Peanut Butter Whiskey

Lauryn (top picture) is a writer, director, producer, and current MFA screenwriting student at UNCSA’s School of Filmmaking from Winston-Salem, NC. She has explored technical writing, prose, creative writing, academic writing, speech writing, journalism, and article writing, yet still felt unfulfilled and decided to minor in film studies at UNC Charlotte as an English major to pursue screenwriting. The beginning of her passion as a filmmaker was first explored while completing her honor’s thesis, White Anxiety vs. Minority Reality: The Films of Wes Anderson.

Lauryn’s desire to create and share her experiences as a young Black woman through art is inspired by an equal desire to understand herself and the world around her. She has co-written, co-directed, and co-produced her first short film, Peanut Butter Whiskey, inspired by a close friendship and the woes of modern dating. She has also been a writer and script supervisor for Women of Acadia Street, a short film anthology which focuses on invisible labor and consisted of a crew made up entirely of women, and wrote two feature scripts, a pilot, and a short film, Puddin’, that she will direct in 2024. As she continues to sculpt her artistic identity, Lauryn has discovered that her stories are transformations of real-life feelings and experiences with love, family, and identity that come together to create a blend of endearing characters, emotional storylines, and relatable problems.

And Hailing from Columbia, SC and having spent summers in the lowcountry, Ellie (bottom picture) draws inspiration from the traditions of southern storytelling. Ellie has always been a multifaceted storyteller. A poet and cinephile from a young age, she is passionate about transforming ideas into meaningful visuals. She was able to combine her love of words and her aspirations to create films to become a screenwriter. She strives to preserve her lyrical writing and dedication to the art of narrative across different genres and mediums.

Ellie holds a BA in English from Reed College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. With a commitment to exploring unconventional narratives, Ellie's academic journey at Reed culminated in a thesis exploring the feminist reinterpretation of the coming-of-age model. Her creative endeavors extend beyond traditional academia, evident in her role as a creator, writer, and script supervisor for Women of Acadia Street, a short film anthology which focuses on invisible labor and consisted of a crew made up entirely of women. The project allowed her to explore women’s diverse stories and gain invaluable on-set experience. This experience also gave her the skills and confidence to co-write, co-produce, and co-direct her first short film, Peanut Butter Whiskey.