Makeda is a Guyanese-American playwright, actress, and producer with a proclivity to mention her Brooklyn upbringing (and her unwavering love of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer) at least twice, per conversation! She graduated from New York University, with a BFA in Theater. Her passion lies in telling stories about Black family dynamics, self-discovery, and addiction through the lens of Black, Queer protagonists. Primarily based in LA, Makeda is a co-founder of Circle of Writers LA (sponsored by Final Draft and Coverfly) and the Ignition Project at EST/LA. She developed her play HAMMER at Moving Art’s MADLab development program and is an HBO All-Access Fellowship and Sundance Uprise Grant finalist, as well as a member of SAG/AFTRA. Makeda will begin pursuing her MFA at Northwestern University in the fall!

Tina Farris has spent the last two decades as tour manager for legends including the Roots, Chris Rock, Nicki Minaj, and Queen Latifah. Her career highlights include overseeing Lil Wayne’s America's Most Wanted tour; guiding the Black Eyed Peas through 15 countries, 76 cities and 99 sold-out shows to gross more than $86 million; and producing and managing Chris Rock’s Total Blackout Tour.

Farris—a California native, bass player, and UCLA alumna—began her career as a high school teacher but switched gears to bet on herself and her first love, music, by accepting an offer to tour manage her favorite band, the Roots. She soon maturated into a go-to logistics and production ace for the Roots crew, several of the band’s collaborators (Jill Scott, Common, and Pharrell) and, subsequently, some of the world’s premier events (the Super Bowl, World Cup, and NBA All-Star Game).

Farris has spent 20 years amassing a diverse clientele that includes D’Angelo, Maxwell, Lauryn Hill, the Internet, Syd, and Steve Lacy. As a woman who’s found success in a male-dominated industry, she is dedicated to empowering other women through Decades, her mentorship conference for women of all backgrounds and orientations.

A cultural stew of “da” Boogie Down South Bronx, Panamanian, and St. Lucian roots, Francine Daniels is a Black, queer, disabled writer and actor in no particular identity order.

Her love of affair with writing and acting was born out of reading 15 books a week as a kid and being enthralled by Broadway theatre. Her edgy and irreverent storytelling is often inspired by her own twisted family dynamics. She revels in writing about unconventional, uncensored, and morally flawed women, who don’t look and live like stereotypes.

Her creative mojo is fueled by travel. So far she’s been to 25 states in the US, lived in six, and visited 30 cities around the world from Paris to Oaxaca. She’s also worked as a journalist, legal researcher at NASA, and a communications executive in the nonprofit sector where she managed large teams and $1M+ budgets.

Recently she was selected as a top eight finalist for Kevin Hart’s Women Write Now Fellowship for her short comedy script VIRGIN HONEYMOON. And her new TV series IN GOD WE GAY was in the top 10% of scripts for The Writers Lab. In Spring 2002 she was one of four writers invited to participate in Mara Brock Akil's Writers' Colony based on IN GOD WE GAY. The series was also a finalist for Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab placing in the top 25 out of 1,500+ scripts.

Francine’s TV series MOSAIC BLUES was selected for the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College Virtual Writers Lab, co-hosted by the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting and sponsored by LIFETIME. Additionally, she was honored with The Disruptors Fellowship for TV writers of color for her series MOSAIC BLUES and SKIN-KIN.

Her writing has been recognized by Stowe Story Labs as a selected project for its lab and writer’s retreat, ISA International Screenwriting Fellowship (for Stowe), WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Screenwriting Lab, and the Inroads Screenwriting Fellowship.

Francine has also been awarded an Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Improv Diversity Scholarship, Film Independent: Project Involve Fellowship and was selected as a mentee in the Women in Film Mentor Program. She’s written, produced and acted in the short film, SOULS OF MY FEET and created and executive produced an 8 week live digital series, CLIMATE CURIOUS, reaching audiences in 46 countries.

As an actor, she’s worked in every medium from stage, television, films, voiceovers, videos, web series to national print and tv commercials. She also served as a director, producer, and casting director for the acclaimed stage production Homeward LA, which focused on raising awareness about the homeless crisis in Los Angeles.

Her childhood nerdiness paid off as she earned a J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law (student loans drive her career ambition); M.A., Black Studies and M.A., Women’s Studies both from The Ohio State University (thankfully with full scholarships) and B.A., Liberal Arts, West Virginia University.

Lit management by Industry Entertainment. Theatrical representation by Jana Luker Agency. Attorney Ryan Goodell, Morris Yorn Entertainment Law Firm.

Rodney is a native of the Bronx in New York City, currently residing in Los Angeles. He started as a development assistant for director F. Gary Gray and was integral in developing several projects for Gray’s production company. Rodney used his acute knowledge of storytelling as a springboard to write his feature script entitled ANN LOWE. Rodney’s Ann Lowe script has won or placed in several screenwriting competitions including, The Writers Room 5050 and Level 4 Press - Adapting Books for the Screen and The Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2022.

Rodney studied Digital Filmmaking and Video Production at The Art Institute of California in Los Angeles. His goal is to acquire a first look or overall deal at a major network, streamer, or premium cable outlet. Rodney specializes in writing drama for film and television. More specifically, writing works based on or inspired by true events.

Kenyetta Raelyn is an award-winning Wilmington-based screenwriter and producer. Obsessed with the Gilded Age and early American industrialization and politics, she writes vividly about capitalism, wealth and privilege and their intersection with race and class. Her feature and TV scripts have landed her in the top 10% of the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship Competition, the 2020 Black List Episodic Lab, Meryl Streep’s The Writers Lab NYC, Austin Film Festival Drama Finalist and was the 2019 ScreenCraft's Drama Feature winner. Recently, she completed writing her first studio feature, a Y/A coming of age story about Double Dutch. She was invited to participate and develop a new TV pilot in showrunner Mara Brock Akil’s Los Angeles Writers Colony.

Yvette got her first self-help book at age 10 from her aunt. It wasn’t some big letters, picture book for a 10-year-old, no, it was thick reading, 200 something odd pages, with tips and activities to do, like wear a rubber band and snap it anytime you had negative thoughts about yourself.

Yvette racked up a lot of suspensions from school and became homeless all before the age of 16. Oh, and her whole family was homeless, she wasn’t a teenage runaway. When she went to school, she found she had to make up things, like what her real address was, where her parents were, who she lived with, and why some people saw their belongings on the street, so this rolled into storytelling and writing.

She loved music and went on to attend Columbia College Chicago. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Recording Engineering and Producing. Her love of writing led her to write a book in 2008, that was self-published. It was a coming-of-age drama titled, Diamonds Are Forever, partly based on her life. She wanted to take writing to another level, so she moved to LA.

Since arriving in LA she has worked various positions as a PA and assistant. Most recently she was a Writer’s PA/Producer’s Assistant on an Apple + Tv show, Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock, through Jim Henson Productions. She has attended Second City and Pack Theater for sketch/improv and comedy writing. She completed a Residency under Mara Brock Akil at her Writer's Colony which is currently invite only. She is completing a year of mentorship in B.B.W./B.G.W, and was also chosen as a mentee for Unlock her potential where she will be paired with a former showrunner for mentorship. She had her first showrunner meetings this year, and a few generals she was able to ger on her own.

She writes for the underdogs, the hood, and strong, flawed women who persevere. She loves dark comedy. In her spare time, Yvette obsesses over fashion. Her dream is to meet and sit front row at a fashion show with Anna Wintour.