MENTOR: shukree tilghman
Shukree Hassan Tilghman is a phenomenal American TV writer who began his writing career on the USA drama series SATISFACTION, the CW’S The VAMPIRE DIARIES, then was a writer/producer on THIS IS US, earning an Emmy Nomination for Best Drama Series. He was a Writer/Co-Executive Producer of the TNT drama series ANIMAL KINGDOM, and Executive Producer of the MGM+ series EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK, and recently Co-Executive Produced Peacock’s BEL AIR. Shukree received a B.F.A. in Film and Television from NYU and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from Columbia. He has written pilots for NBC, ABC, HBO, HULU, HBO MAX, and APPLE TV.
MENTOR: SABRINA DHAWAN
After writing and directing her incredible short, AS NIGHT FALLS, Sabrina Dhawan penned the outstanding feature, MONSOON WEDDING (directed by Mira Nair), which won a Golden Lion at Venice and was nominated for a Golden Globe and BAFTA. Other works include COSMOPOLITAN (PBS), KAMINEY, ISHQIYA, and MONSOON WEDDING (the musical). Dhawan has written for 20th C Fox, HBO, Netflix, Disney, Fox Searchlight, ABC, and Killer Films. She is a professor of screenwriting at NYU and as well as the US, has taught in India, Uganda, Tanzania, Singapore, and Qatar, and is currently in development for a new project, CHARDI KALA.
MENTOR: ALEXANDRA WEIR
Brilliantly funny, deadpan writer, Alex Weir (WGAE Women’s Salon) started her film journey working behind the scenes on big productions like BATTLESHIP, THE AVENGERS, and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. But with higher aspirations, Weir adapted an amazing dramedy feature, NORTH OF NORMAL, based on the novel of the same name. Weir will be screening COOL ME DOWN, her directorial debut, an original sci-fi/dramedy contained short and masterclass in timing and tone matching her other works with incredible performances and outside the box writing, proving you can do a lot in one apartment.
mentors: ORIANA SCHWINDT & STEPHEN PARKHURST
Oriana Schwindt (WGAE Women’s Salon) and collaborative partner/husband Stephen Parkhurst started off their relationship making shorts together, then spent their wedding funds making horror feature, SIGHT UNSEEN (available on VOD). They writer/filmmaker team are currently packaging their next project, THE TAXIDERMIST and are excited to speak about their journey into horror. Oriana is the WGAE’s fun/fearless Women’s Salon co-chair, and a Warner Bros TV Writers Workshop alum.
MENTOR: SASHA STEWART
The incomparable Sasha Stewart (WGAE Women’s Salon) is a television writer whose accolades include a Writers Guild Award as creator and writer of the brilliant TV show, DYING FOR SEX, as well as THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE. Alongside dramedy writing, Sasha, also civically minded, wrote for the documentary, AMEND THE FIGHT FOR AMERICA, and is deeply involved in organizing at the Writers Guild, from strike leader, to Women’s Salon Co-Chair, to activities committee, now moving into leadership positions.
MENTOR: BRIANNA HOLT
Brianna Holt (WGAE Women’s Salon) is a multi-hyphenate journalist, writer, and director whose short film, HAPPY ENOUGH (A QUEER SHORT FILM) will screen at our lab, and whose feature script, BLUEPRINT was a Cannes Film Festival Awardee. Holt’s debut novel, “In Our Shoes” (Penguin Random House) has been read in book clubs and included in college curricula, her scripted podcast, "POSSESSION (Audible) was nominated for an Ambie, and Holt was named a Dazed 100 honoree. Holt is also an assistant adjunct professor at Columbia’s School of Journalism and is a proud mentor to emerging writers.
MENTOR: CRAIG WILLIAMS
Craig Williams is a screenwriter and producer at Red Wall Productions, created with long-time collaborator and wife, Rosalyn Coleman Williams (they met at Sundance!), creating over 50 features, web series, documentaries, and shorts. Craig has staffed on the hit TV show "TERROR LAKE DRIVE" on ALLBLK on AMC, is a Warner Brothers Discovery TV Writer’s Program alum, and his feature “Black Boys Don't Sew” starred Academy Award Winner Viola Davis. Craig has elevated productions across the industry, while helping empower others to create their own work.
TAMIKA GUISHARD
Tamika Guishard is an extraordinary filmmaker, a first-generation American born of Kittitian heritage in East New York, Brooklyn, with the mind of a storyteller, heart of a teacher, and soul of a dancer, Tamika is a NYU Graduate Film, and recognized by Oscar-qualifying festivals and Hollywood Foreign Press for her narrative shorts as well as featured at Harvard University and SXSWedu for her pedagogical video expertise, Tamika is a force and beyond, and one of the coolest folks I ever had the pleasure of coming across. From Athena FF Writers Lab co-alum, NYSCA winner, Ken Burns associate, her academic achievement, creative brilliance, and accolades and accomplishments go on and on.
MENTOR: ASHER JELINSKY
Asher Jelinsky is an award-winning writer/director best known for their short film MILLER & SON (2019), which won the gold medal Student Academy Award, the BAFTA Student Film Award, and the gold Cannes Lions Young Director Award. Their short films have screened at over 70 festivals worldwide, and they are currently developing several features. Asher earned an MFA in Directing from the AFI Conservatory and is an active BAFTA member. They teach screenwriting and directing at Sundance Collab and Temple University, and have presented on short filmmaking through programs including the Big Apple Film Festival panel series and the inaugural Screenwriting Sprint cohort.
THE LAB — ROUND ONE
THE LAB — ROUND ONE
Online SESSIONS
(every tues & Thurs) Sept 1st-24th, 2026
'26 ROUND ONE COHORT
'26 ROUND ONE COHORT
ASHLEY LARA
Ashley Lara is an NYC-based writer with a penchant for crafting “shock and guffaw” stories with drama, comedy, and surprise twists along the way. Her hour pilot THE GATEWAY was a quarterfinalist in The Great Pitch Competition in 2025. Her play CHASERS premiered Off-Broadway at the Emerging Artists Theatre New Works Festival in 2018. When she’s not writing, Ashley can be found belting out tunes at NYC’s classiest karaoke lounges.
Logline: THE BIRTHDAY GIRL IS MISSING
Tensions rise among a group of friends when a double birthday celebration takes a turn after one of the birthday girls goes missing after a celebratory bar crawl.
ANDREW NIMETZ
Andrew Nimetz is a Production Assistant and multidisciplinary creative with experience across film and television production, including work in art, props, set decoration, and production operations. With a background in Cinema & Screen Studies and Graphic Design, he brings a combination of on-set experience, visual storytelling, and a practical problem-solving mindset to his work, with a growing focus on producing and directing.
Logline: THEOLOGY 666
A grieving professor summons a demon to resurrect his beloved cat, only to discover that bringing back a cat with nine lives requires him to take nine lives of his own.
CATHERINE WOO
Catherine Woo holds a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU Tisch with a minor in Art History, and is pursuing an MS in Integrated Marketing from NYU SPS. She was the Associate Producer for The Gospel of Joan (Crawford) during the show’s 2024 run in NYC and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is the Development Coordinator at NY Women in Film & Television, supporting senior leadership at an organization that champions creators.
Logline: I LIKE IT AND SO SHOULD YOU
Tensions between a pretentious gallery owner and a scandal-ridden art dealer unravel when one of them “accidentally” breaks a $3.8 million vase the night before it is set to go to auction.
CHA QUALLIS
Cha Quallis is an editor, who has worked on a handful of acclaimed documentaries. While she enjoys helping craft non-fiction stories she is looking for a new challenge with narrative screenwriting. She hopes this added skill will expand her creativity, as well as help her master the art of visual storytelling.
Logline: BOYISH
Boyish: Eight year-old Rosie is used to making adults uncomfortable until she meets Ms. Redd who isn’t fazed by her differences. The likely pairing results in companionship and trouble.
DARYELLE CHERY
Daryelle Chery is an actress and screenwriter based in New York. She majored in Creative Writing and English Literature at Southern New Hampshire University. Her most recent achievement is "I'll Be Waiting,” her first produced short play. The New York Theater Festival produced it for the spring/summer 2024 season.
Logline: PD
A 20-something battling OCD must reconcile her life upon learning she’s pregnant. Teaming up with her estranged sister, they work together to salvage Christmas and their relationship.
DAVID BROWN
David Brown is a recent grad of SUNY New Paltz with a degree in Digital Media Production. New to screenwriting, he is hoping to refine his skills as a storyteller in the lab.
Logline: BLUE NOTE
Charlie, a down on his luck jazz musician, reluctantly joins a revolutionary group in the hopes of finding his next inspiration.
DEBRA KAMECKE
Debra Kamecke grew up in Greene County at a time when nobody knew a filmmaker or a writer and most kids got married right out of high school. She spent 7 years bouncing around different colleges, was a factory worker, a field hand, associate editor, photographer, news reporter, and librarian. Kamecke wrote her first screenplay 30 years ago, and is still doing so (so maybe not a sprint…) and was also deeply involved in teaching writing to Vets.
Logline: WHAT KIDS FEAR
Three kids playing in the woods are frightened by a ghost but racing home doesn't mean they're safe.
EMILY E. TURNER
Emily E. Turner is a New York-based writer, producer, director, and disability advocate. She has produced two sold-out shows at Lincoln Center for the ReelAbilities Film Festival and co-wrote "Chronically Petty," a comedy show about the absurdity of ableism in America, which was featured in the 2026 Yes and Laughter Lab showcase.
Logline: BLUE LIGHT BLUES
When a woman discovers she only has three minutes to live, she turns to the one thing that can save her: the internet.
EMMA HOSTETTER
Emma Hostetter is a Dutchess County-based screenwriter who graduated from SUNY Purchase with a BA in Playwriting and Screenwriting. Emma is a producer, assistant director, and actor, and most recently was a G&E Swing on a short called THEY RESCUE HORSES, DON’T THEY? And PA on feature film, THE WINGERS. When they’re not writing, Emma enjoys watching and analyzing movies with friends works at a restaurant, manages a local Recreational Park, and is an after-school program assistant at a local library.
Logline: THE LEATHER JACKET
After purchasing a leather jacket from a local thrift store, a young woman must face the consequences of bringing home the ghost of the person who once owned the same jacket.
JAIME CLARK
Jaime Clark, who goes by they/them pronouns, graduated with a BFA in Animation/illustration with a minor in film, with a love of drawing, crocheting and cosplaying.
Logline: WRAPPED
A Chinese nonbinary adoptee goes through the struggles of making dumplings in an attempt for acceptance.
JANELLE LAWRENCE
Janelle / jei Lawrence is an interdisciplinary screenwriter and playwright whose work centers on character-driven sagas, high-stakes ensembles, and genre-bending world-building. Grounded in stories that dissect power, survival, and conflicting perspectives, their work has been developed and presented through Primary Stages (ECHOES Cohort), SPACE on Ryder Farm, the 92nd St Y, National Black Theatre, and The Kennedy Center, with honors including a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Adaptation. An alumnus of Juilliard’s Evening Division, Lawrence teaches storytelling and dramatic structure as an Adjunct Professor at Point Park University and Brooklyn College.
Logline: THE CHOICES WE MAKE
When a pregnant Black femme chooses to raise her child with her supportive ex-partner, she must navigate the widening emotional rift with her current girlfriend, who struggles to find her place in an unconventional co-parenting dynamic.
JESUS OSWALDO CRUZ MARTINEZ
Jesus Cruz is 26 year-old college student majoring in Psychology. As an immigrant, first-generation student, and the oldest of four boys, he brings his experiences and imagination into his screenplays. He is inspired by stories that are wild, vivid, emotional, and terrifying. He hopes to continue exploring his deepest curiosities to create not just stories, but experiences that will leave audiences wanting more.
Logline: PACTO CON LA MUERTE
As a Demonic, zombie outbreak spreads through Yonkers, a young father must risk his life to protect those he loves, forcing him to test his faith, humanity, and the limits of sacrifice.
KAYLA HOPKINS
Kayla Hopkins is a Brooklyn-based writer who focuses on telling stories that highlight BIPOC and Queer people. Screenwriting is her way of honoring the people who raised her in Clayton County, Georgia, and the young queer folks of color who will come after her. Still learning and growing in this field, Kayla looks to tell authentic stories that we can all relate to in some way.
Logline: BILLIE
A young woman comes of age with the assistance of a green-eyed demon.
KYLE BRONER
Kyle Broner is a Hudson-Valley based multimedia creative with a passion for filmmaking at all stages of production. He has written, directed, DPed, and edited a myriad of short films over the years, and is currently in post-production for his feature film debut: "When You Were Last Online." Through his work, he strives to center queer artists, characters, and stories to promote the kind of authentic representation that he wasn't afforded in the media he consumed growing up.
Logline: I’LL SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER AT LAKE LEVI
During their overlapping stays at scenic Lake Levi, Rad and Hayden try and fit "forever" into one week as they grapple with their feelings for each other, an unshakeable sense of deja vu, and the near-paranormal bigotry of the town's patrons.
LEANN SCRIMMAGER
LeAnn Scrimmager (Lee) is a New York City-based executive producer, development executive, and screenwriter, currently Manager of Development & Original Production at WEtv/ALLBLK, where her credits include the GLAAD-nominated Wiggin Out with Tokyo Stylez, Telly Award-winning Deb's House, and the rom-com Funny Thing About Love. She's also developing a true-crime docuseries with AMC Studios. As a filmmaker and screenwriter, her debut short BellaDonna was nominated for Best Experimental Film at the 2025 North Film Festival, her action feature Love Child was accepted into the Plenty of Pie Talent Incubator, and she is planning to direct her short film, Object of My Desire in 2026.
Logline: GIRLS
Two men take over a girls’ trip in a secluded cabin by holding them captive, thinking they are witches. Will the girls escape, or is it the men who should be scared?
LEX POWELL
Lex Powell (they/them) is a queer writer-director-dilettante who moonlights as a psychotherapist. Their work has been presented at the Whitney Museum, Guggenheim, BAM, and The Kitchen (among other HIPAA compliant locations). Lex was Moonshot Accelerator Fellow and are currently in post-production on comedic short film. Lex is a member of Meerkat Media Arts Collective, MT+NYC writing residency, and Brooklyn Film Collective. They studied performance and psychology at Sarah Lawrence (BA) and NYU (MA), Shakespearean performance at London Academy, and comedy writing/improvisation at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade and The PIT.
Logline: EX LOVERS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE CIRCLE
A comedy about a group of queer acquaintances connected by their fraught and overlapping romantic histories with a trans heart-throb, whose funeral they are about to attend.
MAKANA LANI
Makana Lani is a queer filmmaker based in NYC and the co-founder of production company Someone Somewhere. Her horror feature, Contingent, was named to The Black List's 2022 Latinx List. She primarily writes character-driven stories centered on women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Logline: ALTERNATE
A mother grieving the accidental death of her young son must decide whether or not to switch lives with another version of herself.
MATTHEW HAMILTON
Matthew Hamilton, a Black filmmaker from Poughkeepsie, New York, wanted to be a writer since Kindergarten. By high school this aspiration evolved into filmmaking. Having directed multiple shorts and shot several commercial projects, Matthew is excited for the next step in his creative journey.
Logline: HEART TO HEART
A woman with body swapping powers makes a living contract killings disguised as suicides. When a routine job takes much longer than she expected, she’s forced to confront the morality of her career.
MOHANA RAJAKUMAR
Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American screenwriter, comic, and scholar whose work explores female-centric narratives and the humor found in cross-cultural experiences. Her portfolio includes a slate of award-winning short films which she wrote, directed, and produced, including a comedy about a couple ordering tacos for the first time American Baby, the interracial collegiate romcom, Me Against the World, and the web mini-series A Diwali Dilemma, a Indian focused, female-centered retelling of A Christmas Carol.
Logline: GIRLS, GUYS, GRADES
Lakshmi and Keshia could win their school’s science fair with the prize money being their ticket out of small town life to pursue their dreams. But forced to choose between her bestie and future… or her heart, Lakshmi discovers that winning is an imprecise science.
NATASHA VAYNBLAT/ELLIE SKRZAT
Co-writers, Ellie Skrzat and Natasha Vaynblat are the creators of several Comedy Central digital series including "Inside The Art" and the award-winning “Your Worst Fears Confirmed” which has been called "visionary" by Vulture. Their illustrated comedic essays have been featured in The New Yorker. Ellie and Natasha's previous shorts include“For Iggy” starring Jo Firestone and Josh Gondelman and "Astro Love" starring Tammy Faye Starlite and Kenny Mellman.
Logline: T.I.T.S (POUR ONE OUT FOR ME, HOMIE)
T.I.T.S. (Pour One Out For Me, Homie) - It’s a boring night until Oliver picks up his grandma’s phone, revealing a side of her he never knew existed and launching his night into an intergalactic mission that will change him forever.
NOEL ARZOLA
Noel Arzola comes from the music space, studied professional digital audio & video software in College, then continued on to become proficient in sound syncing using Avid Pro Tools and Apple Logic. Arzola worked at various record labels in the NY/NJ Music industry, including Sugarhill, Zakia, Bee Boy, and Big Boss Records and this is his first foray into screenwriting, based on his autobiographical account of his time in the downtown 80’s/90s DJ scene in NYC.
Logline: DISCOVERING THE B-SIDE
A boy in NJ sees a turntable in a pawnshop window, then makes a mad dash to NYC nightlife, defying a strict Catholic family and battling a crippling fear of success.
SASHA-GAY LEWIS
Sasha-Gay Lewis is an Emmy-nominated Producer-Writer, award-winning Director, and Narrative Strategist whose work explores the people, cultures, and experiences that shape how we understand ourselves and the world around us. A Jamaican-born, New York-based filmmaker, she brings more than a decade of experience developing and leading documentary and nonfiction projects for HBO, ESPN, MTV, and YouTube Originals. Her work has been supported by organizations including Firelight Media, Sundance, Mountainfilm, and Netflix. You can learn more about her work at www.sashaglewis.com.
Logline: THE LIES WE TELL
When a young girl begins to suspect her stepfather’s affection has crossed a dangerous line, she must navigate the silence and denial of a family determined to preserve the illusion of perfection.
STARINA CATCHATOORIAN
Starina Catchatoorian is a writer, singer-songwriter, and actress based in New York. A recipient of the prestigious New York State Council on the Arts grant in literature, her essays have appeared in various publications, including Lenny Letter, Narratively, and Oldster Magazine. Her essay, “The Golden Seed,” was a finalist in the Women On Writing Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest and her feature screenplay, Ghost Hymn placed in the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. As a singer-songwriter, her music videos have been screened at festivals worldwide.
Logline: ANOUSH
In 1990’s Queens, NY, a rebellious American-born teenage girl navigates her sexual awakening and cultural identity within a strict Armenian immigrant family. When her father publicly humiliates her, she must choose between his shame and her own emerging self.