Mara Brock Akil’s Writer’s Colony has selected four emerging writers for their spring cohort which will run March 18 to June 6.
The Spring cohort will include LA-based stand-up comedian, actor, and writer Jordan Rock; comedian and writer Domonic Diaz-Smith, a USC graduate and winner of the Warner Bros./truTV Comedy Writer’s Award; Porscha Williams, an optioned screenwriter who uses her wit and insight to analyze social dynamics; and Corinthian Maldonado, a former U.S. Air Force public health specialist who discovered his passion for storytelling overseas.
Based in LA, the three-month screenwriting residency is designed to support writers in developing an original script reflective of their unique experience and vision. With support from Netflix, selected writers participate in hands-on workshops, sharing their upcoming projects with industry professionals and, building relationships to further navigate their career. More specifically, the residency uplifts writers who have yet to break into scripted television writers’ rooms. The Writers’ Colony is committed to championing new voices and helping the next generation of storytellers find their footing.
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“I’m incredibly proud of the impact the Writer’s Colony has made, and I’m excited to continue its commitment to supporting underrepresented emerging writers by providing the exposure, access and tools they need to grow and succeed in this industry,” said Writers’ Colony Founder Mara Brock Akil.
The Writers’ Colony has appointed Karen Horne to help lead the team as an Executive Director. As the former Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, North America at Warner Bros, Horne has established herself in the industry as a champion of diversity, elevating underrepresented voices. With a dynamic career, including positions at NBCUniversal, Nickelodeon and The Walt Disney Company, Horne is excited to help uplift and encourage the writers of the Colony Community.
“I am honored and excited to welcome a new class of cohorts this spring. Through our search and submission process, we’ve identified a group of writers whose strong voices and creative talents align with The Writers’ Colony’s mission of providing a dedicated space for their stories to be told. Through mentorship and increased exposure, we aim to provide an interactive and creative environment for this group of emerging writers,” added Horne.
Previous Writers Colony cohorts included Duran Jones, Dorado Quick, Shahari Moore, Sunny Dae. The most recent Winter 2024 included James Ward III, Emma Michalak, Amber Jay, and Luis Santos.
Founded by Brock Akil in 2021, the three-month screenwriting residency takes place in West Adams, Los Angeles next door to Brock Akil’s story27 Productions company. During the residency, writers develop an original script that demonstrates their voice. Throughout their residency, they workshop their scripts and have conversations with varied entertainment professionals of all levels to prepare them to launch into the industry.
More about the four writers can be found below:
- Jordan Rock is a comedian, actor, and writer originally from Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Georgetown, South Carolina before returning to New York, where he began performing stand-up comedy. Over the years he has appeared in television and film while touring nationally as a comedian. He currently lives in Los Angeles and has recently begun focusing more deeply on writing.
- Domonic Diaz-Smith is a comedy and mystery writer. Everything she writes is to make you laugh first and think second. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, where school field trips to Underground Railroad sites sat alongside visits to the local zoo, she grew up navigating the tension between her roots and history and a very white suburban reality. By high school, she was being co-raised in Los Angeles by a professional con artist. Class conflict, moral gray areas, and socioeconomics now thread through all of her work and character journeys. Domonic has worked as a writer’s assistant for Emmy® Award-winning producer Larry Wilmore on WILMORE (Peacock), served as a development assistant at Lily Singh’s Unicorn Island, won the Warner Bros./truTV Comedy Writer’s Award, and was a 2024–25 fellow in the NBC Launch Writers Program. A USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate, she centers diverse, unexpected underdogs and well-intentioned characters navigating bizarre circumstances always with humor and heart.”
- Porscha Williams is an optioned screenwriter with a gift for creating lively dialogue and textured worlds. Her work tends to explore social dynamics and the tension between perception and reality, with a touch of humor for comfort. She credits the colorful characters who raised her in Chicago for her unhinged writing (and behavior).
- Corinthian Maldonado was born in Brooklyn but after his parents split, it felt like he lived everywhere… so to keep the trend going, he joined the Air force in 2011. He spent time all over the U.S. and overseas. He served across the U.S. and overseas, working for General Officers and later as a Public Health Tech during the pandemic. But it was during his first tour in Kuwait that he discovered his true passion for writing. Fourteen years later, he hasn’t stopped. A TV drama writer focused on stories of loss, home, and belonging.