COHORT REHASH: REWRITES/WRITING EXERCISES w/ AC Cole
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

MENTOR ROUND TABLE (moderated by Team)
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Tim Barnes (Writer/Comedian), Oriana Schwindt & Stephen Parkhurst (Horror Writer/Dirs), Cynthia Kane (Prod, WFF), Sunny Edelman (UPWIFT), Billy Mernit (Former SONY Exec/UCLA Screenwriting Teacher)

TABLE READS w/ MENTOR NOTES
2:00 PM - 3:30PM
Table Reads/Notes from Mentors (3 or 4 short scripts per day)

EXERCISE: WRITTEN PITCHES VS. ORAL PITCHING EXECS, CONTESTS, FESTIVALS w/ AC Cole
3:30PM - 4:30PM

TIM BARNES

Writer/Comedian

Tim Barnes is a comedian, television writer, and podcast producer with a decade of experience spanning late-night, sketch, multi-camera, animated, and audio productions. Barnes enjoys developing worlds that balance absurdity with relatability, from the broken utopia of his Comedy Central animated web series Maurice on Marsto the faulty justice of his Ninth Planet Audio sitcom JUDGE TRAVIS. Barnes was a participant of the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival Creators Market, has written for the 2026 WGA East Awards hosted by Roy Wood Jr., the 2022 Nickelodeon sitcom Warped!, NBC’s late-night/variety series The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Nickelodeon’s 2019 revival of All That, and the NPR quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!. He also web-produced season one of HBO’s late-night docuseries Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas, which was apparently just before “the web” and “television” became the same damn thing.

ORIANA SCHWINDT & STEPHEN PARKHURST

Horror Writer/Directors

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.

CYNTHIA KAIN

Producer, Woodstock Film Festival

Cynthia Kane is the Development Executive at the Woodstock Film Festival and a former documentary producer. Al Jazeera America, 135+ international and U.S ITVS co-productions for public media, including Anne Aghion’s ICE PEOPLE, the late Albert Maysles’ final work, IN TRANSIT, and the duPont Award-winning series, HARD EARNED. Kane was critical in launching the channel and served as Senior Commissioning Producer in the Documentary Unit. Recent filmography include CALL ME DANCER (2023, ZDF ARTE/yes docu), OBSESSED WITH LIGHT (2023), THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPER (2021), THE RIVER BETWEEN US (2021), LIFE & LIFE (2021), THE DILEMMA OF DESIRE (2020, Showtime), US KIDS (2020), LESSONS FROM A SCHOOL SHOOTING: NOTES FROM DUNBLANE (2018, Netflix Original Documentary), LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD (2016, PBS/BBC).

SUNNY Edelman

UPWIFT

Classically trained in acting, Sunny has directed and performed roles from Shakespeare to Disney, working in regional, Off Broadway theatres, as well as in an Emmy winning television program and numerous Indie films.  She received a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Elementary Education from S.U.N.Y New Paltz and studied acting with Iza Itkin, Robert Castle, Bob Luke and Peter Sklar.  Sunny also took classes at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.  Sunny was also the events coordinator for the Hudson Valley International Film Festival and Assistant Director for the Catskill International Film Festival. In her spare time, she works as an Associate Casting Director with Hudson Valley Casting and Amy Hutchings Casting.  Sunny also teaches math and science at Twin Towers Middle School in Middletown, NY.   

BILLY MERNIT

Former SONY Exec/UCLA Screenwriting Teacher

A story analyst at Universal Pictures for nearly 30 years, BILLY MERNIT has worked on such movies as Bridesmaids and Wicked. In screenwriting circles, he’s known as "the guru of rom-com" for his best-selling textbook, Writing the Romantic Comedy, and taught writing at UCLA Extension for decades. During some 50 years in the entertainment industry he’s written for television (NBC’s Santa Barbara), had his first novel published by Random House, and written songs recorded by Carly Simon and Judy Collins, among others.