Agent, Editor, Film Bios -- 2010 Conference

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Marilyn Allen is a literary agent and partner in the Allen O'Shea Literary Agency. Prior to that she spent 25 years doing sales and marketing for various publishing houses. Her responsibility culminated in Associate Publisher and Senior Vice President of Marketing for Harper Collins. Prior to that, she had directed sales and marketing teams for Penguin Books, Simon & Schuster, and Avon Books. Through the years she created many innovative marketing campaigns and managed a host of successful author brands including Dr. John Gray (Mars and Venus), Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Barry Sears (Zone), Dean Ornish, Star Trek, NBA, The Simpsons and worked with many best selling writers including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Mary Higgens Clark and Barbara Kingsolver. She spearheaded the nationwide Diet Coke/ book sample promotion and created out-of-the box campaigns with such non-traditional partners as Mattel, Atlantic Records, and PBS. She is an impassioned advocate for innovation in the marketing and selling of books.

Marilyn is looking for: Non-fiction books with strong marketing potential. Especially interested in practical health, business, cooking and nutrition, history and popular science. Also, looking for pop culture books with access to the star. Have a unique idea…come pitch me!
Marilyn is NOT looking for: Poetry, childrens, memoirs or fiction.

Website: http://www.AllenOshea.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Adrienne Avila is an editor at The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin. Prior to joining Berkley, she was an editor at Grand Central (formerly Warner Books), where she discovered and cultivated various fiction authors, including Josefina Lopez of Real Women Have Curves fame, Gwen Zepeda, and Latino Book Award winner Lorraine Lopez. At Berkley her list of authors includes the New York Times bestselling author and CEO of Women For Hire Tory Johnson (Will Work From Home and Fired to Hired), the Wall Street Journal’s Alexandra Levit (You’re Not the Exception, You’re The Rule), and Charla Muller (365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy).

Adrienne is looking for: Multicultural fiction, women’s fiction, narrative non-fiction and memoir.
Adrienne is NOT looking for: Thrillers, Sci Fi, or Fantasy.

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Ethan Bassoff graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. He then worked as a manager and events host at a prominent Boston bookstore. Ethan joined Inkwell in March 2006. InkWell was formed in the summer of 2004 through the merger of three agencies, Carlisle & Company, Arthur Pine Associates and Witherspoon Associates. In that short time, they have gained a considerable international reputation as a significant and innovative player in the industry.

Ethan is looking for: fiction and non-fiction

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

In a career spanning 15 years, I have made a practice of making bestsellers—either by spotting new talent or developing careers for multi-published authors. My list is varied and includes commercial fiction and nonfiction, literary fiction and memoir. Bestselling nonfiction projects sold include the #1 New York Times best seller THE RED HAT SOCIETY; the New York Times bestseller IDIOT GIRLS ACTION ADVENTURE CLUB by Laurie Notaro and the many New York Times bestsellers by Jill Conner Browne of Sweet Potato Queen fame. In the realm of fiction I represent New York Times bestselling novelists Lynsay Sands, Julia London, Sandra Hill, Jacqueline Sheehan and USA Today bestsellers Jill Shalvis, Kathy Caskie and Janelle Denison. Since founding the agency in March I have made deals for two debut novelists.

Jenny is looking for: : literary and commercial fiction and memoir
Jenny is NOT looking for: science fiction, picture books, self-help/how-to, academic, cozy mystery (but crime and suspense are fine)

Website: http://www.thebentagency.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Martin R. Biro is a native Californian and a graduate of the University of Iowa. He has been with Kensington Publishing since February 2009, acquiring commercial fiction for their diverse imprints, beginning with The Grave Gourmet, the first volume of the Capucine Culinary mystery series by debut author Alexander Campion. Martin works closely with Editorial Director Audrey LaFehr on all aspects of their books, from acquisition to cover concept, production, marketing, and sales.

Martin is looking for: Commercial Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Romance, Young Adult, Gay Fiction, Select Non-Fiction
Martin is NOT looking for: Poetry, Science Fiction

Website: http://kensingtonbooks.com/

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

An agent for almost 30 years, an editor previously at Alfred A. Knopf, worked at Random House and Dell, has sold over 2,000 titles to every publisher. Rated the #1 agency in juvenile sales in 2008 and 2009. Author of Writers and Artists Hideouts: Great Getaways for Seducing the Muse. Executive Director of the Big Sur Writing Workshops.

Andrea is looking for: all juveniles
Andrea is NOT looking for: adult manuscripts

Website: http://www.andreabrownlit.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Kerri Buckley is an editor with the Random House Publishing Group, acquiring both fiction and nonfiction as well as movie tie-ins/novelizations for several imprints at this time. Recently released and forthcoming fiction includes two collections of never-before published short stories by Kurt Vonnegut, “How High the Moon” by Sandra Kring, and “Delta Girls” by Gayle Brandeis. On the nonfiction side, look for “Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So,” a memoir by Dr. Mark Vonnegut and “You Are What You Speak: Grammar Grouches and the Politics of Language” by Economist staffer Robert Lane Green.

Kerri is looking for: Literary and commercial fiction, women’s fiction, historicals, humorous fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoirs
Kerri is NOT looking for: Poetry, children’s books, hard science fiction, category romance

Website: http://www.randomhouse.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Ginger Clark has been a literary agent with Curtis Brown LTD since Fall 2005. She represents science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, literary horror, and young adult and middle grade fiction. In addition to representing her own clients, she also represents British rights for the agency’s children’s list. Previously, she worked at Writers House for six years as an assistant literary agent. Her first job in publishing was as an editorial assistant at Tor Books. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College. She is a member of the Contracts Committee of the AAR. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband.

Ginger is looking for: She represents science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, literary horror, and young adult and middle grade fiction.

Website: http://www.curtisbrown.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

As a seasoned literary manager, some of Steve’s clients’ past and current writing credits include: “Eight Below,” for Disney, directed by Frank Marshall; “Bioshock” for Universal with Gore Verbinski producing; “Nancy Drew,” for Warner Bros.; “Further Adventures in Babysitting” for Disney; the action franchise “Max Steel” based on the Mattel toy property, for Paramount; the action/thriller “Conviction” with Joel Silver producing for Warner Brothers; the action/comedy “Capeshooters” for Warner Bros and Bryan Singer; the thriller “The Student” for Relativity with Paul Verhoeven [“Total Recall”] attached to direct; “The Jealous One,” based on the novel, which is set up Sidney Kimmel Entertainment with the producers of “Paranormal Activity” attached; the television show “Traveler” for WBTV/ABC; and an upcoming show with JJ. Abrams for WBTV. Steve is a kickass manager who began his career at ICM.

Stephen is looking for: Comedy, action, thriller, television pilots
Stephen is NOT looking for: Dramas and period pieces

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

April Eberhardt joined Kimberley Cameron & Associates as a Literary Agent in 2008 after five years of editorial work with Zoetrope: All-Story, a literary magazine, and another agency. Her specialty is adult commercial and literary fiction, particularly contemporary urban fiction, 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, as is a subtle sense of the absurd. She enjoys working with new authors to edit and streamline their manuscripts before submitting them to publishers.

April is looking for: literary and commercial fiction
April is NOT looking for: mysteries or murders, thrillers, historical fiction or fantasy, or children's titles

Website: http://www.kimberleycameron.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Chris Emerson has served time at MTV, LMNO, Kushner-Locke, Disney, Critical Mass and New Wave Entertainment, but he doesn’t like people very much, so he launched his own company. (dude, totally kidding…) E-Squared is a management/production company with an eclectic mix of working writers and directors for film, television and stage. In lieu of listing a litany of client credits, just ask me. I’ll dish. E2 is also actively developing numerous projects for the big and small screens. Past projects: “Daddy Day Camp” (Sony). Projects in development: “Grounded” (Disney), “Channel Three Billion” (Adam McKay directing), “The Driving Lesson” (with Yvonne Strahovski -- Chuck), “Learner’s Permit” (with George Lopez), and “Meet PJ Riley” (with David Duchovny).

Chris is looking for: Looking to discover original voices, and to find big studio movie ideas well-executed in screenplay form. Short of finding that amazing-script/needle in a sea of haystacks/not-ready-for-primetime-scripts, I am looking to provide a bit of perspective on the entertainment industry with the goal of better assisting writers in “figuring it all out” – how to network, how to get their material out there, what to write, where to go, resources, etc.
Chris is NOT looking for: I am interested in completed scripts ONLY– no notions, ideas, books, stories your grandmother told you or one-liners yet to be written.

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Mike Esola has been a movie agent at William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment in Beverly Hills for four years representing both writers and directors. Mike represents an eclectic mix of talent including writers of “The Bucket List,” “Mama’s Boy,” “Leatherheads,” and a writer on “The Office.” WME is one of the largest and most diversified entertainment agencies with offices in New York City, Beverly Hills, Atlanta, Nashville, London, Miami and Shanghai. WME represents clients from all artistic disciplines, including movies, television, music, theatre, publishing, commercials, sports, digital media and video games. A snapshot of WME clients across all areas include Kanye West, Serena Williams, GM, the NFL, Steven Levitt, JJ Abrams, Matt Damon, Steve Carell, Ben Stiller, Aaron Sorkin, Martin Scorsese.

Mike is looking for: COMEDY, TENTPOLE WRITERS, FEMALE COMEDY WRITERS
Mike is NOT looking for: DRAMA, WAR, BIOPIC, THRILLER

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

I have built my career on both the publishing and agency side of the book business. I have worked directly with established, brand- name authors as well as first-timers and personalities in both fiction and non-fiction. Prior to joining N.S.Bienstock, I was with Trident Media Group for more than 5 years, ran my own agency, The Paul Fedorko Agency and spent more than 20 years as a publishing and marketing executive at Bantam, Dell, Simon &Schuster and William Morrow. My passion is helping authors develop their projects and finding and placing them with the right editor and publishing house. I live in New York City, but many of my current clients don’t

Paul is looking for: Commercial and Literary Fiction—mysteries and thriller are favorites. Plus Narrative Non-Fiction—memoir, business, sports, and historical
Paul is NOT looking for: Science Fiction and Fantasy

Website: http://www.nsbtalent.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Melissa Flashman grew up in Kentucky, graduated from Wesleyan University and studied in the Ph.D. program in English at Johns Hopkins. Some recent books by authors she represents include Wall Street Journal columnist and data analyst Bill Tancer’s “Click”, “Maxed Out” by documentary filmmaker James Scurlock, “Starbucked” by Portland writer Taylor Clark and the “Poseur” young adult series by Rachel Maude. Forthcoming titles include “And the Heart Says. . .’Whatever’” by Emily Gould, “How to Write a Sentence” by Stanley Fish and “The Renegade Sportsman” by Portland writer Zach Dundas. She has also sold articles, essays and fiction to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Harper’s, the Altantic, Esquire, American Prospect, Slate.com, Salon.com, Granta, Tin House, n + 1, Chronicle Review, American Scholar, Bomb, O, More, Real Simple, More and Ms.

Melissa is looking for: Narrative and serious non-fiction, especially political, lifestyle, popular science and pop-culture books and fiction including young adult.
Melissa is NOT looking for: romance, sci-fi

Website: http://www.tridentmediagroup.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

STEPHEN FRASER is a literary agent with the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency in New York City, a full-service agency which handles both juvenile and adult books. At Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins, Stephen edited such creative talents as Mary Engelbreit, Gail Gibbons, Michael Hague, Ann Rinaldi, Kathryn Lasky, Brent Hartinger, Stephen Mitchell, Dan Gutman, Gregory Maguire, and Daniel Pinkwater. A graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, he has a Master’s Degree in Children’s Literature from Simmons College in Boston. Stephen is a popular speaker at writer’s conferences through- out the country.

Stephen is looking for: Outstanding books for children, teens, and adults
Stephen is NOT looking for: Not interested in religious, romance, military, erotic, horror

Website: http://www.jdlit.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

I moved to New York City in 1999 to pursue a career in fashion editorial. After almost two years as an editorial assistant at Harper's BAZAAR magazine, I realized that the cut-throat, competitive environment of fashion was not for me and moved to the other end of the publishing gamut--children's editorial. Since then, I've been editing and acquiring at Random House, Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins. I've been with Sourcebooks Jabberwocky since May 2009 and continue to build the new imprint with picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels.

Rebecca is looking for: Picture books (with and without accompanying illustrations), Chapter books (with series potential), and Middle grade novels (mostly targeted toward girl audience)
Rebecca is NOT looking for: Rhyming picture book submissions, Early reader submissions

Website: http://www.sourcebooks.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Alex Glass came to Trident Media Group as chairman Robert Gottlieb's assistant in 2001 and was promoted to literary agent shortly thereafter. He represents a diverse group of fiction and nonfiction authors, including best-selling novelists Chad Kultgen (The Average American Male) and Matt Bondurant (The Wettest County in the World), Edgar Award-winner Katherine Marsh (The Night Tourist), New York Times best-selling novelist and memoirist Da Chen, NFL legend Mark Bavaro (Rough And Tumble), the estate of Newbery Award-winner Ellen Raskin (The Westing Game), and High Times Magazine (The Official High Times Potsmokers Handbook). Upcoming books for 2009 include Erick Setiawan's debut novel Of Bees and Mist, Courtney Sheinmel's middle grade novel Positively, Maggie Estep's Alice Fantastic, crime novelist Dennis Tafoya’s debut Dope Thief, and award-winning mystery writer Brian M. Wiprud's Feelers.

Alex is looking for: literary and mainstream commercial fiction, crime fiction and literary thrillers, middle grade and young adult fiction, and pop culture, humor, and narrative nonfiction.
Alex is NOT looking for: Romance, science fiction, unsolicited picture books for children

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

I have been at Tor books for three years, where I have worked with a variety of authors, including L.E. Modesitt, Jr., David Farland, F. Paul Wilson, Carrie Vaughn, and debut authors John Brown, Lena Meydan, and Suzanne Johnson. I’ve also worked on game and other media tie-in novels. Prior to Tor, I was at various academic and small presses, where I worked with non fiction and literature in translation.

Stacy is looking for: genre fiction, particularly fantasy (urban, epic, historical), and sf with a clear voice
Stacy is NOT looking for: hard science fiction, category romance

Website: http://www.tor-forge.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Elishia Holmes is the newly named VP of Development at GK Films. GK Films is Graham King’s production company and has a distribution deal with Sony Pictures. Their current slate includes, "The Tourist" with Angelina Jolie and upcoming "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" with Martin Scorsese directing and "Nihil" starring Johnny Depp. Prior to her position at GK Films, Elishia was a Production Executive at Warner Bros. Pictures where she worked such films as "The Dark Knight," “Bucket List," "Nights in Rodanthe," “Sherlock Holmes," "Book of Eli," and "Jonah Hex." Prior to working at Warner Bros., she worked as a story editor for producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald and started her career as an assistant at William Morris Agency where she worked with Talent and Literary agents.

Elishia is looking for: Franchisable tentpole pictures. High concept dramas and thrillers.
Elishia is NOT looking for: Small, character pieces.

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Matt Hudson is a literary agent at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment in New York. He joined the agency in 2006 and represents primarily fiction, with a focus on thrillers, young-adult, sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal fiction. Though it is in no way a reflection of his parents or his upbringing, he gravitates towards dark, absurdist, surprising voices with a natural sense of storytelling. He enjoys equally conversations about football, children’s literature, post-modern theatre, classic video games, national politics, 16 and Pregnant and/or dragons. He harbors little doubt that Vladimir Nabokov is the best writer that modernity has yet produced, but would love it if your book proved him wrong.

Matt is looking for: : I primarily represent fiction, but I'm actively building my list in all areas, with a focus on thrillers, young-adult, sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal fiction.
Matt is NOT looking for: : Never say never, but I generally don’t know much about Romance novels, Diet/Lifestyle books or other Prescriptive Non-Fiction and probably wouldn’t be very helpful to those writers.

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Andrea Hurst, President, works with major and regional publishing houses, and her client list includes emerging new voices and New York Times best-selling authors. Andrea represents high profile adult nonfiction and well crafted fiction. Her clients and their books have appeared on the Oprah Show, Ellen DeGeneres, Good Morning America, National Geographic network and in the New York Times. Andrea has worked in the publishing field for over 20 years, is a published author, skilled development editor and founder of Just Write educational classes. Andrea offers professional insight into the book business and works with motivated authors to edit, polish, and perfect their proposal and manuscript. She enjoys working with authors who have something meaningful to share and are driven by their enthusiasm to create books that touch lives and make a difference.

Website: http://www.andreahurst.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Josh is a producer and manager with Principal Entertainment where he recently produced Frank Oz’s “Death at a Funeral” as well as the Chris Rock remake with the same title. He is currently in post-production on “Isolation” directed by Stephen Kay. Josh is developing several films including “Cowboys and Indians” with Walt Becker directing, “Obey” with Reny Harlin directing, and “A Few Best Men” with Stephan Elliot directing. He also has a sizeable roster of writer and director clients who are responsible for such films as: “Apaloosa;” “Hachiko;” and “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls.” Under his Jericho banner, Josh has produced three features, “The Hebrew Hammer” starring Adam Goldberg; “Bobbie’s Girl” starring Rachel Ward; and “Fall” starring Michael Madsen. Josh began his career with Davis Entertainment on “Grumpier Old Men,” “Courage Under Fire,” and “Dr. Dolittle.”

Josh is looking for: Comedy, Thriller, Action, Elevated Horror
Josh is NOT looking for: Romantic Comedy

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Adam Korn joined DeFiore and Company in the fall of 2009. He became an agent after several years working in the editorial departments of the Random House and Crown Publishing Groups and HarperCollins Publishers, during which time he acquired New York Times bestselling titles GO LONG! by Jerry Rice, GOT FIGHT? by Forrest Griffin, and—in a three-book Y.A. deal with Lauren Conrad—L.A. CANDY (which stayed at #1 for several weeks). Other titles on which he's worked include Mike Greenberg's bestselling WHY MY WIFE THINKS I'M AN IDIOT; Tom Bergeron's I'M HOSTING AS FAST AS I CAN!; Terry Murphy, Edward Zine, and Michael Jenike's story of O.C.D. triumph, LIFE IN REWIND; Jake Kalish's SANTA VS. SATAN: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights; Trey Hamburger's GHOST'S/ALIENS; Garth Sundem's THE GEEKS' GUIDE TO WORLD DOMINATION; Robert Zubrin's HOW TO LIVE ON MARS; Brian Coleman's CHECK THE TECHNIQUE; and Michael Lavigne's award-winning novel NOT ME. A graduate of New York University with a degree in journalism, Adam's general non-fiction areas of interest include pop culture, humor, pop psychology, pop science, sports, music, investigative journalism, feisty memoir, and young business leadership/inspiration. And while he's very selective about the fiction he takes on, strong young literary novelists shouldn't be afraid to reach out!

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Mr. Levine has practiced entertainment law for over 29 years, specializing in the representation of writers, producers, actors, directors, composers, musicians, artists, authors, photographers, galleries, publishers, developers, production companies and theatre companies in the fields of motion pictures, television, interactive multimedia, live stage, recorded music, concerts, the visual arts, publishing, and advertising. In 1998, Mr. Levine opened the Paul S. Levine Literary Agency, specializing in the representation of book authors and the sale of motion picture and television rights in and to books. Since starting his literary agency, Mr. Levine has sold over 80 fiction and non-fiction books to at least 30 different publishers and has had many books developed as movies-for-television and feature films. The fiction which Mr. Levine represents tends to be commercial—thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, “soap opera” in the vein of Danielle Steele or Jackie Collins, and literary fiction. The non-fiction which he represents also tends to be commercial—self-help, how-to, relationships, memoirs, health, women’s issues, pop culture, new age, and business. For both fiction and non-fiction books, his biggest successes have been with authors who originally self-publish their books and then wish to have their books republished by a major publishing house. For the film screen, he represents a wide range of scripts, from romantic comedies to thrillers to historical epics. In television, Mr. Levine mainly represents writers and producers of true life-story movies-for-television, as well as the subjects of those docudramas. He also represents writers and writer-producers of network and non-network series television, both dramas and comedies, as well as reality shows, game shows, talk shows and the like.

Paul is looking for: commercial—thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, literary fiction; non-fiction, self-help, how-to, relationships, memoirs, health, women's issues, pop culture, new age and business.
Paul is NOT looking for: sci-fi, fantasy, horror

Website: http://www.paulslevinelit.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Clifford Werber Productions (“A Cinderella Story,” “Sydney White,” “Just Add Water”) is an independent production company looking for commercial product that we can package and produce or sell overseas as a local language film. Our family adventure film “To Oz” was set up at United Artists, but is now in turnaround. We have a number of other projects in development including the teen political comedy “Landslide” and the psychological thriller “Wake Up.” Clifford is also currently attached to produce a book series for Summit Entertainment and Daniel is attached to produce a few projects independently as well. Daniel also runs the popular script consulting company, No BullScript Consulting.

Daniel is looking for: Comedies – broad, romcom, teen, family, R-rated, etc. Thrillers, horror, family, and something that could be re-made or sellable in foreign markets. Anything commercial, original, cast-able, etc.
Daniel is NOT looking for: Sci-Fi action, period pieces, huge budget epics

Website: http://www.nobullscript.net

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Marc Manus, a former award-winning photojournalist, attended USC film school before entering the field of artist representation. His first job was with manager Cathryn Jaymes who represented Quentin Tarantino, among others. He held positions at various management companies before partnering with talent manager Jamie Gold. A few years ago, he ventured out on his own to form Manus Entertainment and has a short roster of up-and-coming writers and directors. Marc’s clients are currently involved in film and television projects at companies such as 20th Century Fox, HBO, Lionsgate and Summit. Some of his recent spec sales include The Highest Bid, which went pre-emptively to Intrepid Pictures, and Foreign Exchange, in development at Mandate Pictures.

Marc is looking for: High-concept thriller, action, comedy and horror.
Marc is NOT looking for: Biography, drama.

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Before joining the publishing industry in 2001 Jill worked in radio and television and has a strong Internet and media background. She wrote features and ads for Pages, the literary magazine for people who love books, and continues to write book ads for publishing houses and promotional features for television. After writing ad copy and features for published books for years she knows how to find the “hook” and sell it. Jill is interested in commercial fiction, especially women’s fiction, multi-cultural fiction, historic fiction, mysteries and thrillers. She is also looking for non-fiction in the areas of self-help, inspirational, cookbooks, memoir (she especially loves travel and foodie memoirs), parenting, history, health & nutrition, pop culture, humor and music.

Jill is looking for: I’m looking for mysteries and thrillers, some horror, commercial fiction, especially women’s fiction, multi-cultural fiction and historic fiction. In terms of non-fiction, I’m looking for history and current events, self-help, inspirational, cookbooks, me
Jill is NOT looking for: Sci-fi/Fantasy

Website: http://www.dijkstraagency.com/

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

At Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in San Francisco--Northern California’s oldest literary agency founded in 1972--Laurie represents adult genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, nouveau westerns, mysteries, suspense, thrillers, etc.) as well as middle-grade and young-adult books. She looks for great writing, first and foremost, followed by memorable characters, a searing storyline and solid world building. For more than 20 years Laurie ran a multi-million dollar eponymous public relations agency in California's Silicon Valley. She is passionate about marketing, publicity, negotiating, editing and a host of other business-critical areas. She is also a writer herself, so she can empathize with the author's journey to and through publication. Check out her blog, www.agentsavant.com, for tales of the agenting life, and www.larsenpomada.com for valuable information and links, plus her submission guidelines. Query her at query@agentsavant.com.

Laurie is looking for: adult genre fiction (romance, fantasy/science fiction, mysteries/thrillers, horror, new westerns) plus middle-grade and young-adult children’s books of all stripes.
Laurie is NOT looking for: children’s picture books, easy readers or board books; graphic novels; non-fiction/memoir; literary or commercial fiction; women’s fiction; chick-lit; serial killer novels; splatterpunk horror or novels with gratuitous violence; inspirational romance; ero

Website: http://www.agentsavant.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Amee has been at Fox 2000 Pictures for over five years during which time she has worked on such films as “The Family Stone,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “27 Dresses,” “Bride Wars,” “Percy Jackson,” and the forthcoming “Love and Other Drugs.” She got her start at WGBH Boston, where she spent several years in publicity for children’s programming.

Amee is looking for: COMEDY, DRAMEDY, ROMANTIC COMEDY, ACTION, THRILLER, FAMILY
Amee is NOT looking for: Horror

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Matthew Milam got his start as an intern at Mandate Pictures in 2002 before becoming an assistant and then Creative Executive. In 2007 he moved to Warner Bros where he currently resides as a Production Executive. During his time at Warner he has worked on “Terminator Salvation”, “Clash of the Titans”, and “Cop Out” among others. When Matthew grows up, he wants to be like Luke Ryan, not Dave Neustadter.

Matthew is looking for: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Archetype has various projects set up in film and TV as producers or as managers through our clients. We set up “Hiding in Time” at Warner Bros. and “Lost Squad” through Rogue/Relativity. Our clients in TV are working with or have worked with Fox21, ABC, Warner Premier, Fox, and Disney Channel among others.

Ray is looking for: screenwriters working in Action, Thriller and Comedy. Both Film and Television
Ray is NOT looking for: Romantic Comedy, Period Pieces, Straight Dramas

Website: http://www.archetypela.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Scott Miller is a Vice President and literary agent at Trident Media Group. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Temple University School of Law and is a member of the New York State Bar. Since beginning his publishing career in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency as an agent trainee, he has worked with a wide array of diverse authors, including Tom Clancy, Bill Cosby, Janet Evanovich, and Dean Koontz. After working as an assistant for Robert Gottlieb, Scott became a literary agent. His clients include New York Times Best Selling Authors W. Bruce Cameron, Harold Coyle, Selden Edwards, Dalton Fury, Ronald Kessler, Chris Kuzneski, Cesar Millan (the “Dog Whisperer”) and Melissa Jo Peltier, Sean Naylor, Ralph Peters, and Joel C. Rosenberg. Other award winning and best selling clients include JT Ellison, Robert Ellis, Daniel Judson, Marcus Sakey, Harry Shearer, Patricia Smiley and Jeanne C. Stein.

Scott is looking for: commercial fiction (boy books -- thrillers, crime and mysteries) commercial nonfiction (narrative nonfiction, current events, military), literary fiction books dealing with pop culture (music, film, etc.).
Scott is NOT looking for: Romance science fiction childrens picture books Business Books

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Charisse Nesbit is a Director in the Production and Development Department at Lionsgate. A graduate of The University of New Mexico where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, she received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia College Chicago. She began at Lionsgate as an intern and worked her way up from consultant, to her current position. She is also the author of the book “A Dream Deferred A Joy Achieved: Foster Care Stories of Struggle and Triumph” which was published by Strebor Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. She is currently involved in bringing the Obie Award winning play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” to the screen and is also working on “Will You Be My Black Friend” with Harpo Films, starring Chris Rock.

Charisse is looking for: Hard-R Comedy, Thrillers, Contained Action, Afr. Amer.
Charisse is NOT looking for: Teen, Romantic Comedy, Tentpole Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

Website: http://www.lionsgate.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

6 years ago, Dave was getting his masters at Indiana University when he realized he hated everything about the program he was in. So he purposefully failed out and serendipitously ran into Luke Ryan, who was at the time running the story department at New Line Cinema and who successfully convinced Dave to move to Los Angeles. Dave proceeded to sell off a vast majority of his belongings and went on a road trip. Luke, being the best human being on the planet (potentially a Demigod), offered Dave an unpaid internship in the fall of 2003. Since then, Dave has worked at New Line as an intern, temp, departmental assistant, assistant to the Senior EVP of Production, Creative Executive, and most recently, Production Executive. This year he served as an Executive Producer on NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and GOING THE DISTANCE. He hopes to make movies that will make his college roommates laugh.

Dave is looking for: Horror and R-Rated Comedies
Dave is NOT looking for: Period films. Dramas

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Tracey Nyberg is a development executive at Temple Hill Entertainment as of January of this year. Previously she spent four years at Overbrook Entertainment working on movies like “I Am Legend” and “Seven Pounds.” Temple Hill is developing the remake of “The Wizard of Oz,” going back to the original Frank L. Baum series, as well as adapting the book “Dewey” about a librarian and a lost cat. Previous Temple Hill titles include: “Dear John,” the “Twilight” series, “Management.”

Tracey is looking for: Romance, Romantic Comedies, Broad Comedies, Family

Not taking one-on-ones - taking film groups with Q&A only

Luke Ryan arrived in Hollywood in 2000. He has had a diverse career, working as a screenwriter, producer, instructor at UCLA extension, and studio executive at New Line Cinema and MTV Films before arriving at MGM in 2008 where he is Sr. Vice President of Production. His currently slate of films includes a remake of “Red Dawn” (releasing Thanksgiving of 2010), “Robocop” with Darren Aronofsky, “The Three Stooges” with the Farrelly Brothers, and “Poltergeist” with Vadim Perelman. Luke is sitting on a mixing stage typing this bio preparing for the release of his next movie, “Hot Tub Time Machine” -- which comes out after this bio was due but long before this conference happens, causing a major rift in the space-time continuum. He hopes you buy a full priced ticket and find it worth every penny. He will still feel this way when you see him in the future.

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Kristin Sevick is an Associate Editor at Tor/Forge where she has worked for 4 years. Before coming to Tor, she spent a few years working at a veterinary journal which was both good editing experience and also made her a hypochondriac about her dog. She is the editor of the Hannah Vogel series by Rebecca Cantrell, the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery series by Carrie Bebris, and A Dog’s Purpose by New York Times bestselling author W. Bruce Cameron, among others.

Kristin is looking for: Kristin is looking for well-written, smart commercial fiction with strong characters and setting. She is especially interested in romantic suspense and historical, crime, and women’s fiction.
Kristin is NOT looking for: middle-grade fiction or picture books, poetry, short story collections, non-fiction (including memoirs)

Website: http://www.tor-forge.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Producer Corey Sienega currently has several projects in development with longtime producing partner, David Kirschner. 2010 also brings the official launch of her solo production banner, La Sienega Productions. Current projects include, “Kristy,” a taut horror-thriller with Dimension Films; “Mouseguard,” a CG animation adaptation of David Petersen’s award-winning graphic novel for Starz Animation (9); and Ray Bradbury’s “The Halloween Tree,” with Mark Palansky (“Iron Jack,” “Penelope”) attached to direct. Sienega’s previous credits include: “Miss Potter” starring Reneé Zellweger; “Martian Child” starring John Cusack; “Secondhand Lions” starring Robert Duvall, and Michael Caine; “Bride of Chucky”; “Seed of Chucky”; “Frailty” starring Matthew McConaughey; and the Sci-Fi mini-series “Five Days to Midnight.” La Sienega Productions has many more stories that will warm your heart or frighten the bejeezus out of you in the near future.

Corey is looking for: Multi quadrant family; comedy (straight and fantastical); horror/supernatural
Corey is NOT looking for: films with an exclusively young kid audience; small niche drama; period historical drama (unless it has a fantastical element like “Miss Potter”)

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches
Requires signed release for all pitches - view release form here.

Matt Skiena is Production Executive at Village Roadshow Pictures Entertainment. At Village, Skiena works to identify feature films and bring them to the company. In 2010, Village will release “Sex and the City 2,” “Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore,” starring the voice talents of James Marsden, Christina Applegate, Bette Midler, Nick Nolte and Neil Patrick Harris, “Legend of the Guardians,” directed by Zack Snyder, and “Life as we Know It,” starring Katherine Heigl. Upcoming movies also include, “Happy Feet 2,” “Fury Road,” and “The Lucky One.” Village Roadshow Pictures is a leading independent co-producer and co-financier of major Hollywood motion pictures, having produced 62 films since its establishment in 1997 including, as co-productions with Warner Bros., “The Matrix” trilogy, “I am Legend,” the “Ocean’s” series, “Sherlock Holmes,” “Gran Torino,” “Training Day,” “Analyze This,” and “Miss Congeniality.”

Matt is looking for: Action-Adventure, Sci-Fi, Tentpole, Thriller, Animated, Family
Matt is NOT looking for: Sports

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches
Requires signed release for all pitches.

Bryan Unkeless is Vice President of Development at Nina Jacobson’s Color Force Productions, where he has developed such projects as “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, “The Hunger Games”, and “One Day.” Before joining Color Force Bryan worked at DreamWorks Studios, Parkes-MacDonald Productions, and indie financier Echo Lake Productions.

Bryan is looking for: Family (Action-Adventure/Comedy), Elevated Thriller, Romantic Comedy, Elevated Action
Bryan is NOT looking for: Horror

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Stefanie Von Borstel is a literary agent and co-founder of Full Circle Literary. The agency represents adult nonfiction, as well as young adult/middle grade and children's books. Prior to agenting, Stefanie worked in various editorial and marketing positions with Penguin and Harcourt. On the adult side, recent projects include I Love Dirt! 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature by Jennifer Ward (Shambhala); and Diana Schoenbrun’s Beasties: How to Make 22 Mischievous Monsters That Go Bump in the Night (Penguin).

Stefanie is looking for: Strong middle grade and young adult novels; multicultural children’s books. Adult Nonfiction: parenting, how-to, self-help, nature/science, lifestyle
Stefanie is NOT looking for: Genre fiction (Sci-fi, fantasy, romance, thrillers), cookbooks, screenplays, or poetry

Website: http://www.fullcircleliterary.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Gordon Warnock is an agent with Andrea Hurst Literary Management. He is looking for motivated authors with a strong platform and a willingness to work with him to package and polish their proposal and manuscript. With a zest for fresh, new writing and a deep love of the classics, Gordon always has his eye out for works which will not only thrive in the current market but will also withstand the test of time, bringing joy to readers for years to come. In that spirit, he seeks to establish involved, long term working relationships with talented and willing authors of many genres.

Gordon is looking for: Nonfiction: Memoir, Pets, Cookbooks, Self-Help, Political and Human Rights Issues, Humor, How-To, Health and Dieting
Gordon is NOT looking for: Genre Fiction, Religious Fiction, New Age, Children’s and YA

Website: http://www.andreahurst.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Literary agent Ted Weinstein is a member of the Association of Author Representatives, representing a broad range of non-fiction for adults. He represents only non-fiction, in areas including journalism, narrative nonfiction, popular science, biography, history, business, personal finance, health, food, pop culture (often based on popular Web sites or blogs), and quirky reference books. His clients include former Portland journalist Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic; former Wired editor and NY Times bestselling author of The Cult Of Mac and Inside Steve's Brain, Leander Kahney; Stanford mathematician and NPR's "Math Guy" Keith Devlin; bestselling visual thinking expert Dan Roam, author of The Back Of The Napkin; Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal, author of the forthcoming The Science Of Willpower; cartoonist and Web sensation Jessica Hagy, and many others. More information about his agency and clients is available at www.twliterary.com.

Ted is looking for: He represents only non-fiction, in areas including journalism, narrative nonfiction, popular science, biography, history, business, personal finance, health, food, pop culture (often based on popular Web sites or blogs), and quirky reference books.
Ted is NOT looking for: The agency does not represent fiction, stage plays, screenplays, poetry, or books for children or young adults.

Website: http://www.twliterary.com

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Lisa Westmoreland has been an editor at Ten Speed Press for five years. She has edited books as diverse as What Color Is Your Parachute?, Furry Logic: Don’t Worry!, and Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies. She holds a BA and MA from Stanford University. She is looking for books written by experts in their field that are different, new, timely, and helpful.

Lisa is looking for: Business/Creativity, Career, Cooking, Wine & Spirits, Health/Nutrition, Sexuality/Relationships, How-to, DIY/Craft, Gift/Pop Culture (all adult, no childrens)
Lisa is NOT looking for: Fiction, Memoir, Narrative nonfiction, Poetry

Taking literature one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Christine Witthohn is a literary agent and the founder of Book Cents Literary Agency. She is one of the main sponsors of the International Women’s Fiction Festival held annually in Matera, Italy, and has strong ties to the international market. She is member of AAR, RWA, MWA and is actively building her client list. She is on the hunt for well-written commercial and women’s fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and would love to find some great new YA projects.

Christine is looking for: middle grade, young adult, mystery/suspense, thrillers, romance: contemporary, rom coms, paranormal, fantasy.
Christine is NOT looking for: inspirational, westerns, sci fi, horror, erotica, or poetry.

Website: http://www.bookcentsliteraryagency.com

Taking film one-on-ones - taking groups with short pitches

Alexander F. Young is the Vice President of Development at Josephson Entertainment. He has been with the company for over five years and oversees feature film development for the company. Prior to working at Josephson, Young was an Agent Trainee with the William Morris Agency. Josephson Entertainment recently released the Disney film ENCHANTED starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and Susan Sarandon and was directed by Kevin Lima. Young is a Co-Producer on the Warner Brothers / Josephson film, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT which will be released later this year. The film stars Katie Heigl & Josh Duhamel and is being directed by Greg Berlanti. Josephson also produces the Fox television show Bones, which is now in its fifth season. Young is a graduate of Tulane University and is a native of New York.

Alexander is looking for: All genres with the exception of Horror.
Alexander is NOT looking for: Horror.