Updates
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All group sessions for film consultants will follow the same format, with the exception of Luke Ryan who will not do short pitches: Q & A, short pitches, and one sheets.

Marilyn Allen
Allen O'Shea literary Partners
Partner/Agent
Taking literature pitches
Looking For: Marilyn is most interested in nonfiction topics from experts in the areas of health, history, cooking, business, lifestyle and pop culture. She loves to be seduced by fresh ideas, great writing and smart marketing in almost every discipline.
Bio: Marilyn Allen spent 25 years working in positions of increasing publishing responsibility culminating in Associate Publisher and Senior Vice President of Marketing for Harper Collins before striking out on her own seven years ago. She is an impassioned advocate for innovation in the marketing and selling of books and loves to work with writers who understand their audience and have smart marketing plans.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Ali Bell
The Montecito Picture Company VP of Production/Development
Taking film pitches
Looking For: Comedy
Bio: Ali Bell is the Vice President of Production/Development for Ivan Reitman's production banner, The Montecito Picture Company. The company most recently produced the film Disturbia and is in pre/post-production with a slate of films that include such talent as Atom Egoyan, Jason Jones, Michael Keaton, Carol Burnett, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Sudeikus, and Rainn Wilson. Ali has also been the Director of Development for David Heyman's production banner Heyday Films (Harry Potter, UK Film & TV), and an executive at Nickelodeon Movies a production company based at Paramount Pictures (Lemony Snickett, Nacho Libre, Mighty Mouse). She also did marketing for Nickelodeon.




Jeremy Bell
Foursight Entertainment
Taking film pitches
Looking For: Thriller, Action
Bio: Foursight Entertainment was formed in October 1999 by four USC undergraduate film students, working out of their shared one-bedroom college dormitory. Eight year later the company has expanded to represent twenty-give writers, director, and talent for film and television. Recent Foursight client credits include Pirates of the Caribbean I, II and III. The Terminal, The Messengers, Child's Play I-V, HBO's Entourage, and The Shield on FX.



Joshua Bilmes
JABberwocky Literary Agency
Taking literary pitches
Bio: Joshua Bilmes has been a literary agent since 1986, and proprietor of his own JABberwocky Literary Agency since 1994. JABberwocky clients include: NY Times bestseller Charlaine Harris; Tanya Huff, whose "Blood" books are the basis of Lifetime's "Blood Ties" series, Nebula Award winner Elizabeth Moon; Campbell finalists Brandon Sanderson and Tobias Buckell; Stoker winner Edo van Belkom, Locus-bestselling authors Simon Green, John Zakour and Scott Mackay; the "Hot Blood" anthologies, Arkham House/Lovecraft, Lambda Award horror finalist Michael Schiefelbein; and more. He is an avid moviegoer and watches lots of baseball and tennis.
Looking for: Joshua Bilmes is eager to find great new authors in the sf/fantasy, mystery and horror genres, or superlative non-fiction in sports, business, history and perhaps other areas. He has a new assistant, Eddie Schneider, who is young and hungry for clients and especially so in literary fiction.
Groups: Q & A only allowed in groups.


Jay Burns
Jaywalk Films, LLC, President
Taking film pitches
Looking for: All genres, including scripted and unscripted television.
Bio: After working his way through the Hollywood development system, including work as a script consultant for A-list stars, story editor at a lit management company, and head of a large development team at Platinum Studios, Jay Burns founded Jaywalk Films in 2006 to develop and produce film projects of all genres and both scripted and unscripted television.
Jay was born and raised in Alaska, and quickly dove into the theatre scene in the great north. His time in theatre and opera eventually led him to film, but only after working every conceivable job in a theatre or on a film set.


Bill Contardi
Brandt & Hochman, Agent
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: Bill handles all fiction and non-fiction, and specifically looks for stories that have film adaptation potential.
Bio: Bill Contardi is a literary agent representing fiction and nonfiction at Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc. in New York. He started in publishing as an editor working at New American Library, Berkley, and Popular Library. He then worked as vice-president, literary affairs at United Artists and Warner Brothers acquiring literary materials for film. Prior to joining Brandt & Hochman, Bill Contardi was an agent for eleven years at William Morris Agency in New York selling books to film and television.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Charlotte Cook
Komenar Publishing, President
Taking literature pitches
Looking For: Komenar publishes first-time novelists, mostly literary mainstream and mystery, some historical and adventure. We look for three things: Compelling story, engaging characters, and evocative setting.
Bio: Charlotte Cook, President of Komenar Publishing, co-founded this mainstream house in 2005 to bring attention and opportu- nity to remarkable first-time novelists. Writer's Digest featured Charlotte and Komenar in the February 2008 "Ask The Pro" column. Komenar's talented and nimble team has published four titles that have earned many awards, reviews, and sales. (My Half of the Sky was a Book-Sense Pick. Charlotte teaches public writing workshops/ classes, as well as the industry-oriented workshop entitled "Author Boot Camp" at writers conferences and adult schools.

Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Twig Deluje'
Ooligan Press
Taking literature pitches
Twig is currently the Acquisitions Chair for Young Adult Literature and Co-Chair for External Promotions at Ooligan Press. Having already received a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing from the College of Santa Fe, Deluje' will be receiving a Master's Degree in Book Publishing from Portland State University in December of 2008.


Verna Dreisbach
Dreisbach Literary Management
Taking literature pitches
Bio: Verna Dreisbach is an award winning writer who has been featured in books, literary journals, magazines, and newspapers. Prior to founding Dreisbach Literary Management, she spent nearly two years working for a reputable literary agency and has established numerous contacts in the publishing industry. Verna serves on the board of directors for the CSUS Writers Conference in Sacramento, CA. and is the executive director and founder of the Capitol City Young Writers Conference. Dreisbach Literary Management offers professional representation for distinctive voices. Verna is currently looking for emerging and experienced writers to build her list and has a particular interest in books with a political, economic or social context. With over 13 years of law enforcement experience, Verna has a genuine interest and expertise in the genres of mystery, thriller and true crime. Her bachelor's degree in English, with honors, gives her an edge in the editorial and review process. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in English with a focus in creative writing and composition.
Looking for: Literary and commercial fiction with a distinctive voice, particularly mysteries and thrillers. I am open to nearly all non-fiction, although authors must have an exceptional proposal, superior qualifications and an aggressive marketing plan. No sci-fi, horror, poetry, fantasy, time-travel or children's books.


April Eberhardt
Reese, Halsey North Literary Agency, Agent
Taking literature pitches
Looking For: Adult literary ficiton. April does not represent mysteries or murders, thrillers, historical fiction or fantasy, nor does she represent children's titles.
Bio: April joined the Reese Halsey North Literary agency in 2008. Her specialty is adult literary fiction, particularly ironic family dramas and realistic midlife tales, often with a twist, preferably involving strong female characters. She is attracted to collections of interlinked stories with a common character or theme. An original voice and smart, speedy delivery are critical.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups if time permits.


Neal Flaherty
Royal Prospect, Producer
Taking film pitches
Looking For: Thrillers, action, family, horror and comedy scripts. He is also searching for the person who stole his car.
Bio: Neal Flaherty is a former Benderspink Executive who recently founded his own production company, Royal Prospect. He is currently in preproduction on the feature film Curve and the documentary Fight Night. This fall/winter Lion's Gate will be releasing Kill Theory, a film Flaherty developed from an idea with a then unknown writer.


Jim Frenkel
Tor/Forge, Editor
Taking literary pitches
Looking for: Jim buys almost all fiction, but he also looks for good, commercial non-fiction in history and science. In fiction, he likes: mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction. He would also love to find a terrific contemporary novelist with a sense of humor, and/or a good urban fantasy (i.e., sexy vampire novels and the like).
Bio: James Frenkel has worked in publishing since 1971. He has, at various times, been an editor, an agent, a packager and a publisher. He has worked for Dell Publishing/Delacorte Press, Grosset & Dunlap, Macmillan Publishing, and for the past twenty-five years has edited books for Tom Doherty Associates (Tor Books/Forge Books). He is currently a Senior Editor for TDA, and for twenty years has been the packager of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthology series published by St. Martin's Press.
Groups: Q & A only in groups.


Jane Friedman
Writers Digest Books Editorial Director
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: Jane purchases non-fiction books related to the craft of writing.
Bio: Jane Friedman is editorial director at F+W Publications in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she oversees the publication of more than 50 titles each year, under the imprints of Writer's Digest Books, HOW Books, Betterway Books, and TOW Books. Her editorial resume includes turns at Writer's Digest magazine, North Light Books, and The Evansville Review. In addition to her acquisitions work at F+W, she also serves as contributing editor at IdentityTheory.com and teaches composition at the University of Cincinnati. She holds a BFA in creative writing and a master's in English.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Mollie Glick
Jean Naggar Literary Agency
Taking literature pitches
Looking For:Mollie's list focuses on literary and commercial fiction as well as non-fiction. She's a generalist, more interested in finding fresh, unique voices and smart, original perspectives than in sticking to a prescribed genre.
Bio: Mollie Glick is an agent at The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. After graduating from Brown University, she started her publishing career as a literary scout, advising foreign publishers regarding the acquisition of rights to American books. She then worked as an editor at the Crown imprint of Random House, before switching over to "the other side" in July, 2003.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Spencer Humphrey
Rocky Hill Group Principal
Taking literary pitches
Looking for: Spencer represents fiction and non-fiction for younger children, including picture books, early readers, chapter books and middle grade projects. Spencer does not represent juvenile educational titles, nor adult fiction or non-fiction, but she does maintain collegial relationships with agencies that specialize in work for grown-ups.
Bio: Spencer officially launched the agency side of her consulting business in 2007. Many of the talented creative people Spencer had worked with over the years as an editorial director and publisher at such companies as Price, Stern, Sloan, Disney Publishing, Lyrick Studios and Scholastic, and as the head of RHG, had projects she couldn't resist helping to develop. She sold her first picture book manuscript in 2007.
Groups: Q & A only in groups.


Josh Kesselman
Josh Kesselman Principal Entertainment Manager, Producer
Taking film pitches
Looking for: Comedies, Thrillers.
Bio: After graduating Cal Poly S.L.O. in 1995 with a degree in Finance, Josh was hired to work for John Davis of Davis Entertainment and worked on such films as Grumpier Old Men, Courage Under Fire, Out to Sea, The Chamber, and Dr. Dolittle. He then started his own production company, Jericho Entertainment, where he produced The Hebrew Hammer starring Adam Goldberg, Andy Dick, and Mario Van Peebles. He is currently developing several other films including Living and Breathing starring Tom Wilkinson, Anjelica Huston and Sandra Oh as well as Mistral with Wind Dancer Films and Matt Williams. Josh's clients include Robert Knott (Apaloosa); Giancarlo Esposito (Gospel Hill); Laurence Malkin and Chad Thumann (Five Fingers); Dean Craig (Caffeine, Death At A Funeral); Ken Bowser (Easy Riders, Raging Bulls; Live From New York); and a host of other literary clients.


Linda Konner
Linda Konner Literary Agency, President
Taking literary pitches
Looking for: Practical nonfiction, including health, diet & fitness, self-help, how-to, pop psychology, relationships, parenting, personal finance, cookbooks and a few celebrity autobiographies. All books are written by or with top, nationally recognized experts in their field.
Bio: The Linda Konner Literary Agency (LKLA), founded in 1996, represents ap proximately 70 authors of adult nonfiction books. She has written eight books, including Just the Weigh You Are: How to be fit and healthy whatever your size (Houghton Mifflin) and The Last Ten Pounds (Avon), both of which were reissued in 2000 by Barnes & Noble Publishing; How to Be Successfully Published in Magazines (St. Martin's Press), Why Can't a Man Be More Like a Cat? (Dell), and Your Perfect Weight (Rodale), which has sold over 450,000 copies.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


David Koplan
Timbergrove Entertainment
Taking film pitches
Looking for: Intelligent, character and story driven works that have the potential for mainstream appeal.
Bio: In 2001, Koplan founded Timbergrove in order to develop and produce the kinds of films that he enjoys most - intelligent, character and story driven works that have the potential for mainstream appeal. In February 2007, Koplan completed production on the film noir thriller The Last Lullaby, which stars Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan, Heat) and Sasha Alexander (Mission Impossible III and NCIS.) Lullaby is currently in postproduction in Los Angeles. Koplan is a graduate from the University of Virginia and serves on the board of the Virginia Film Festival.


Kylin Larsson
Ooligan Press
Taking literary pitches
Bio: Kylin Larsson is an Acquisitions Manager for Ooligan Press. She will graduate with her Master's in Book Publishing from Portland State University in the autumn of 2009. Kylin is looking for regional nonfiction titles emphasizing cultural diversity and character driven literary fiction with strong connections to regional themes. She is also looking for a full-length poetry manuscript, as Ooligan Press publishes one poetry manuscript each year. Prospective authors are invited to look at examples of previously published Ooligan books and in-progress works at: http://www.publishing.pdx.edu/ooligan/catalog.html.cc
Looking for: Ooligan's editorial interests include, but are not limited to: books with social, literary, or educational value; new or rediscovered works with a Pacific Northwest connection; works that give voice to the region's underrepresented; previously unpublished English translations of foreign titles; and works on the craft and teaching of writing, editing, publishing, and book arts.


Jennifer Laughran
Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Agent
Taking literary pitches
Looking for: Juvenile & YA only. I am particularly interested in character-driven YA and MG fiction with a strong voice, but I will also be happy to look at picture books, chapter books and juvenile non-fiction projects.
Bio: Jennifer is new to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, but not to the world of children's books. She's been a children's bookseller for more than a decade, and is the founder of the extremely popular YA event series Not Your Mother's Book Club. She's been with Andrea Brown Literary Agency since 2007 and is quickly building a roster of top-notch clients. Jennifer is interested in helping dedicated authors build careers.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups if time permits.


Krista Lyons-Gould
Seal Press, Perseus Books Group, VP Publlishing
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: Krista's focus is on non-fiction written by women for women. She specializes in memoir, both serious and humorous, and working with authors developmentally to voice the most difficult experiences honestly and simply. "Uncluttered honesty, speaking your truth-that's what's going to matter to a reader. That's what has the potential to change someone's life."
Bio: Krista Lyons-Gould has been in book publishing more than twelve years. She is currently the VP, Publisher of Seal Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group and has been working with Seal since late 2003. Priorto her role at Seal, she was the VP Editorial for Avalon Travel Publishing, then an imprint of Avalon Publishing Group (now also part of the Perseus family).
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Swanna McNair
Misher Films
Taking film pitches
Swanna McNair is with Misher Films. In 2001, Kevin Misher left his post as President of Production at Universal Pictures to form his own production company, Misher Films, which now has a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures. His first project as producer was the hit follow up to THE MUMMY franchise, THE SCORPION KING. His subsequent production for Universal was THE RUNDOWN, starring The Rock, Seann William Scott and Christopher Walken. Next, Misher Films produced (in association with Working Title Films) THE INTERPRETER, directed by Academy Award winner Sydney Pollack, and starring Academy Award winners Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. The political thriller was released by Universal Pictures in April 2005.
Misher Films is currently awaiting release on Paramount’s CASE 39, starring Renee Zelwegger; in post-production on FIGHTING, directed by Dito Montiel; and in production on PUBLIC ENEMIES, directed by Michael Mann and starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Looking for: Misher Films is currently looking for : action, thriller, supernatural, historical. 


Brie Mazurek
Ten Speed Press
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: Ten Speed Press publishes lifestyle nonfiction books in the areas of how-to, cooking, career and business, pop culture, and body-mind-spirit. Brie's special interests include gift, pop culture, DIY, green living, health and healing, nutrition, self-help, alternative spirituality, and sex and relationships. Books that take a fresh or quirky approach to their subject, usually with a prescriptive element.
Bio:Brie Mazurek is a senior editor at Ten Speed Press, a Berkeley-based independent publisher specializing in lifestyle nonfiction titles. During her nine-plus years at Ten Speed, she has worked on a wide array of books, from illustrated nonfiction to high-quality cookbooks to best-selling career guides. Visit www.tenspeed.com.


Danny Manus
Clifford Werber Productions
Taking film pitches
Looking For: Comedy scripts (romantic, broad, family, teen, R-rated etc.), coming of age or family friendly scripts, young adult thriller or horror. No sci-fi, period epics or romance novel type material.
Bio: Danny Manus is the Creative Executive for Clifford Werber Productions (Cinderella Story, Sydney White, Just Add Water) an in- dependent production company. CWP recently sold a larger budget, family fantasy/adventure project to United Artists, and a MOW pitch to ABC Family, both which are currently being developed. Manus is attached to co-produce both of these projects. Daniel was previously the Director of Development for Sandstorm Films (The Covenant, 8MM2), an independent production company with a first look deal at Sony Screen Gems and a development deal with Top Cow Comics. Daniel has written articles on the development process published in Script Magazine and is currently writing a book about pitch- fests, which will serve as a "No B.S. Guide for Writers."
Raised on Long Island, NY, he holds a BS degree in Television with a concentration in Screenwriting from the Ithaca College Park School of Communications.


Sasha Mervyn
Laura Ziskin Productions
Taking film pitches
Sasha Mervyn is the Director of Development at Columbia Pictures-based Laura Ziskin Productions (Spider-Man 1,2,3, As Good As It Gets, To Die For, 79th Annual Academy Awards). Originally from British Columbia, Sasha graduated with honors from Harvard University and spent three in Washington DC and New York City working as a management consultant for KPMG. While in New York she was also the Literary Manager for the Genesius Guild, an Off Broadway theatre company dedicated to finding and developing new playwrights. Having realized her passion lay in the arts, she moved to Los Angeles, earning her MFA in the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California, where she received the Sinatra Endowment Fund Scholarship. During the WGA strike, she and some friends started up www.filmindustrybloggers.com a resource for the film and television industry that aims to have a blogger from every job in the business. She is currently working on features including: How I Paid for College, How to Be Good, Spellman Files and TV series including: Riders, Shifter, The Skin I'm In and Citizen Girl. At the moment, she is in pre-production on a biopic about Katharine Graham for HBO.
Looking for: Character-driven films including drama, action adventure, children's, family, romantic comedy, smart thriller, dramedy. No horror or gruesome thriller.


Rachel Miller
Tom Sawyer Entertainment
Taking film pitches
Looking for: Comedy, Drama, Thriller. No torture/porn thrillers.
Bio: Before launching Tom Sawyer Entertainment, Rachel Miller worked at Red Wagon Entertainment (Gladiator, Memoirs Of a Geisha, Bewitched, Jarhead, Spy Game) and at the management company Handprint Entertainment with artists such as Mariah Carey, Brandy, Tyra Banks, and Kyra Sedgwick. Miller also worked in the international sales department of the endeavor talent agency on such films as Northfork and Step into Liquid. Miller is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she worked with NYU's Tisch and Leonard M. Stern School of Business to develop a joint undergraduate producing certificate program.


Nick Mullendore
Loretta Barrett Books, Inc., VP & Director of Foreign Rights
Taking literary pitches
Looking for: Nick's tastes tend to run just outside the mainstream. Counter-cultural, counter-intuitive, thought provoking, dark, relevant-if any of these describe a project, then it will probably hold some appeal for him. Politics, current affairs, science (particularly physics and space), pop culture criticism, sports, scientific thrillers, noir, literary fiction-apply a unique perspective and Nick's curiosity will be piqued. And funny is good, too. Everybody likes the funny.
Bio: "Nick Mullendore joined Loretta Barrett Books, Inc. in April 1998 and is the Vice President and Director of Foreign Rights for the agency. He began his publishing career in publicity at HarperBusiness, the trade business books imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a B.A. in Creative Writing in 1996.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups if time permits.


Dave Neustadter
New Line Cinema, Creative Executive
Taking film pitches
Looking For: Thrillers, horror, comedy, R Rated Comedy, Sports films, really open to anything.
Bio: Dave graduated from Indiana University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a minor in Film Studies. Dave began as an intern at both Lighthouse Productions (working for producer Michael Phillips) and at New Line Cinema in their development department. In January of 2004, he was hired on at New Line as an on call temp. That May, the development department hired him on as their departmental assistant. In August of 2004, he was hired on as the assistant to the Senior Executive Vice President of Production, Richard Brener, where he worked as Richard's assistant during development and production of many projects including Monster in Law, Just Friends, Final Destionation 3, The Number 23, and Wedding Crashers. Dave was promoted to Creative Executive in January 07.


John Orlando
Contradiction Films, VP Production
Taking film pitches
Looking For: All.
Bio: John Orlando began his career in entertainment writing and editing a magazine for Disney Channel where he caught the film bug. He went on to be a creative executive at Codikow Films and then took a job at the William Morris Agency where he worked for 2 1/2 years in the feature and television literary departments. John left WMA to get back into development, working in features development at John Wells Productions and subsequently at United Artists until the studio's demise in 2005. After UA, John worked as a talent/literary manager at Circle of Confusion where he saw the completion of the first feature he brought in to the company, Senseless, which shot independently in Scotland last year. Presently John runs production and development for Contradiction Films, an independent producer/financier based in Canada. They plan to shoot their first 2 features, The Demonstration and Diary of a Superhero, back-to-back this Summer.


Tony Outhwaite
JCA Literary Agency, Agent
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: Tony handles thrillers, mysteries, politics, international culture and history, music, baseball, and football. No poetry, cookbooks, gardening books, children's books, or science fiction.
Bio: Tony Outhwaite has been an agent at JCA Literary Agency since 1984 and previously worked at St. Martin's Press. He has also published articles on jazz, culture, and politics in National Review, Chronicles, Jazz, Actuel, and other magazines. His book, Clubs of Whistle Stop Chords: The Story of the High-Life Jazz Organ America's Inner Cities, was published in early 2006. JCA Literary Agency represents general fiction and non-fiction. Outhwaite's personal interests are thrillers and mysteries, literary and international fiction and nonfiction projects on politics, international culture and history (especially France, Italy, Central Europe and Africa), music ( jazz and rhythm-and-blues), and some sports (baseball and football). JCA does not handle poetry, cookbooks, gardening books, children's books or science fiction.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Steve Puri
Kurtzman/Orci, Development Executive
Taking film pitches
Looking for: Action, Action Adventure, Thriller
Bio: Currently a Development Executive at Kurtzman/Orci (Transformers, Mission: Impossible 3, Star Trek 11, Zorro), Steven is responsible for bringing new projects into the company (spec screenplays, articles, and pitches), as well as overseeing the develop ment on projects including Cowboys & Aliens (DreamWorks) and 2012 (Warners).
Before these two films Steven worked with Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. With them he co-founded Centropolis Effects, the digital effects company that produced effects for Panic Room, Scorpion King, The Patriot, Stuart Little, Godzilla, End of Days, and others.
Steven has produced digital visual effects and/or main and end title sequences, commercials and trailers for a host of films including Braveheart, Se7en, The Shadow, In the Line of Fire, Demolition Man, Sister Act 2, True Lies and Last Action Hero.


Angela Rinaldi
Angela Rinaldi Agency
Taking literature pitches
As a former editor at NAL/Signet, Pocket Books, Bantam Books, and as manager of book publishing for The Los Angeles Times, Angela Rinaldi has worked closely with first novelists and nonfiction writers. She has taught publishing programs at UCLA and was a member of the Literature Panel for the California Arts Council. She is a member of AAR. Her agency list is an eclectic mix of nonfiction and fiction and includes the former New York Times bestseller, Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson, Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent, Some Writers Deserve to Starve: 31 Brutal Truths About the Publishing Industry by Elaura Niles, My First Crush by Linda Kaplan, Reflections from the Heart: What Our Animal Companions Tell Us by Deborah DeMoss Smith, Rescue Me by Megan Clark and novelists Drusilla Campbell, Marjorie Reynolds, Stephanie Kane and Eben Paul Perison. She is actively looking for commercial and literary fiction, narrative non-fiction and practical and proactive nonfiction. She does not represent category romances, science fiction/fantasy, westerns, cookbooks, poetry, children's books, young adult titles or film scripts.
Angela will not be taking pitches on Sunday.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


BJ Robbins
BJ Robbins Agency, President
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: Quality fiction and general non-fiction.
Bio: BJ Robbins has worked in the book publishing industry her entire adult life, starting in the publicity department at Simon & Schuster and later at Harcourt. In 1992 she started her own Los Angeles-based literary agency, which represents quality fiction and general nonfiction, with a particular interest in memoir, biography, history, pop culture, sports, travel/adventure, medicine and health. Her client list includes novelists James D. Houston (Snow Mountain Passage; Bird of Another Heaven), Craig Ferguson (Between the Bridge and the River), Eduardo Santiago (Tomorrow They Will Kiss), John Hough, Jr. (The Last Summer and the upcoming Carry Me Home) A member of AAR and PEN USA West, Ms. Robbins has led workshops at UCLA Extension, UC Irvine Extension and at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Fiction Workshop.
Groups: Q & A only.


Luke Ryan
Studio Executive
Taking film pitches in groups only
Looking for: Comedy, action, horror, and thriller.
Bio: Luke Ryan arrived in Hollywood in 2000 and has since worked as a screenwriter, producer, studio executive, and instructor at UCLA Extension. He has a script in development at New Line, has served as a studio executive at New Line and Paramount Pictures/MTV Films, and his producing credits include Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle and the recent New Line Cinema release, Martian Child. When he's not single-hand- edly trying to bring about the downfall of western cinematic culture, he enjoys watching enormously trashy reality TV shows and hiking with his dog, Blue.



Ellen Sandler
Ellen Sandler Sandler Ink, Principal
Taking film pitches
Looking for:
Bio: Most recently, Ellen Sandler was a co-executive producer and writer on the Emmy-winning hit series Everybody Loves Raymond, and has written for over twenty- five other prime-time network television series. She is a highly regarded script consultant, and in addition to her television writing workshops in Los Angeles and New York, is a frequent featured speaker at schools and universities across the country.
Ellen began her career in New York as a playwright and director. Her recent theatrical productions in Los Angeles include Jewish Roots at the Hudson Theatre and How'd It Go? starring Megan Mullally at the HBO/Warner Bros. Workspace. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild of America.


Kristin Sevick
Tor/Forge, Editor
Taking literary pitches
Looking for: Kristin is looking for well- written, smart commercial fiction with strong characters. She is especially interested in historical fiction, mysteries, and women's fiction.
Bio: Kristin Sevick joined Tor/Forge's editorial department in July 2006 after working for a few years in medical publishing. She received her bachelor's in Communications at New York University and is the editor of a new historical mystery series for Forge. She lives in Queens with her fiancé and their spoiled cavalier spaniel.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Robert Shepard
Robert E Shepard Agency
Taking literary pitches
Robert Shepard is celebrating the 14th year of the Berkeley, California-based Robert E. Shepard Agency and more than two decades as a publishing professional. Representing only non-fiction works, by authors across the country and around the world, he proudly counts among his clients: 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Fainaru, whose book BIG BOY RULES will be published by Da Capo Press in November; Anthony Shadid, a 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner and author of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize-winning NIGHT DRAWS NEAR (published by Holt); NPR commentator Stefan Fatsis, whose new work about playing NFL football, A FEW SECONDS OF PANIC, has just been published by Penguin Press; bestselling author and efficiency expert Laura Stack, whose latest book is THE EXHAUSTION CURE (Broadway Books); and PEN/Winship Award winner Kristen Laine, author of AMERICAN BAND (Gotham). The Agency proudly represents first-time and experienced authors alike, and Robert has helped many of his clients build their writing careers through multiple projects. He represents both narrative and ?practical? non-fiction works in most categories except spirituality; his specialties include history, current affairs, science, business, health, and popular culture and he is always on the lookout for strongly narrative-driven works. Robert is an Authors Guild member and writes and teaches frequently about books and writing. He is a contributor to MAKING THE PERFECT PITCH: How to Catch a Literary Agent's Eye, by Katharine Sands. Visit his website at www.shepardagency.com.


Ken Sherman
Ken Sherman Associates, President
Taking film pitches
Looking for: Ken represents screen, television and book writers, and also sells film and television rights to books, plus life rights.
Bio: Ken Sherman is the President of Ken Sherman and Associates, a Beverly Hills-based literary agency. Ken represents screen, television and book writers, and also sells film and television rights to books plus life rights. Since graduating from the University of California-Berkeley as a psychology major, Ken has returned to the classroom numerous times having taught his course, "The Business of Writing for Screen, Television and Publishing", at both USC and UCLA for more than six years.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.


Kimberly Shumate
Harvest House Publishers, Editor
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: Christian Fiction and non-fiction
Bio: It was April, 1997 when Kimberly began her employment in the sales department at Harvest House. In 2001 she was hired into the editorial department where she now tracks over 1,200 submissions a year as the manuscript coordinator. She has discovered numerous new authors who have found great success in the mass market (selling nearly 750,000 copies total). Her ability to spot talent is uncanny, and her passion for the underdog makes her a favorite with agents. Now with literary works, radio, and television (appearing on the 700 Club) added to her repertoire, Kimberly is constantly on the search for promising first-time authors who are looking for that all important break.
Groups: Q & A only.


Kelly Sonnack
Sandra Dijkstra Literary, Agent
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: In picture books and middle- grade, Kelly looks for a good sense of humor, stories that stretch a young reader's imagination, and speak to them in an authentic voice. In young-adult, she appreciates character-driven stories and literary voices. In non-fiction for children, she looks for projects that inspire and stimulate our younger generations. On the adult side, Kelly is interested in fiction and non-fiction with international or multicultural themes.
Bio: Kelly Sonnack is an agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. The Los Angeles Times dubbed the Dijkstra Agency "the most powerful literary agency on the West Coast". Kelly started her publishing career under the publishing giant Elsevier, where she worked as an Acquisitions Editor under the Academic Press imprint. Some of Kelly's recent and soon to be published books include Steve Watkins' Down Sand Mountain (Candlewick), Jasmin Darznik's The Good Daughter (Grand Central), Merrily Kutner's Alphabet Magic (Roaring Brook), and Candace Ryan's Animal House (Bloomsbury).


Jim Thomas
Taking literature pitches
After fourteen years at Random House Children's Books, Jim Thomas has worked on everything from easy readers to nonfiction for teens. His passion, however, is middle-grade and YA fiction, and he now specializes in this area as well as serving as the middle-grade/YA editorial director for the Random House imprint. Authors he's worked with include Jeff Stone (The Five Ancestors), Jeanne DuPrau (The Books of Ember), and Joaquin Dorfman (Playing It Cool).


Sally van Haitsma
Castiglia Literary Agency, Agent
Taking literature pitches
Looking for: Actively seeking new authors, Sally is interested in commercial and literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, education, business and current affairs.
Bio: Sally van Haitsma is a literary agent with the Castiglia Literary Agency. The agency has placed best-selling nonfiction and fiction titles with major publishers since 1993, also representing film and foreign rights. Sally's new sales include: Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien (Simon & Schuster); Silverstein & Me by Marv Gold (Red Hen Press); America Libre and El Nuevo Alamo- -2 book deal--by Raul Ramos y Sanchez (Grand Central); and The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian (HarperCollins). She has a Masters in Communication from UC San Diego and graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Groups: Q & A/Short pitches allowed in groups.