Script Club: MULHOLLAND DRIVE

Karyn Kusama most recently directed the first two episodes of AMC's horror anthology series, THE TERROR: THE DEVIL IN SILVER, of which she is also an executive producer. The show is set to premiere in 2026. Karyn was also an executive producer of Showtime’s coming-of-age survival drama, YELLOWJACKETS. The show has garnered ten Emmy nominations to date, including one for Karyn’s direction of the pilot episode.

Prior to that, Karyn helmed the Golden Globe-nominated film DESTROYER starring Nicole Kidman and written by her frequent collaborators, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Her feature credits include indie thriller THE INVITATION, cult horror comedy JENNIFER'S BODY, sci-fi love story AEON FLUX, and her Cannes and Sundance-award winning debut, GIRLFIGHT. Karyn has also worked extensively in television, directing episodes for such series as THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY (for which she won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award), DEAD RINGERS, HALT AND CATCH FIRE, THE OUTSIDER, and THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE.

In 2018, Karyn launched Familystyle Film, her production company with Hay and Manfredi, where they produce for film and television across multiple genres. 

KD Daza is an executive, producer, and writer dedicated to future-minded storytelling. As the leader of Punctuate Studio, she works at the intersection of entertainment, innovation, and education. She has contributed to projects for Netflix, Warner Bros., Disney, Sony, Cartoon Network, Hi-Rez Studios, and more. 

Punctuate empowers film and television professionals to navigate rapid industry transformation. The studio specializes in creative resilience frameworks and the ethical adoption of emerging technologies, including AI, XR, virtual production, gamification, and interactive storytelling.

Through the Sundance Institute, Daza serves as the creative technology advisor for Sundance Collab and the Story Forum program producer for the Sundance Film Festival. She also teaches filmmaking courses and hosts story development events, including the popular Sundance Collab Script Club.

Daza has navigated a robust career as an artist, researcher, and entrepreneur. She has successfully founded and sold two companies — an award-winning digital strategy studio and an edtech media platform — and generated millions of media impressions for her creative works.  

Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN.

Elson joined the Sundance Collab team in October 2021 and produces courses, Master Classes, and events in the areas of screenwriting, television writing, directing, producing, and documentary filmmaking. She has moderated conversations with Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Susannah Grant, among others.

Prior to Sundance, Elson was the Thesis Production Supervisor at the American Film Institute for five years. She oversaw several award-winning graduate thesis films, notably the 2021 BAFTA student film winner APART, TOGETHER and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival short WE WERE MEANT TO. While at AFI, Elson developed a passion for sustainable production and created the Green Film School Alliance, which includes forty schools on four continents. She holds a BA in Communication and Film Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.