Jewish Writers Institute

Lola Petitbon

Lola Petitbon is a Franco-American screenwriter and director who trained at UCLA after beginning her career as an actress. A finalist and winner of several international screenwriting competitions, she is currently developing a TV series in Los Angeles, backed by an Oscar-winning producer, and a short film produced in France, where she will make her official directorial debut. Her work blends intimate, character-driven storytelling with music, humor, and a touch of burlesque.

Malka Wallick

Malka Wallick (she/they) is an award winning actor, writer, and filmmaker based in NYC. Their feature film Our Bodies & Other Shames is currently in post production and was the recipient of the 2025 ScreenCraft film fund, the CineStories Underrepresented Stories scholarship, and was a finalist for the Sundance Development Lab. Malka has developed their work as a 2024 Theatremacher Fellow with the Alliance for Jewish Theatre and is an active member of the She-Collective writer’s cohort. Her short play — in verse — Women of Valor, was a finalist with Red Bull’s short play competition. malkawallick.com

Isaac Feder, Samuel Limor and Danny Weiss

Isaac Feder is a film director and television showrunner who has produced and directed shows for Netflix, Sony, Disney+, Amazon, and Comedy Central. His debut feature Sex Ed won the Grand Jury Prize at the Portland Film Festival, and his ESPN 30 for 30 film AC Green: Iron Virgin was a TriBeCa selection. Born and raised in Chicago, he holds degrees from Northwestern and the AFI Conservatory, and now lives in Los Angeles.

Samuel is a Producer and Production Executive with credits at companies such as Awesomeness TV, Dreamworks Animation, E!, Investigation Discovery, Nickelodeon, and Netflix

Danny Weiss is a television Writer and Producer with a broadcast procedural background having written for HOUSE, M.D., BATTLE CREEK on CBS and most recently having served as a Co-Executive Producer on NBC’s CHICAGO MED. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Joni and his three children.

Camille Shooshani and Aaron Shooshani

Camille Shooshani is an Iranian-Jewish writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her debut documentary feature, “Léa & I” premiered on Netflix in 2019. She was awarded the USC Presidents’ Sustainability Award in 2024 for “The Concrete River,” a film documenting a 51-mile trek along the Los Angeles River. In 2020, she received her MFA in creative nonfiction writing from Columbia University. She received her BA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2017.

Aaron Shoooshani (he/him) is a writer and producer based in Los Angeles. Before writing, Aaron worked in political strategy for Economic Justice Initiatives like the Fight For $15, that aimed to raise the minimum wage. He has worked as a writer’s assistant to Showrunner Chris Romano (Blue Mountain State, Kill the Orange-Faced Bear) and produced and written a number of independent shorts. Raised in Los Angeles to Iranian Jewish immigrants, Aaron attended Columbia University where he received a B.A. in History and Economics.

Liz Buda

Liz Buda is a writer and producer from the San Fernando Valley. She is an executive producer on the horror feature Malus, currently in post-production, and has sold projects to production companies, including Crystal City Entertainment and Biônica Filmes. Liz holds an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA, where she won the Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for her pilot based on her grandfather’s experience in the post-World War II black market.

Dan Abramovici

Dan is a writer and director whose work often explores questions of identity through a surrealist lens. His films use unconventional storytelling to navigate complex human moments with honesty and imagination. His credits include: PLAY IT AGAIN (acquired by Prideflix)and SEARCHING FOR MARCEAU (Semifinalist Academy Nicholls Fellowship).

Jacob Seidman

Jacob is an LA based writer, actor, and producer. Selected previous projects include:”Fall to Fame” streaming on Dekkoo (winner best dramatic actor Micheaux Film Festival) and “Searching for Josh Brolin” on SeekaTV.

Boaz Dror

An award-winning screenwriter, Boaz has scripted dialogue for Japanese television shows on the Anime Network, written sketches for Second City LA, and independently produced and launched a sci-fi/horror graphic novel titled NIGHT OF THE MULLETS. His most recent project, an animated detective show set on Noah’s Ark, was developed by CBS with Jack Black’s Electric Dynamite, but ended up in turnaround as a result of the pandemic. After a brief sabbatical to pursue an MFA from UC Riverside and be full-time daddy to his baby daughter, he now hopes to resurrect and relaunch ARK CITY JAZZ as a feature, with the help of the Jewish Writers Institute.

Chelsea London Lloyd

Chelsea London Lloyd is an actor and comedian who appears as Emma Foster on Shifting Gears (ABC) as Tim Allen + Kat Denning’s grief counselor. TV credits include Ballard (MGM,) (HBO, Dir. Bill Hader) and Schooled (ABC) as well as national commercials with Mekanism, KC5, PrettyBird, etc., most notably in her 3-part Wayfair campaign with Kelly Clarkson. When she is not performing, you will find her volunteering as a grief counselor, DJ’ing Bat Mitzvahs and hosting her comedic grief podcast, Dying of Laughter. Because #YODO, you only die once. Lloyd holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Southern California.

Elise Allen

Elise Allen is an Emmy Award nominated TV writer and NY Times Bestselling author who specializes in kids’ and family entertainment across all genres. Notable credits include Dinosaur Train, Sid the Science Kid, and the Gabby Duran and the Unsittables book series. She hails from Philly (Go Birds!) and has never met a dog she didn’t stop to pet, whether or not it was appropriate to do so.