The ISA Podcast

Join us for a captivating evening with D.J. MacHale, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pendragon series and creator of the cult-favorite TV show "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"

From bestselling books to iconic screen moments, D.J. has spent his career crafting stories that resonate across generations. In this exclusive event, he’ll share how he brid...

Jen Butler is a comedian and storyteller who specializes in writing feature-length, multi-layered dark comedy screenplays focusing on the complex nature of humans as they navigate spiritual and emotional awakenings.

When not writing screenplays, Jen tells comedic real-talk stories to her 275,000 online followers (@jenbutlersays IG, TikTok, & Threads), performs improv and stand-up comedy, practices martial arts and ballroom dance, a...

A. J. BERMUDEZ is an award-winning author and filmmaker based in Los Angeles and New York. Her first book, Stories No One Hopes Are About Them, won the 2022 Iowa Short Fiction Award and was a 2023 Lambda Award Finalist. Her most recent feature film project, My Dead Friend Zoe (co-written with director Kyle-Hausmann Stokes, starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman), premiered at SXSW and won the Narr...

Stephanie Bast was abandoned in Korea, adopted by Italians and raised in a town so small and white, someone asked: “How are you gonna understand her when she starts speaking?” Fiercely loved and protected, she was taught to fear “the other” while knowing “the other” was herself. She started to write comedy to heal a wound. Now she writes to heal others, creating characters who think they’re not enough, desperate to prove they’re wo...

There's a lot to unpack here as Linda Seger is full of interesting stories and lessons learned along the way. As a pioneering female entrepreneur, she was on the cutting edge of a new type of business - being a screenplay consultant. Her passion, drive, and wiliness to dive into every opportunity took her from small town Wisconsin to lecturing around the world and collaborating with massive Hollywood stars, all while her midwest ro...

A native New Yorker, Adam received a BFA from Ithaca College and completed one year of his MFA at UCLA before deciding to quit because those hard wooden classroom chairs were really chafing his ass. Writing began for him when his first play was produced at the West Coast Ensemble Theater in Hollywood. A creative executive who happened to be in the audience one night called Adam the next day and asked him to write a movie for him. S...

Solid pitches sell screenplays. Join us to watch pitches delivered to Creative Executives at prominent companies and hear live feedback. Learn the DOs and DON'Ts of great pitching, so you'll be prepared when you're in the room!

Caroline Dillingham is the Chief Executive Officer of Morning View Entertainment LLC, where she leads the company in its mission to discover and develop compelling stories from across the United States, with...