Hollins University’s Graduate Screenwriting program, under the leadership of program director Hunter Phillips, will present an informative and revealing panel, What Writers Do in the Shadows, during the 2025 Austin Film Festival (AFF), held Oct. 23-30, 2025, in Austin, Texas.
The panel will be moderated by Phillips and include Hollins guest speaker Jonell Lennon, supervising producer, Pretty Little Liars, The L-Word: Generation Q, Hollins’ new TV professor, Lauren Wells, story editor, What We Do in the Shadows, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), and Bri Kaisen M.F.A. ’25, associate creative producer at Life Out Loud Films. Panel topics will include points of entry into the industry, capitalizing on rare opportunities, pivoting without losing one’s voice, and the path forward in an ever-changing film and TV ecosystem.
Under Phillips’ direction, and with the full and formidable support of the Hollins graduate department, the MFA screenwriting curriculum has undergone a complete overhaul, including changes that will better prepare graduates for the practical realities of the current industry, as well as establish access to the internships and connections necessary to seize opportunities. Specifically, the program happily announces our first internship partnership with Michael Landon’s prestigious film company, Groundswell Productions (Milk, Sideways, The Family Stone).
Applications for the fall 2026 term are open. For more information, contact Hunter Phillips at phillipsha@hollins.edu or by visiting https://www.hollins.edu/programs/screenwriting-m-f-a/.
