New Screenwriters on Breaking In

Jeane Phan Wong changed reps during a low point in her career who helped her turn things around and get staffed. But first, she worked as an assistant for eight years, got into NBC Writers on the Verge, and sold three pilots. We'll talk about her experience as a Script Coordinator, how she sold those pilots, and why she decided to change her reps. I'm Priscilla Nguyen, a pre-WGA writer, and you're listening to NEW SCREENWRITERS ON BREAKING IN.
Jeane Phan Wong is a Vietnamese Chinese writer. She grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and majored in English at UCLA. After interning briefly for a local congressman, she decided to pursue a career in Hollywood and worked as a TV assistant for eight years, starting on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and ending with ARROW. In 2016, she participated in the NBC Writers on the Verge program, as well as the inaugural Women in Film / The Black List Episodic Lab. Jeane has also sold three scripts and landed one feature writing assignment. In 2021, she became a Staff Writer on an upcoming historical drama series.

Kale Futterman got her MFA in 2017, but it took four more years before she got staffed. During that time, she assisted two writer-producers, wrote ten scripts, and worked in education to pay the bills. We'll talk about getting the MFA, the pros and cons of personal assisting, and taking charge of her career. I'm Priscilla Nguyen, a pre-WGA writer, and you're listening to NEW SCREENWRITERS ON BREAKING IN.
Kale Futterman is a Black screenwriter from New York City. She majored in Visual Arts at Stanford, and got an MFA in Screenwriting from USC in 2017. For the next three years she worked as an assistant, first to a writer-producer named Robert Munic, and then another writer-producer named Nicole Jefferson Asher. In 2021, she became a Staff Writer on GINNY & GEORGIA. In 2022, she staffed on an upcoming animated series called BAD CRIMES.

Erica Tremblay met her showrunner and collaborator, Sterlin Harjo, through the Native Filmmakers Lab at Sundance. But that was a decade in the making. Before that, she made a short film, two documentaries, and hundreds of videos for major publishers. We'll talk about how she got into advertising, switched to publishing, and staffed off a feature sample. I'm your host, Priscilla Nguyen, and you're listening to NEW SCREENWRITERS ON BREAKING IN.
Erica Tremblay is a Native-American writer and director from the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. She grew up in Missouri and lives on Cayuga Lake in upstate New York, where she is currently studying her Indigenous language. In 2007, she wrote, produced, and starred in a short film called TINY RED UNIVERSE. In 2012, she released a documentary called HEARTLAND: A PORTRAIT OF SURVIVAL, about a devastating tornado that had struck her hometown. In 2014, she released another documentary called IN THE TURN, about a ten-year-old girl who is unable to participate in sports because she's trans. Several years later, she wrote and directed a short film called LITTLE CHIEF, which premiered at Sundance in 2020. In 2021, she became an Executive Story Editor on DARK WINDS, an upcoming series for AMC, and subsequently staffed on RESERVATION DOGS at FX.

Victoria González wrote her first episode of television as a Showrunner's Assistant. She started as a page at CBS, and got staffed a mere four years later. We'll talk about how she found an all-Latina writers' group, went viral on Twitter, and got staffed off a 50-page comedy sample. I'm your host, Priscilla Nguyen, and you're listening to NEW SCREENWRITERS ON BREAKING IN.
Victoria González is a Mexican-American television writer. She was the first in her family to go to college, and started her writing career in the CBS page program. From there she landed a job on CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, where the creator, Aline Brosh-McKenna, became one of her mentors. In 2021, she co-wrote an episode of DIARY OF A FUTURE PRESIDENT, and later that year became a Staff Writer on SAVED BY THE BELL.

Van B. Nguyen sold a spec script called BLACKOUT that's now in post-production. She began as a Set PA in Austin, and worked in production for ten years before finally getting staffed. We'll talk about why she moved to LA, changed her mindset, and stopped chasing reps. I'm your host, Priscilla Nguyen, and you're listening to NEW SCREENWRITERS ON BREAKING IN.
Van B. Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American screenwriter. She grew up in Houston and came up as an Assistant Director in Austin before moving to LA. While in Austin, she wrote an action film called BLACKOUT that's currently in post-production, starring Josh Duhamel. In 2019, she placed on the WeForShe WriteHer List, and in 2020 she was selected for the Film Independent Episodic Lab. In 2021, Van became a Staff Writer on BLUE BLOODS.