Top 25 Pilots - 2025 JumpStart Writing Competition

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Jumpstart

 

Top 25 Pilots - 2025 JumpStart Writing Competition

Roadmap Writers is thrilled to announce the Top 25 Pilots from our 2025 JumpStart Writing Competition.

JumpStart leverages the reach and resources of Roadmap Writers to advocate for these exciting emerging voices. This year's judging panel includes execs and reps from companies such as Good Fear Content, Odenkirk Provissiero, Heroes and Villains, Writ Large, and more,  

And now we’re pleased to announce the...

SEMIFINALISTS PILOT
SCRIPT TITLEWRITER(S)LOGLINE
ABSOLUTE DINNERNic TurnerIn a brutal galaxy where chefs kill for culinary supremacy, a haunted sushi master hunts the warlords who deep-fried his family-only to learn that revenge is the one dish best left unserved.
AJNABIYEHBatoul MouradThe lives of Australian-raised teenagers in 1998 are upended when they return to their homeland, Israeli-occupied Southern Lebanon, but not even political conflict cannot supress their teenage desire for scheming and rebellion.
AURATiffany AlzattiIn this coming-of-age dramedy, a defiant Mexican teen witch-in-training attempts to wield her unruly magic trying to protect herself and crush from her mother's newly awoken power.
BACTERIA EMPIREJarod BackensIn a near future marked by rampant inequality, a renowned but deeply depressed gene editing scientist must confront a toxic relationship from her past while racing against rival labs and insurgent groups to stop the next global pandemic: antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
BLOOD BROTHERSCynthia Riddle & Peter HunzikerA young criminology student's DNA is found at the murder scenes of a serial killer, forcing him to enlist the aid of his ethically challenged professor to help clear his name - only to discover that he, she and the real killer are all inextricably linked.
CHUTZPAHLeah GottfriedA feisty Orthodox Jewish teen's dreams of partying in high school are thwarted when her strict rabbi father becomes her new principal, forcing her to find creative ways to rebel under his watchful eye.
CLOISTEREDLauren SudworthTudor teen nun Agnes knows who she wants to marry-and it's not God. Agnes must escape Whitby Abbey before she gets nunned forever.


CLOISTERED is a warm-hearted, witty 8 x 30 mins historical comedy, set in pre-reformation Whitby Abbey, and focused on the story of Agnes Kettering, a reluctant teenage nun. 
CLOISTERED blends modern humor and feminist themes with a historical setting in a format that would appeal to audiences who loved DERRY GIRLS or THE GREAT.
CREEPSFrankie Campisano & Steve AutoreFired from his dream job at CREEPS, INC., a washed-up hometown hero recruits his former best friend to start their own paranormal agency and restore his reputation.
CRIME CLEANERSVered NetaAfter a woman kills her abusive husband, her sixty-something mother and her friends help her hide the body and clean up. Unfortunately, they are so successful a local Crime Boss forces them to clean his own murder scenes.
FLOP ERACeline FosterAfter her co-founder boyfriend publicly torpedoes their company and their relationship, a Type-A perfectionist must rebuild her life with the help of her dysfunctional college besties.
GARGOYLE HIGHLauren ConoscentiIn this supernatural teen drama, a new student navigates the trials of an all-girls boarding school - homework, an antagonistic roommate, the ancient creatures she keeps releasing on campus - while striving to uncover the truth about her biological family.
HAFŪMiya KodamaWhen half-Japanese, half-Korean Ami Hwang and half-Japanese, half-white Emi Conners meet the weekend before college begins, the two immediately despise each other - only to discover they are, in fact, half-sisters - and their estranged father is dead.
HELL TOURMinna LeeA genderqueer Asian American punk band drives their tour van into Hell to rescue their drummer.
L.O.T.U.S.Nathan PattonWhen a supercomputer predicts an aimless surfer from Santa Cruz will be the next President of the United States, she becomes the target of sleeper agents tasked with her assassination. She must decide whether to warn the others on the computer's 'kill list' or leave behind the only country she's ever known in order to save herself.
MAKE YOURSELF AT HOMEEmily HowardWhen a queer youth counselor returns to the town that closeted her in high school, she becomes a begrudging catalyst for three generations of gay awakenings.
MONSTERS AND GEMSTONESDon DonahueWhen a young monster trainer discovers a shape-shifting blue blob, they must join forces to escape the sinister Black Syndicate.
MONTECITODavid DeGustaA struggling writer is visiting his tech entrepreneur brother when his baby nephew disappears on his watch, touching off a desperate search that spills out secrets and ignites conflicts. It's Broadchurch meets Gone Baby Gone in a wealthy California enclave.
OOPSIES POOPSIESKevin KoljackWhen the debauched star of the biggest kids show in town finds his blackmailing ex-wife dead, he and his obsessive assistant must navigate the seedy world of children's puppetry in order to solve the murder, clear his name, and keep him on stage.
PRUSSIAN BLUEHenry HarperThe daughter of a legendary thief makes her first foray into the world of high art crime.
RESCUE EDDIEJ.R. Spaulding, Jr.When a quixotic nursing assistant embarks on a mission to discover why he is slowly transforming into a zombie, he draws the ire of the mad scientist who runs the interdimensional secret research facility down the street.
THE 100-YARD WARCody SchlegelIn the crucible of college football, legendary coaches Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bo Schembechler of Michigan wage a fierce ten-year war, turning the rivalry between their teams into an epic saga of strategy, determination, and enduring legacy from 1969 to 1978. Based on a true story.
(Drama)
THE LAST WORDJames CrispA struggling actor, while navigating his own personal demons, stumbles upon an unexpected source of income and inspiration: reading eulogies for the deceased.
2040Thomas MedoriIn a world where AI predicts and manipulates human behavior, a disillusioned federal investigator and a rogue programmer uncover a secret that could save or doom society. Hunted by powerful forces, they must race against time to expose the truth before becoming pawns in the very system they seek to destroy.
VERSUSAlex Marsha SylviaAfter beginning his transition, a transgender male high school student is forced to examine his history of gender-based violence while navigating the complexities of being a man during the #MeToo movement.
WEST Elyssa CatalfanoEighteen-year-old Charles must hire a group of mercenary cowboys to retrieve stolen information from his recently inherited multi-billion-dollar business.

SEMIFINALISTS

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 Nic Turner

 Nic Turner  

ABSOLUTE DINNER 

BIO

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Batoul Mourad

AJNABIYEH  

BIO

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Tiffany Alzatti

Tiffany Alzatti

AURA  

BIO

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Jarod Backens

Jarod Backens 

BACTERIA EMPIRE 

BIO

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Cynthia Riddle 

BLOOD BROTHERS

BIO

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Peter Hunziker

BLOOD BROTHERS

BIO

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Leah Gottfried

Leah Gottfried 

CHUTZPAH 

BIO

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Lauren Sudworth

Lauren Sudworth

CLOISTERED 

BIO

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Frankie Campisano

Frankie Campisano 

CREEPS 

BIO

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Vered Neta

Vered Neta

CRIME CLEANERS 

BIO

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Celine Foster

Celine Foster

FLOP ERA

BIO

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Lauren Conoscenti

Lauren Conoscenti 

GARGOYLE HIGH  

BIO

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Miya Kodama

Miya Kodama 

HAFU 

BIO

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 Minna Lee

Minna Lee 

HELL TOUR 

BIO

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Nathan Patton

Nathan Patton

L.O.T.U.S.

BIO

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Emily Howard

Emily Howard

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

BIO

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Don Donahue

Don Donahue 

MONSTERS AND GEMSTONES

BIO

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David DeGusta

David DeGusta

MONTECITO

BIO

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Kevin Koljack

Kevin Koljack 

OOPSIES POOPSIES

BIO

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Henry Harper

Henry Harper  

PRUSSIAN BLUE 

BIO

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 Cody Schlegel

Cody Schlegel

THE 100-YARD WAR  

BIO

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James Crisp

James Crisp

THE LAST WORD

BIO

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Thomas Medori

Thomas Medori 

2040

BIO

 

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Alex Marsha Sylvia

Alex Marsha Sylvia

VERSUS 

BIO

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