Screenwriting: Writing Your First Act (Sept. 2021)

Deborah Goodwin's screenwriting journey started with a decade in development at Hollywood studios like USA Networks, CBS, ABC Daytime. She is the former Director of Development at Sanford-Pillsbury ( "Desperately Seeking Susan," "River's Edge," and "How To Make An American Quilt”.)

She made her mark as a screenwriter and independent filmmaker when she won the Urbanworld Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay for her bold and darkly funny family drama, "Cherrys." This win put her on the map and opened doors for future projects.

Deborah's writing gained attention, scoring fellowships with prestigious organizations like Film Independent (FIND) and IFP (The Gotham) Lab Emerging Narrative.

Some of her produced works include the horror/fantasy film "Vampires in Venice," which got international buzz at the Marché du Film in Cannes, and the action/drama "The Pastor," released by Fathom Events and AMC. "The Pastor" was a groundbreaking project in the amplification of day and date releasing, premiering at the same time in 500 theaters across the United States and 300 theaters throughout Latin and South America.

"The Pastor" also stands out for having a mostly Latin American/Latinx cast, showing Deborah's commitment to diversity in her work. The film launched the careers of several rising stars, including Ismael Cruz Cordova, who later became famous for his roles in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Rings of Power," Victoria Cartagena, known for her role in "Batwoman," David Iacono, who starred in "The Summer I Turned Pretty," Rosal Colon, recognized for her work in "Orange Is the New Black," and Frank G, a seasoned actor with credits in "Power" and "Saw."

At the height of The Pandemic Deborah and Ginni Media teamed to produce critically acclaimed and highly rated scripted audio meta fiction podcast series” Fear, A Love Story” created by Goodwin. Seasons one and two topped Apple’s 100 podcasts to listen to chart and boasts an impressive 8.3/10 on Amazon. Season three will air Valentine’s Day 2025.

Deborah Goodwin's career shows her strong dedication to storytelling, her fresh approach to filmmaking, and her commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in the entertainment world.

Caleb Aldrich got his start working on indie films like Smiley Face and An American Crime before coming up on shows like Body of Proof, Jane The Virgin and Revenge. He's written for shows including Heartbeat and Transparent, has developed multiple pilots, and wrote and directed the scripted podcast The Valley. His short film, Low Blows, won accolades including Best Comedy (Short Film) at the Florida Film Festival. He's currently developing his first feature film, and has been an advisor at Sundance Collab for many courses who loves to help others find their voice and develop their stories. 

Julia Camara is a Brazilian writer/filmmaker. Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, she freelanced for years as a Portuguese translator for film and television subtitling. She has written and directed several award-winning short films. Her feature directorial debut In Transit, an experimental drama shot mostly in one day and with improvised dialogue, won Best Experimental Film at four different festivals. Julia also wrote the sci-fi feature Area Q (starring Isaiah Washington), the road movie Open Road (starring Andy Garcia, Juliette Lewis and Camilla Belle), and the award winning sci-fi found footage feature Occupants aka Alterverse (starring Star Trek: Voyager's Robert Picardo). Occupants aka Alterverse has screened at 150 festivals all over the world and has won over 100 awards including a Telly Award for writing. Julia teaches Screenwriting at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. She developed two brand-new courses since she started teaching; Inclusive Screenwriting, a course designed for the development of stories around underrepresented communities, and Writing a Low Budget Feature Film. In the Fall of 2020, Julia self-published the eBook That’s What She Wrote, a collection of articles and interviews about screenwriting and filmmaking. Julia works as an advisor for Sundance Co//ab. Some of her courses include: Crafting Your Sci-Fi Feature, Revising Your Feature Screenplay and Writing Your First Act. Some of Julia’s writing can be seen on WeScreenplay blog, Luz Collective, Student Filmmaker Magazine, and Ms. In The Biz archives. Julia is a staff writer for season 2 of the narrative sci-fi podcast Crypto-Z. Her latest project, Stronghold, an indie thriller she wrote and directed, is in post-production.

Celia C. Peters is a filmmaker creating daring futurist stories about intriguing, authentic characters. Peters is currently developing her afrofuturist feature film GODSPEED with producers Gabrielle Glore, Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon. She is a 2024 Artist-in-Residence with the Betti Ono Foundation and was curator of the 2024 Black History Month film program at the SFO (Airport) Museum. She directed and co-produced SHUTDOWN (2023), a historical documentary presented by The Ohio State University and in 2022, she launched her science fiction audio drama DOMESTICATED. In 2022, Peters was named a Cultural Strategist in Government for the City of Oakland at the African American Museum and Library of Oakland. In this role, she is creating digital and immersive media from Oakland's Black history and producing a short documentary on Huey P. Newton, which is forthcoming in 2025. 

In 2021, Peters curated Blackness Revisualized, WNET/AllArts.org's inaugural afrofuturist film festival. She is also an ongoing Advisor to Sundance Co//ab courses, including "Beyond the First Act"; "Writing Your First Act!" and "Screenwriting: Crafting Your Sci-Fi Feature." In 2019-2020, Peters was a lecturer at Ohio State University. She created the B.A.M.N. (By Any Means Necessary) filmmaking course and Screenwriting Basics course that she's taught to youth and adults. In 2018, she delivered a keynote speech at the NAACP National Convention and attended the Talent Lab at the Reykjavik International Film Festival with feature project Godspeed. In 2017, Peters was awarded a Residency at the Wexner Center for the Arts for her experimental sci-fi short film MISSION. Her screenplays have been prize-winning and recognized in competition. Her work has screened in Los Angeles, Oakland, New York, Berlin, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Cleveland and London; also on public and cable television. She has produced content for Afropunk, New York Comic Con and California African American Museum (L.A.). Peters is an honors graduate of University Michigan with a B.A. in French and Political Science, and holds an M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She also did graduate studies in clinical psychology at NYU.