The 2025 Wisconsin Screenwriters’ Symposium will feature presentations and panels with the following industry experts (see schedule details for appearance information):
Jason Rothenberg is a writer, producer, director and proud graduate of The University of Wisconsin – he is the creator and showrunner of THE 100, which garnered a serious cult following and aggregate score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes during its seven-season, one hundred episode run. He has developed shows for Netflix, HBOMax, Amazon, Paramount +, Fox, and the CW. He is also a prolific film writer, having written 20 unproduced (mostly not his fault) studio feature films, including COLOSSUS for Universal with Ron Howard producing and Will Smith starring, as well as TWILIGHT ZONE for WB and Appian Way.
Angie Gaffney is a film producer and entrepreneur in Chicago, Illinois. Recognized as one of the top leaders in Chicago’s film industry, Angie is passionate about the intersection of business, leadership, and creativity. Her projects have screened at Sundance, SXSW, Cinequest, SeriesFest, Nashville, SCAD, and more, and include projects like Desire Lines and Signature Move. She often produces projects under her production company banner, 521 Films.
Michael Graf is a produced screenwriter (Winter of Frozen Dreams; Green and Gold) who has been shortlisted for the Academy’s prestigious Nicholl Fellowship (The Last Indian War). Graf has also directed two Super Bowl commercial campaigns, won an Emmy Award, was the inaugural Writer In Residence at the University of Wisconsin’s Discovery Center and was named one of the “Top 25 Screenwriters To Watch” by the International Screenwriters’ Association.
Deirdre Brenner grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and headed straight for Los Angeles after graduating from Northwestern University. She’s worked in the animation industry for over twenty-five years, producing hundreds of hours of animated entertainment for studios such as The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon and Six Point Harness. She was the creative producer on two Curious George films for Universal Animation Studios and is currently a producer on the popular adult animated series Rick and Morty
Bob Trondson has produced music videos, documentary features, commercials, and short films in Chicago, Los Angeles, and now Madison. His company Clouds North Films focuses on micro-documentaries, using the power of documentary style – moving stories and authentic portraits of human life – with an eye toward communication and marketing. His stories have ranged from civil rights icon Vel Phillips and violinist Andrew Bird, to the Colorado coal transition and American Indian wetland restoration.
Kelly Jo Brick is a TV crime, mystery and procedural writer. A Sundance Fellow and alum of the Women In Film Writer/Showrunner Mentoring Program, Brick is the Vice Chair of the WGA Genre Committees. She writes The Bricks of Breaking In, an interview series for Final Draft that focuses on breaking in and growing your writing career. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, her career has extended from stage to radio to television and film as she wrote the Telly Award-winning film, Pause, and the Frank Lloyd Wright documentary The Jewel in the Woods.
Max Timm is the Director of Education with the International Screenwriters’ Association, VP of Development for Creative Screenwriter Prods, and the President of The Story Farm Coaching & Development service. With nearly 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, his focus is to educate and shepherd writers toward industry success. Max is also a screenwriter and author himself. His debut novel, a young adult fantasy adventure titled The WishKeeper, won the YA category of the Los Angeles Book Festival.
John Mossman has written and directed numerous award-winning films, earning best-of-fests worldwide. His recent feature Good Guy With A Gun has been heralded for its unique portrayal of gun culture in America. Co-founder of Artistic Home Theater, he received awards for his adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky’s The Goddess, as well as his direction of Requiem for a Heavyweight. He is currently shooting the short film and proof of concept for Nobody Fucking Leaves. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mossman has taught at Second City, Northwestern University and is currently a professor at Columbia College Chicago.
Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for over two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios, script reader/story analyst for Sony Pictures, and currently as a professional and produced screenwriter. His screenwriting career began in 2007 with a development deal with Lionsgate, followed by writing assignments for projects like the 2012 miniseries Blackout and the 2020 feature indie thriller Hunter’s Creed. Miyamoto has written ten (and counting) Lifetime thrillers including The Podcast Murders, Psycho Intern, Hider in My House and The Bear Lake Murders.
Jeffrey Kurz is a producer, writer, educator and former studio executive. During his eight-year tenure at Miramax Films, he was involved in Neil Jordan’s Academy Award-winning The Crying Game, Wes Craven’s Scream, Chris Eyre’s Smoke Signals, and John Carpenter’s Halloween series. His recently produced films include: The Vivian Maier Mystery for the BBC, and Deep Woods. His projects in development include Blackdeer with director Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. A graduate of the UW-Madison, Kurz also teaches courses in screenwriting and film producing at the UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts.
Nathan Deming is a filmmaker originally from Tomah, WI, now based in Los Angeles, with a Master’s in Filmmaking from the London Film School. His work includes Speaking in Tongues (Austin Film Festival, Amazon, Tubi), Dog Days (Premiers Plans D’Angers), and his on-going “Year Project” films (JANUARY, FEBRUARY).
Xia Magnus is an award-winning writer, producer, and director. His short films have been programmed on Public Television and screened at festivals worldwide, including Hunter which was an official selection of the 2017 Austin Film Festival. His first feature, Sanzaru, premiered at Slamdance in 2020.