The Writers Guild Foundation, in partnership with the Writers Guild of America West and Variety, present SUBLIME PRIMETIME 2024, our annual event celebrating the Emmy-Nominated writers for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
Join us for two back-to-back panels at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. Learn about their process for crafting the nominated scripts as well as their journeys navigating the industry as screenwriters.
Writing for Comedy Series Panel
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky - “Bulletproof” Hacks
Jake Bender, Zach Dunn - “Pride Parade” What We Do in the Shadows
Joanna Calo - “Fishes” The Bear (Written by Joanna Calo & Christopher Storer)
Meredith Scardino - “Orlando” Girls5eva (Written by Meredith Scardino & Sam Means)
Writing for Drama Series Panel
Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks - “Anjin” Shōgun
Rachel Kondo, Caillin Puente - “Crimson Sky” Shōgun
Francesca Sloane - “First Date” Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Written by Francesca Sloane & Donald Glover)
Graham Wagner - “The End” Fallout (Written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet & Graham Wagner)
Moderated by Clayton Davis, Senior Awards Editor, Variety.
Doors open at 6pm. Program begins at 7pm. Dessert and drink reception immediately follows.
All proceeds benefit the Writers Guild Foundation’s Library, Archive and Community Outreach Programs.
In the case the event is sold out, we will have a first come, first serve stand-by line at the event starting 30 minutes before doors open. The stand-by line does not guarantee entry into the event and we will only accept credit card transactions for any released seats.
Got a question about this event? E-mail us at events@wgfoundation.org.
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About the Panelists
WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Emmy and Golden Globe winner Lucia Aniello is a writer, director, producer, performer, and one half of the comedy team Paulilu with her partner, Paul W. Downs.
Aniello and Downs have achieved critical acclaim and commercial success writing, directing, producing and acting in comedies such as Hacks, Broad City, Time Traveling Bong, Nora From Queens, The Baby-Sitters Club, and more.
Aniello recently wrapped writing, directing, and executive producing the third season
of Max’s Original comedy series Hacks starring Jean Smart, which she also co-created alongside Downs and Jen Statsky. Hacks has received 49 Emmy Nominations and six wins, including wins for “Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series” as well as wins for two Golden Globe Awards, three Writers Guild of America Awards, a Peabody Award, and Aniello won a Directors Guild of America Award in the category of “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series.” The series was honored as one of the Outstanding Television Programs of the Year at the American Film Institute Awards for both seasons in consecutive years. Hacks has also received various award nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics Choice Awards, Producer’s Guild of America Awards, and the Gotham Awards, among others. Season 3 of the show premiered on May 2, 2024 on Max, and the series was renewed for Season 4 shortly thereafter.
Following the release of Hacks in 2021, Aniello and Downs signed a multiyear overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group. Their first project is Hot Robot, a half-hour genre comedy written by Genevieve Aniello with Lucia Aniello set to direct. Most recently it was announced that they were developing their second project with the studio, “Boyos.” The single-camera comedy stars Downs and Rhys Mitchell, and explores the dynamic of a male friendship based on love, vulnerability and sweet boyo-ness.
Aniello also served as executive producer and director on Comedy Central’s
series Awkwafina is Nora from Queens and Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club starring Alicia Silverstone and Mark Feuerstein. Both shows released their second seasons in the second half of 2021. Aniello previously served as a writer, executive producer, and director on Comedy Central’s critically acclaimed series Broad City, which ran for five seasons. On the
big screen, Aniello directed Sony’s Rough Night starring Scarlett Johansson which she also co-wrote and produced with Downs. Other past projects include the Comedy Central miniseries Time Traveling Bong, which was created and written by Aniello, along with Downs and Ilana Glazer.
Jake Bender is a writer from Los Angeles. Alongside his writing partner Zach Dunn, Jake has written for WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS for five seasons, starting in Season 2. Some of Zach and Jake’s episodes include “Brain Scramblies,” “The Escape,” “Freddie,” “Exit Interview,” and “Pride Parade.” Jake recently wrapped as co-executive producer for Season 1 of ENGLISH TEACHER on FX, which will be coming out in early September. Jake also worked as a writer/producer for the Emmy-nominated Amazon series FALLOUT.
Credit: Jessie Cowan Photography
Joanna Calo is the co-showrunner, executive producer, and director of the critically-acclaimed series THE BEAR on FX. She also wrote for the award-winning series, BEEF, for Netflix. Before that, she wrote for HACKS on HBO Max, LOST OLLIE, and THE BABYSITTER’S CLUB on Netflix. Joanna’s animated TV credits include five seasons of BOJACK HORSEMAN, UNDONE, and TUCA & BERTIE. On the film side, Joanna has been rewriting THUNDERBOLTS for Marvel, adapting THE NEW ONE for Warner Brothers and plans to direct her own project, AFTER BIRTH this fall.
Emmy and Golden Globe-winner Paul W. Downs is an actor, writer and director. Downs is the co-creator and co-Showrunner of HBO Max’s dark comedy series Hacks starring Jean Smart, which is currently in its third season and for which he also serves as executive producer. Hacks has received 49 Emmy Nominations and six wins, including wins for “Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series” as well as wins for two Golden Globe Awards, three Writers Guild of America Awards, a Directors Guild of America Award, and a Peabody Award. The series was honored as one of the Outstanding Television Programs of the Year at the American Film Institute Awards for both seasons in consecutive years.
Following the release of Hacks in 2021, Downs and his wife Lucia Aniello signed a multiyear overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group.
Downs is also known for his role as “Trey Pucker” on Comedy Central’s critically acclaimed series Broad City which ran for five seasons. Behind the camera, he served as a writer, director, and executive producer of the show. On the big screen, Downs starred in Sony’s Rough Night opposite Scarlett Johansson which he co-wrote and produced with Aniello, who directed. Downs also co-starred in Netflix’s 2018 summer comedy Like Father opposite Kristen Bell, Kelsey Grammar and Seth Rogen, in the Comedy Central miniseries Time Travelling Bong alongside Ilana Glazer, as well as in his own half-hour special of Netflix's The Characters.
Zach Dunn is a comedy writer who grew up in North Carolina for some reason. He moved to Los Angeles to attend USC, where he studied Writing for Screen and Television. Alongside his writing partner Jake Bender, Zach has written for WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS for five seasons, starting in Season 2. Some of Zach and Jake’s episodes include “Brain Scramblies,” “The Escape,” “Freddie,” “Exit Interview,” and “Pride Parade.” Zach recently wrapped as co-executive producer for Season 1 of ENGLISH TEACHER on FX, which will be coming out in early September. Zach also worked as a writer/producer for the Emmy-nominated Amazon series FALLOUT.
Meredith Scardino is the creator and showrunner of the Emmy-nominated comedy series, "Girls5eva”, currently in its third season on Netflix. Prior to which, she worked as a writer-producer on the entire run of the critically-acclaimed Tina Fey, Robert Carlock series, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”. She got her start in comedy writing in late night and spent six years writing for “The Colbert Report,” where she won four Emmys, three Writers Guild Awards, and a Peabody. She has also written for “Saturday Night Live,” “At Home with Amy Sedaris,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and “The Golden Globe Awards”, and began her career working as a cartoonist and animator. Scardino lives in New York City with her partner, son (who inspired the “Girls5eva” song “New York Lonely Boy”), and loyal hound.
Jen Statsky is the Emmy Award-winning co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Max's HACKS. Prior to that, she was most recently a co-executive producer on NBC’s THE GOOD PLACE, working all four seasons on the Emmy-nominated show. She also served as a co-executive producer on Comedy Central’s BROAD CITY. Her other writing credits include NBC’s PARKS AND RECREATION, Netflix’s LADY DYNAMITE, and Amazon’s FOREVER.
WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Credit: Katarzyna Szloser
Rachel Kondo was born and raised on Maui. Her writing has appeared in Electric Literature, Ploughshares Solos and Indiana Review. In 2019, her story “Girl of Few Seasons” was included in The O. Henry Prize Stories and selected as a juror favorite by Elizabeth Strout. She co-created the FX television production of SHŌGUN, adapted from the novel by James Clavell. She is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers and now lives on Maui.
Credit: Katie Yu
Justin Marks is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and television Creator and Executive Producer. In feature film, Justin was most recently a writer on the worldwide box-office hit film “TOP GUN: MAVERICK” for producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, and Paramount. The film has earned nearly $1.5 billion worldwide. He also wrote the Walt Disney Company’s hit film “THE JUNGLE BOOK” directed by Jon Favreau and earned nearly $1 billion in worldwide box office. In television, Justin is the Co-Creator and Showrunner of the FX epic series “SHŌGUN” based on the novel by James Clavell. Previously, Justin created the Starz drama “COUNTERPART” that starred JK Simmons and ran for two seasons.
Caillin Puente is a writer and filmmaker from Brooklyn, New York. Her recent work includes serving as a writer and associate producer on Shōgun (FX), where she also managed the extensive historical research. Previously, she was an associate producer on Counterpart (Starz). In addition to her work in television, she has produced and assistant-directed independent horror films, including Clinger (2015), an official selection of the Slamdance Film Festival. In short form, she has directed short films and produced and assistant-directed music videos. Caillin is based in Los Angeles.
Francesca Sloane is a Salvadoran American showrunner, writer, and director, who has showcased her exceptional talent through award-winning television series.
Currently in an overall deal with Amazon Studios, Sloane serves as co-creator, writer, executive producer and showrunner on the critically acclaimed action-comedy series MR. & MRS. SMITH. After its premiere on February 2rd, the show quickly became one of Amazon's "Top 5 New Series Debuts Ever" and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 90%. MR. & MRS. SMITH follows strangers John (co-creator, Donald Glover) and Jane Smith (Maya Erskine) as they independently agree to become agents for a mysterious organization under the cover of a married couple. They must work through missions as their espionage skills and developing relationships are put to the test.
In October of 2023 Sloane was recognized in The Wrap's Latino Power List, alongside other trailblazers in Hollywood including Eva Longoria, Guillermo del Toro, America Ferrera, Pedro Pascal and Salma Hayek. Prior to MR. & MRS. SMITH, Sloane worked on the Emmy®-award winning FX series ATLANTA as a supervising producer and writer as well as serving as a producer and writer on FARGO. In 2018, she developed a series at Apple titled THE FIRST starring Sean Penn. She made her directorial feature debut with HEADBANGERS which was recognized by the Sundance Screenwriter Intensive in 2020 as well as The Black List and NALIP on their inaugural list of best unproduced Latinx screenplays. After graduating from CalArts, she travelled the world shooting experimental video art before getting her Masters in Screenwriting from UCLA.
She was raised between Philadelphia and El Salvador and currently resides in Los Angeles.