Good fortune may have led English major Lashanna Bryant ’21 to Philadelphia’s Wizard World Comic Con, as she won, through a Facebook contest, a four-day event pass, prize pack, and tickets to meet Game of Thrones and Aquaman star Jason Momoa.

But it was talent that earned Bryant a meeting with Columbia Pictures to pitch her first film script.

While researching Wizard World Con—an annual convention that connects pop culture enthusiasts with media icons, from sci-fi characters to professional wrestlers—Bryant learned that the organization was teaming up with Columbia to host a pitch festival for artists, exhibitors, industry professionals, and attendees. Passionate about storytelling, she submitted an idea, movie poster, and promotional materials she developed over the summer.

Reflecting her interest in thriller and horror genres, Bryant’s logline read: “A mourning man has enough to worry about, when a strange woman from his dreams starts to predict the deaths of his psychiatric patients. As time races on, he must figure out who is responsible before they are all murdered.”

“I was shocked when I realized that I was the youngest participant by at least 10 years, and amazingly, the only female,” said Bryant, who was one of 30 writers—from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants—invited to present. “Everyone looked at me like I had come to the wrong place. It was intimidating, but also flattering.”

Though she hasn’t heard back yet from Columbia, Bryant left Wizard World Con confident in her writing and eager to revisit script ideas.

“They told me how impressed they were, and that they thought my idea was fascinating,” said Bryant. “I now know that the direction I want to take at Arcadia, and beyond, is the right choice.”

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