DEADLINE: POC Content Accelerator Rideback Rise Sets 2025 Cohort
EXCLUSIVE: Rideback Rise, the non-profit accelerator seeking to advance racial equity through mainstream entertainment from POC creators, has announced its 2025 Fellowship cohort of 15 mid-career writers, filmmakers and creators who will be financially and creatively supported as they develop market-ready television and film projects.
They are Aitch Alberto, Kerry Coddett, Morgan Collins, Melody Cooper, Alesia S.C. Etinoff, Carolyn Huynh, Taietsarón:sere Leclaire aka Tai Leclaire, Michael Yuchen Lei, Elaine Loh, Andrew Lopez, Kelly Luu & Kevin Luu, Paloma Riojas, Keith Sweet II, and Sunny Tripathy.
Fellows were selected from more than 500 applicants, in a 25+% increase from the last application pool. Each will receive an unrestricted $40K grant for the year-long Fellowship. Fellows are also eligible to access a Development Fund to secure underlying rights to material and/or to create presentations, short films and other visuals to support their projects. They’ll work from Rise’s headquarters, located at Rideback Ranch in L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown.
A key feature of the Rise Fellowship is the collaborative “writers room” approach that brings film and television Fellows together to delve into each other’s projects to offer feedback and support. Fellows are additionally paired with veteran creatives for mentorship, retain 100% ownership of their projects, and receive assistance from Rise in creating, financing and packaging opportunities for them.
Today, Rise also shared that another 197 creators have been inducted into the Rise Circle, an annual community of POC creators who are not financially supported but are eligible to participate in Rise programming: master classes, creative and practical sessions and workshops, and networking events. The announcements were made by Rise CEO Diana Mogollón at this afternoon’s Rise Cohort Kick-Off event at Rideback Ranch, which marks the graduation of the 2024 cohort and the official start of the 2025 cohort. Guest speakers included Rideback Rise founder and board chair Dan Lin, writer Jessica Gao (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12) and Angela Robinson (D.E.B.S.).
Stated Mogollón, “We are thrilled to announce the 2025 cohort of Rideback RISE Fellows, an extraordinary group of visionary creators whose work promises to redefine the landscape of film and television. These talented individuals bring bold, authentic voices and stories that resonate deeply with today’s audiences. At Rideback RISE, we are committed to empowering underrepresented creators to develop market-ready projects that inspire, entertain, and drive cultural impact. We can’t wait to see their groundbreaking contributions shape the future of storytelling.”
Rideback Rise is an initiative of Rideback, the production company founded by Dan Lin, which is now headed up by co-CEOs Jonathan Eirich and Michael LaFaso, following Lin’s exit to Netflix. For more information on the 2025 fellows, read on.
Aitch Alberto most recently adapted and directed GLAAD nominee for Outstanding Film ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eugenio Derbez producing, and has written on DUSTER, from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan for Max, and on Apple TV+’s series LITTLE AMERICA from Lee Eisenberg and Sian Heder.
Kerry Coddett most recently served as a Co-Producer and Writer on an upcoming drama series for Apple TV+ and was the Co-Executive Producer, Showrunner, and Head Writer on Yvonne Orji’s A WHOLE ME for HBO. Before that, she wrote on both seasons of Showtime’s FLATBUSH MISDEMEANORS.
Morgan Collins is currently writing on the upcoming animated TV adaptation of Anthony Bourdain’s GET JIRO graphic novel. Her writer credits include BET’s FIRST WIVES CLUB, Amazon’s HARLEM and working as a participating artist in the Museum of Rilao, a project of USC’s interactive World Building Media Lab.
Melody Cooper wrote a feature adaptation of the African fantasy novel Beasts of Prey for Netflix and sold an untitled genre show to Netflix with Will Packer. Cooper started out as a Staff Writer on CW’s TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES and was a Story Editor on LAW & ORDER: SVU and a Co-Producer on POWER BOOK IV: FORCE.
Alesia S.C. Etinoff, most recently a Story Editor on Paramount+’s THE GAME, previously sold AVANT-GUARDIANS to Paramount+, based on her award-winning webseries. Her short film, 19 WEEKS, in which she starred in alongside Lamorne Morris, Sherri Shepherd, and Marque Richardson, was executive produced by Zoe Saldana’s company, Cinestar.
Carolyn Huynh‘s debut book, The Fortunes of Jaded Women, was a Good Morning America book club pick and selected as one of the best books of 2022 by NPR and the Washington Post. She is currently adapting for television with Heyday Studios and Universal International Studios.
Taietsarón:sere Leclaire, AKA Tai Leclaire, most recently adapted the classic movie THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER for Warner Bros. Studios, soon to stream on Max. His previous short film, HEADDRESS, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. He also wrote on and starred in the NBC comedy RUTHERFORD FALLS.
Michael Yuchen Lei‘s feature documentary debut, A TASTE OF SKY, was produced by Archer Gray (The Persian Version) and premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. He began his career in music as personal photographer to Joe Walsh of the Eagles and photographing artists such as Ringo Starr, the xx, and Outkast. He produced and edited the documentary ECHO, which won the 2023 Audience Award at Aspen Shortsfest.
Elaine Loh was recently an Executive Story Editor on the CW’s DYNASTY, also a top three show on Netflix, working on 44 episodes of the show, writing and producing four of them herself, with Josh Reims executive producing. Prior to, Loh worked on GOSSIP GIRL for Max.
Writer-comedian Andrew Lopez is writing, producing, and will star in an untitled show at HBO with Jody Hill directing and Christopher Storer and Roughhouse producing, writing and producing an untitled show at Netflix with David Bernad and Max Hollman producing, and writing the romantic comedy, SLOW BURN for Amazon. Lopez currently stars in Apple TV+ comedy series PLATONIC.
Brothers and Fellow team Kelly Luu and Kevin Luu were recently selected to Indeed and Hillman Grad’s Rising Voices program where they co-wrote and co-directed a short film, TECHNICIANS, that premiered at Tribeca 2024. Their semi-autobiographical short THE MATTRESS was awarded the USC SCA Edward Small Directing Award and was invited to premiere at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. They have developed projects with CJ Entertainment, CBS Studios, 20K Productions, and 1Community.
Paloma Riojas began as a development executive for Diego Luna, co-writing and producing NANA, a Sundance-premiering short film. Her credits include Showtime’s YOUR HONOR and Paramount+’s HAPPY FACE. Her Spanish-language short ADÁN won both the Jury and Audience Awards at the Diversity in Cannes Showcase.
Keith Sweet II is currently staffed on the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix series, THE BOROUGHS. He is also developing the pilot DON’T COME TO L.A. for Amazon/MGM Studios with YG, Underground, and Scooter Braun attached to produce. Sweet was also the youngest writer on STAR TREK in its franchise history.
Sunny Tripathy sold his first TV show to 20th Century Fox and later sold a series with Sony Television to Amazon. In features, Tripathy developed an original feature spec with Ivan Reitman and Amie Karp for TriStar and just completed writing an animated feature for Dreamworks with David Hoberman producing.