Alley Turner is a Black writer from Newark, NJ who enjoys writing dramedies and dramas about dream chasers who defy expectations. She has worked as a production assistant on feature films and at music festivals in Atlanta and NYC. Prior to TV/film, she worked on Ebola response and prevention at CDC. Based in Los Angeles, she enjoys long walks at the grocery store, especially the sauce aisle.
Asia “A.R.” Gamble is a Black female drama/dramedy writer, born and raised in Los Angeles (yes, how rare). After earning her BA in theater with a focus on acting, Asia went on to work as an Executive Assistant in development and management, studied TV writing with Sundance Collab, and recently graduated from the 2025 Writers Guild Foundation's Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program.
Bryce Marrero is an LA-born writer, director, and self-deprecating geek. He was a writer on Nickelodeon’s IT’S PONY, directed films for Hoorae Media and ShortsTV, and was in the Coverfly Top 1%. Currently, he’s developing a Sci-Fi film with Vital Pictures. Bryce loves to make people laugh, even when they beg him to stop.
Chloe Samillano is a Manila-born, Riverside-raised queer writer (and occasional filmmaker) with a background in social impact work. Their stories explore inequality, power, and hope within systems and relationships. She has received fellowships from ARRAY, BAVC Media, and Lambda Literary, and was mentored by Samantha Militante (Reservation Dogs) through Unlock Her Potential.
Colin Rothamel is a comedy writer, ’90s lover, and unofficial pop music historian. Growing up gay in Bible-thumping Texas, he abandoned studying Jesus to worship more significant figures in history: the Spice Girls. Now based in LA, Colin has worked on productions for CBS, Netflix, and The CW, and will produce his dark comedy web series this spring.
Eleanor Cho is a Korean American writer, director, and graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She worked as a Writers’ PA at HBO, as an Assistant Editor for Beyoncé, and is currently working for showrunner Angela Kang (THE WALKING DEAD). She took part in the Werner Herzog Film Accelerator, GFS x Dolby Institute’s “Finish the Script”, and was a finalist for NBC Writers on the Verge.
A queer, multi-racial writer/performer, Jess Kim uses satire and dark comedy to question humanity’s obsession with maintaining social status in a world beyond our control. Whales could flip a yacht at any time! She won the 2022 SNL Award at The Groundlings, has written and performed in many a sketch comedy show, and accidentally organized Los Angeles rock climbing gyms into a union.
Joey Lattarulo is a writer and filmmaker from a haunted house in Oceanside, CA. After trialing lives from Neuroscientist to New Yorker, he moved to LA and found his way back to storytelling. In his work, he integrates his science background, life experiences, and passion for world-building. Joey believes tragedy and optimism are required to understand the crazy shit we call the human condition.
Kadi is an LA-based writer and self-taught animator originally from Harlem. Obsessed with stories, Kadi spent most of her childhood either drawing cartoons or fighting for the remote as one of nine children in a raucous West African home. Since then, Kadi has worked as an assistant on various scripted, news, and late-night TV shows like SNL. She is currently a creative department assistant at Netflix.
Kayla Yumi Lewis is a Korean-American writer from Silicon Valley with a BFA from NYU. Her debut YA pilot, PARKED IN AMERICA, premiered at SXSW '21 in the episodic category and won the Pitch-a-thon. PARKED screened at 8 more festivals including SeriesFest, where she won the Best Writer (Drama) Award and the Level Forward Impact Award. She currently works in development at Uzo Aduba's Meynon Media.
Kyle Alexander is a former college football champion turned screenwriter, based in Inglewood, CA. When he's not writing his next comic book fan-fiction or ruining kid's days on Call of Duty, Kyle works as a writer and story producer for a small production company focused on social justice issues, using his experiences to fill his stories with heart, humor, and a smidge of social commentary.
Manda K. Skelton is a veteran and TV drama/fanfic writer who knew that no matter what she did in her life, there would always be magic. Whether it was growing up in small-town Texas and sneaking banned Harry Potter books into her local library or joining the Navy as a firefighter to help pay for her MFA in Screenwriting at USC, she writes about characters trying to find their place in the world.
Mendel Bain is a screenwriter and former cop with a background in special education. A Morehouse and ArtCenter grad, he tells grounded, character-driven stories across genres from thrillers to Westerns, often exploring race, power, and social systems in America.
Puja Maewal is an LA-based drama writer and director from Texas. She previously worked in television in India and enjoys crafting stories that span cultures and continents. Her films have screened in over fifty film festivals internationally, and she has earned recognition from the WGA, DGA, Student Academy Awards, and BAFTA. A Fulbright Scholar, Puja has a B.A from Yale and an MFA from UCLA.
Rio Contrada is a writer, director and nihilistic flower child from Northampton, Massachusetts. A queer Italian Jew and community organizer, his work explores intersectionality in a dramedic, surrealist tone. His debut feature, starring Debbie Allen, is set to premiere at Dances with Films this June. His writing has placed in Austin Film Festival, Screencraft and the Black List’s Top Pilots List.
Rubén Mendive is a queer Mexican immigrant and comedy writer who grew up undocumented on Chicago’s South Side. He’s an alum of the WGF Writers' Access Support Staff Training Program, the NHMC Series Scriptwriters Program, and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab. He also hosts La Lista: A Latinx Writers Podcast, an interview series spotlighting diverse voices in media.
Tiffany McDonald is a Jamaican writer who slyly dodged her family’s quiet expectation to become a surgeon. Now a graduate of The Peter Stark Producing Program at USC, she has worked in film/TV development at production companies for many years. She loves writing drama and horror and is an avid karate practitioner. Occasionally, her parents still suggest that it’s not too late to become a doctor.
Bay Area-born Aaron Ruttenberg is a TV comedy/drama writer and Cal State LA film grad. His scripts have placed in the ScreenCraft Comedy Competition, and his short doc, Bound, won Best Short Documentary at a local Los Angeles festival. A former floater at Legendary, Aaron now works as a copywriter. He’s also a tarot reader, aspiring scuba diver, and trivia champ.