RespectAbility Labs for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities – 2023

Headshots of 20 RespectAbility 2022 in-person Entertainment Lab Participants

2022 Los Angeles Cohort

NOTE: This is an archived page from the 2023 Lab. View www.respectability.org/lab for the current year’s Lab information and application.

diverse group of summer lab participants with disabilities posing for photo on Walt Disney lot

2019 Summer Lab Alumni visiting The Walt Disney Company Lot in Burbank, California

RespectAbility’s fifth annual innovative Entertainment Lab for entertainment professionals with disabilities is a 6-week Lab for people with experience in development, production and/or post-production, and careers as writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, animators, and other production roles. This is not a program for actors.

The Entertainment Lab aims to help develop and elevate the talent pipeline of professionals with disabilities working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while introducing them to studio executives and other decision makers who will advise Lab Fellows on various aspects of the industry and their craft. Lab alumni currently are working at Disney, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and more.

This year we are continuing to offer both an in-person Lab in Los Angeles and a virtual cohort. Sessions for both include:

Presentations, roundtables, and other workshops with high-level executives and talent from major studios, networks, and production companies
Informal networking with your cohort
Project workshops and table reads

Summer Lab participants seated around a table listening to a lecture

2019 Summer Lab alumni learning from Jonathan Murray

View previous speakers by viewing past years’ programs on the Entertainment Lab 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 pages.

RespectAbility provides ASL interpreters and captioning for all events, and welcomes other accommodations requests. For questions pertaining to the Entertainment Lab, please contact Isabella Vargas at Lab@RespectAbility.org or 323-315-5718.

Important Details for Lab Applicants

Excellent communication and organizational skills are strongly preferred, and participants should exhibit leadership skills to complete their own projects.
A bachelor’s degree is not required.
Commit for 12 sessions over six weeks.
The value of this Lab is thousands of dollars. However, there is no cost to apply for or participate in this competitive program.
While people at all income levels are encouraged to apply, extra consideration will be given to people on SSI, SNAP, and TANF.
Up to 20 candidates will be selected for each Lab.
Your application materials will be evaluated by RespectAbility staff members as well as faculty advisors who are experts in each field. View the 2022 Faculty Advisors.

RespectAbility’s Labs are supported in part by:

Coverfly, Final Draft, Golden Globe Foundation, The Harnisch Foundation, Murray/Reese Foundation

Recipient of The Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award

Entertainment Lab Programmatic Team


Lauren Appelbaum SVP, Communications and Entertainment & News Media, Lab Founder	Lawon Exum Entertainment & News Media Director	Lesley Hennen Senior Associate of Entertainment Pipeline Programming, 2020 Lab Alumna	Isabella Vargas Entertainment Media Coordinator, 2022 Lab Alumna

Vanni Le Senior Manager of Entertainment Partnerships	Jeremy Hsing Entertainment Media Apprentice, 2022 Lab Alumnus	Samuel Krauss Entertainment Media Apprentice, 2022 Lab Alumnus

2023 Faculty Advisors


Kiah Amara 2021 Lab Alum Production Accessibility Coordinator	Nina Fiore-Bogdanov 2022 Lab Alumna Founder and Executive Director of Astoria Film Festival	Nicole Go DEIA Production Program Manager, Amazon Studios / Prime Video

Peter Lee 2022 Lab Alumnus TV Writer	Gisselle Legere 2020 Lab Alumna TV Writer	Noriko Louison Sr. Research and Curriculum Manager, 9Story Media Group

Matt Opatrny 2022 Lab Alumnus TV Writer	Juliet Romeo 2021 Lab Alumna Writer/Director	Diana Romero 2020 Lab Alumna TV Writer

Leah Romond 2019 Lab Alumna Producer, Best Summer Ever	Shoshannah Stern TV Writer	Xavier Stiles Writer

Amanda Upson 2021 Lab Alumna Interim Director, FWD-DOC	Nathan Varni Executive Director of Current Programming, ABC	Delbert Whetter Lab Co-Founder & RespectAbility Board Vice Chair COO & Head of Business Affairs, Exodus Film Group

Diane J. Wright 2021 Lab Alumna Screenwriter and DEIA-Certified Media Consultant

Speakers

*Alaa Zabara, Director/Cinematographer (Both Cohorts)
*Alex Howard, Consultant/Podcast Host (Virtual Cohort)
Alex Yellen, Director and Director of Photography (Virtual Cohort)
*Alys Murray, Screenwriter (Virtual Cohort)
Alexandra Davies, Director of Education, Roadmap Writers (LA Cohort)
*Amanda Upson, Interim Director, FWD-Doc (Both Cohorts)
Amber Espinosa-Jones, Senior Manager, Artist and Audience Impact, Sundance Institute (LA Cohort)
*Amelia Swedeen, TV Writer (Virtual Cohort)
Andrew Rogers, Studio Enterprise Sales Associate, Final Draft (Virtual Cohort)
*Ariel Baska, Festival Director (Virtual Cohort)
Ariel Simms, President and Chief Executive Officer, RespectAbility (LA Cohort)
*Asha Chai-Chang, Writer/Director (Both Cohorts)
*Ashley Eakin, Writer/Director (Both Cohorts)
*Ava Rigelhaupt, Writer, Actress, Autism/DEIA Creative Consultant (Both Cohorts)
*Ayla Harrison, Screenwriter/Playwright (Virtual Cohort)
*Cashmere Jasmine, Writer/Director, Owner of Ego Death Production Company (Both Cohorts)
*Catherine Argyrople, Writer/Director/Producer (Virtual Cohort)
Charlene Jimenez, Director of Entertainment Partnerships & Advocacy, Define American (Virtual Cohort)
*Charlie Frazier, Writer (Virtual Cohort)
Cheryl Bedford, Founder, Women of Color Unite (Both Cohorts)
*Chrissy Marshall, Writer/Director (Virtual Cohort)
Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, Casting Director and Casting Consultant, DPD Casting (LA Cohort)
Delbert Whetter, Producer and COO/Head of Business Affairs, Exodus Film Group (Both Cohorts)
*Diana Romero, Writer (LA Cohort)
Dulce Valencia, Manager of Entertainment Partnerships and Advocacy, Define American (Virtual Cohort)
*Eden Hadad, Writer/Director/Producer (Virtual Cohort)
Erica Spates, TV Writer/Producer (Virtual Cohort)
*Faith Strongheart, Writer/Director/Producer (LA Cohort)
Fanshen Cox, President of TruJuLo Productions, Inc. (Both Cohorts)
Francisco Velasquez, Associate Director of Project Involve, Film Independent (LA Cohort)
Ginger Bushell, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Gracenote, Nielsen (Virtual Cohort)
*Gisselle Legere, TV Writer (Virtual Cohort)
*Greg Roque Renteria, Film Writer (Virtual Cohort)
*Harold Foxx, Writer/Producer/Comedian (LA Cohort)
Halleh Kianfar, Vice President, Product Management, Gracenote Video at Nielsen (Virtual Cohort)
*Heather Taylor, Writer/Director and Podcast Host (Virtual Cohort)
Isaac Zablocki, Festival Co-Founder, ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York Director (Virtual Cohort)
*Isabella Vargas, Entertainment Media Coordinator, RespectAbility (Virtual Cohort)
Jandiz Estrada Cardoso, Director, Episodic Program, Sundance Institute (LA Cohort)
*Jay De La Jara, Producer (LA Cohort)
*Jenni Gold, Director (Both Cohorts)
Johanna Stein, Writer (LA Cohort)
*Juliet Romeo, Founder, Slamdance Unstoppable Program (Virtual Cohort)
Kalem Gutierrez, Senior Product Manager, Nielsen (Virtual Cohort)
*Katey Darling, Producer (Virtual Cohort)
Katherine Beattie, Writer (LA Cohort)
Kelli McNeil, Writer/Producer (Both Cohorts)
*Kiah Amara, Founder, IndieVISIBLE Entertainment, and Production Accessibility Coordinator (Both Cohorts)
Lauren Appelbaum., SVP, Entertainment and News Media, RespectAbility (Both Cohorts)
Lawon Exum, Entertainment and News Media Director, RespectAbility (Both Cohorts)
*Lesley Hennen, Senior Associate of Entertainment Pipeline Programming, RespectAbility, and Writer/Producer (Both Cohorts)
Manon de Reeper, Co-Founder, Deviant Minds Productions (Both Cohorts)
*Matt Opatrny, TV Writer (Virtual Cohort)
*Marc Muszynski, TV Writer (Virtual Cohort)
Mark Rozeman, Writer/Producer (LA Cohort)
Matan Koch, Senior Policy Advisor, RespectAbility (Both Cohorts)
Megan Townsend, Senior Director, Entertainment Research & Analysis, GLAAD (Virtual Cohort)
*Michael Doughtery, Screenwriter (LA Cohort)
Michele Spitz, Sole Proprietor, Woman of Her Word (Virtual Cohort)
Michelle Wolf, Executive Director, JLA Special Needs Trust & Services (Virtual Cohort)
Moi Santos, Manager, Equity, Impact, and Belonging, Sundance Institute (LA Cohort)
Nava Stilton, Professor, Creator, Writer (Virtual Cohort)
*Nicole Zimmerer, TV Writer / Playwright (Virtual Cohort)
*Peter Lee, Writer (Both Cohorts)
*Radha Mehta, Writer/Director (Virtual Cohort)
Roc Su, Head of Cultural Consulting, Gold House (Virtual Cohort)
*Roma Murphy, TV Writer (Virtual Cohort)
*Ru Kazi, DGA Trainee (Virtual Cohort)
*Sarah Fischer, TV Writer (Virtual Cohort)
*Scott Jones, Writer/Director/Playwright (Virtual Cohort)
*Shea Mirzai, Writer and Founder & CEO, Space Coyote Productions, and Co-Chair, Disabled Writers Committee WGA West (Both Cohorts)
*Sheridan O’Donnell, Writer/Director (LA Cohort)
Shira Rockowitz, Director Creative Producing and Artist Support, Feature Film Program, Sundance Institute (LA Cohort)
*Shireen Alihaji, Film Writer (Both Cohorts)
Shoshannah Stern, Writer/Executive Producer (Virtual Cohort)
Stacie de Armas, Senior Vice President, DEI, Diverse Insights, Intelligence & Initiatives, Nielsen (Virtual Cohort)
*Stephan Collins-Stepney, Screenwriter/Playwright (Virtual Cohort)
*Stephanie Dower, Writer/Producer, Dower Productions (Virtual Cohort)
Tristan Snyder, Executive Producer Audio, Imagination Storybooks (Virtual Cohort)
Vanni Le, Senior Manager of Entertainment Partnerships, RespectAbility (Both Cohorts)
Xavier Stiles, Writer (LA Cohort)
Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, Founder and Executive Director, The Center for Scholars & Storytelling (Virtual Cohort)
Zachary Stein, Entertainment Lawyer

* Lab alumnus