Fred Rogers: Writers Neighborhood

Mercedes Brazier-Thurman is a children’s TV screenwriter, abolitionist educator, and Vernor’s ginger ale enthusiast. As a former classroom teacher, her writing explores the comedic curiosity and complex vulnerability of youth. She writes stories where kids take on big adventures and sometimes have to navigate even bigger feelings.

Her writing has been seen on Work It Out Wombats on PBS KIDS. Mercedes has a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts for Film and Dramatic Writing and an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU Steinhart’s School of Education. She is currently a scriptwriting professor at The City University of New York.

Haley Chung is a writer from Vancouver, British Columbia, who loves all things children’s animation. She graduated with honors from Columbia University as a double major in Film Studies and Human Rights, and is passionate about the intersection between storytelling, advocacy, and inclusivity. She especially loves writing comedy for both preschool and 6-11s, and has taken sketch writing classes at UCB in New York City.

Currently, Haley works as a production manager at Moody Studios and has written episodes for the upcoming preschool series, Mia & Codie. With grandparents from Hong Kong (from the "Chung village," or Chung Uk Tsuen), she learned Cantonese, Mandarin, and French before ever taking an English class. Haley’s work is inspired by growing up as a child of multiple cultures, falling in love with fictional worlds, and little girls who dream way too big. 

Frank Duci is a creative based in California, having graduated from CSU Northridge in 2022 with a major in Television Production and a minor in Art. Previously, he worked in digital marketing as a part of the creative team at YellowPike Media. Presently, he works with The Media Lab, a school that aims to teach adults with developmental disabilities the basics of film and television production.

Frank is proud of his Mexican and Italian heritage and has carved out a unique identity, telling stories that speak to underdogs and outsiders. Recently, he’s been a volunteer committee member for the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and a Sesame Workshop Writers’ Room fellow.

Brianna Ishibashi is a fourth-generation Japanese-American writer (and sometimes performer) who spent her formative years backstage at rock concerts with her SoCal showbiz family. After graduating summa cum laude with an honors program distinction BFA in Music Theatre (The Hartt School, CT), she traded her jazz hands for microscopes when she served as Administrative Director of Medical Education for a dermatopathology laboratory and teaching academy in NYC. 

She was recently nominated for an Audie Award as part of the ensemble voice cast for Sequoia Nagamatsu’s How High We Go in the Dark and was chosen as a Twin Cities PBS Writer’s Program Fellow in 2022 and a Sesame Workshop Writers’ Room Program Fellow in 2023. Brianna is currently freelance writing for the upcoming animated series Skillsville (Twin Cities PBS) and resides in Los Angeles with her husband and kids (2 human, 2 feline). Her writing focuses on the fun and fantastical, with her ultimate goal being the creation of core memories for kids through children’s media.

Erin is a children’s media writer. She grew up in NJ, went to Brown University, and moved to Los Angeles to further pursue a career in entertainment writing. She grew up watching 90s Nickelodeon cartoons because they celebrated and explored being odd, which deeply connected with her as a loud kid. Erin is a stand-up comic who has performed in many comedy festivals and in venues across New York and Los Angeles. Her stand-up comedy informs her ability to write jokes and incorporate larger-than-life emotions into her scripts for children’s animation. She has written for a Netflix pre-K show produced by Moonbug Animation. Erin wants to give other kids that feeling of being seen and celebrated. She writes for pre-K and 6-11.

When she’s not writing for children or doing stand-up, Erin is spending time outside as a part-time nature educator and reading about cryptids and folklore.

Kevin Johnson is a Boston-based animation writer and post-production specialist. A Dartmouth graduate who freelanced for The AVClub and Den of Geek, he has two credits to his name: Wolfboy and the Everything Factory for Apple TV+, and Love Monster for CBeebies, BBC’s children broadcast network. Kevin has a penchant for all things animated, often watching and discussing his love for cartoons as much as possible. He specializes in action-comedy but can write across multiple genres and demographics.

An African-American who spends his downtime working out, playing video games, and dabbling in video special effects, Kevin is passionate about work that explores culture and history through non-traditional and unique characters and concepts. In addition to being a Fred Rogers Productions Writing Fellow, he was in the top 15% of submissions for the Nick Content Accelerator Program, and he was a finalist for the Sesame Workshop Writers’ Room.

Sheryl McGloffin-Pinto is the Senior Coordinator of Research and Curriculum at 9 Story Media Group, where she enjoys asking kids the hard-hitting questions like: “Did you like that story?” And, “Was that story funny?” Before working in research, Sheryl was a middle school teacher and then a production coordinator on Nickelodeon’s Play-Along Video. Since joining 9 Story, she has added Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Karma's World, Rosie's Rules, Blue’s Clues & You, Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures, and several others to her credits. In her free time, Sheryl enjoys perfecting her favorite French apple tart recipe, quilting, and writing stories for kids and teens.

As a former teacher, Rene Rawls finds herself passionately drawn to creating stories that capture those precious, magical moments of learning in awe-inspiring, refreshingly fun ways. Her work can be seen on the PBS show Lyla in the Loop (2024), and as the recipient of the Mandela Day/Tribeca All Access Award, her animated short film, Sule and the Case of the Tiny Sparks, was produced while her picture book, Sule and the Case of the Tied-up Lion, received the Kirkus star. Rene’s comprehensive style of work on kids-inspired projects has led her to understand the critical importance of social-emotional learning, and, as a result, she’s determined to bring more images of Black boys to preschool/bridge programming.

In addition to being a Fred Rogers Productions Writers’ Neighborhood Fellow, Rene has participated in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the Showrunner Mentorship Academy. She’s earned two graduate degrees, is a proud graduate of Hampton University (HBCU), and loves being asked by kids to create more content. 

Diana Aydin is a journalist-turned-kids’ comedy writer who has written for Alma’s Way and Rubble & Crew. Her original animated comedy series for kids 6-11, Unibrow, was recently optioned by Very Big World Entertainment, and her short, The Engagement Chicken, was nominated for outstanding comedy short at the 2022 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. Diana studied improv at The Second City and UCB, as well as education at Columbia University’s Teachers College and journalism at NYU. Her work is inspired by her Syriac family and culture, her quiet suburban New York upbringing, and that one time she had brain surgery.

Martín Julio Castillo is a gay writer from a small farming community alongside the Mexican border. He devoted seven years of his life to research as an entomology scientist and contributed to published findings on invasive species in California. He became a part of the Marvel family as an intern in their television department where he cycled through original programming, production, and post-production. He quickly transitioned into a support role as executive assistant for the hit ABC shows Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy, where he contributed his experiences to the writers’ room. Martín has also written animated shorts for DreamWorks’ Spirit & Friends, currently being released throughout 2022 and 2023. His stories focus on underdogs fighting with all their might to achieve their dreams.

Fareid El Gafy is a half-British, half-Egyptian comedy and animation writer. He graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film & TV and Politics in 2020. Fareid currently serves as a script coordinator at Nickelodeon and previously worked as a production assistant on Bubble Guppies, also at Nickelodeon. He is also involved in producing political advertisements and is working on a documentary feature on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Fareid hopes to make people laugh and to tell stories that are, however goofy, more diverse and representative.

JohnTom Knight is a writer, comedian, and proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He currently serves as a freelance writer and script coordinator on the upcoming kids’ fantasy animated series Spirit Rangers at Netflix. Most recently, JohnTom was selected as a fellow for the Fred Rogers Writers’ Neighborhood Program as well as the 2022 Native American Showrunner Program and is being mentored by Executive Producer Gabe Garza (CW’s The Flash). He also wrote an episode for Spotify’s CocoMelon Story Time and his books Snoozing Sun and Clapper Stick Concert were published by Random House in  January 2023.

Aleesha Nash is an artist traversing disciplines of performance, video, and illustration. Over the past few years, her work focused on themes addressing race, colorism, Western beauty standards, and positive youth development. She is interested in stories that help shift the inaccuracies around African Americans’ cultural identity.

Aleesha’s work has been seen at Cherry Lane Theatre, the National Black Theatre, The Flea Theater, Primary Stages, The Wild Project, The Arctic Group, Goddard College, the Kraine Theatre, the Orange Giraffe Project, and the Drama League in New York City.

She is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation Observership Program. Aleesha holds an M.A. from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and an MFA in dramatic writing from Goddard College in Vermont, where she received their Engaged Artist Award.

Zayna Quader is a Pakistani-American writer from St. Louis, MO with a B.A. from NYU concentrating in Memes and Mind Control.  While she is currently a script coordinator and freelance writer on Nickelodeon’s Blaze and the Monster Machines, her writing credits include Netflix’s Oddbods, and the Emmy^® nominated series, Blaze’s Amazing Race Through Time, and a staff writer on Among the Others, an upcoming YA indie, animated series. In addition, Zayna is a 2018 Pitch NY Recipient and a semifinalist of the 2021 ScreenCraft Summit Virtual Pitch Competition. Her stories are inspired by her experience growing up while juggling multiple identities and her love of adventure, sci-fi, and the paranormal. 

Janalyn Li Steele loves kids and has worked as a daycare worker, substitute teacher, and tutor. As a screenwriter, she has won first place in both the Fresh Voices and the Cinequest screenwriting competitions, and has developed and sold a series to a Chinese production company for Youku  Janalyn has also worked as a writers’ assistant on Freeform’s Good Trouble. She was a 2017 writing fellow for CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Janalyn has written, directed, and produced three short films. She holds the title of World’s Best Aunt from her 6-year-old niece, Kylie.

Natalie Vazquez is a self-taught, Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican writer and mom who grew up in New York’s low-income housing and escaped her harsh reality with storytelling. Raising a bisexual, gender fluid pre-teen daughter in today’s complex society has its challenges, but Natalie uses stories to connect with and teach her daughter about life, morals, finding your voice, and discovering ways to honor one’s culture. Storytelling has allowed them to develop a strong relationship full of honesty and freedom of expression, something Natalie hopes to convey to her readers.

Natalie is currently freelancing as a writer for six episodes of different series, including a holiday special for a new PBS KIDS series,Work It Out Wombats!, and an episode for PBS KIDS’ Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

Brandea Turner is the Program Manager for Fred Rogers Productions, overseeing FRP Writers’ Neighborhood, the writers’ development program. Her professional career began in Nashville, TN working in digital production for Warner Music Group. She loves the performing arts and has managed teams at various performing arts centers, including the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, and the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. During her tenure in academia, Brandea developed a passion for mentoring young adults and program management. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Business/Management from Berklee College of Music and earned a Master of Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago in Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. Brandea is a native of Pittsburgh, PA.

Ellen Doherty is Chief Creative Officer for Fred Rogers Productions, overseeing the creation of television and digital content for the company’s PBS KIDS series—Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Peg + Cat, Odd Squad, Donkey Hodie, and Alma’s Way. She is the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the award-winning Through the Woods, a short form series about nature. Ellen also serves as an executive producer on FRP’s newest series Donkey Hodie and Alma’s Way, which both premiered on PBS KIDS in 2021. In 2018, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy^® Award for Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like, the retrospective tribute to the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

An Emmy^® Award-winning producer and writer with more than 20 years’ experience in children’s media, Ellen was previously executive producer and story editor of the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase. She oversaw production of television and digital content for the series for six seasons, including several shortform video series. Ellen began her career as an associate producer on the award-winning PBS KIDS series Reading Rainbow. She has a B.A. in Communications from Boston College.

As Creative Development Manager, Gabrielle Howard oversees the company’s development slate, seeking new projects and collaborators and guiding them through production. With deep roots in New York City’s children’s programming community, she has served as a media consultant who advised on podcast development, social media strategy, and original concepts for the web and television.

Gabrielle began her career at Sesame Workshop, where she headed the children’s casting department for the Emmy® Award-winning program Sesame Street and home videos. She also co-managed celebrity bookings and landed guests like Jodie Foster, Laurence Fishburne, Garth Brooks, and Julia Roberts. After selling her first show idea to Sesame Workshop, Gabrielle served as Development Assistant at J.P. Kids, and was soon promoted to Associate Director of Development. Four years later, she accepted a development executive position at The N Network, which was rebranded as TeenNick, a nighttime network for teens and a programming arm of MTV Networks. While there, she developed live-action and animated properties with production giants such as Endemol and Klasky Csupo. Gabrielle was also assigned to find unscripted properties for the network and discovered the successful competition series Queen Bees, which aired on TeenNick and MTV.

Gabrielle received a Podcast Certificate from The Made in N.Y. Media Center by IFP as part of the first fellowship program sponsored by The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. She holds a B.A. from the University of South Carolina.

Jorge Aguirre is an author and Emmy-nominated animation writer. He co-created Disney Junior’s Goldie & Bear. He’s the Head Writer and Co-EP for the PBS KIDS/Fred Rogers Productions show Alma’s Way. Jorge has written for Disney, Jr., Nick, Jr., PBS, Amazon, and Netflix. He also writes graphic novels. A Colombian-American born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he calls the great state of New Jersey home.