Grand Prize Winner
Default by Hannah Dillon
Hannah began screenwriting while studying Dramatic Literature at NYU and interning for documentary film production companies in New York City (4th Row Films, The Documentary Group). Her favorite writing teacher told her, “Read the screenplays for the movies you’ve seen a thousand times, and see what you discover.” She immediately read the scripts for Goodfellas, When Harry Met Sally, and Shawshank Redemption, and discovered that compelling screenwriting is the most awesome thing, ever. When Hannah isn’t creating her own material, she’s siphoning great literature, film, TV, and comedy into her soul like her life depends on it (it does).
Hannah has a passion for thrillers and dark comedies. In fact, comedy is her other love, second only to writing, and the two often fuel each other. She has studied Improv and Sketch Writing at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles, under Mark Rennie, Rachael Mason, Eric Scott, Julie Brister, Alex Berg, and Brett Christensen.
“Modern Love,” a sci-fi comedy short screenplay by Hannah, was performed at Liveread/LA in September 2016, was a finalist for Best Unproduced Screenplay at Grove Film Festival 2016, won for Best Short Screenplay at New York Film and TV Festival 2016, and was officially selected by Hollyshorts Film Festival 2017.
Default, a pilot inspired by the main characters of “Modern Love,” was a Finalist in The Tracking Board’s 2017 Launch Pad Pilots Competition, and was, as is already evident by this bio, the Grand Prize Winner of Script Pipeline’s 2017 TV Writing Competition. It felt weird to leave that out.
Every year on her birthday, Hannah is named “Best Screenwriter If You Have Even Half a Brain” by her own mother. Other entrants need not apply.
In her spare time, Hannah draws cartoons, which can be found on Instagram @hannahraecartoons.
Runner Up
Future Me And Me by Corey Taft
Corey was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up near the Elkhorn River. After high school he moved to California and lived with his aunt and uncle while he studied Communications and competed for the speech and debate team at Palomar College. He transferred to Cal State LA where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Scriptwriting and continued to compete in collegiate speech and debate.
Corey has studied Sketch Writing with IO West, UCB, and the Pack Theatre. He was a Finalist for the NYC Midnight Short Screenplay Competition and the NYC Midnight Screenwriting Challenge.
In addition to screenwriting, Corey writes, recites, and publishes spoken word poetry. You can often find him performing around Southern California in places like the Da’ Poetry Lounge in Hollywood or the La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
When he is not orchestrating words together he works several independent jobs like driving for rideshare and delivery companies, substitute teaching, conducting poetry workshops, and working at the Yourself Art Gallery in DTLA.
Finalists
Aeternum by Heidi Nyburg
Big Boy by Burke Scurfield & Adam Lederer
Default by Hannah Dillon
Fucking Robots by Emily McGregor & Samuel Weller
Future Me And Me by Corey Taft
Lunar by Cord McConnell
SOS by Sara Monge
South of the 10 by Davina Willett
Thrust by Jill Hoppe
Yonge Street Strip by Lisa Gold
Semifinalists
Aeternum by Heidi Nyburg
At Death’s Door by Matt Catanzano
Big Boy by Burke Scurfield & Adam Lederer
BoJack Horseman – “Go Forth Wall” by Cameron Chapman
Caliber by Heather Upton
Cul-De-Sac by Shannon Latimer
Default by Hannah Dillon
Echo Falls by Shelley Acosta Smith
Fucking Robots by Emily McGregor
Fun Center by Sarah Soderquist & Anna Menta
Future Me And Me by Corey Taft
Good Girls Don’t by Bryn Woznicki & Adam Wayne
Hank and Martha in the Basement by Katherine Langsdorf
Lunar by Cord McConnell
Make Erica Great Again by Aaron Karo
Monogamish by Adrienne Dawes
Mr. Abdul Goes to Washington by Skander Halim & Gina Ippolito
Rachel Sisco’s Week That Was by Sheila Jenca
Sag Harbor by Demetra Kareman
Saint Ciara’s School for Girls by Sylvia Batey Alcala
Silicon Curve by Heidi Nyburg
SOS by Sara Monge
South of the 10 by Davina Willett
The Great House by Camille Campbell
Thrust by Jill Hoppe
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – “Kimmy Learns to Catfish!” by Sarah Cassell
Un-Mothered by Pamela Rooney Barnes
Yonge Street Strip by Lisa Gold
Quarterfinalists
Aeternum by Heidi Nyburg
Apple by Anna Lisa McClelland
Archangel-4S by Lance Wayne
At Death’s Door by Matt Catanzano
Avalon by Randall Knox
Awkwardly Apocalyptic by Sarah Hopkins
Behind the Red Curtain by Shani Moore Weatherby
Big Boy by Burke Scurfield & Adam Lederer
Billy Fez by Michi Broman
Bloodlands by Joseph Balczo
BoJack Horseman – “Go Forth Wall” by Cameron Chapman
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Sidetracked” by Michael Conti
Buried Bodies by Iris Shim
Caliber by Heather Upton
Cul-De-Sac by Shannon Latimer
Damsel by Bianca Ursillo
Default by Hannah Dillon
Division One by Brooke Buffington
Dragon State by Laura Whang
Echo Falls by Shelley Acosta Smith
Everhart by Kaitlyn Wayman-Dodd
Faire Tymes by Sharon Massey
Fucking Robots by Emily McGregor
Fun Center by Sarah Soderquist & Anna Menta
Future Me And Me by Corey Taft
Good Girls Don’t by Bryn Woznicki & Adam Wayne
Gourmet Spot by Shirley Yip
Grit by MW Wilson
Hank and Martha in the Basement by Katherine Langsdorf
Hollywoodland by Amanda Prentiss
Hot Flash! by Terri Viani
Juvey by Erica Clethern
Land of Enchantment by Caroline Hayes
Liminal by Megan Meadows
Lunar by Cord McConnell
Magnificent Max by Avram Dodson
Majestic by Kevin Ennis
Make Erica Great Again by Aaron Karo
Millennial Rules by Heidi Putallaz
Monogamish by Adrienne Dawes
Mr. Abdul Goes to Washington by Skander Halim & Gina Ippolito
New City News by Alex Forstenhausler &
Eric Lee
Northern Gothic by W Spencer Janes
Open Space by Andy Healy
Peace Out by Lana Casperson
Punch Card Girls by Emily Aspland
Pyramid by Edward Klau
Rachel Sisco’s Week That Was by Sheila Jenca
Red Ring by Morris Long & Jake Bottiglieri
Rembrandt by Jason Kubik
Sag Harbor by Demetra Kareman
Saint Ciara’s School for Girls by Sylvia Batey Alcala
Side Effects May Include by Asmara Bhattacharya
Silicon Curve by Heidi Nyburg
Slavery By Another Name by Jeanne Bowerman & Douglas A. Blackmon
Small Town by Lachlan Marks & Ella Roby
SOS by Sara Monge
South of the 10 by Davina Willett
Southern Gothic by Jared Ronin
Texican Springtime by Pamela Rooney Barnes
The Barrier by Amanda Glassman
The Boo Crew by Paul Goetz
The Coop by Katie Goldston
The Golden Cage by Oskar Nordmark
The Great House by Camille Campbell
The Home by Alexander Raiman
The Hourglass Project by Lori Stansal-Collins
Thrust by Jill Hoppe
Un-Mothered by Pamela Rooney Barnes
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – “Kimmy Learns to Catfish!” by Sarah Cassell
Valley Wood by Kevin Dembinsky & Jay Manheimer
Yonge Street Strip by Lisa Gold