Runner-Up, The Coletta Preacely-Garcia Diversity Fellowship 2024
BIO
MATIAS BRANGER atias is a Venezuelan writer, creator, and—despite what his name or appearance might suggest—not a “Dave.” A proud Venezuelan immigrant, Matias lives in the in-between: too white-looking for most Latinos, and too accented for his American friends. So, when the Starbucks barista asks for a name, he just goes with “Matt.”
In high school, Matias racked up a 5.21 GPA, earned National AP Scholar honors, and collected scholarships from top-tier STEM universities. So when he turned down all of that to study TV writing at NYU Tisch’s Dramatic Writing Program, jaws dropped—especially among fellow first-gen students and every adult in his life. But Matias is driven by a clear mission: to tell stories for those who, like him, exist between cultures.
His original pilot 3.o.5. was recently named a Finalist for both the Roadmap Writers Diversity Fellowship and the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards. His upcoming YouTube web series, The Film Bros of Greenwich Village, debuts this fall (his mom and her friends are already fans). Currently, Matias works as an Executive Assistant to a senior agent and Partner at Paradigm Talent Agency as he readies himself to launch a career in television writing.