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Talkhouse

Alina Adams has worked for ABC Daytime, Procter &amp; Gamble Productions, and the Daytime Emmy Awards. Her tie-in novels, Oakdale Confidential (As the World Turns) and Jonathan’s Story (Guiding Light) were New York Times bestsellers, while The Man From Oakdale won a Scribe Award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. She wrote the officially sanctioned continuations of Another World with Another World Today, and Guiding Light with Mindy’s Twitter. She currently writes for SoapHub.com, which originally serialized her May 2025 historical fiction novel, <a href="https://www.historythroughfiction.com/go-on-pretending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go On Pretending</a>, which is set in the 1950s world of radio soaps as they transition to television, and what that means for the show’s African-American leading man. Read more at <a href="http://www.alinaadams.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AlinaAdams.com</a>.

Alina Adams

Film

Interracial Relationships, Soap Operas and Me

Sarah Jayne Brown is a Black-Jewish writer-director based in Los Angeles whose work explores the intersections of desire, identity, and emotional survival. Her storytelling blends dark humor, surrealism, and psychological depth, often centering messy, magnetic women who live on the edge of their own undoing. She is currently spearheading an <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/unicorn-s-dilemma/x/38532378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indiegogo</a> campaign for her upcoming short, Unicorn’s Dilemma, which is based on lived experience and serves as a proof of concept for a feature-length project about the dangerous contradictions inside “liberated” relationships. Sarah’s background in independent film, and trauma recovery deeply informs her perspective as a filmmaker. She is especially interested in crafting stories that speak to underrepresented Black, queer and bi+ women, survivors and anyone navigating the blurred boundaries between fantasy and reality. You can follow her on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplevssarahjayne?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&amp;utm_source=qr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Sarah Jayne Brown

Throuples, Trauma and Taboos: Healing Through Art with My Debut Feature

Sasha Rainbow is an award-winning New Zealand-born director whose new body horror Grafted is now streaming on Shudder. Her documentary Kamali, about a seven-year-old Indian girl skateboarder, was long listed for an Oscar, nominated for a BAFTA and was distributed through RYOT films. Sasha has been a mentee of the British Film Institute X British Academy of Film and Television mentorship since 2018 and attended the renowned Yaddo artists residency in 2019. In 2021, Sasha was selected as one of eight women for the Women in Film multi-hyphenate mentorship scheme in Los Angeles. Sasha is developing several feature-length scripted films, including BETA, a female lead sci-fi set in the Bay Area.

Sasha Rainbow

How I Lost My Face

Ryan Spahn is an actor, filmmaker and writer. He has been published by Rotten Tomatoes, Metro Weekly, USA Today, IntoMore, and American Theatre Magazine. As an actor, he can be seen in American Horror Story, Succession, The Bite, Chicago P.D., and Modern Love. Ryan is a graduate of Juilliard and is based in New York City. Go <a href="https://linktr.ee/RyanSpahn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> for more info.

Ryan Spahn

For Michael

Actor, writer and comedian Rell Battle stars opposite Craig Robinson in the new comedy series Killing It, now streaming on Peacock. He also recently appeared Will Smith’s comedy stand-up series, This Joka, where a diverse group of comedians come together in Vegas to showcase their material and explore the nature of comedy and its unique ability to unite people. Battle is maybe best known for his two seasons on CBS’ Superior Donuts, playing Franco’s best friend and fan favorite, Sweatpants, as well as appearances on ABC’s The Good Doctor and Black-ish. In addition to his acting resume, Rell is behind multiple projects in the works including Peacock and LOL&#8217;s So Dumb, It&#8217;s Criminal with Snoop Dog and NBC’s Uncivil Law, which he is co-writing alongside Pardis Parker for Hazy Mills. Rell also created and executive produced Comedy Central’s Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle.

Rell Battle

I Used to Love H.E.R.

Victoria Negri is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and actor. Her directorial debut, <a href="http://goldstar-film.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gold Star</a>, which she also wrote and stars in, world premiered at the Buffalo International Film Festival in October 2016, where it won the Audience Award, was released theatrically in fall 2017, and is currently available through Amazon Prime. Negri is currently in development on her second feature as writer-director, Ultra.

Victoria Negri

Short Film Premiere: The Walk

Jessica Dobson is an American singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist who formed the band Deep Sea Diver. She has performed with several other bands including the Shins, Beck, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Deep Sea Diver released their third album Impossible Weight in October of 2020.

Jessica Dobson

Music

I Fell In Love With the Drummer

Blue Cactus is Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, a North Carolina-based country duo. Their sophomore album Stranger Again is out May 2021 via Sleepy Cat Records. 
(Photo Credit: Chris Frisina)

Blue Cactus

Introducing: Blue Cactus’s “Stranger Again”

Danielle Durack is a Phoenix, AZ-based singer-songwriter. Her album No Place is out January 2021.
(Photo Credit: Eunice Beck)

Danielle Durack

Don’t Date a Songwriter

Jordan Firstman and Charles Rogers are the filmmakers behind the short film Men Don&#8217;t Whisper, which screened at Sundance and SXSW and is currently being expanded into a feature film. Jordan is best known for his celebrated darkly comedic works The Disgustings, Sold and most recently Call Your Father, which he is adapting into a television series. He is a writer on the TBS series Search Party, which Charles co-created and executive produces. Charles also co-wrote and co-directed the independent feature Fort Tilden, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival. You can watch Men Don&#8217;t Whisper on Vimeo <a href="https://vimeo.com/channels/shortoftheweek/259883913" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Jordan Firstman and Charles Rogers

The 10 Things We Learned Writing a Movie About Our Relationship

An award-winning filmmaker who has worked for both Hollywood and in the indie world, Charles Lane has made feature films in several genres. His debut feature film, Sidewalk Stories won 13 International awards and has become a global darling, and is still playing in indie theaters throughout Europe. His leaning, it appears, has been in comedy. He is currently crowdfunding his latest project, the web series PleaseDateMeNow.com, on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1267459917/please-date-me-nowcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kickstarter</a>.

Charles Lane

The Big Sick and My Own History with Interracial Marriage

Joe Swanberg has directed many acclaimed feature films and web shows, including Hannah Takes The Stairs, Alexander the Last, Drinking Buddies, Happy Christmas and the IFC.com series Young American Bodies. He also co-directed and acted in the breakout horror film V/H/S. His films have premiered at Sundance, Berlin and SXSW and regularly appear on TV and in film festivals and theaters around the world.

relationships