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NYWIFT Masterclass: Comedy Writing

NYWIFT Masterclass: Comedy Writing

15 Sep 2025 @ 06:30pm

Join NYWIFT for our Masterclass Series: Comedy Writing with Saturday Night Live writers Alison Gates and Emily Spivey.

Step inside the writers’ room with two acclaimed Saturday Night Live writers as they share their secrets and skills of crafting sketches that land.  Whether you’re an aspiring comedian, writer, or just a fan of great comedy, you’ll gain insider tips, writing strategies, and plenty of laughs along the way.

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Latest news

NYWIFT members are encouraged to submit their projects for consideration for the NYWIFT Member Screening Series!

Learn more…

Congrats to the NYWIFT Members with films screening at the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival!

Check out the lineup…

Congratulations to the 12 NYWIFT Members nominated for the 2025 News & Documentary Emmy Awards!

See the nominees and winners…

NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez shares recaps of recent NYWIFT happenings at Tribeca, the Made in NY Awards, and our Meet the Candidates Night, plus previews upcoming programs and pays tribute to two special members of our community who have passed. 

Read the latest… 

 

In her latest letter from the CEO, Cynthia Lopez shares behind-the-scenes highlights from the 45th Annual NYWIFT Muse Awards!

Check it out…

Congrats to the six NYWIFT members involved in Oscar-nominated projects this year!

Check out the list… 

Catch the special broadcast for the 44th Annual NYWIFT Muse Awards on NYC Life March 1 and 21!

Check out the promo and local listings…

We’re proud to share that 10 NYWIFT members had projects selected for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival!

Check out the lineup…

NYWIFT has compiled a list of resources for members in need following the California wildfires, and for those in NYC looking to send support. 

See the list…

There are several NYWIFT Members involved in projects nominated for the 2025 Golden Globes!

Check out the full roster…

NYWIFT presented 11 awards to women filmmakers across six New York-area film festivals in 2024.

Meet who we supported…

NYWIFT presented scholarships to eight filmmaking students in 2024 as part of our ongoing commitment to nurturing the next generation of women in media.

Meet the students…

Congrats to the NYWIFT members with films at DOC NYC 2024!

Check out the festival highlights…

NYWIFT is proud to announce the new Nancy Mysel Scholarship Fund for students dedicated to the art and science of film preservation. The scholarship is named for the late UCLA preservationist.

Learn more.

Four NYWIFT Members have been nominated for Artios Awards for casting theater and television – including former Board Member Destiny Lilly, who has nine nominations! Congrats to all.

Read about the nominees…

Four NYWIFT members have films screening at the 2024 Urbanworld Festival – congrats to all involved!

See the lineup…

Congrats to the ten members with projects at the Chelsea Film Festival!

Check out the lineup…

We are proud to have five NYWIFT members with projects at this year’s NewFest, NYC’s LGBTQIA+ film festival!

Learn more about the films…

Congrats to the NYWIFT members with films screening at the 25th Anniversary Woodstock Film Festival!

Check out the full lineup…

In her latest letter from the CEO, Cynthia Lopez recaps NYWIFT all around New York: from The New School to Greenpoint to NYC TV Week, DCTV, Queens, the Hamptons, and beyond…

Read all about it…

Congrats to all of the NYWIFT Members with films at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival, including Past NYWIFT Board President Simone Pero and Lilly, recipient of the NYWIFT Ravenal Foundation Feature Film Grant! 

See the full lineup.

NYWIFT is proud to announce new Board President Kim Jackson, along with several other new and returning board members for 2024-2025.

Get to know them here!

New York Women in Film & Television is proud to announce its continued partnership with the Hellenic Film Society in 2024, including two October screenings at the NY Greek Film Expo.

Read the details…

Congrats to the 25 NYWIFT Members featured in the 15th Annual SOHO International Film Festival, as well as festival Executive Director and Head of Programming, NYWIFT Board Member Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago!

See the full lineup…

NYWIFT is proud to share that seven of our members were nominated for 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards, for shows including The Gilded Age, Only Murders in the Building, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Telemarketers, Saturday Night Live, True Detective: Night Country, and Girls State.

Check out the nominees…

The Writers Lab today announced that renewed support from steadfast champion Meryl Streep will enable 14 writers across 12 projects to attend its tenth annual lab. With Labs now operational in the US, Canada, UK and Europe, The Writers Lab is still the only program in the world dedicated exclusively to elevating the work of women and nonbinary screenwriters over 40. 

Learn more!

Congratulations to the NYWIFT members who had projects at the 2024 Tribeca Festival!

See the full list.

Visit our NYWIFT Boutique to shop for Muse Awards mugs and apparel!

Check it out!

  • "As always and even more so today, women in our business are taking up the mantle of courage and truth-telling and consciousness, and they move and inspire me. We are awake now in a way we have never been before."

    - Actor Judith Light, accepting her 2017 NYWIFT Muse Award

  • "My faith is renewed by the way I experience this vanguard moving through the world with such grace at such a complex time. Speaking truth to power and creating a legacy for the women and the men who follow."

    - Actor Judith Light, accepting her 2017 NYWIFT Muse Award

upcoming events

  • NYWIFT Masterclass: Comedy Writing

    06:30pm
  • 2025 NYWIFT Creative Workforce Summit: Creative Sustainability in the Age of AI

    09:30am
  • NYWIFT Virtual Hangout with WFTV UK

    01:00pm

 

LATEST blogs

Meet the New NYWIFT Member
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Alex Kokenis

Welcome to NYWIFT, Alex Kokenis! Alex Kokenis (she/her) is a queer filmmaker and editor living in Brooklyn, NY. Her last short film, A Pickle and a Coke, is currently in its festival run, recently winning Best Script at Chicago Film Frenzy. Through her production company, It’s a Long Story Productions, Alex has co-written and co-directed two short films, Wednesday, and The Root, as well as directed and edited music videos. When she is not creating her own work, she is a passionate editor and loves to bring others’ stories to life. Alex is currently an Assistant Editor for narrative features and a proud member of IATSE Local 700. She cites Steven Soderbergh and the Duplass Brothers as her main inspirations for storytelling. She loves a good vest and to go bowling.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Sara Newton

Welcome to NYWIFT, Sara Newton! Sara is a director and cinematographer based in New York and Los Angeles. She is the creator of the MDR Sketch Comedy Show on PBS and has recently returned from an expedition in Antarctica, where she filmed a documentary. Her digital comedy sketches, produced under brands like Made by Tom and Sara, Nightpantz, and Conservation Comedy, have collectively garnered over 5 million views. With a strong foundation in television production, Sara has coordinated hit reality shows such as Love & Hip Hop (VH1), Bridezillas (WEtv), and Nellyville (BET). Her extensive experience in physical production led her to spend six years at Gunpowder & Sky, where she managed production across various platforms and developed sizzle reels for network pitches. Additionally, she served as the cinematographer for the experimental film Dust Flow: A Meditative Experience, also produced by Gunpowder & Sky. As of 2025, Sara is Head of Content for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and is set to direct a feature film this fall. Sara shares her journey as an unconventional storyteller who is not afraid to explore new platforms and storytelling formats.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Diana Rehnlund

Welcome to NYWIFT, Diana Rehnlund! Diana Rehnlund is a Set Designer working on a diverse variety of projects, including The Girl from Plainville, Juror #2, The Fabulous Four, and Clean Slate. Diana holds a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Philadelphia University (2010) and a Master of Fine Arts in Production Design from SCAD (2018). After moving to Savannah, Georgia for graduate school, she began working in the film industry as a PA, Art Department Coordinator, and then as a Set Designer (IATSE Local 491). Diana's background includes designing custom food trucks, millwork, and cabinetry, and mentoring students. Diana's most recent projects include working as a set designer in the art department of the hit TV series The Hunting Wives and The Righteous Gemstones. Having recently returned to New Jersey, she enjoys the creative, collaborative pace of film and television and brings flexibility, detail, and strong problem-solving skills to every project. 

Meet the New NYWIFT Member
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Stephanie Lynn Jones

Welcome to NYWIFT, Stephanie Lynn Jones! Stephanie is a filmmaker, TV writer, and multi-disciplinary creative with two decades in screen and stage storytelling. She directed the short doc memoir The Jones Twins: Bebop Souls in a Muzak™ World (BRIC TV) and launched her film career on Spike Lee’s production teams. An Emmy nominee for Nickelodeon’s Gullah Gullah Island, she has developed her own TV projects with Universal Kids, PBS Kids, and TIME Studios.  With her twin, Suzanne, The Jones Twins’ performance work has appeared at major venues in NYC and beyond; they also lent their vocals to the Slamdance Festival award-winning film System Noise. Stephanie holds a B.A. from Howard University and an MFA from NYU Tisch. Read on to get to know Stephanie, learn about her roots in the industry, and get a preview of her short documentary film, The Jones Twins!

 

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