The annual NBC TV Writers Program from NBCU Launch has set its Class of 2025-27, who were selected from a pool of 2,100 applicants. UGFTV alumni Max Asayesh-Brown '18 (BFA, Film and Television) and Marissa Díaz '12 (BFA, Film and Television) were among the nine selected.
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Asayesh-Brown writes character-driven dramedies, usually with a mystery or crime component. His passion for writing also extends to literary fiction and blogs about housing policy. In his youth, he developed a love for comedy after watching episodes of The King of Queens. After graduating with a BFA in Film & TV Production from NYU in 2018, he quit his job as a line cook in Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles. After nearly two years at 3 Arts Entertainment, he landed on the TV drama development team at NBCUniversal, where he has been since 2021. In 2023, Asayesh-Brown was named a Humanitas New Voices Fellow. He is represented by M88.
Díaz was a writer on NBC’s Lopez vs Lopez and was selected for the inaugural Latino Film Institute + Warner Bros. OneFifty Directing Fellowship. Inspired by her Eldest Daughter Syndrome, she writes irreverent, female-driven comedies. She was also a writer and producer on Netflix’s Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste, and a producer on HBOMax’s Generation. As a writer, director, and producer, her work has been supported by the Sundance Episodic Lab; the FX Imaginar TV Incubator for Fearless Latinx Creators sponsored by Film Independent and NALIP; and the Women Directing Mentorship presented by Shondaland and SeriesFest. Díaz holds a BFA in Film & TV Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program. She is represented by 3 Arts Entertainment.
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