Wei Ling Chang

Wei Ling Chang grew up in Taiwan under martial law. Her parents cajoled her into moving to America with promises of finding gold on the streets. Her fate was sealed at the tender age of seven, after she accidentally watched a bootleg DVD of “The Shining” believing it had cartoons – which explains her sweet spot for twisty thrillers with dark humor. She is a fellow of Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative, Sundance Episodic Lab and Almanack Episodic Lab. Her directorial debut feature “The Unlikely Girl” premiered at Vancouver International Film Festival and was distributed by Netflix. Off-set, she trains furiously to become a kung-fu master and can now feign an impressive eagle’s claw. She holds a psychology BA from Cornell University. To date, she has produced one genetically perfect human girl and is quitting while she’s ahead.

Adrian Colón Jr.

Adrian Colón Jr. is a Puerto Rican comedian and writer from Trenton, N.J., also known as the “Garden State.” However, Trenton didn’t exactly smell like a garden. Instead, the air was filled with the aroma of chicken wings and Newports. This urban environment became his comedic training ground where he discovered humor as his secret weapon. He has taken classes at UCLA Extension, Script Anatomy and On The Page, honing his storytelling comedic style. Recently, he was a writers’ production assistant on the show “Home Economics,” where he quickly learned the dynamics of the room, even throwing some ideas into the mix. He’s also a standup comedian, performing in venues like The Comedy Store.

Jai Franklin Sarki

Raised by an American spy and a Thai princess – yes, genuinely – Jai Franklin Sarki experienced life through two remarkably different lenses. Her father’s secretive profession inspired her love for investigative stories. Conversely, her free-spirited mother ignited her passion for narratives centered on the pursuit of big dreams. She currently serves as the writers’ assistant for TRACKER on CBS.

Seth Harrington

Seth Harrington grew up on army bases across the Bible belt where he was a transparently gay, free-spirited outsider. As a result, he writes sci-fi and magical realism where outsiders leverage sensitivity and compassion to triumph. His queer horror-comedy film “Catfish Killer” premiered at Outfest and was acquired for distribution by Here! TV. In addition, his scripts have placed in Austin Film Festival and Blue Cat screenplay competitions. Currently, he works as a writers’ PA on an upcoming Netflix medical drama. Before that, he told stories in a different medium, working on reality television and game shows such as “Project Runway” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

Natalie Higdon

Natalie Higdon is a writer/performer originally from Memphis, Tenn., who grew up in a family where humor was the ultimate coping mechanism. She writes darkly comedic stories with heart about unconventional characters who are on a journey to heal their trauma and claim the power of who they truly are. Her screenplays have placed in several competitions including Austin Film Festival, The Academy Nicholl Fellowship and Warner Bros. Writers’ Workshop. Also, she has written and produced plays, a short film horror comedy and a web series filmed via Zoom during the pandemic.

Dijorn Moss & Trinea Moss

Dijorn Moss & Trinea Moss are an African American writing team and California natives. As a child, Trinea’s love of soap operas inspired her to write short stories, poetry and music. Dijorn is a produced playwright and a published author. While Dijorn studied English literature at San Jose State, Trinea got her associate degree and went to work in the Silicon Valley as an HTML production artist. This dynamic duo loves to write stories about found families with elements of both action and levity. Their scripts have placed in the Warner Bros Writers’ Workshop, Final Draft Big Break and recently semifinals at the Austin Film Festival. Outside of writing, Trinea is a gamer and Dijorn is a book nerd.

Nick Spates

Nick Spates is a writer from Los Angeles – specifically the storied streets of Watts. Learning a keen work ethic from his blue-collar parents, Spates earned a valedictorian credential in high school that led to a full scholarship to Georgetown University. Even though he grew up just minutes from major studios, he didn’t realize his dream of screenwriting until living in the capital. Returning to Los Angeles, Spates earned his Hollywood stripes working at WME for the head of motion picture literature. Previously a writers’ assistant on the Emmy winning “Life By Ella,” Spates is now the writers’ assistant on CBS’ hit show FIRE COUNTRY. Spates focuses on grounded writing with nuanced characters that are peppered with dark humor. In his free time, he plays the guitar and has six co-ed softball league championships and he’s looking for a seventh.

Christine Park

Christine.park@viacomcbs.com