2024 Screenplay Award Finalists

An Iowa dairy farm boy who luckily scored a masters degree from Stanford and has taken numerous classes at the University of Iowa Summer Writers Festival. Works and plays well with others. (Please note the website listed here is being updated and is currently unavailable.)

Dad, Clinical Psychologist, and Screenwriter. I am keenly interested in giving voice to those injured by my profession.

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.

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

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

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.

Genet is a Black List Recommended Screenwriter. She has a passion to create smart dialogue and complex characters in edgy, original and compelling stories. Her screenplay, I Think Therefore You Are, was a finalist in the UK Film Festival Feature Script Competition 2023 and the Golden Script

A thriving film student at UCLA and Content Clearance Analyst for HBO, Katrina is not just learning; she's redefining storytelling, drawing from a life rich with trials, triumphs, adventure, and growth. From being a teen mom and homeless, to snorkeling with manta rays in the Indian Ocean and running

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

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.

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

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

As an auteur filmmaker with his critically acclaimed, award-winning films successfully in distribution, Brent launched his career with original screenplays that circulated throughout top production companies and studios. During that time he sold two scripts, an adaptation of "The Hunchback of Notre

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

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

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

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

Chef Joe Gatto is an author, private chef, and host of the hit cutting-edge cooking show, Joe Gatto’s From Scratch, currently airing on Pluto TV. His radio show From Scratch on NPR/ WBUR Radio Boston is a fan favorite. He is a renowned private Chef to A-list clients including Celtic and Red Sox

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

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

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.

From scoring 30 episodes of "America Now" to collaborating with platinum artists, from crafting intricate film scores to penning the expansive XOVA7 universe, Quanah's creative journey is as varied as it is impressive. Hailing from Orange County, New York, Quanah Jay Hicks is a true renaissance

Mauro has been living and working for several years in Bucharest, Romania, where he holds the position of manager at the European headquarters of one of the world's leading providers of IT solutions. Originally from northern Italy, he lived in Milan for fifteen years before emigrating, always

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

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

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

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

As a gay ex-Mormon, a 20-year survivor of HIV/AIDS and conversion therapy, and a Ph.D. classical pianist who has performed in Carnegie Hall… Marcus Ostermiller writes grounded David and Goliath pilots and features about flawed queer underdogs who confront daunting foes ranging from terminal illness

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

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

Homeless is the author of five books, including the novel “This Hasn't Been a Very Magical Journey So Far” and the poetry collection “Shithead Laureate.” He’s been published by Hobart, House of Vlad and ExPat Press. He putters around NYC wondering whatever happened to predictability, the milkman

I was born in Missouri and attended Northwest Missouri State University obtaining a B.S. degree in Broadcasting. Soon after graduation, I landed a job as a television anchorman in Kirksville, Missouri. Within two months I was let go and I returned back to my hometown of St. Joseph, Missouri. Within

Barry Kienzle is a born and raised Kentuckian. He is an award-winning author, having written three novels, "The Crossings," "The Indian," and "A Whisper in the Wind." He has also co-written a memoir of Willie Burton, a high school wrestler with cerebral palsy, "Heart of a Lion," and an autobiography

Alistair is a writer and director. He has worked on numerous award winning short films. He has a passion for storytelling and believes the best stories are character driven. He is currently working in the theatre industry. Hoping to one day put on his very own play.

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

Matt Nicholson is a queer screenwriter based in LA. His portfolio of short scripts and hour-long pilots brings new twists to old myths and champions stories about family legacy. Matt has worked as a stage manager, researcher for "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," and Editor-In-Chief of GeorgeTakei.com

Growing up, Hannah Garfield fell in love with storytelling through forcing her brothers and neighbors to play roles in her made up games. She recently earned her MFA in Screenwriting from Boston University and relocated to LA.

Kelsey studied writing and literature at Loyola Marymount University and has since dabbled in various editorial-related positions. She currently works in localization.