PRESS RELEASE: Congratulations to the 2024 Inaugural Class

Collage Top row: Candace Patrick, Catrese Medley, Gippetto Hodge, Vineeta Bovinett. Bottom row: Mya Carter, Max Blum, Dani Milton, Dolapo Olorode. Photo credits:  BP Edward, Tiara Medley, Chase DaVinci, Wiley Images, Kenisha Gill Photography, Eric Blum, Bryan Engel, Laiken Joy

LOS ANGELES (September 30, 2024) – Eight emerging creatives have successfully completed the Plenty of Pie Talent Incubator. Founded by three-time Emmy award winning producer Sasheen R. Artis, the twelve-week long producer training program, offers one-on-one mentoring with industry professionals, in-person networking opportunities and field trips, and teaches practical producing skills like pitching, packaging, film finance, budgeting, and scheduling, headlined by some of the top producers and executives in the industry.

The Inaugural Class is:

Candace D. Patrick, Next Worst Friend - ½ hour TV comedy

Candace is a Los Angeles-born writer, director, and producer whose work has earned multiple nominations, including Best Director, Best Short, and Best Writer for “The 5th Room” short film. Her 1-hour drama pilot “Harrington’s Crossing” advanced to the finalist round of the WeScreenplay Diverse Voices competition, and she was selected as a 2023 Reel Sisters Micro Budget Film Fellow for her short “Finding JaMia's Spirit”. Candace’s storytelling focuses on grief, healing, and mental health, and she continues to refine her craft through programs like Hillman Grad Mentorship, The People’s Film School, and the Plenty of Pie Talent Incubator.

Catrese Medley, Hope’s Chance - romantic thriller feature film

Catrese is a former nurse, creative writer and producer. In addition to her feature screenplay, Hope's Chance, she is currently working on a half-hour comedy centered around nurses working in corrections. When not she's not writing, she can be found on a beach.

Dani Milton, Devil’s Mouth - historical romance feature film

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Dani loves writing about Black women in impossible situations. While juggling a corporate accounting career, Dani’s scripts have been honored by the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator, the Academy Nicholl Fellowships, the Athena Film Festival Writers Lab and other competitions. Dani was a 2022 Hedgebrook Writer-in-Residence. In 2023, Dani produced and directed “The First Martian”, a sci-fi short on reproductive rights, which is currently in post-production.

Dolapo Olorode, Ceilings - TV dramedy

Dolapo is a multi-hyphenate writer and producer, known for executive producing the multi-festival-selected short film “To Raise A Child” and the web series, “4 Halves Make A Whole”. She was a semi-finalist in the 2022 Script Matrix Writers Fellowship for her pilot “Miss B” and is currently producing a short film scheduled for release in 2025, as well as the digital AI series “Dystopia”.

Gippetto, A Cabin Christmas - holiday romance feature film

Born and raised in the Caribbean, Gippetto has made a name for himself working on sets of several movies and television shows for networks and streamers such as BET, WEtv, Amazon Prime, All Blk, Urban Flix TV and more. He has worked on movies that have premiered at Tribeca, ABFF, the Micheaux Film Festival and the Pan African Film Festival.

Max Blum, Three Keys for Caesar - action-adventure feature film

Max grew up on film sets, graduated from USC's production track in the School of Cinematic Arts, and then spent a decade away from Entertainment to live life outside of the industry and look for stories worth telling. Needless to say, he found some. As a fellow in Plenty of Pie's inaugural Talent Incubator cohort, Max returns to filmmaking as a Writer and as a Producer focused on immersive storytelling.

Mya Carter, Fleaux - ½ hour New Orleans-set TV dramedy

Mya is an actress/writer/producer from New Orleans, La. She is an alum of SUNY Purchase BFA Acting Conservatory, with experience spanning television, film, and theatre, including roles in “Law & Order: SVU” and The Reckoning, earning recognition at the Brazil International Film Festival, where she won Best Actress in 2021.

Vineeta Bovinett, Immortals of the Wild - fantasy teen TV drama

Vineeta moved to the US from India in October 2023 to study Screenwriting at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. Currently she's writing and developing a feature length film, Rani Hates Robbie, in partnership with her UCLA Alumni Mentor, Dr. Christopher Gist, for an Indian-Australian co-production with a distribution deal already in place.

“I am so proud of this group’s dedication to get their stories in front of global audiences,” says Artis. “With the devastating collapse of our industry, now is the time to bring in new diverse creatives with fresh ideas and innovate towards a more inclusive business model where they have the opportunity and the tools to lead. I founded Plenty of Pie to help cultivate a new generation of producers and with this group’s highly commercial projects and their tenacity and I’m certain that they will excel.”

This year’s speakers included Kaylon Hunt of JuVee Productions, Indigo Reign founder Evette Vargas, Emmy nominated Producer Carrie Lynn Certa, Masterclass Head of Production Mynor H. Sosa, Alta Global Media Founder Steven Adams, award winning Documentary Producer and author Maureen A. Ryan, Royal Film Commission of Jordan Liaison Justin Cooper, Producer Kristina Rivera, Heroes & Villains Talent Manager Kim Veasey, Entertainment Attorney Gary A. Watson, award winning Casting Director Hannah Cooper, Pan-African Film Festival executive Linda Bronson-Abbott and Festival Programmer Melissa Randle, and esteemed distribution executive Roxanne A. Pompa.

Plenty of Pie is fiscally sponsored by Voices for African American Students a 501 (c) 3 organization.