program, Roxanne hopes to shine a light on women who refuse to be silenced and underdogs who never give up. She lives in LA with her wonderful rescue dogs, Dolly and Lucky. Honors & Awards Top 1% of Coverfly TV Dramas - THE QUEEN OF MAGIC - 2023-24 Slate Award for Best Student Film, California Independent Film Festival – MISS FAMOUS - 2015 Humanitas Drama Fellowship nomination - THE INTENDERS - 2012 non-WGA Female, 40+ UNATTAINABLE Dramedy Feature Shakespeare in Love meets The Lost King A determined PhD candidate travels to England to find the proof for her thesis: that the real Shakespeare was a woman. There she meets a sexy antique dealer, a charming librarian, and a mysterious gentleman who seems to think that HE is Shakespeare. He’s mad, of course—or is he? 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. 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? Character-driven, Female-centric, Historical/Alternative History, Magical Realism Female, 40+ 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