2022 Screenplay Award Finalists

Don’t be fooled by the name. Chad was never prom king or the high school quarterback. He was too busy watching Death Becomes Her for the millionth time. Earning an MFA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University, Chad writes out-of-the-box comedic fare that ranges from the lighthearted to the

Graduate of the Yale School of Drama. A professional actor for 25 years. Began writing as an extension of a passion to delve deeper into the intimacy of the human condition.

Dru Bhattacharya is an author, poet, screenwriter, and aspiring novelist. His pilot feature, The Grey Eminence, has received numerous accolades, including placement in the L.A. International Screenplay Awards; The Film Empire Diversity Mentorship; Table Read My Screenplay Genre Screenplay

As a kid, Ella used to watch scary and bloody true crime shows with her mom. During the shows, they’d take turns screaming their theories about who the murderer could be and how they’d done it. She has always loved to be a puzzle solver. At 17, she moved from her home country of Brazil to the United

Jessica Rowlands is a screenwriter and director from London. Jess obtained two Law degrees from top Law Schools on both sides of the Atlantic before completing the prestigious Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA where she became the only person in history to win the UCLA Screenwriting

Dr. Samlaska is a former military physician with fascinating experiences in medicine and military attachments. He has published extensively in the medical literature, and has applied his knowledge and experiences to create vivid fiction in the form of thrilling books and screenplays. He enjoys

I am a well rounded video production crew member who aspires to become a Producer. I have always been interested in writing and developing content.

Drawn to the arts at a young age, Andrew quickly embraced his love of writing and film. The goal for all of his screenplays is to produce scripts with unique opportunities to showcase character development, extensive world building, and a balance between practical and digital effects. Above all, he

Cowriters, Robin Woldorf & Rik Center, are cousins who were inspired to write a screenplay from Rik’s unpublished fiction story “Arrow Of Honor.” Robin lives in Chicago and graduated from Northwestern University in Radio-TV-Film. From her love for music and visual arts, she formed a music video

A South American writer and author from the suburbs of Washington D.C.. His writing credits include the TNT show Leverage and various festival films, including a collaboration with an Academy Award Winner. A graduate of Second City and former stand up comedian, he has also authored multiple books

Kit Modica is a screenwriter who began her career in theater, both on and off stage. After earning her degree in Mechanical Engineering, she later founded Aeon Life Theater in Tampa, Florida, where she served as producer, director, and production designer. While continuing to consult on theatrical

The following is a true story. Long before I knew how to read and write, I already knew I wanted to create horror stories. I was a kid from Mexico City who was afraid of the dark but loved scary monster movies. So, horror films became part of my life. Probably I was the only 6-year-old who knew The

Jamie is a writer living in LA. She is a New Jersey native and proud Rutgers alum. Jamie is interested in exploring the complexity of human nature, and using that to create unusual characters. She currently works in the industry as a tv/video editor.

Matthew Breault and Alex George Pickering are an LA-based screenwriting team repped by Citizen Skull Management. Originally from Colorado Springs and Boston, MA respectively, Matt graduated from Stanford and Alex from Georgetown before meeting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where they earned

Andrew Nadeau is a Chicago comedian known for his one-liners and dry sense of humor. A writer for both The Dad and Netflix Family Social Media, he was named Funniest Person on Twitter by the Chicago Tribune and was runner up in the 2021 March Comedy Madness competition. His work has been featured in

Hailing from the woods of North Carolina by way of the byzantine streets of New Orleans, Robert is a multi-award winning screenwriter specializing in mystery and suspense. His work has been optioned twice and has reached the finals of the Austin Film Festival, Slamdance, Bluecat and Page

The Careres are an award-winning, husband/wife writing team. Carlo was born in Naples, Italy and served as a Captain of the Carabinieri (the Italian equivalent of the FBI) for twelve years before switching to screenwriting full-time. An award-winning, published novelist in Italy and series regular

When the death of a family member ended my childhood way too early, I was convinced chasing dreams was for others. But while I was working on sets, rewriting my world in screenplays became the thing that saved my life. Today I live by “Bring light upon the face of the deep“, exploring themes of

Bryan Lewandowski is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Although he's moved all around the country, he grew up in Pittsburg, Kansas where he started making movies with his family's video camera and never stopped. Throughout his school years, both in Pittsburg and Los Angeles, he

Armed with a PhD in English Literature from the University of Rochester, I specialize in female-driven historical dramas that blend my literary expertise and research skills with an ability to tell compelling stories about women who push the boundaries of knowledge, gender, sexuality, politics, and

Bruna is a Portuguese Writer/Director based in London, UK. She has a Master's Degree in Film Directing from MET Film School London and has directed a number of successful and award winning short films. As a screenwriter she has been a winner and finalist in a number of competitions, including the

Jordan Miles explores how a character might define “home”. For Jordan, home is within her semi-dysfunctional family. Inspired by them, she writes coming-of-age stories about black female protagonists and their family dynamics, especially between mother and daughter. She currently attends NYU Tisch

Born in Birmingham, AL but raised in the DC area, today Chicago is the great city I call home. From the moment I received my first red circled "A" in grade school for a short story about a day at the beach, I knew I was a writer! However, I grew up in a family where writing was not seen as a viable

Adele Smaill writes thrillers and horror - mainly features. She started writing screenplays a year into the pandemic and has not yet come down from the high of reaching the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowship quarter-finals. Local to usually sunny Adelaide, Australia, she's also lived and worked in the

Chris lives by the sea in Narragansett, Rhode Island USA. He has written nine features, three television pilots, and a number of short screenplays. He enjoys developing the worlds in his dramas. His experience as a psychologist has been a great source for interesting characters, each with their

Raised in LA, Madison spent her time acting, writing, and pretending to be a dinosaur. She now works as an erotic romance writer, a fun way to stun people into silence at parties. In her scripts she showcases diversity in all its forms, fueled by the experiences of both herself and others. She

Sean Slater is an actor-writer-producer born in the UK and raised in California. His work includes the features “Empire Gypsy”, “Target: St. Louis” and “Target: Philadelphia” (available on Amazon and Tubi) as well as the forthcoming competitive eating documentary “ScarfFace”. He holds an MA in

A business journalist with a creative writing minor, Zachary Phillips graduated from the University of Maryland in the Spring of 2019. In addition to several years as a professional writer and editor, he worked on the inaugural "Maryland Night Live" show at College Park, serving as the now-annual

British-Australian Kirsty Zane writes genre-blending dark comedy screenplays – from sci-fi to romantic comedy and crime. Accolades include Grand Prize (Short) at Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) Screenwriting Competition (2021) judged by readers from Gersh & CAA; Finalist 2022 Atlanta Film

Paul is a semi-retired attorney and mediator in Denver. He began writing screenplays in 2017 as a hobby and has won several competitions. His practice consists primarily of legal malpractice cases on behalf of plaintiffs.

The following is a true story. Long before I knew how to read and write, I already knew I wanted to create horror stories. I was a kid from Mexico City who was afraid of the dark but loved scary monster movies. So, horror films became part of my life. Probably I was the only 6-year-old who knew The

Bernhard is a writer, marketeer and carpenter with several years of experience as a screenplay editor, holding a BA in Screenwriting from Staffordshire University and an M.Litt. in Film Studies from the University of St. Andrews. Most recently, his award-winning short drama Tree o' mine was optioned

Mike Cymanski is a writer from Northern California, who grew up devouring classic Hollywood films. Mike had a successful career as a professional stage actor and later as an acting professor at San Jose State University. He’s a graduate of UCLA’s professional screenwriting program and writes Action

Sean Slater is an actor-writer-producer born in the UK and raised in California. His work includes the features “Empire Gypsy”, “Target: St. Louis” and “Target: Philadelphia” (available on Amazon and Tubi) as well as the forthcoming competitive eating documentary “ScarfFace”. He holds an MA in

Oconomowoc, Wi-based writer with an affinity for writing darkly comedic Neo noir contemporary westerns.

The majority of my life has been teaching, coaching and athletics. Coming back to writing, I'm grateful for how much the artistic process brings out in us, no matter what we're doing, as long as we're giving it everything we have and there's some real obstacles in the way. For instance, writing this

A retired teacher of English Language and Literature, I spent most of my life in Africa and the Far East, an experience that has left me with an unlimited resource of colourful material from which to draw inspiration. Since 2017, I have completed ten features that include period, comedy

Punk Rocker since 1982, published author in 2002, screenwriter since 2015. Specializing in historical scripts, he is an Academy Nicholl Quarter-Finalist, 17X Screenplay Finalist and 6X best screenplay winner in contests from France, Japan, Venezuela and the United States.

Hi, I’m Phil, a former radio and TV reporter/producer in the UK, writing as PN Johnson. My novels, Killer in the Crowd and Run to the Blue are published by Burning Chair, London. Both have been Shortlisted Finalists in these awards. I am just completing a sequel to Run to the Blue as well as a