The Beat Sheet

This week #onthebeat, I'm talking to Stacy Osei-Kuffour!

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Stacy Osei-Kuffour is an Emmy-winning writer, playwright, and actress. Born to a Chicago-native mother and a Ghanaian-born father, Stacy grew up with a love for storytelling. Her goal as an artist is to bring untold stories to the stage and screen, stories that challenge our political, societal, and stereotypical views of the Black experience.

Her passion led her to a BFA in drama from NYU and an MFA in playwriting from Hunter College. Her previous plays include: Dirty Blood, Animals (which received an Irv Zarkower Award), The Pearl and The Black Sea (which received an Honorable Mention in The Kilroy’s 2015 List), and Hang Man (which received an Honorable Mention in The Kilroy’s 2017 List and a production at The Gift Theatre in Chicago).

Stacy was also involved in Los Angeles’ Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST), Youngblood, MADLAB, and the Nashville Repertory Theatre’s Ingram Play Lab alongside Christopher Durang. She has been the recipient of the MacDowell Colony Fellowship and PLAY LA’s Humanitas Prize. As of late, Stacy has transitioned into television writing where she has received her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for her work on PEN15, shared with the series creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle. 

Most recently, Stacy served as a Writer and Story Editor for HBO’s critically-acclaimed series and Emmy winning series, Watchmen. 

We talk about:

• how growing up in a "weird" town helped to shape her writer's voice
• how she gets her ideas out of her head and into the universe
• character and world building exercises look differently in the playwriting world vs. TV/film
• her experience in the Watchmen writer's room

and more!

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

You can listen to every episode of The Beat Sheet on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher!

You can click here to subscribe to the podcast everywhere via this RSS feed!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod

Please be sure to follow us on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet

This week, we have Shernold Edwards on the beat!

SHERNOLD EDWARDS is an award-winning film and TV writer with roots in genre/sci-fi and family drama. Shernold adapted the acclaimed novel A Day Late And A Dollar Short by Terry McMillan (Waiting To Exhale) into a TV movie for Lifetime starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ving Rhames. For that project, she received the 2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Mini-Series. Shernold has also written for the final three seasons of SyFy’s Haven, was a Producer on the third season of Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, a Producer on season two of Amazon’s Hand of God (starring Ron Perlman and Dana Delany) and a Consulting Producer on the powerful CBS limited series THE RED LINE, exec produced by Ava DuVernay and Greg Berlanti, that debuted in early 2019. She was most recently a Co-Executive producer on season three of Netflix's Anne With An E (based on the novel Anne of Green Gables) and is writing a TV pilot for eOne adapted from the bestselling Fiona Griffiths mystery novel series from Harry Bingham. Shernold is currently a Co-Executive Producer on the new hit CBS series ALL RISE that premiered in September 2019. Prior to writing, Shernold was a production/development executive at CTV Network (Canada) where her projects included award-winning TV movies and series like Degrassi: The Next Generation. She attended the Canadian Film Centre's Professional Screenwriting Program and has a Screenwriting MFA from Columbia University.

We talk about:

• the difference between Canadian and American writer's rooms
• why writers need to speak up and advocate for themselves
• why it is helpful for screenwriters should talk about how much money they make
• how a near death experience may have helped her land a writer's job
• the "staff writer's slump"- you need to know this!
• what it was like writing on some of my favorite shows: Instant Star, Degrassi, and Anne with an E

and more!

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

You can listen to every episode of The Beat Sheet on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher!

You can click here to subscribe to the podcast everywhere via this RSS feed!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod

Please be sure to follow us on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet

Brusta Brown & John Mitchell Todd are a fantastic, diverse writing team who are currently Producers on BLACK LIGHTNING for Berlanti and CW. They also developed a Marie Laveau project entitled THE VOUDOU QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS with Amazon and Fox21 last year. Previously, they worked on the staffs of TAKEN for NBC, SUPERSTITION for USA, and DOMINION and DEFIANCE for SyFy.

We talk about:

• her first tv pilot that ended up being banned
• her identity journey as a Chinese + Black woman and how that helps to round out her character's journeys
• how life experience helps with a writer's depth (no, you're not too old to be writing for TV!)
• what she learned by sitting in on writer's pitches (she gives a lot of gems here about what good pitches look + sound like!)
• why getting staffed before you sell a show may be the move for you

and more!

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

You can listen to every episode of The Beat Sheet on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher!

You can click here to subscribe to the podcast everywhere via this RSS feed!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod

Please be sure to follow on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet

This week on the beat, we have Sade’ Sellers!

Sade’ Sellers is a screenwriter and producer based in Burbank, California. Originally from Michigan’s capital, Lansing, Sade’ has been working in the entertainment industry since 2009. In 2017, Sade’ was a finalist for Tv One’s Screenwriting competition for her teleplay The Replacement. This achievement motivated the network to hire her as a writer for their upcoming movie of the week event, Deadly Dispatch, which premiered on the platform in the summer of 2019.

            Through that production process, Sade’ met casting director Leah Daniels-Butler who was in the midst of staffing her production company, 1oneninety5. Sade’ then rose to the role of Vice President of Content Acquisitions and Development and spent the next year learning the ecosystem of film and television development from pitching to production. Using that experience, and bound at home due to COVID-19, Sade’ made a return to her first love, screenwriting, utilizing her free time to write new content.

            Currently, Sade’ is practicing social-distancing with her beloved dog, Majon, in Burbank. She enjoys cooking, baking, and catching up on programs such as The Great and Little Fires Everywhere. 

We talk about:

• the secret to directing a music video and how to make sure that it's telling the story you want
• what she has on her writer's playlist
• what happens when a network hires you to write a movie from their IP database
• the hiring disparities of Black women screenwriters in the industry
• why you should incorporate your name

and more!

Ajoké Adebesin has a BA in Interactive Communication from The Ohio State University and an MFA in Professional Screenwriting from National University. 

Ajoké has worked in the entertainment business for several years, landing her first entertainment job as a mailroom clerk at CBS Television City. She then was a production assistant on 75+ commercials, independent films, and TV shows. Ajoké was also a DGA Trainee on eight TV shows, including PRISON BREAK, DEXTER, and THE MIDDLE. 

Ajoké then transitioned to the film festival world, where she worked for the Outfest Film Festival, TCM Classic Film Festival, and Pan African Film Festival. She eventually made her way back to the TV world as a producer’s assistant on THE QUAD. 

Since 2015 Ajoké has produced two web series and six short films. And in 2019, Ajoké was a Writers Assistant Network POC Workshop Winner for her one-hour romantic dramedy RAISING THE BAR.

We talk about:

• What it was like to work as a DGA trainee
• The importance of networking to find the job you want in Hollywood
• How festivals recruit short films- and you can put yours at the top of the pack
• Her work on the tv show, The Quad

And more!

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

You can listen to every episode of The Beat Sheet on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher!

You can click here to subscribe to the podcast everywhere via this RSS feed!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod

Please be sure to follow us on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet

Jonterri Gadson is a former creative writing professor who chose TV over tenure. She won Kevin Hart’s LOL Film Fellowship for a short she wrote/directed and premiered at the American Black Film Festival. Her pilot script won Best Comedy Script at the New York Television Festival where she won development deals with OneX and Topic Studios. She’s an alum of the NBC Late Night Writers Workshop, New York Stage & Film Filmmakers Lab, Refinery29 & TBS Riot Comedy Writers Lab and the IFP Project Forum. She’s published three poetry books, including the full-length poetry collection Blues Triumphant (YesYes Books). 

Jonterri was a staff writer on Adult Swim’s Birdgirl and a comedy writer on the Daytime Emmy-winning talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show.

We talk about:

• Creating works that make people feel less alone
• Writing yourself into your work
• What it’s like to work in a writer’s room for an animated show
• The differences between writing for daytime and late night
• What getting a development deal actually means

And more!

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

You can listen to every episode of The Beat Sheet on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher!

You can click here to subscribe to the podcast everywhere via this RSS feed!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod

Please be sure to follow us on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet

Jacquelyn Revere was born and raised in Inglewood, Ca. Jacquelyn developed a deep interest in storytelling at a young age and theatre became her outlet. A professed theatre nerd, she studied Shakespeare at Oxford University before receiving her Bachelors and Masters in Fine Arts. After graduate school Jacquelyn became the ambassador for AIS (The American Institute for Stuttering) . 

As their Ambassador she traveled to 3 continents connecting facilitating courses and speaking at different conferences. Her speaking engagements grew her a following which quickly grew her Youtube channel dedicated to visibility and advocacy for the stuttering community. Her videos were referenced in USA Today January of 2020. 

Jacquelyn has now written, produced and directed a web series, had her short film screened at The Apollo Theatre in Harlem, NY alongside this years Sundance winning film ‘Clemency' and received her first TV Writing Fellowship which began in May 2020. 

We talk about:

• How she made a pivot from performing on the stage to writing scripts as a form of protest
• How her acting experience at Oxford University prompted her to be more intentional with words
• Gathering a mighty team to put together her web series, Crescendo- and how you can do it too!
• Her personal mission as a writer
• Her work with the  American Institute of Stuttering

And more!

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

You can listen to every episode of The Beat Sheet on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher!

You can click here to subscribe to the podcast everywhere via this RSS feed!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod

Please be sure to follow us on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet

This week on the beat, Motion Braithwaite is our guest!

We talk about:

• How her love of poetry helped in her screenwriting journey
• The major differences between playwriting and screenwriting
• The plays she reads to study storytelling structure
• What makes a play becomes a successful film adaptation
• How to co-write a film successfully

And more!

Wendy MOTION Brathwaite

motionlive.com | @motionlive

Motion is a playwright, screenwriter, poet and emcee, fusing word, sound & drama for the stage and screen. A Canadian Film Centre alumna, she is currently a writer and Executive Story Editor on CBC’s hit drama series, Coroner (Back Alley/Muse). She is also developing series with production companies Darius Films and Sphere Media. Motion is the co-writer of Akilla’s Escape (Canesugar Films), a feature film with director Charles Officer, to be released in 2020. She is also writer of ReelWorld Award-winning short film A Man’s Story (Bravofact), which has screened in film festivals in London, Ghana, Belgium, Zanzibar and Toronto.

Her most recent production for the stage is Oraltorio: A Theatrical Mixtape with DJ L’Oqenz. Premiering to critical acclaim, it has been remounted at Toronto’s Soulpepper/Obsidian Theatre, CINARS in Montreal, and the groundbreaking Chale Wote Festival in Ghana. Her other works include Aneemah’s Spot (Summerworks), Loveleigh’s Logue (50in50/Billie Holiday Theatre, NYC), and the Dora- nominated Nightmare Dream (IFT Theatre/Obsidian). She is also published in Motion in Poetry (Women’s Press), Everything Remains Raw (GooseLane), and The Black Notes (Insomniac Press).

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

You can listen to every episode of The Beat Sheet on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher!

You can click here to subscribe to the podcast everywhere via this RSS feed!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod

Please be sure to follow us on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet

Baindu Saidu & Courtney Perdue (CoP, Diverse) are a comedy and drama writing team who're currently Co-Producers on BIGGER S2 (BET+). Prior to that they were ESE's on the upcoming GOSSIP GIRL REBOOT (HBO Max), and SW's on TRINKETS S2 (Netflix) and BIGGER S1. In 2018 they were finalists in the inaugural “Script to Screen” contest launched by BET and Issa Rae’s ColorCreative, landing a script deal as a result. The duo are affectionately nicknamed “Sass and Shade” for their snarky one-liners and tell it like it is personalities...but in a good way. Courtney is a connoisseur of pop and nerd culture, while B is a fun-loving artist who can throw down in the kitchen. Growing up in their respective families (quirky Africans—B; bold, independent women—Courtney) has prepared them for anything: comedy, drama, tragedy, horror—you name it! They’re down to play in it all!

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod.

Please be sure to follow us on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet

Welcome back to Season 3 of The Beat Sheet! I'm so excited to share brand new stories from Black women screenwriters this season. This week on the beat, we have Meredith Dawson. 

After graduating from Northwestern, Meredith (a Chicagoland native) moved to LA to pursue a career as a...wait for it.... talent agent! Her seething jealousy of clients led her to finally pursue the desire to write and she accepted a position as an assistant to Charlie Grandy (The Daily Show, SNL, The Office, The Mindy Project.)  When his show "Champions" was picked up to series at NBC, she was promoted to staff writer. She then became a Story Editor on Hulu's adaptation of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and is currently an ESE on Apple's animated half hour musical. "Central Park". In features, Meredith sold her first spec script, "Spark", to Amazon with Hello Sunshine producing and also made the 2018 Black List. Additionally, her feature "When Carrie Met Michal and Other People" is setup at Universal with Paul Feig producing that she will also direct.  When not writing, Meredith can be found training for a marathon or baking cookies to give away to her neighbors.

We talk about:

how to be an awesome assistant in Hollywood (6:00)

how you know for sure if you’re a comedy or drama writer (10:20)

how to stand up for yourself in the room without overpowering other voices(12:50)

what a story editor actually is (14:05)

how to sell a show and what happens when it finally does (16:00)

and more!

Thank you so much for listening to the show! Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, + REVIEW the show- I would really appreciate it. It helps other screenwriters who are interested in this story to find the show a little easier.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, sponsoring the show, or have any other inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]!

The official hashtag for the podcast is #beatsheetpod.

Please be sure to follow us on social media as well! You can find the show everywhere:

Instagram | @beatsheetpod

Twitter | @beatsheetpod

Facebook | The Beat Sheet