EXCLUSIVE: The Black List and WIF have announced the six participants for the 2026 Episodic Lab.
The Episodic Lab, supported by the Golden Globe Foundation, helps prepare women writers and writers of underrepresented genders for a career in writing television. The up-and-coming television writers who have been chosen for the highly-selective and intensive program will be joining for Episodic Lab’s tenth year.
During the program, participants meet three times a week in March with sessions that include master classes, workshops, and lectures from guest mentors. Mentors for this year include Lauren LeFranc, Julie Plec, Kayla Alpert, Glen Mazzara, Krista Vernoff, Taylor Cox, Sono Patel, and Joel Church-Cooper.
“The Episodic Lab, now in its tenth year, continues to be a flagship collaboration for the Black List and WIF. As our industry faces ongoing headwinds, we remain steadfast in our support of the voices and careers of new writers,” Black List SVP, Megan Halpern, said in a statement.
Added Maikiko James, Deputy Director, WIF: “Television audiences want fresh perspectives, and these selected participants represent exciting new visions in storytelling. We’re so proud of this Lab, its alumni, advisors, and instructors, for their commitment to craft and community.”
Over 55 writers have gone through the Episodic Lab since its inception in 2016, and nearly half are staffed and working in television and film. Alumni include Hannah McMechan and Danya Jimenez (K-Pop Demon Hunters), Zara Meerza (Industry), Marie Hanhnhon Nguyen (Beef), Yvonne Hana Yi (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Davia Carter (Brilliant Minds), Hunter Toro (St. Denis Medical), Anya Meksin (High Potential), Anna Salinas (Loot), Alex Rubin (Sweet Magnolias), Hannah Stoddard & Jenny Ulmer (Reboot), Dagny Looper (Outer Range), and more.
Submissions for the 2027 Episodic Lab also open today on the Black List website. Meet the newly unveiled 2026 participants below and read the loglines for their projects.
Adriana Ducassi
The Ledge – A rag-tag group of newspaper journalists do their goddamn best to cover Miami in the nineties, hurtling toward the death of their industry as their work becomes more important than ever.
Ducassi is a Mexican/Italian filmmaker, writer and actor. She co-created Netflix’s hit digital sketch series “Go Off with Jess & Julissa” and the beloved sketch series “Guac Bottom,” in collaboration with L.A. Taco. Her film “The Eternity of Grief” world premiered as a Best Comedy nominee at Palm Springs ShortFest 2025. And she just completed the year-long Showrunners’ Mentorship Matters program alongside her creative partner, Nick Ducassi. As an actor, some favorite roles include work on Snowfall, NCIS, FBI, Law & Order SVU and Grey’s Anatomy, in addition to numerous indie films and award-winning off-broadway plays.
Amanda Kohr
Crickets – After the disappearance of their first-place teammate, a group of competitive teen dancers and their stage moms begin to unravel, exposing the brutal cost of girlhood, ambition, and the need to be loved.
Kohr is an LGBTQ+ award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and journalist from Appalachia. After escaping a born-again Christian cult, she moved to Los Angeles and joined the cult of Hollywood. Her work explores obsession, sexuality, desire, and the death of girlhood, with plays developed and produced nationwide. She’s also a sex and relationships writer with bylines across major digital outlets. Her pilot “Texts From Your Ex” earned her a fellowship in the Outfest Screenwriting Lab, and she currently works with filmmaker Jason Reitman. Amanda hosts the podcast This Feels Bi, available on all platforms.
Briana Pozner
Vigilantes – Shaken by the injustice of his mother’s death, 15-year-old Mikey joins a covert group of neurodivergent outsiders, donning shoddy superhero personas, in their mission to overthrow their local police department. But as the squad’s notoriety grows, they must contend with the same power struggles they’ve sought to dismantle.
Pozner is an Altadena-based writer and filmmaker originally from Denver, Colorado, where she attended an arts school before moving on to Sarah Lawrence College—continuing her long-standing commitment to avoid basic math. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and The Huffington Post, and her short films have been Vimeo Staff Picks, featured on Adult Swim, and screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals nationwide. Her scripts have placed in many competitions including Austin Film Festival, Launch Pad, Big Break and have gone on to be Black List recommended. Alongside her film work, Briana reads tarot. She recently served as a tarot consultant on the upcoming Netflix series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and is currently in development on a pilot with Olive Bridge and Tornante producing.
Katie Waldron
Cascadia – In the world of sparring environmentalists and loggers in Coastal Oregon, a wildlife biologist, a timber worker, and a pyromaniac punk come together to form an environmental activist group and navigate a blossoming love triangle.
Waldron is a writer from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She enjoys writing about eccentric, often obsessive women who discover purpose in the absurd. Katie finds inspiration in mythology and folklore, as well as the natural environment. She graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts and has worked as a writers’ assistant on “Outlander” and “God of War.” Katie was one of the winners of the Hollywood Climate Pitchfest competition, sponsored by NBCUniversal, and a nominee for the Sundance Episodic Sloan Grant. Outside of writing, Katie enjoys working with animals and has volunteered on and filmed wildlife biology field studies.
Paige Wesley
Thin Places – Solar Springs, Nevada’s claim to fame is the alien abduction of 1987, but to Andie… it’s just home. When her mom is found wandering the desert confused, Andie returns to Solar Springs to find the skies may not be as empty as they seem.
Wesley is a comedian, podcaster, and writer known for her unique ability to explore the intersection of the macabre and the mundane. As the co-creator and host of Cult Podcast and co-host of The Horror Virgin, and Romancing the Pod, she has mastered the art of “genre-bending.” Her work is characterized by sharp dialogue, complex female protagonists, and a lighthearted approach to dark subject matter. Paige Wesley is thrilled to introduce Thin Places to her portfolio. She hopes to continue to translate her digital and comedic success into bold, character-driven scripts for film and television.
Sessen Mengist
The Changed – In a post-apocalyptic Africa where people with supernatural abilities are hunted, a hardened ex-soldier must traverse through the dangerous remnants of civilization to deliver her gifted sister to sanctuary.
Sessen Mengist is an Eritrean-American writer still reeling from the culture and temperature shock of emigrating from East Africa to the suburbs of Minnesota. Inspired by the sci-fi and fantasy stories that helped her escape from reality during those early years in the US, her writing often explores morality and relationships in hypothetical, fantastical worlds. She typically includes African elements to her stories, taking inspiration from African cultures, folklore, and mythologies. She is a 2024 Circle M+P x Anarchists United Writers Discovery Fellow and was featured on The Women’s List in 2025. Gratefully, she now resides in sunny LA.
