On November 9 and 10, the Stagecoach Foundation and the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) presented the 2024 Screenwriters Conference. After an initial kick-off event at Meow Wolf, professional screenwriter guest facilities met up at the IAIA campus to connect with industry leaders, fellow writers, and keynote speakers.  

Guest Facilitators included Liz Alper, Hawaii Five-O; Sal Calleros, The Good Doctor; Tony Camerino, Person of Interest; David A. Goodman, Family Guy; Gennifer Hutchison, Breaking Bad; Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz, Gordita Chronicle and One Day at a Time; and LaToya Morgan, Shameless.  

During the conference keynote speech, WGA screenwriter Tony Camerino, Person of Interest, Taken, Enemy Within, APB, spoke about the need to create a “series of cascading enthusiasms.” “The first enthusiasm starts with you having a story inside of you that you want to tell,” he told the audience participants. 

“The Screenwriters Conference was an incredible collaboration of partnerships with IAIA and Meow Wolf to create a bridge between Hollywood and New Mexico to bring A-List WGA screenwriters to share their knowledge and experience and to shine a light on our talented storytellers and screenwriters,” said Elizabeth Kianu Stahmer, DAOM, Executive Director, Stagecoach Foundation.  

“New Mexico has many opportunities for film careers as crew on production but few pathways for having scripts being bought or being in a writer’s room. This conference was meant share about the business of being a screenwriter and the culture and environment of the film and television industry. As an IAIA alum, it’s been such an honor to be able to partner with my alma mater to create such a unique learning experience together.” 

The Stagecoach Foundation and the IAIA 2024 Screenwriters Conference was made possible through the support sponsors Meow Wolf, Santa Fe Film Office, Native Professional Advancement Center (NPAC), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and New Mexico Arts (NMA).