As part of our yearly tradition, we’re excited to highlight the most promising screenwriters shaping the future of film and television. The 2024 edition of our list can be accessed here, and now, as the weather gets warmer and summer flicks are around the corner, it's the perfect time to spotlight rising talents in screenwriting. While many promising writers are making their mark, here are ten standout names (plus a special mention) to watch as the top emerging screenwriters of 2025.
Dan is a writer and director with a passion for supernatural horror. He is best known for Long Time Dead, produced by Working Title Films/Universal, and his “Brit List” horror Do or Die for Michael Kuhn’s Qwerty Films.
Initially studying graphic design and photography, Dan shifted his focus to filmmaking, building a full-time career in the industry. He has directed three multi-award-winning short films and written several feature scripts, including adaptations of Ella by Uri Geller, Driven by Andrea Badenoch, and Filth by Irvine Welsh.
Adelita “Lita” Lopez grew up on the dusty community theater stages of Odessa, Texas, before earning a degree in Acting & Writing from the University of Evansville. She spent her twenties performing in Chicago’s storefront theater scene before transitioning to film and television. A working actor in Los Angeles since 2006, she became a proud SAG-AFTRA member in 2015.
In 2019, Lita founded Luna Loba Creative, a production company dedicated to telling “stories of the soul.” Its debut project, The Good Balloon, is an 18-minute short film based on an actual, semi-autobiographical miracle story. Written, produced by, and starring Lita, the film made waves on the 2021 festival circuit, earning 10 official selections and multiple awards, including Best Indie Short, Best Women’s Short, Best Actress, and a People’s Choice Award.
From the Concrete Jungle to the English suburbs, Tray has found himself in more than a few unexpected situations—many of which involve challenging assumptions based on his appearance. These experiences fuel his storytelling, where themes of identity and belonging take center stage.
After years of honing his craft, Tray has earned recognition across multiple platforms, landing in the top 14% of the BBC Comedy Room, the top 1% on Coverfly, #20 on The Red List, and as a finalist in the PAGE International Screenwriting Contest.
Ariane studied literature in Paris and London before earning an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute Conservatory. With a deep passion for art and history, her work centers on female empowerment, following determined protagonists who challenge societal injustices to find their voice.
While period dramas remain her favorite genre, Ariane’s dark humor naturally draws her to black comedies—often exploring themes of joy… through death! A Nicholl Fellowship quarter-finalist, her historical drama The Unfinished Sonata was pitched at the Cannes Film Market in 2022.
Joey Day Hargrove is a comedy writer who unexpectedly found herself working with teenagers. After earning her degree from the University of Oklahoma, she moved to L.A., searching for a place to belong. Yet, her work at a church—running after-school programs and summer camps—proves she hasn’t entirely left her Bible Belt roots behind.
Joey’s scripts have earned recognition in multiple competitions, winning the Austin Film Festival, the WAN (Writers Assistant Network) Fellowship, and The Writers Lab. She has also been a finalist in Big Break and PAGE and a semifinalist in Nicholl (top 50). Her script Highway to Heck is currently optioned, with an A-list actor attached to star and produce.
Lucy Campbell is an Australian writer and director whose work has screened at festivals worldwide, including the Seattle International Film Festival, SeriesFest, Byron Bay International Film Festival, and Adelaide Film Festival. Her sci-fi series The Big Nothing has garnered over 1 million views on DUST.
She has honed her craft as a script editor and coordinator on major productions such as Firebite (AMC), The Tourist (BBC/HBO Max), Stateless (ABC/Netflix), and Wolf Creek S2 (Stan). In 2022, she was selected for Screen Australia’s prestigious Talent USA program.
Lucy’s debut feature screenplay, Monolith, was produced by Bettina Hamilton, directed by Matt Vesely, and stars Lily Sullivan. The film made its international premiere at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival.
Ben is currently a writer on Hulu’s The Testaments, the Handmaid’s Tale spinoff, where he will co-write episode 9 of the first season. On the feature side, his spec script Do Not Disturb recently earned a spot on the annual Black List.
Ben began his career as a PA on The Handmaid’s Tale, eventually rising to Writer’s Assistant for the show’s final two seasons. His writing has been recognized in numerous competitions, including the New York International Screenplay Awards, the Los Angeles International Film Festival, and the Emerging Writers Drama Competition.
Kevin is a Taiwanese comedy writer born in the suburbs of Chicago who broke free from his misguided political stint. He serves as Showrunner’s Assistant to Stephen Falk and has contributed to Apple TV's Little America. His writing explores the absurdity in tragedy, broken families, love, and heartbreak, always focusing on Asian American voices. In 2024, Kevin was named a Disney Writing Semifinalist and was included in the annual Black List.
Arun Croll is a WGA screenwriter specializing in horror, thriller, crime, and sci-fi feature films and television. In 2023, Croll secured a script development deal with Netflix through their Created By initiative. Later that year, his sci-fi thriller The Light at the End was featured on the annual Black List. In 2024, his thriller Road to Cold Valley also made the Black List.
Hailing from rural Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Patrick Groff is a screenwriter deeply connected to his Pennsylvania Dutch roots. His storytelling explores diverse cultures and spiritual themes fueled by a lifelong passion for travel, language, and belief.
Patrick infuses his work with a broad, global perspective, and as a supernatural genre writer, he strives to transcend borders and reach audiences, especially those who feel like they don’t quite belong in this world or the next. Patrick’s talent was recognized in 2024 when he won the Best TV Pilot award in our competition. This success quickly led to an exciting new chapter in his career, signing with entertainment lawyer Jonathan E. Shikora of Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark, Inc. Patrick aims to join the writing staff of a genre series, particularly one with a darker, supernatural tone. His ideal project would be writing for a live-action reboot of the 1990s Disney-ABC animated series Gargoyles.
Special Mention: Adele Smaill
Lastly, we have our special mention, Adele Smaill, a screenwriter who crafts gripping thrillers woven with themes of migration, borders, and survival. Her stories are grounded in realism, packed with suspense and high stakes, featuring characters who carry secrets they’d do anything to protect.
In 2024, Adele won the Best Feature Award at our competition and gained a major career boost when she had a one-on-one mentorship session with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Mark Fergus (Children of Men, Iron Man). That same year, she became an Academy Nicholl finalist with her second feature, No Ghosts Tonight. With her sharp storytelling and ability to tap into the anxieties of displacement and belonging, Adele is a name to watch in the thriller genre.