
Independent Writers' Caucus
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- Garret Williams | IWC List
< Back Garret Williams garretwilliams@hotmail.com 323-854-1893 https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0930621 Born and raised in Minneapolis, Garret began making short films in college before attending the American Film Institute's Master's program. His feature SPARK (writer/director), starring Terrence Howard and Nicole Ari Parker, was a Sundance Filmmakers Lab project. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to Berlin (Berlinale) and many others around the world. Garret won Best Director at the Urbanworld Film Festival. Multiple film organizations have supported Garret’s screenplays. HYENAS was a Sundance Screenwriters Lab project. MUDPUPPY was a Film Independent Screenwriters Lab Project, was selected for Tribeca All Access, and was optioned by Sly Dog films. His screenplay LOST DOG was chosen for the Film Independent Screenwriters and Directors Labs, was a Fast Track project at the LA Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Screenplay and the Gordon Parks Award at the IFP Film Market. LOST DOG was also selected for the WGA Feature Writer's Access Project. Garret’s work as a Writer/Director/Producer of shorts screened at SXSW (THE RISE), New Directors/New Films at the MOMA & Sundance(Short SPARK), and a long list of festivals, domestic and international, earning multiple awards. His shorts (SPARK and BB GUN) aired on Showtime Networks. He is a member of the DGA and is a Sundance Institute Fellow, Film Independent Fellow, and Tribeca Film Institute Fellow. Garret serves as an Adjunct Professor at Occidental College, teaching Advanced Screenwriting. non-WGA Male, BIPOC, Black, Multi-Ethnic LOST DOG (Dramatic Thriller) Lost Dog is a character-driven thriller, set in 90s Minneapolis, about a black, jaded, Animal Control Officer and his young trainee, as they follow the twisted trail of a racist serial dog abuser and killer. MUDPUPPY (Dark Comedy) A brown comedy about a lost and lonely man who finds love in the toilet. Character-driven, BIPOC-centric, Crime, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Limited Series, Dark, Naturalistic Male, BIPOC, Black, Multi-Ethnic unrepped
- Alexa Oona Schulz | IWC List
< Back Alexa Oona Schulz alexaschulz@mac.com http://alexa-schulz.com Alexa Oona grew up in Hamburg, Germany, with the handed-down responsibility for the Holocaust, but more specifically with a Nazi grandfather who after the war worked for the church as a deacon in youth exchange programs with teenagers from Africa and the Arab world – her mother calls him a hypocrite; Alexa Oona calls him a complex character. A Los Angeles resident since 2007, Alexa Oona writes in English and German and is fluent in Spanish. She is passionate about crime (writing crime that is) – but has also been paid for dramedy writing - which proves that even Germans can be funny! Alexa Oona's produced writing credits include TV court show episodes and a prime-time feature for ZDF (Germany) as well as numerous documentaries (e.g. for ARTE) that she directed. In 2006, her award-winning documentary début WEEKEND WARRIORS, a humorous film that follows the lives of four German players of American-style football in Berlin, was theatrically released in Germany by one of the largest multiplex chains. non-WGA Female, Over 40 ANDIE FROM GERMANY (Short-form Serialized Series - Dark Comedy) A failing but success-obsessed German actress gets more than she expected after stealing a dead Hollywood starlet’s identity; now she has to successfully nail her lines and a criminal scheme. AMERICAN CRIME: MEXICO CITY (Hourlong Procedural Series Pilot - Police Drama ) When a PTSD-afflicted Special Agent is paired with a carefree FBI linguist to solve American crimes in Mexico City, she is thrust into solving the mysterious case of a deadly sound attack while struggling to navigate cultural differences. Character-driven, Female-centric, Crime, Historical/Alternative History, International Female, Over 40 unrepped
- Contact the IWC | Independent Writers' Caucus
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
- Independent Writers' Caucus | IWC
The Independent Writers' Caucus (IWC) is a diverse association of emerging, industry-vetted writers. Whatever your professional or narrative need, find your next film, pilot, staffer, or client within... Your Next Great Project Begins with an IWC Writer Welcome to the home of the Independent Writers' Caucus. We are a diverse association of emerging, industry-vetted writers - many with produced credits; optioned properties; experience in writers' rooms; advanced degrees in screenwriting and filmmaking - and all with a love for bringing story to life in a thousand different new and evolving ways. Whatever your professional or narrative need, find your next film, pilot, staffer, or client within... The IWC Welcomes You
- Member News | IWC List
Member News DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE : The Independent Writers’ Caucus has added seven new members to its board of directors. Meg LeFauve, Howard A. Rodman, Lorien Mckenna, Garrick Dion, Nitza Wilon, Elizabeth Kaiden and AJ Feuerman will all join long-standing organization chairs James Moorer, Kimberly Sparks, Kim Turner and Rich Orstad. Read the full article here . Rebekah Mueller was chosen as one of five writers, out of 2000 applicants, for the Paramount Writers Mentoring program . The program offers emerging TV writers mentorship and career development with showrunners and EPs. Each writer is paired with two executives from CBS network and CBS Studios. Stephen Nolly and Philippe Boygen were both selected to the Mentorship Matters program (sponsored by Screencraft and Coverfly). Mentorship Matters is a year-long mentorship program created by showrunners to help boost opportunities for emerging diverse writers, has selected 19 scribes for 2024-2025. Danielle Weinberg ’s directorial debut, INVASION ’53 , will screen at San Diego Comic-Con. Well-known sci-fi actor Jeffrey Combs stars in this sendup of 1950s sci-fi movies. The short film premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Cinequest Film Festival and won several awards at the First Contact Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival, including Best Actor (Jeffrey Combs) and Best Screenplay (Danielle Weinberg). Gina DeAngelis ’s short film adaptation DOORS premiered at the Indie Short Film Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia. In DOORS, an elfish empty-nester pressures his gentle, eccentric wife to downsize their beloved farmhouse, until he discovers she’s taken his request literally. In addition, Gina’s short script BA, an action thriller, won the script competition and had a live reading at the festival. On their Happier in Hollywood podcast , showrunners Liz Craft and Sarah Fain gave the IWC and members Ellen Ancui and Steve Holbert a shout out. They read Ellen and Steve's bios as examples of "Giving Good Bio." Carolyn Kras 's screenplay AUTHORESS, about an untold chapter of Jane Austen’s life, has been named a Top 10 Script in the WritersxWriters Competition. In AUTHORESS, Jane Austen is a struggling writer who has a complicated romance with a mysterious sea captain who inspires her final novel Persuasion. The script may be requested from Manager Doorie Lee at 42. Matija Šraj 's comedy pilot QUEENMAKER, about a drag queen who accidentally gets elected to Australian parliament, was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2025 Page International Screenwriting Awards – Stowe Story Labs Fellowship. This follows winning the grand prize in the 2024 CineStory TV Fellowship. Merridith Allen got 8 on the Blacklist with her pilot script, STUNTWOMAN, a half-hour dramedy about a woman who attempts to improve her life by going back to stunt performing at age 40. Merridith rewrote the script after attending the prestigious Cinestory Episodic Retreat. Leah Simmons ' feature GERMINATION is a finalist selection for the 2025 Abortion Pipeline Project (APP) as part of the Athena Film Festival’s Creative Development Program. The Abortion Pipeline Project (APP) is an annual lab for feature film scripts centered on abortion and reproductive freedom. Part of the Athena Film Festival’s Creative Development Program, APP writers take part in a virtual lab and receive a grant to continue to develop their project. Gabe Berry has been hired by Canadian production company Zargara Productions to write a feature. The film is based on the award-winning short that Gabe co-wrote, currently in post-production. This is the second time Gabe has been hired to write a feature screenplay. Thomas R. Schrack directed the short film S.K.A.T.E. The project is currently in post-production.
- Best Of List 2025 | IWC List
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 .
- Chairs and Board Members | IWC List
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
- H. S. Fishbrook | IWC List
< Back H. S. Fishbrook fishbrookscripts@gmail.com From boutique production companies to premium streaming platforms, H. S. Fishbrook serves her clients as a highly educated screenwriter and story analyst. She studied at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon and The Globe Theater in London before earning an MFA in Writing for Screen and TV at Pepperdine University. Fishbrook is now actively developing features on spec and has her first screenplay under option. Her work has landed in the top 10% at several film festivals, including the Beverly Hills Film Festival, LA Femme International Film Festival, and the Ivy Film Festival. She's also spent time mentoring military veterans on the art of screenwriting at the Writers Guild Foundation. On the rare occasion when she isn’t scribbling down ideas in her plethora of color-coded journals, she immerses herself in DIY projects at home with her husband. Honors & Awards Official Selection, Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival - PERICLES - 2021 Official Selection, Beverly Hills Film Festival - PERICLES - 2021 Official Selection, LA Femme International Film Festival - PERICLES - 2020 non-WGA Female PERICLES (Feature Drama, Romance - comps: A UNITED KINGDOM, CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY) A runaway prince and his kidnapped daughter seek to prove that true love can overcome the tragedies of accident, betrayal, and even death. An adaptation of Shakespeare’s exotic, lesser-known play. Character-driven, Female-centric, Romantic, Fantasy, Historical/Alternative History, Magical Realism Female unrepped