2023 Screenplay Award Longlist

Some of my biggest inspirations creatively are Stephen King, Thomas Harris, William Peter Blatty, William Goldman and Kenneth Lonergan. I aspire to one day make these novelists and screenwriters my competition and hope that people will compare me to them favourably. I’m confident I’ll achieve this

Following a twenty-three-year career in Arts Theatre Management, Steve retrained with the Yorkshire Academy of Film and Television Acting (YAFTA) and gained a Diploma in Applied Screenwriting (Distinction) in July 2019, under the tutelage of Simon Stirling. Steve has already received commissions for

I’ve been writing for many years and have published The Devils' Cradle novel (under my pseudonym Darcy Daniel), which has fantastic reviews on Amazon. Winner of TopShelf Magazine's Indie Book Awards for "The Devils' Cradle" under the pseudonym Darcy Daniel - available on Amazon: https://www.amazon

Meredith Wargo is an award-winning author and advocate for animals. The recipient of four Maxwell Medallions from the Dog Writers of Association of America, she has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Although a native Texan, Meredith currently lives in southern

I’ve been writing for many years and have published The Devils' Cradle novel (under my pseudonym Darcy Daniel), which has fantastic reviews on Amazon. Winner of TopShelf Magazine's Indie Book Awards for "The Devils' Cradle" under the pseudonym Darcy Daniel - available on Amazon: https://www.amazon

I'm a young writer based in London. Through my writing I aim to represent Queer characters in a historical context, an area from which they have long been eliminated.

I’ve been writing for many years and have published The Devils' Cradle novel (under my pseudonym Darcy Daniel), which has fantastic reviews on Amazon. Winner of TopShelf Magazine's Indie Book Awards for "The Devils' Cradle" under the pseudonym Darcy Daniel - available on Amazon: https://www.amazon

Karla M. Jay is the award-winning author of When We Were Brave, It Happened in Silence., The Puppet Maker's Daughter and her new vigilante novel, A Shot at Justice. She has wanted to write books since she was seven. Originally from the east coast, she makes her home in Salt Lake City. Over the years

I live in Los Angeles with my lovely wife and cats. I’ve been working in the industry for almost ten years as a producer/director/DP. The majority of my work is music-videos for well-known artists (A Perfect Circle, Iggy Pop, Cypress Hill, Cold Cave, to name a few). I'm on the long, hard road of

Melissa Hope is the author of Sea of Kings, a fantasy adventure middle-grade that Newbery Award winner Andrea Wang described as "everything a kid could want." More recently, her picture book Not My Order was a finalist in the Kids Choice Award 2023, and her short film finished as a quarterfinalist

Hi, I am Francesa. After graduating from the University of Exeter in 2016, I have dedicated the last seven years of my life to the film industry. I completed a screenwriting course at the Met Film School in London in 2017 and an 'Acting for Film' course in New York in 2018, which I funded through

Darren is an actor, writer, producer and director. He recently completed his debut short film BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE as a writer / director, where he was awarded the New York Screenwriting Award 2023 for Best Short Screenplay LGBTQIA Winner and Winner Best Performance – LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival 2023

From a young age, Timothy Jay Smith developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him around the world many times. En route, he’s found the characters that people his work. Polish cops and Greek fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and

Erasmo Acosta was born in Cantaura, a small town in Venezuela, and moved to the United States in 1996 to pursue a software engineering career sponsored by a small Silicon Valley company. He retired to Portland, Oregon, in 2020 after achieving 32 successful years in the industry. In 2015, he became

Alan travelled extensively in the international oil and gas industry as a marine geophysicist and it was during his time off that he first began writing novels for adults. Following the selection of his third novel, Woollyback, for a tutored adaptation for the silver screen, Alan went on to complete

As a child, I struggled with writing. That transformed when I was in graduate school studying for a Ph.D. in biochemistry and confronted with composing a dissertation. As I worked on my thesis, I felt enlivened in a new way. I assumed it was because I was nearing completion of my degree, yet now, in

I am originally from Brooklyn, New York. I have lived in England for nearly two decades and have dual US/UK citizenship. I have a B.A. in Russian from Columbia University and was an Intelligence Officer in the US Navy. I also have a Master’s degree in Opera and worked as a singer, director and stage

Since attaining my MA in Play and Screenwriting – graduating from City, University of London, in 2014 – I have had three plays successfully produced in London, commissioned and directed by Martin Parr, known for producing work in unconventional spaces. Consequently, with a produced two-hander, one

A conqueror of fears, Travis has taken his acrophobia to the top of a 108-foot-tall Mayan temple, swam with sharks, and attended a mixer where he knew no one. He currently has a feature film project setup with Eclectic Pictures as well as a forthcoming graphic novel through Motor Content and Thunder

Stowe Story Labs alumna. Writer/director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Trilingual multi-ethnic multinational. Mathematician whose journey led from humble beginnings in the Urals to professorships in Berkeley and Berlin. Olga's writing explores follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and

I am an Independent film maker based in Knoxville, TN working as a producer and editor in film and TV. A graduate of the University of Tennessee and The New York Film Academy, I began my film work with a series of Shakespeare film adaptations: Hamlet, Twelfth Night and Macbeth. I also have produced

Brian Bossetta is a native of New Orleans, a die-hard Saints fan, a frequent consumer of classical music, jazz, dark beer and Scotch — a photographer, a woefully average guitar player, avid runner, dog lover and eternally struggling writer still trying to determine if writing the great American

Stowe Story Labs alumna. Writer/director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Trilingual multi-ethnic multinational. Mathematician whose journey led from humble beginnings in the Urals to professorships in Berkeley and Berlin. Olga's writing explores follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and

I was born a vagabond spirit and have yet to learn the meaning of “comfort zone.” My life has been and continues to be sui generis. All that follows is a standard literary CV for an extremely non-standard career. ***** In high school, I was an editor of the underground paper, The Charlotte

Wrote and directed following films, Sheppard Boys, Lees Offering, David's Child and The Good Family. Wrote countless scripts and directed countless short films in a 30 year career.

After meeting Robert, you realize he was raised right- right inside a movie theater. His childhood happy-place was escaping to the cinema and the magic that came alive on screen. After trying his hand on an independent film, he realized his greater passion was writing. He’s inspired by visual

Stowe Story Labs alumna. Writer/director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Trilingual multi-ethnic multinational. Mathematician whose journey led from humble beginnings in the Urals to professorships in Berkeley and Berlin. Olga's writing explores follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and

Clark is a produced and optioned screenwriter with a focus on Sci-Fi, Dark Dramedy, and True Stories. Clark has successfully collaborated with Producers and other screenwriters on several projects. Most of his projects are grounded in themes of "the haves and the have-nots", classicism, and coming

I was born a vagabond spirit and have yet to learn the meaning of “comfort zone.” My life has been and continues to be sui generis. All that follows is a standard literary CV for an extremely non-standard career. ***** In high school, I was an editor of the underground paper, The Charlotte

Wrote and directed following films, Sheppard Boys, Lees Offering, David's Child and The Good Family. Wrote countless scripts and directed countless short films in a 30 year career.

Clark is a produced and optioned screenwriter with a focus on Sci-Fi, Dark Dramedy, and True Stories. Clark has successfully collaborated with Producers and other screenwriters on several projects. Most of his projects are grounded in themes of "the haves and the have-nots", classicism, and coming

Imagine Succession crossed with The Great Gatsby, and you’d have ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF WAR. The series is an adaptation of Mahabharata, the Indian epic mythology, set in 20th-century United States. It is a tale of powerful men and women who fight ruthlessly, hate virulently, and love unwisely. Have

A conqueror of fears, Travis has taken his acrophobia to the top of a 108-foot-tall Mayan temple, swam with sharks, and attended a mixer where he knew no one. He currently has a feature film project setup with Eclectic Pictures as well as a forthcoming graphic novel through Motor Content and Thunder

I am a former journalist, publisher, TV producer and media executive, now writing books (crime fiction) and TV scripts (comedy and drama). I am a Brit, now based in Sydney, Australia.

Kevin has directed eight short films and his credits as a producer have exceeded 50 at the time of this writing. His recent works include three short series starring Golden Globe and Tony Award winner Barry Bostwick and Saturn Award Winner Doug Jones, and a short musical/educational video starring

I was born in Cincinnati and lived in Chicago for a couple of years before moving to Los Angeles. I won the Let's Make it! competition 4th addition(2020) & was a quarterfinalist in the SWN competition(2021). I also completed screenwriting classes at Second City.

Sal brings a jetsetter's suitcase full of experiences to his writing. He is the son of Sicilian immigrants, a U.S.A.F. Veteran in SATCOM and Aircraft Maintenance, a government contractor, drummer, and former restauranteur. Having seen the world through a traveler's eyes -- living it with the wonder

Growing up in Europe before moving back to the USA in his late teens, Michael enjoys bringing an outsider perspective to high-concept genre stories. A graduate of UCLA's Professional Program in Screenwriting, Michael enjoys writing elevated horror, action-comedies, and grounded science fiction. A

I write. Sometimes code. Sometimes screenplays. Sometimes lengthy work emails. I've been told that all three make people cry. But I suspect it's for vastly different reasons.

Dylan Wilson is an independent screenwriter and published short story author based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dylan hopes to one day pursue a career in professional wrestling once they find a way to make it not hurt so much.

Hilary Angelo is an actress turned writer known for her roles in AMERICAN PIE and CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR. Recently, she sold a spec TV pilot to Mark Gordon/Eone called PATIENT ZERO based on disease detectives at the Centers for Disease Control. Sony TV bought a time travel pilot spec she wrote called

Andrea’s experiences as a nurse, flight attendant, and avid traveler have provided her with a unique global background from which she draws her inspiration. It imbues her scripts with a level of detail and authenticity that have been well received in the industry. Her first screenplay titled “The

Micah Sloat is best known for starring in the micro-budget hit PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Combining that successful franchise with his degrees in philosophy and psychology, as well as his extensive background in the occult, he's currently creating and co-hosting PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE PODCAST for

John Munn is a native of Washington State and is married to his wife of over fifteen years who inspires him to write every day. His two boys, Jack and Max, are his world. He has also lived in the United Kingdom, for a short period, where he studied literature and attended college at the University

David Ward was born and raised in Salt Lake City and has lived in Shanghai, Honolulu, Taiwan and northern Virginia. Drawn to writing by his love of Russian literature, he supports his writing habit by working as a corporate attorney.

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

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

Michael is an award-winning screenwriter and producer, and Facebook’s former Chief Privacy Officer. Michael writes, directs, and produces elevated genre and prestige projects for film and television. He is currently producing Only Apparently Real based on an award-winning screenplay which he wrote

T. C. Smith's career was launched when he won the Nicholl Fellowship. He has written for the big screen, the small screen and the stage. He has worked for Fox Television, Fox Family Films, ABC, Disney, the Disney Channel, Warner Brothers and Showtime. He co-wrote and co-starred in the controversial