The Writers Guild Foundation teams up with Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for a conversation focused on writing universally resonant stories that come from specific, personal experiences. Hear from writers as they share their process for blending the core themes and lessons they learned from their life experiences into the stories they create and strategies you can use when developing your own projects.
Panelists include:
Lisa Bao - The Lincoln Lawyer
Frida Perez - The Studio
Annie Weisman - Physical
Moderated by Dr. Rosanne Welch, Executive Director, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting.
Doors open at 6:30pm PT. Event starts at 7pm PT.
Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at events@wgfoundation.org.
NOTE: In-person tickets are sold out, but livestream tickets are still available!
About the Panelists
Lisa Bao is a Writer/Producer on THE LINCOLN LAWYER (Netflix). Previously, Lisa was staffed on NANCY DREW (CW) where she rose from staff writer to co-producer during its four seasons. Lisa is also an alumna of the CAPE New Writers Mentoring Program and CBS Writers’ Mentoring Program. Both fellowships launched her career in television. In a former life, Lisa worked as a civil litigator. Her experiences as a lawyer frequently inspires her writing. Lisa is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She is also a member of the State Bar of California and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW).
Frida Perez is a writer and filmmaker originally from The Bronx. After graduating from Brown University in 2017, Perez moved to Los Angeles where she worked as an assistant and directed short films before writing and producing “The Studio.”
Photo Credit: Dia Dipasupil
Annie Weisman is best known as the creator, executive producer, and showrunner of Apple TV’s Emmy-nominated series Physical, starring Rose Byrne. Throughout its three seasons,Physical was highly praised for its vulnerable and accurate portrayal of eating disorders. The series received multiple Primetime Emmy Awards nominations in 2024.
Annie also recently served as showrunner and executive producer for the second season of Peacock’s dark comedy thriller Based on a True Story starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina which premiered November 2024.
Up next, Annie is working on a limited series adaptation of Araminta Hall’s novel Imperfect Women, starring Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, and Kate Mara. The psychological thriller is a co-production between 20th Television and Apple Studios. Annie adapted the Apple TV series for television and serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer.
Previously, Annie was in a UTV Overall where she was an executive producer on Almost Family which she created and ran at Fox, as well as a co-executive producer on Hulu’s The Path. She is also a playwright whose work includes BE AGGRESSIVE (La Jolla Playhouse, Dallas Theatre Center, TheatreWorks, Finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize), HOLD PLEASE (South Coast Repertory, Old Globe Theatre, Working Theatre), THE ESSENTIAL ALICE with composer Michael Friedman (La Jolla Playhouse), and SURF REPORT (South Coast Repertory, Ojai Playwrights Conference, La Jolla Playhouse). Other previous television credits include Suburgatory, Desperate Housewives, Samantha Who, Dead Like Me, and About a Boy.