
Independent Writers' Caucus
Keri Kaiulani Picolla
310-570-5161
Born in Berkeley and raised in California and Hawaii, Keri is considered hapa (part Hawaiian, part Chinese, and part Italian). Not resembling any one specific ethnic group, her ethnic ambiguity coupled with her vagabond childhood attributed to Keri’s ability to move easily between spaces, not quite belonging yet longing to belong. What better place to try to fit in than Hollywood itself?
Keri’s path to writing has been anything but linear and began not with a pen but with a make-up brush. After years working as a makeup artist, Keri was inspired to write and create her films and she helmed a handful of festival darlings including an adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s bestselling novel THE WITCH OF PORTOBELLO which was hand-picked as a finalist in the international competition hosted by the author himself and featured in several international film festivals. In turn, this spurned a passion for the craft and she returned to the university setting at Cal State Northridge where she earned a degree in film. A few short films later, she got married, had not one but two babies (daughters, one of which is autistic), and all while pursuing (and graduating) with an MFA in Creative Writing.
Keri lives in Los Angeles with her actor husband and their daughters. In her spare time, Keri enjoys hiking, dancing with her hula halau, listening to podcasts, watching all of the tv and reading all of the books.
non-WGA
Female, BIPOC, Asian, Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander, Multi-Ethnic, 40+

SHADOW LAKES
(One-Hour TV Drama - BIG LITTLE LIES meets UNBELIEVABLE with the dysfunctional family of SHAMESLESS)
A grief-stricken, over-achieving high school student is caught in the center of an investigation into the odd disappearance of a well-respected high school teacher amid rumors of an illicit affair.
BANISHED
(One-Hour TV Drama - THE ORIGINALS meets Cameron Crowe's GROUPIES)
On the cusp of her rockstar father’s retirement, a charmingly impulsive musician returns to her family home in New Orleans and is thrust in the middle of a centuries-old family feud to lift an ancient hex set upon her family for generations.
IMUA
(TV Drama Limited Series)
Set against the tumultuous landscape of contemporary Hawaii, a Hawaiian matriarch gathers her estranged Hapa granddaughters to her run-down coffee plantation on the Big Island to share the ancestral secrets of their family history in a magical tale. Adapted from Kiana Davenport’s novel The Shark Dialogues.
Character-driven, Female-centric, BIPOC-centric, Thriller, Coming-of-Age, Limited Series, Dark
Female, BIPOC, Asian, Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander, Multi-Ethnic, 40+
unrepped