Feedback from Kerry Coddett and Kemiyondo Coutinho
ME, MYSELF, AND US by Keisha Bissram (dramedy feature)
An independent, on-the-road traveler returns to her hometown after fifteen years to learn about the life she left behind and the friends whose lives have been altered during her absence.
Featuring Krishna Smitha, Apoorva Gundeti, Samantha Cutaran, Lexi Graboski, Rafiq Batcha, Gita Reddy, Nikki Chawla, Napoleon Tavale, Alex Crow, and Hanjie Chow
Keisha Bissram, an actress and writer, is also known for producing her own stories highlighting unconventional day-to-day conflicts with a blend of relatable discomfort and comedic fashion. Born and raised in New York, Keisha relocated her life and career to Los Angeles, CA. After graduating with a degree in advertising and marketing (a business degree was promised to her family) she immediately pursued her love for acting at the Barrow Group Theater in New York City.
After several years, she landed at the William Esper Studio to learn the Meisner technique in a two-year program. While attending classes, she performed in several commercials, theater, and short films, one notably known as The Woman in the Movie.
Keisha is a self-taught producer-writer with the success of completing and starring in her first seven-episode comedic web series, Conversations in Apartment 3A. She continues to produce short skits such as Simple Life with Tammy and The Note to cultivate her craft as a creative.
I CLASS by Mildred Inez Lewis (dramedy pilot)
When former Vine star Savannah Jackson Velez loses her last influencer gig, she’s forced to substitute teach in an alternative high school with a bunch of earnest oddballs she would never be caught dead with in real life.
Featuring Candice Ramirez, Leonard A. Thomas, Lee Sherman, Georgina Navarro, Susan Louise O’Connor, Joi Elise Little, Phil Idrissi, Torie Tyson, Nicola Rinow, and Rashawn Nadine Scott
MIDLRED INEZ LEWIS writes and directs for theater, film, and the digital space. Her script UNBOWED played at the Palm Springs, Pan African, American Indian, and Jamerican film festivals, and then ran on ENCORE/Starz. She wrote and directed LEFT which played at the San Francisco and Santa Barbara Black film festivals. She also wrote and directed CAN ALSO PLAY! which appeared at Outfest and Outfest Fusion. A hybrid digital piece GHOSTS OF BLACKNESS was commissioned by the National Black Theatre/Harlem9 and Lucille Lortel Foundation. She is in pre-production for MIRROR, a horror short featuring Ephraim Lopez.
Mildred earned a producing MFA from UCLA’s film school where she won a Samuel Goldwyn Creative Writing Award for an original screenplay. She continued her education with the Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Workshop. She put that training to use as co-founder of The Fox Lewis Project which produced digital corporate content and the ETIQUETTE comedy web series which was invited to HollyFest.
Mildred has written two fiction podcasts: MEETS PRINCE, LOVES FROG for Feminist Fairytales’ first season and $10 AND A TAMBOURINE for Antaeus Theatre’s Zip Code series. That series was nominated for a 2021 Ambie Award.
Her work for theater includes the 2022 comedy THE MUSEUM ANNEX at Central Works (Berkeley, CA). Her short play WE JUMP BROOM was a finalist for the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway festival and Best of PlayGround-LA. In 2018, she was part of Humanitas’ PLAY LA.
Publications include THE GIFT and /KOM’PLISIT/ with Broadway Play Publishing. WE JUMP BROOM is in Smith & Kraus’ 2023 Best Ten-Minute play collection.
THE BLACK GIRLS’ GUIDE TO CORP AMERICA by Keisha Wright and Amber Wynn (dramedy pilot)
Marketing executive Gabrielle Wynn and her mentees navigate corporate America with the help of her Black Girl’s guide to success.
Featuring Kimberly Hébert, Rashawn Nadine Scott, Brittany Bellizeare, Nicola Rinow, Susan Louise O’Connor, Rod McLachlan, and Courtney Gabrielle Williams
Keisha Wright is a marketing exec by day and a passionate writer by night. She is SVP of Partnerships & Purpose at THINK450, the partnership and innovation engine of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the union for all current NBA players. In her 15+ years as a marketing executive, expert brand strategist, and former youth trend analyst, she has contributed to trade publications, presented at industry conferences on the topic of youth culture, and generated millions of dollars in revenue for sports and entertainment properties through strategic partnerships with consumer brands. Before THINK450, Keisha held positions at Vox Media, InStyle, the Brooklyn Nets, Macy’s, MTV Networks, and the NBA, creating integrated marketing campaigns comprised of branded content, cause marketing, and experiential activations. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a master’s degree from Pepperdine University.
Amber Wynn is the author of several books, from fiction titles such as A Soft Place to Fall, The Waiting Place, and For Such a Time As This; to the nonfiction how-to, The Rules of Engagement: A Sistah’s Guide to Navigating Corporate America, on which her pilot The Black Girls’ Guide is based. The Black Girls’ Guide is one of Amber’s two book-to-screen adaptations, the other being The Waiting Place, both co-written with her ride-or-die, Keisha Wright. A philanthrepreneur by day, Amber supports the most amazing people on the planet (Black nonprofit leaders), but her happy place is in a quiet space (Miguel crooning in the background) crafting unputdownable novels with sexy plot twists and complex Black characters. Amber received a bachelor’s degree in English from Loyola Marymount University and a master’s degree in public administration from CSU Los Angeles.
