Feedback from Lauren Glover and Jonterri Gadson
UNSETTLING written by Sarah Jayne Brown (dark comedy pilot)
A 29-year-old woman struggling to no longer settle for the toxic abuse piled on by work, family, and relationships decides to hold herself accountable by making a pact: she will be a successful writer by age 30, or kill herself.
Featuring Courtney Gabrielle Williams, Andrew Elvis Miller, Nono Osuji, Gita Reddy, Erron Jay, Christopher James Stevens, Rashawn Nadine Scott, and Chanell Bell
Sarah Jayne Brown specializes in the dark arts. Born and raised in Oakland CA, she is a Black & Jewish, Queer Feminist writer with a punk rock sensibility. Through horror and dark comedy, she exposes uncomfortable aspects of the human condition. Her stories are a blend of everyday modern life and the surreal. Born to a schizophrenic mother and raised by her grandparents, she grew up in a household where film and TV served as an escape. First, it was The Wizard of Oz at age five. Then it was The Exorcist at age eight. Then she discovered Paul Thomas Anderson, Stanley Kubrick, and Danny Boyle at age twelve and she knew she wanted a career in film and television. Sarah received her Bachelors in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2015. In 2022, she placed in the Outstanding Screenplays Feature Competition for FLESH & BONE, a body horror-comedy about a witch who conjures her dream boy, only to discover his body is rapidly decaying. Her TV pilot UNSETTLING recently placed in Launch Pad’s TV pilot competition and is being developed into a web series. Her latest script is a dark erotic drama titled UNICORN’S DILEMMA about a young woman navigating the ecstasy and horrors of polyamory culture.
SENIOR HIGH written by Tamika Simpkins (comedy pilot)
When Miss Teacher, a 25 year long high school teacher, who has always had a passion to educate and empower students, gets fired due to her old school and unorthodox-ed methods, she gets a rare opportunity to empower another generation of students, who all happen to be in the senior citizen club.
Featuring Kimberly Hébert, Lee Sherman, Christopher James Stevens, Amy Scribner, Leah Bass-Baylis, Laura Jacobson, Alberto Isaac, Shirley Jordan, Conni Marie Brazelton, and Rashawn Nadine Scott
Philadelphia-native Tamika Simpkins has shared her acting talents on stage, film, TV, and behind the mic. She holds a double major Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Information Science, and African-American Studies. Now LA based after losing a bet to a friend, she is driven to tell stories to make you laugh, think, reflect, and inspire.
