RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab 2024
Joshua Keller Katz
Joshua Keller Katz grew up facing challenges with communication, which he later learned was related to his having both autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyper disorder. However, he found an ally in combating those difficulties: humor.
As a child he acted in theater, commercials, and film. He then became a teen movie reviewer for a local newspaper. With a perpetual smile, he embraced his overtly-Midwestern friendliness like a medal of pride, along with his actual medals from being a first military responder to New York City and Washington, D.C. on 9/11. As a result of his honorable service, Katz became a disabled veteran when he was clinically diagnosed with PTSD.
As a newly-minted civilian, Katz returned to acting by co-starring on all three seasons of a hit medical network drama. He continued to experience a variety of work in the entertainment industry including employment as a production assistant, military technical advisor, stunt coordinator, copywriter, and even a producer.
His military experience and comedy writing samples landed him a position as the showrunners’ assistant for the full run of a Warner Bros. produced sitcom. In addition to his duties, Katz did joke punch-ups, sold pitches, contributed writing to several episodes, and earned WGA credits on multiple stories. From the production offices, he also managed to run a rescue operation to save the lives of five Afghan refugees. He has continued to help Afghan refugees ever since.
Katz currently serves as a WGA mentor for the Writers Guild Foundation’s Veteran Writing Project, performs standup comedy, and provides military technical/tactical advising to film and TV productions in the Los Angeles area.
Learn More
After an extensive search and interview process, 5 individuals were invited to participate in an intensive session for disabled writers interested in writing for adult animation, taking place May 13-16, with additional virtual sessions taking place in partnership with the virtual cohort, May – September 2024. Participants include people with a variety of disabilities ranging in age from the 20s through the 40s. This intensive elevates disabled creatives, focusing on building community, networking, and career advancement through a variety of speakers and a pitching workshop. This intensive is sponsored by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery.
