Reflections of 2025 Black List Project Lab Participants

Writers who participated in the 2nd annual Black List Project Lab reflect on their experience.

Every year since 2013, the Black List has held an annual feature writer’s lab. In 2024, they added a Project Lab focusing on writers whose goal is to take the script they are developing and ultimately direct it. From November 10–14, 2025, six writer-directors selected for the 2nd project lab convened in Ojai, California.

I was pleased to participate as a mentor and workshop facilitator for what turned out to be yet another incredible creative and bonding experience.

Here are the reflections of the 2025 Black List Project Lab writers.

Teddy Cecil

It is a rare thing to find a community that truly gets you. To be unconditionally supported. To be made better by those who are better than you. And yet, all of that barely scratches the surface of what the Black List Projects Lab was for me.

Beginning with the team themselves, Megan, Shelby, Kate, Lillian, Clair, Elisa, and of course Franklin, it was immediately clear this was something special. I started this journey carrying that familiar weight of imposter syndrome, but it was quickly replaced by a deep sense of belonging. It was the team’s generosity that set the tone for a week unlike any other.

Then came reading my fellow writers’ scripts. Holy bleep. Every page left me reeling. The work was bold, precise, and deeply human. I was genuinely floored by the cohort. Meeting these writers in person only made it more evident how special each of them is, not just as artists, but as people. The insight they offered into my work and their own process is something I am still unpacking. It felt like reconnecting with old friends I had somehow never met before. And by the end of the week, my admiration for them had only grown. Why, oh why, did it have to end so soon?

The experience of meeting and being guided by Scott Myers, the legend himself, was another wonder I was not prepared for. Here was a mensch that was put on this earth to tell stories and help others find their voice and refine it, and he was engaging with my work for the sole purpose of making it stronger. As a screenwriter, it is hard to imagine a greater honor.

And then there were the mentors. An extremely accomplished, generous group of storytellers that treated us like peers. They read our scripts. They gave thoughtful, incisive notes. They met us with rigor and openness. By the end of the week, my brand new notebook was filled with feedback that I know will make both me and my project better. A care package I am profoundly grateful for.

What surprised me most, though, was realizing that the lab did not end when we left. This was just the beginning for our group. We are going to grow closer. We are going to continue navigating this journey together. We are going to support one another in ways that extend far beyond this moment, with ongoing guidance from the Black List team.

That is what I am most grateful for. Finding others who understand what it means to be different. Discovering a sense of belonging I did not know I was missing. Leaving with not just a stronger project, but a new creative family.

Maren Hill

I vividly remember the start of the first day: I was sitting on my cabin porch, confused and slightly panicking because I didn’t know where everyone else was, when Shelby came to the rescue and kindly texted me to head to the backyard where they were all patiently waiting for me to start — so I ran as fast as I could with my little notebook and said sorry!!!!!! and sat down at the picnic table and looked around at everyone’s wonderful face and instantly thought, “oh f*ck. I think I love you all.”

Going into the lab, I expected to learn a lot, work hard, be challenged, feel inspired, and build a community. What I didn’t anticipate was how much FUN that would all entail. How much laughter and moments of owmyfacehurtsfromsmilingtoomuch. How immediate and intense of a bond I would feel with every other person — not just friends, but truly (barf with me now), family.

Whatever spidey senses the Black List team have about potential group chemistry should be tested in a science lab. It was honestly terrifying how quickly we all got along and made ourselves vulnerable. It took me a minute to get over the fact that these beautiful people whose words, thoughts and images had already expanded my heart and opened my mind were also REAL physical human beings? It’s such a unique joy to get to form an idea of someone in your own head based on their personality on the page, and then to watch their countless other dimensions unfold before your eyes.

I’ve never felt so understood and wholeheartedly supported as an artist. I was blown away by how much everyone not just enjoyed each other’s scripts, but cared about them. In the cohort feedback session, we all ended up going to bat for each other’s stories far more than anyone ever tried to defend their own. I was deeply moved by the constant generosity of everyone’s spirit and insight, the shared passion for independent filmmaking, and the fierce insistence on staying true to your voice.

The mentors were incredibly kind, attentive, and motivating. I can only hope to follow in their footsteps. What a gift to learn from those who have been through similar trenches and managed to thrive. What a gift to create something in solitude and for it to be seen by and resonate with anyone at all.

The food?! Delicious. The beds?! So comfy. The showers?! Perfect water pressure. Ojai?! Magic in the air. The Black List ladies?! Definitely witches.

I don’t know what’s next, but I cannot wait to see each of these projects come to life, and for the many more remarkable stories I am certain everyone in this cohort will go on to tell.

It was 90 degrees and sunny at the start of the week, 60 degrees and pouring rain on the drive home. I used it as an excuse to cry my eyes out, thinking about my ten year-old self and the absolute odyssey of a journey that brought me from that terrified kid to the lab.

Tears of hope and gratitude as I hydroplaned down the 101.

Sahand Nikoukar

I’ve always wondered what it must have been like for painters during the Belle Époque — gathering in bars over absinthe to talk art, process, and technique, to debate politics, get philosophical, and wax poetic. For one week in 2025, I got to experience a version of that with the Black List. I’ll cut to everyone’s favorite part of any story: the middle.

It was Wednesday night, and we’d already spent two full days in thoughtful, rigorous conversations with mentors, and begun forming a genuine creative community. We’d shared several incredible family-style meals, enjoyed more than a few excellent cocktails — and while none of them were absinthe, that Rancho Water is an elixir with magical powers of its own. Think the “Gatorade” from Space Jam.

That Wednesday night we gathered for a pizza party around the campfire before walking into town to attend a screening of The Secret Agent, Brazil’s official Oscar submission, as part of the Ojai Film Festival. Walking back afterward with this group of talented filmmakers and the remarkable Black List team, I was struck by how rare it is to find yourself in an environment where everyone is deeply invested in both excellence and generosity. The Black List has created a space where artists can bring their full selves to the work, and it shows. Each interaction felt intentional, designed to foster trust, openness, and a deeper engagement with the work.

Back at the campfire, we talked Carl Jung, Geoffrey Chaucer, and favorite Beatle (George), alongside Scott Myers’ insightful theory about Paddy Chayefsky — which, if you ever get the chance to ask him about, you absolutely should. And that’s when it hits you: there’s only one more day left.

Because this experience — amid invigorating conversations, deep dives into the work, and truly fantastic meals — does something remarkable. You unlock your script. You get that one golden note that suddenly transforms all the others. A super-conductor of insight. And you can’t wait to go home and write. To finally take your script to that next level it’s been begging for — —

Except… you don’t want to leave.

You want one more day. One more conversation. One more meal. One more round of notes from your peers — peers you were first introduced to through their scripts, long before meeting in person. Getting to know these incredible humans through their work, then meeting the people behind it, and spending a week eating, drinking, and talking movies together is something I’ll be forever grateful for.

That gratitude is owed to the extraordinary care and curation of the Black List team — Megan, Shelby, Kate, Lillian, Claire, Elisa — truly the best, in every way. They create not only a thoughtful program, but an environment where you can show up fully as yourself, an atmosphere rooted in respect and intention. The cohort itself is assembled with equal care, resulting in a group that challenges and supports one another in meaningful ways.

And Scott Myers — well, if you’re reading this blog, you already know. Throughout the week, Scott serves as a steady and guiding presence, encouraging vulnerability, helping writers navigate complex feedback, and continually reinforcing the importance of staying true to one’s voice and vision. His mentorship provides a connective throughline that grounds the entire experience.

If you let go, open up, listen, and allow yourself to be present, this lab will change you. You’ll grow. And so will your work. You’ll connect with souls who may become lifelong friends and creative companions. Could you ask for anything more special? Belle Époque nights with Rancho Water and cupcakes around a campfire.

That final rainy Friday morning, no one wanted to leave. But an experience, like a good story, has to end to have any meaning. On the drive home, I reflected on the adventure — grateful, inspired, and ready to get back to work. I’ll always remember my week at Camp Rancho in November 2025 at the Black List Projects Lab in Ojai. If only every year came with a week like this.

Max Olson

Pulling up to the Ojai Rancho Inn to spend five days with total strangers, I didn’t imagine that we would leave as profoundly close friends. But we did. And I soon found that I hadn’t accurately imagined any of this experience. Not even close. How could I have?

The level of support and encouragement I have received since that day cannot be overstated. It’s rare in this industry to feel like you actually matter, like there are actual human beings on the other side of the email that care about you and believe in your work. We were shown over and over throughout the weekend that The Black List Lab isn’t just a five day respite from our lives; It’s a fully functional and long-lasting network of support and opportunity that will continue to uplift us in the industry as long as we need it to.

My cohort was full of real-life angel people, whose work was endlessly inspiring (I mean it, they’re still inspiring me) and who insisted that we stay up late drunkenly singing covers of Bob Dylan songs even when we had to wake up for mentor sessions at 8am the next morning.

Between Scott, the mentors, Shelby and Megan and the entire cohort, I felt incredibly held in my creative process and have continued to ever since. I cannot express the enormity of my gratitude for the experience and everything that the team put into it.

I have so much love for The Black List and the beautiful people it has brought into my life. Thank you for all of it.

Urvashi Pathania

I was feeling personally and professionally lost at sea when I found out I had been selected for The Black List Projects Lab. I was so grateful because this experience became my much needed buoy. A few weeks before Ojai, I first read the other five fellows’ scripts and watched their shorts. I was inspired in the way good art inspires you, and I was also intimidated/excited to meet these creative and soulful minds. I knew this lab was coming at exactly the right time, but I could not yet grasp what a truly life-changing and magical week it would be.

After arriving at Camp Rancho and meeting the other fellows, my nerves melted away, and I was excited to eke out all I could from this week. We spent our first days talking to our mentors. I was lucky enough to be paired with Liz Hannah, Leigh Janiak, and Pippa Bianco. Notes can feel icky, especially when you feel your script has been skimmed or misunderstood, so to find three thoughtful writer-directors who read my work so deeply they understood what my script needed better than I could, was astonishing. I asked each mentor about how they write their screenplays and one of them gave me a tip/slightly time consuming hack that will forever change the way I write. (I would include it here, but what is said at Camp Rancho stays at Camp Rancho.)

In the evening, we hung out with the other writer-directors. Our work can feel so lonely at times, so being with five other people who “get it” was such a dream. We talked about making our films, but mostly we talked about silly goofy things, such as the naming conventions of the Fast & Furious franchise. We played Cornhole as the sun set and sang folk songs around the fire. By the end of the trip, we were trading conspiracy theories and making plans to meet again ASAP. You can tell we were forever bonded by how long it took us to leave Camp Rancho. We had to say goodbye just one more time before getting into our cars and driving away.

Scott (a.k.a. Scott California) was our spiritual guide, screenwriting mentor, and chill dad that week. His love of the Pixar film Up and Jungian psychology was infectious. I had never thought of creating characters using the unconscious, but it has completely reconfigured the way I concoct a screenplay. It’s alchemy and shadow work and bringing what’s underneath to the surface. Peer reviewing our scripts made us one hive mind, and when Scott got verklempt discussing the Pixar film Up, we all found ourselves teary eyed as well.

Finally, meeting and befriending the incredible women of The Black List was one of the most merry-making parts of the week.They are incredible at putting together a lab; I felt so safe in their hands; and most importantly, they’re all SO funny. l will miss scream-laughing over martinis at dinner for a long time.

Leaving the lab, I couldn’t believe how lucky I am to live this life — to spend time with passionate awe-inspiring people who I get to call my cohort. I need to see all of their films realized as soon as possible.

One month out from Ojai, and I’m working on a new draft (reading Scott Myer’s incredibly helpful book “The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling” has been the best way to get my mind churning before I sit down to write). Personally, sometimes I still feel out at sea, but Ojai is my lighthouse. Its light is still shining on me and giving me courage to continue forth on this journey of a writer-director.

Thank you to everyone who created this incredible opportunity. And to any prospective applicants, I couldn’t recommend the lab more highly.

Nathan Xia

Camp Rancho is a haven where art is nurtured to be unapologetically bold and infinitely vulnerable. There, I was blessed to be part of a cohort with five other passionate storytellers with soul-shaking movies that made me FEEL. Their stories, talent, and humanity moved me every day and continue to inspire me to be a better artist and human. Maren, Max, Teddy, Sahand, Urvashi, my world is greater because you are in it.
 
 The Lab, led by Scott, Shelby, and Megan, became our creative refuge, protecting us from the world’s distractions while preserving a delicate artistic purity. You three worked so damn hard to catalyze our growth and evolution. Thank you for being our champions and our advocates.
 
 Maryam, Ry, and Pippa, thank you for giving my story your all. My movie is stronger because of your generosity, and I am forever grateful for your mentorship and friendship. I hope to take many more walks with you from the sunny beaches of Cannes to the snowy streets of Boulder.
 
 I really miss bullshitting around the fire with all of you. Ya know, the first movie I watched when I got home from the Lab was Twilight? It was life-changing. Anyway, always remember that you have a friend in me. I’m only one FaceTime call away. 
 
 See you at your movie premieres.

Here are some photos of the lab scene.

The Project Lab marked my 27th Black List lab or mini-lab. Each has been notable in its own way. This most recent cohort? A special group. They bonded in a big way and each of their stories is primed to jump to the next level.

Reflections: 2025 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2024 Black List Project Lab

Reflections: 2024 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2023 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2022 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2021 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2020 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2019 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2018 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2017 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2016 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Update: 2015 Chicago, New York, and Toronto Black List Mini-Labs

Update: 2015 Los Angeles and San Francisco Mini-Labs

Update: 2014 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Update: 2013 Black List Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2021 Black List New Zealand Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2022 Black List/Women In Film Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2021 Black List/Women In Film Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2020 Black List/Women In Film Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2019 Black List/Women In Film Feature Writers Lab

Reflections: 2018 Black List/Women In Film Feature Writers Lab

I look forward to returning to Ojai in 2026 for the next year’s Feature Writers Lab and Project Lab.

For more information on the Black List educational programs and to learn how you may apply for either lab, go here.

[Photos by Petie Sjogren]