WeScreenplay Feature Lab
Enter NowAbout
The WeScreenplay Feature Lab is designed to provide access to Hollywood professionals and help you level up your craft at the same time. 6 fellows will be selected to participate in a jam-packed, multi-day interactive virtual screenwriting lab.
The lab includes group and 1:1 meetings with industry executives, hands-on workshops, and discussions with working feature writers. This year’s industry lab participants include writers, creative executives, producers and companies behind films with Ryan Coogler, Ethan Hawke, Bradley Cooper, and experience working with Blumhouse, HBO, Netflix, Paramount and more.
Plus our industry guests have expertise in getting films into major festivals and labs like Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca and more.
Prices & Deadlines
Jan 15th
Late
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Feb 18th
Final
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Standard Entry
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$79.99
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$89.99
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Standard Entry with Feedback
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$134.99
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$144.99
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Benefits
Industry Guests
Tatiana Kelly
Producer
Serena Films
Tatiana Kelly is an Independent Spirit Award-nominated producer who has produced over two dozen feature films and television shows consistently with Oscar-nominated talent including THE WORDS starring Oscar-winner Bradley Cooper, CUT THROAT CITY starring Oscar-nominee Ethan Hawke and Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard, THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY starring Oscar-nominee Dev Patel, THE CATCHER WAS A SPY starring Paul Rudd and many more. Tatiana directed her first feature documentary THE PEOPLE VS. VEGAS DAVE. She got her big break with the Sundance hit WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY, starring Patrick Fugit, Shea Wigham, and Tom Waits. Tatiana excels in producing material based on pre-existing IP and has had many of her films premiere at major film festivals such as Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, and Tribeca Film Festival. She’s also worked with major networks and studios including MTV and Lionsgate.
Darcy Donelan
VP, Development & Production
Voltage Pictures
Before returning to Voltage Pictures as Vice President, Development and Production, Donelan worked in New York at HBO, where she was a marketing manager, focusing on International Original Programing, and at CAA, where she was a coordinator in the Books Department. Originally from Boston, Darcy Donelan is a graduate of Harvard University.
Melissa Azizi
Creative Producer
Sparkwood Films
Melissa Azizi worked in Los Angeles with Gail Mutrux to help develop and produce critically acclaimed films and scripted television such as: the Academy Award-winning THE DANISH GIRL, the Golden Globe-winning HBO mini-series SHOW ME A HERO (wr. David Simon & Bill Zorzi), the Academy Award-nominated NEWS OF THE WORLD starring Tom Hanks, iBOY (UK's first Netflix Original) and more. Melissa successfully sourced the SLOW HORSES crime book-series by Mick Herron, which airs on Apple TV+ starring Gary Oldman, as well as Len Vlahos' LIFE IN A FISHBOWL in development with Amazon. Before this, Melissa produced short films in Australia that have screened in over 100 film festivals worldwide. She is a Sundance Producers Lab finalist and has been supported by various Australian film agencies. In 2020, Melissa co-founded Australia’s first screenwriting fellowship, IN DREAMS – designed to connect two unrepresented Australian screenwriters with Hollywood industry. In 2024, Melissa produced a feature documentary, BREAKING BOUNDARIES with her company Sparkwood Films. She is now currently based in Sydney producing with Studio Gilay, while working on her directorial feature.
Alex George Pickering
Screenwriter
Matthew Breault and Alex George Pickering are an LA-based screenwriting team repped by Citizen Skull Management. They have written Puss in Boots and Kung Fu Panda animated shorts for Peacock Kids and optioned several scripts, including the upcoming features Crate and Impulse Control. Alex wrote the Ryan Coogler-directed short film Fig, distributed on HBO, and the upcoming comic book series and graphic novel Heard, based on his award-winning feature script of the same name. Matt and Alex’s feature biopic script Jumpman has earned over 20 awards alone, and is currently being shopped by a prominent production company.
Matthew Breault
Screenwriter
Matthew Breault and Alex George Pickering are an LA-based screenwriting team repped by Citizen Skull Management. They have written Puss in Boots and Kung Fu Panda animated shorts for Peacock Kids and optioned several scripts, including the upcoming features Crate and Impulse Control. Matt directed the Streamy-winning series The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy. Matt and Alex’s feature biopic script Jumpman has earned over 20 awards alone, and is currently being shopped by a prominent production company. Outside of their writing endeavors, Matt is an editor on the Bachelor franchise.
Eric Odioso
Director of Development
Catchlight Studios
Eric Odioso is a Director of Development and Producer with an extensive background in film, TV, and media project management. Working with CatchLight Studios since 2022, Eric is known for spearheading a diverse array of projects, providing critical feedback throughout all stages of development, and ensuring seamless coordination among departments, producing partners, and on-set personnel. His role involves managing productions from concept to delivery, and nurturing talent relationships. Before his current role, Eric’s journey in entertainment also includes a tenure as a Strategy Associate at Solstice Studios. A job at the intersection of targeted marketing and creative development, he crafted strategic reports to assess the theatrical market potential of projects and contributed to creative and production decision-making processes. Prior, he worked at Blumhouse Productions and spent several years freelancing in production, producing or coordinating everything from music videos for major labels, indie feature films, and in television for various scripted and unscripted projects.
Eric Brodeur
Founder and Producer
Exit 44 Entertainment
Eric Brodeur has a decade of experience in feature film post-production, specializing in Picture Editing. He has worked on major studio films like The Nun, The Grudge, Ouija, Sinister 2, and Transformers: The Last Knight with budgets ranging from $4M to $200M for companies including Warner Bros., Sony, Blumhouse, Paramount, and Netflix. Early in his career, he worked on independent films with budgets under $1M, including Sundance Film Festival winner The Sessions (starring Helen Hunt) and Filly Brown, which launched the career of Gina Rodriguez (“Jane The Virgin”).
Jake Wagner
Manager
Alibi Management
Jake Wagner is one of the most respected literary managers working in the business today. Jake has also been one of top selling spec script managers of the last decade. Jake was responsible for the largest spec sale of the last 10 years (and one of the biggest in history), with SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN which sold for over $3MM to Universal Pictures. After an illustrious and celebrated career at Benderspink and Good Fear and Film + Management, Jake is now the owner of Alibi Management. Jake’s clients have made some of the most popular recent horror films including POLAROID and CRAWL.
Camille Tucker
Writer
NAACP Image Award nominated film and television writer Camille Tucker hails from Compton, CA, where both her father and brother formerly served as mayor. Passionate about writing stories centered around BIPOC characters in elevated worlds, Camille has sold scripts to Sony, Universal, New Line, Fox TV, STARZ and Disney+ and developed her projects with A-list producers such as Robert DeNiro, Marc Platt, Stacey Snider, Todd Garner, Debra Chase, and the late John Singleton. She is the co-writer of Lifetime’s critically acclaimed biopic The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel, which was nominated for five NAACP Image Awards, including outstanding writing. As a filmmaker, Camille has directed and produced six short films that have screened at the Sundance, Heartland, Pan African and San Luis Obispo film festivals. More recently, Camille has written a biopic for LeBron James’ Springhill Entertainment and Disney+, a TV pilot for 50 Cent’s G-Unit and the STARZ network and is a Writer/Executive Producer on the Gladys Knight limited series with Cineflix Studios.
Dominique Grund
Manager, Literary & Talent
Black Bear
Dominique Grund graduated from Chapman University where she studied Theatre and Broadcast Journalism. She worked for Joanne Roberts Wiles at ICM Partners for three years in both the literary and talent departments. She joined Black Bear Pictures in the management division a little less than a year ago as a manager focused on both actors and filmmakers.
Writer Success
Announcements
Rules
At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.
At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.
- Screenplays entered must:
- Be screenplays that are a minimum of 70 pages. (All scripts under 70 pages will be accepted, read, and considered through the finalist round – but cannot win one of the top 4 prizes)
- Be submitted in PDF form and must fit all standard screenplay format guidelines. Personal formatting conventions will be accepted but must not intentionally or accidentally alter the page count of the project as determined by the judges. Anything over 120 pages will cost $1 extra per page.
- Be owned solely by the writer or writing team listed. It may be an adaptation or reimagining of true events or fictional stories. Projects submitted should not infringe on the rights of any work not available in the public domain.
- Be written in English. However, scripts from anywhere in the world will be accepted.
- Have pages numbered. Scripts of any length will be accepted for an additional fee, but we’d advise that scripts over 150 pages should be edited down before being submitted.
- NOTE: WeScreenplay automatically removes the cover page before assigning scripts to readers, so writers may include any typical information on their cover page. Scripts are accepted with or without cover pages.
- Writer must be 18 years of age or older at the time of the winner's announcement.
- By entering this screenplay into the competition, you must have full permission from all co-writers and any attachments to the project.
- WeScreenplay claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remain with the original rights holder(s).
- Screenplays entered may be in any genre or combination of genres. All will be treated equally and read by an unbiased panel of readers and jury members.
- The following formats will be accepted: Feature screenplay
- Entrant’s total earnings for screenwriting for either film or tv, produced or unproduced, must not exceed $50,000 in the previous 18 months from submission or $250,000 lifetime earnings. This excludes any prize money from competitions or fellowships and only applies to fund or money transferred in exchange for an option or sale of a script, treatment, idea, intellectual property, or other writing for filming. Money earned from acting, directing, producing, or any other film work outside of writing is not included.
- Screenplays submitted must not have been previously sold or produced unless said sale or production was completed with no financial gain to the writer.
Purchasing Additional feedback throughout the competition will in no way impact your standing or odds of advancement.
For a submission to be valid it must be accompanied with the appropriate payment based on the submission deadlines.
All deadlines are at 11:59pm PT on the date listed. Any deadline alteration or promotion of any kind does not make any entry valid for a refund of any kind.
RESUBMISSIONS will be accepted. Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with a $6 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
There are no refunds for any submitted screenplay. Coupons may not be applied to previously submitted scripts. Coupons deemed for WeScreenplay coverage may not be used for submission to the contest or addition of coverage to any submission unless explicitly stated or exempted on the coupon or by a WeScreenplay representative via e-mail communication only.
There is no limit on the number of scripts a writer or writing team may submit.
Prizes are awarded per script and teams of writers are expected to divide prizes on their own accord. WeScreenplay will send prizes to the writer who submits the project and will in no way be responsible for how the prizes are distributed among the writing teams.
The decision of the judges will be final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the next level as advancement will be based on all scores in the competition.
Scorecards can be accessed on the writer’s dashboard. Feedback will be delivered before the next announcement but usually sooner. Feedback for each round of the competition, whether free or upgraded, will be returned before the next competition announcement.
WeScreenplay reserves the right to delay announcements for any reason. While we never anticipate any delays, such delays will not alter the standing of any screenplay entry and will not qualify an entry for a refund under any circumstance.
By entering a WeScreenplay competition every entrant is agreeing to all WeScreenplay Terms of Service listed on the website and additional terms agreed upon at checkout. If you disagree with any terms you may not submit to the contest.
By submitting to the contest you are releasing your script (but not it’s underlying rights) to WeScreenplay and holding harmless WeScreenplay or any affiliates from any claims, expenses, and liabilities, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, copyright, libel, trademark infringement, slander, personal property infringement, etc.
Any prize winners will be required to sign an affidavit validating their entry into the contest.
Any writer winning a cash prize will be required to file the appropriate tax and legal documentation before the cash prize is distributed.
All prizes provided by sponsors or mentors are subject to said sponsor or mentor providing the prize. In the event a juror, partner organization, or prize partner is no longer able to serve in their specified capacity, WeScreenplay will make its best effort to secure a replacement if possible. WeScreenplay is not responsible for the failed delivery of any prize package by a juror, sponsor, or partner organization.
Former Grand Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize Winners of the contest may enter so long as it is NOT the same script that won in a previous year. Any other placement in former years does not disqualify the script from being entered this year.
By entering the competition, entrants are acknowledging their eligibility for the competition. We may check eligibility at the finalist stage before picking winners or distributing any prizes. We also advance a few additional scripts to ensure no one is missed by someone entering who is not eligible.
Void where prohibited.
Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to WeScreenplay and its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. All uses of an entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless WeScreenplay, Red Ampersand, Inc., Industry Arts, LLC., WeScreenplay.com, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, Prize contributors, judges, screenplay readers, Sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s Entry, participation in the Contest and/or acceptance or use or misuse of Prize; provided however, that such release will not apply to any commercial exploitation of the script by a Released Party in violation of your rights under applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the WeScreenplay.org and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorney’s fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. Employees of WeScreenplay and their immediate families are ineligible to participate in this contest. Any such submission will be immediately disqualified. ENTRY TO THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local law. Voided entries will be refunded. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before the grant is awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility.