Big Victories for TSA Members So Far in 2026!

Greetings, fellow storytellers!

I wanted to share some of the amazing success stories that members of the Tennessee Screenwriting Association have had in the first half of 2026.

First, several TSA Board Members have had a lot of great things happen for them. 

Heidi-Marie Ferren was called back for season two of Fox’s hit new TV procedural Memory Of A Killer and has been promoted to Story Editor! Also, a feature comedy that Heidi-Marie co-produced, Lone Wolves, recently screened in NYC with more dates planned and a horror film that she executive produces starts shooting at the end of this month.

TSA's vice-president Bob Giordano is writing a country-music themed feature on assignment, he has a WWII script out to a production company attached to Guy Ritchie, and he is prepping a sequel to his 2018 indie thriller The Odds called The Execution Game.

MK Kopp continues to seek funding for a feature version of her proof-of-concept short Sleigh and has recently had a script request for one of her other horror scripts.

While not exactly related to screenwriting, former TSA president Jeff Chase recently completed production on a new album and released it independently, allowing him to scratch a different kind of creative itch. You can give a listen to some of Jeff's music here.

TSA secretary Ama Adair, who got a Bachelor's degree in Writing for Film and Television from the Los Angeles Film School last summer, was recently accepted into the elite Veterans Writing Project sponsored by the Writers Guild Foundation.

Chris Hollo is wrapping up production on a documentary about the legendary 80's tribute band Guilty Pleasures and his company Penumbra Entertainment is TSA's partner on the new Short 'N Shoot script contest.

Melissa Sheridan wrapped filming on her short Hard Feelings, which was a finalist in last fall's Short 'N Scary contest. The story has been expanded into a feature which she is prepping to submit for competition this year.  Meglacanda, a high-concept sci fi-action script that Melissa wrote with her son (and TSA member) Jett for last year's Script School program won this year's Austin Revolution script contest.

Yours truly (Mark Naccarato) and my fellow TSA board member Gary Frazier are developing Z.A.R.S., a zombie comedy (zom-com?), into a web series we plan to shoot locally. I also recently released a new episode in my The Romulan War webseries called Final Entry.

Other TSA members whose projects are exploding in 2026, include:

• Autumn Rager's Revelation, which she wrote and directed, won in the 54 Film Festival’s 'Best Writing' category. She is co-producing a new film with...
  

• Jim Peacock, the writer and director of the short film The Bridge. Jim won last fall's Short 'N Scary contest and has another short film project in the works.
  

• Gail Moss won the Liverpool Indie Awards script competition with her horror feature Wilson and continues to dig up great interviews with writers and filmmakers on her blog Moss Words.
  

• Elvis Wilson has had his action-comedy One and Done make yet another contest showing this spring, this time in the Cinequest competition. The script was a second-rounder at Austin and made the quarterfinal round at Page last year and he workshopped the project through the TSA.
  

• Bob Saenz has had several film and book projects move forward. Currently, he is head writer and producer on a new animated series Pom Pom and Franny which is wrapping up its pilot episode. Bob's YA novel Jessica's Vampire Diary has been optioned by two different production companies who are partnering to turn it into an animated feature film. He has other projects in the works as well.

  
  

If a screenplay you've written has placed in competition, been optioned, or has been made into a web series, tv show, or film in 2026... drop us a line and tell us about it so we can give you a shout-out, a fistbump and a pat on the back!

Enjoy your summer and as always... just keep writing!

Mark Naccarato

President, Tennessee Screenwriting Association