2024 Screenplay Award Finalists

Shiva Ramanathan discovered the magic of storytelling when an egg hit him squarely during his impromptu stage debut. While it wasn’t the ovation he dreamed of, it kickstarted an adventure even Indiana Jones would tip his hat to. From a graduate degree in Communication to community theater and video

Dwight A. Jolivette is an aspiring screenwriter who lives in Mesa, Arizona. He’s a retired Financial Advisor, which means he didn’t have much money to invest in the stock market but was able to convince others to invest theirs. Dwight has been writing in some form or another for as long as he can

Gilberto A. Rodríguez posee un bachillerato en Drama y Lenguas Modernas de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Comienza a escribir en 1994 mientras trabajaba como asistente de producción en las telenovelas de la Cadena Telemundo. En 1995 estudia redacción de guiones en UCLA. En adición a Hugo, Paco, Luis

Alia Zeid was born and raised in the Bay Area as a member of Generation Z. Although she’s a first generation American, her parents expose her to their Spanish and Palestinian cultures so she is able to write from multiple points of view to develop worlds and protagonists in her scripts. Alia’s

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

After gaining a degree in Anthropology, Sophie went into television production directing her first documentary for Channel 4 when driving from London to Johannesburg. Having produced an INSET series for BBC Education, she set up wildlife films in Botswana and a BLUE PETER exploration of South Africa

The Black List Recommended, Coverfly Top 1%, affectionately called "Monty" by my friends, I love to create compelling dramatic thrillers that explore unknown worlds—honing my craft at NYU and Sundance Collab. Presently developing two pilots and a drama feature, I reside in New York with my family

The Black List Recommended, Coverfly Top 1%, affectionately called "Monty" by my friends, I love to create compelling dramatic thrillers that explore unknown worlds—honing my craft at NYU and Sundance Collab. Presently developing two pilots and a drama feature, I reside in New York with my family

CURRENT 2024 ACADEMY NICHOLL FELLOWSHIP NOMINEE: In the last 4 years, Austin's screenplays Car Heroin Train, Her Seventh Death, William the II, Taming Holden Caulfield, Diners & Devils, Who Let the Wallflowers Out? (2024 Nicholl Nominated), Maddie and Frannie, and Night With A Glorious Sun have

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

Darryl Wimberley is a native Floridian, credited screenwriter and author of: Kaleidoscope, screenplay, Fade In Magazine’s Grand Prize Winner, 1988 A Tinker’s Damn, Foreword Review Award, Best Literary Novel, 2001 The King of Colored Town, The Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction, 2007 Paul

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

When Ben Johnson met the union strategy of “Change through Conflict” it was love at first fight. Ben eloped with the union and became Treasurer and then President of AFT Vermont from 2007 - 2016. In an act of flagrant bigamy, he was also the youngest person ever elected to be President of a State

When Ben Johnson met the union strategy of “Change through Conflict” it was love at first fight. Ben eloped with the union and became Treasurer and then President of AFT Vermont from 2007 - 2016. In an act of flagrant bigamy, he was also the youngest person ever elected to be President of a State

My passion for writing has always been with me, stemming from writing and directing a school play at the tender age of 14. This enthusiasm resurfaced in 2020 when I finally found the time to be the creative I'd always wanted to be. My debut novel, Certified, was published in August 2021. It became

Vincent Veloso is an Asian Filipino-American martial artist (Kodokan judo, Tekken-ryu jujutsu, Nihon Goshin Aikido), trained salsa ballroom dancer & actor, model, multi-award winning: writer/producer/director, businessman & 17 instrument performing musician. Originally from New Jersey, he was

Robbie Robertson is a playwright, screenwriter and graduate of the University of South Carolina and UCLA’s professional screenwriting program. Robertson’s first comedy, MINA TONIGHT! was published by Samuel French and has been produced in regional theatres across the US. His most recent play, a

ERIC MURPHY Eric Murphy is a writer and actor who worked in Paris, London and New York before he, his wife, children and dog Otto now call Toronto home. Fluent in English and French, Eric worked as a commercial rep for a French designer while researching his MA thesis on French foreign policy

Breakfield is a 25+ year technology expert in security, networking, voice, and anything digital. He enjoys writing, studying World War II history, travel, and cultural exchanges. He’s also a fan of wine tastings, winemaking, Harley riding, cooking extravaganzas, and woodworking. Burkey is a 25+ year

Jenn Fonteyn was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the hills west of Denver. She holds a BS in Biology and an MS in Applied Natural Science. She is a Science Writer, Screenwriter, and horse enthusiast.

Stefan is a German national with an academic background in history and political science. He is a long time film critic at the Berlin Film Festival and an advertising professional with 20 years of experience in writing tv commercials. Stefan hates the actual process of writing but believes in the

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.

Ryan is a screenwriter, TV writer and playwright. Studio Nowhere, a half hour comedy series he created, was optioned by 24 FPS Pictures which led Ryan to sign with his first agent. More recently he sold a one hour drama entitled The Four Mothers to Hirsch Pictures. The pilot is shot and currently

David dropped out of high school at 16, reconsidered, academically rehabilitated at a community college, transferred to Michigan State University, from which he graduated with honors, then went on to earn an M.A. from NYU (where he taught fiction writing to undergrads), and, finally, began work on a

Jose was born & raised on the mean streets of Philly PA, aka, The Badlands. In his formative years, Jose was locked up, escaped, caught, thrown back in, and finally released from jail for selling narcotics. After an ultimatum from a Judge, Not Judy, he enlisted in the Army and turned his life around

Patricia’s interest in the supernatural was shaped during childhood while listening to her Japanese-born mother’s ghost stories. She began writing her first stories as a young child.

Ben Monaco was born and raised in Orange County, CA. From the start, his parents had him watch movies from Die Hard to Dances With Wolves. He studied film and production at the Los Angeles Film School and then went on to obtain a college degree at The Ohio State University. He loves to write dramas

I love creating original genre-bending stories featuring female leaders - particularly adventure thrillers. My goal is to continue to write thought-provoking adventure stories for film and television. Ideally, I'd land at a female-driven genre dramedy like Agatha All Along.

Randall DeSoto wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money." He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence throughout U.S. history. He is a journalist who has been

Jeff Hindenach is an LGBTQ+, San Francisco-based writer and director who is known for the movies LOST INSIDE as well as the short ONE LAST TIME. He was originally born and raised in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He also runs the production company West Hall Films, which many of his movies have been

Lotte Mullan is a writer and musician from Suffolk. She has five feature screenplays in development, one of which has been adapted into the show ‘Now That’s What I Call a Musical’, directed by Strictly Come Dancing's Craig Revel Horwood and touring now. ‘Diary of a Plain Jane’, a satirical blog

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

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

Anthony A. Labriola is an alumnus of The School of Visual Arts with background in Film & Television writing. He has been a member of The Long Island Film and Television Foundation since 2015, when he began his work with The Nassau County Film commission and has since been the director of the

Ronald McGuire is a multi-genre award-winning author whose work has appeared in numerous literary journals including Winning Writers, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Flash Fiction Magazine and Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections. He holds degrees in Comparative Literature and Journalism

Award-winning screenwriter and non-traditional Indigenous artist, specializing in comedic features and Indigenous sub-genres. Works blend humor with modern perspectives, focusing on narratives that both entertain and resonate with diverse audiences.

Initially Phil Ballard was a script reader for Renaissance Films, one of the best production companies at the time, writing for various companies/productions on an independent basis. Mainly involved the crime genre, including a pilot TV police drama series. Phil’s latest finished script written

Born and raised in frigid Minnesota before heading to the dry, dusty desert to pursue a film degree, Trevor Murphy has been in the camera department on major and minor film and tv shows for… well… a long time - look him up on IMDb and see if you can figure out which “Trevor Murphy” he is. Finally

Retired fire chief. Faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College. Former dolphin trainer and whale scientist. Baja, motocross, and desert racer. Now carving out a new career as a writer.

Jose was born & raised on the mean streets of Philly PA, aka, The Badlands. In his formative years, Jose was locked up, escaped, caught, thrown back in, and finally released from jail for selling narcotics. After an ultimatum from a Judge, Not Judy, he enlisted in the Army and turned his life around

Stephanie is an award-winning writer & actress known for her recurring role as Carmen Campos on Netflix's Orange is the New Black. A member of SAG-AFTRA, the WGA East Indie Caucus, and AEA, she holds a B.A. in English from Saint Anselm College and a M.A. in English & Creative Writing with a

Mike Macke is a screenwriter who specializes in character-driven drama and comedy with heart. Through his writing Mike looks to entertain as well as inspire in a fashion that illuminates the power and goodness of the human spirit, excluding no one, inviting everyone along for the ride during our

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

Randall DeSoto wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money." He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence throughout U.S. history. He is a journalist who has been

An investment banker by day and a screenwriter by night. A dad of two under two as the main job, though. I have a wife - I'm taken. If you’re wondering - yes, she wrote the bio, clearly she is better at it than I am, although I’m the one writing screenplays here. Mainly sci-fi.

Chris is a screenwriter and copywriter living in East London, and originally from rural Lincolnshire in the East of England. He has an MA in Screenwriting from London Film School, and is currently working on a number of sci-fi and comedy projects.

Keith lived and worked as a teacher in North Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America, eventually settling in BC, Canada. His first novel, Drawn into Danger, is set in Algeria, and he used his experience there to write a fictional thriller. Inspired by working in Malaysia

I have come to screenwriting after 25 years as a database professional. Writing fiction has always been something I have done for myself and my friends, but after writing my first feature script in 2018, I realized I'd found a format that works with the way I think. Since then, I have become

Anthony A. Labriola is an alumnus of The School of Visual Arts with background in Film & Television writing. He has been a member of The Long Island Film and Television Foundation since 2015, when he began his work with The Nassau County Film commission and has since been the director of the

On the autism spectrum, 14 screenplays on The Red List, Austin Film Festival Semifinalist, 3x Austin Film Festival 2nd Rounder. I’m on the Blood List in Britain. 20-time finalist in Academy Award, BAFTA and Canadian Screen Awards qualifying events. I have 2 screenplays on The Short List. 500+ film