AJ Dinsmore is a Chinese-American writer and producer based in Los Angeles. Raised in the middle of Nowhere, Wyoming, AJ’s identity was consistently shaped by what others could see, not what they knew. This inspired AJ to write stories that examine appearance vs. reality, and why we accept the former with little curiosity for the latter. She feels most at home writing character-driven dramedies, often with a sci-fi or mystery twist that explores and reveals the inherent absurdity and beauty in humanity. A 2024 writing fellow in Lena Waithe and Hillman Grad’s Mentorship Lab, AJ’s producing credits include the short film OWNERSHIP from the Academy Award-winning film development company, The Lagralane Group, and Lower Depth Theatre’s podcast, WRITER’S REVEALED. Learn more at www.ajdinsmore.com.
HOT CITY (Half-Hour Dramedy): An estranged daughter returns to her rural hometown for the first time in years, but when she is accused of her ex’s murder, she must find the real culprit to clear her name and escape the “unimaginable horrors” of small town life.
Dralla Aierken is a Uyghur-born Chinese writer based in Los Angeles. Juggling many identities, languages, and cultures from a young age, she feels a deep connection to the alienated and the voiceless, and delights in how different and exactly the same we all are. She sees the world as a f*cked-up funny place and strives to explore the heavy topics of grief, power, and injustice with humor and compassion. Dralla’s crime show pilot, THE BLUE HOUR, was a finalist in the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay competition. She is 2024 writing fellow in Lena Waithe and Hillman Grad’s Mentorship Lab and a mentee a mentee in the Unlock Her Potential Mentorship Program.
SOIL (One-Hour Drama): An Iowan family farm scrambles to meet a threat greater than farmland consolidation and climate change — a Chinese woman who has come to claim 15% of their farm.
Dylan Correa is a queer Puerto Rican writer mostly from Euless, Texas. As the first generation in his family to be raised in the States, Dylan learned English by watching American TV. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in film & television production, Dylan made the final round of the 2021 Warner Media Access Program and was a participant in the 2024 NHMC Series Scriptwriters Program. His pilot, LAS PALMAS, made the second round in the 2024 Austin Film Festival's Drama Teleplay Pilot competition. Dylan’s writing gravitates towards stories about the idea of found family. His pilot, LANTANAS, was inspired by his experiences growing up with a little brother with Down Syndrome.
LANTANAS (One-Hour Drama): A lost 20-something's work hard, play harder lifestyle is turned upside down when a family crisis forces him into the role of caretaker for his estranged younger brother with Down Syndrome.
Jair Kornegay is an LA-based writer who has called many places home. From the urban jungle of Camden, New Jersey, to the farm country of Woolwich, to the dormitories of Phillips Academy Andover, he’s always had television and film to anchor him. In his work, he enjoys interrogating race, the nation, love, and technology. Jair writes exciting, elevated high-concept television grounded by familiar frameworks and driven by strong characters. His accomplishments include being selected as a semi-finalist for the 2022 Screencraft TV Pilot Competition and the 2022 Screencraft True Story and Public Domain Competition. He has also penned two Pendy Award-winning audio dramas, ORION’S PUNIHMENT and COVERT RENDEZVOUS. Living with Crohn’s Disease and OCD, Jair is also focused on exploring themes of chronic illness and disability.
Menu'Ette Silver is a writer and director based in Los Angeles. Her love for storytelling and her voice for advocacy developed at a young age during her upbringing in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Masters in Film & Television Production from the University of Southern California where she produced and wrote THE DOPE YEARS which won the Student Academy Award, the DGA West Region Award and is currently available on Magic Johnson’s Aspire TV. Her latest directorial, TRIGGERS, is available on FOX Soul. Menu’Ette uses her creative platform to explore themes of self discovery, spirituality, and mental health in world building dramas. Silver is a volunteer mentor for EmpowerHer Institute, a non-profit organization that creates a safe space for girls to develop their voice.
OAKRIDGE ACADEMY (One-Hour Drama) When Indigo is sent to a prestigious boarding school for troubled teenagers her life takes a turn when she realizes she possesses a spiritual gift and must use it to save the lives of others.
Naki Franklin is a comedy writer based in Los Angeles. Growing up in Washington, D.C., Naki was either playing soccer against the daughter of the President of the United States or draining her mom's printer ink to "publish" books. Wearing a back brace throughout grade school gave her a straight spine and a passion for creating underdog protagonists in her stories. Naki writes female-led coming-of-age comedies centering on friendship, family, and romance. She has worked at THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and in scripted television at Creative Artists Agency. (Website: nakifranklin.com)
CHARM CITY BASTARDS (Multi-Camera Comedy): When an affluent, suburban Baltimore family's patriarch kicks the bucket, they discover he had a penniless second family in the City—and now both households must cohabitate in his mansion or lose it to his freeloading best friend.
Omar Nava is a Los Angeles-based writer and comedian who happens to be the fourth in his family born in the US but the first to waste a college degree. After briefly working as an engineer, Omar realized that he loved making people laugh more than he loved making spreadsheets. He learned that though numbers can build, words can create. As a writer, Omar draws heavily from his bi-cultural upbringing by merging his love for the “silly” and “smart” to craft hilarious family stories rich with empathy. His comedic writings have led to several opportunities including the the writers’ room of the competitive CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase, Will Smith's Westbrook Entertainment, the WGF’s inaugural Writers' Access Support Staff Training Program, and a 2024 writing fellow in Lena Waithe and Hillman Grad’s Mentorship Lab. Omar is also a stand-up comedian who performs at all the major comedy clubs in LA. His pilot, The Seaward, draws from his experiences and observations while headlining on cruise ships.
THE SEAWARD (Half-Hour Comedy): The ill-sorted Production Staff of Destination Cruise Line’s most weathered ship must overcome their own dysfunction to keep the demanding & entitled passengers entertained while also dealing with the equally needy talent.
