An intimate, curated three-day gathering for writers and filmmakers.
Explore craft, career, and community in the heart of Los Angeles - with mixers, screenings, panels, and workshops built for real creative momentum.
Day passes ($100/day) released after March 12, subject to availability. Full summit passes recommended.
The Los Angeles Storytellers Summit is a three-day gathering of writers, filmmakers, and creative voices exploring craft, career, and community in Los Angeles. Taking place March 19th–21st at Vidiots and select locations throughout Los Angeles, the summit includes mixers, screenings, panels, and workshops designed to foster meaningful creative exchange and real industry insight.
Originally conceived for graduates of the David Lynch MFA program, the Los Angeles Storytellers Summit has grown into an intimate, curated experience for writers and filmmakers at many stages of their creative journey who are seeking deeper craft conversations, real industry insight, and meaningful artistic community. While rooted in the spirit of that original cohort, the summit welcomes emerging voices, working professionals, and serious storytellers looking to strengthen their practice, expand their network, and engage in thoughtful dialogue about storytelling in today’s industry.
(subject to change)
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(optional, pay‑as‑you‑go)
4:30 PM — Landmark Theaters Pasadena
673 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101
Oscar Nominated Shorts Screening
7:00 PM — Momed
3245 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039
LA Storytellers Summit Cocktail Mixer
Come meet and catch up with your fellow filmmakers.
9:00 AM — Creatures Plants and Coffee (optional, pay‑as‑you‑go)
4958 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041
LA Storytellers Summit Coffee Mixer
10:30 AM — Vidiots MUBI Micro‑cinema
4884 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90041
Check‑in
11:00 AM — Vidiots
Q&A: Hollywood 101
with Julia Wolov
Walk‑away Lunch
Nearby options:
• Sprouts Market
• Armon’s Restaurant and Coffee Shop
• Lola Cafe
• Fish on Rice
• Four Cafe
1:15 PM — Vidiots
Panel: Finding Your Voice as a Writer
with Maggie Kiley, Mylissa Fitzsimmons, Adam Salky, and Emily Ziff Griffin
3:00 PM — Vidiots
Q&A: Story, Structure, and Craft
with Andrew Kevin Walker
4:00 PM — Break
6:00 PM — Pacific Opera Project
125 S Ave 57, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Panel: Surviving and Thriving in the Writers’ Room
with Elizabeth Laime and Jessica Elaina Eason
8:00 PM — Wrap
Optional drinks at Checker Hall
11:00 AM — Vidiots
Panel: Development Hell and How to Survive It
with Leila Cohan, Nina Fiore, and Janine Salinas Schoenberg
2:00 PM — Vidiots
Workshop: How to General Meeting
with Pamela Ribon and Beatriz Sequeira
7:00 PM — Vidiots
Screening: Blue Velvet
9:00 AM — Cheerio Collective
5917 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles CA 90042
Breakfast + Roundtable Discussion
Film Festivals and Indie Filmmaking
with Drea Clark, Brandon Harris, Emily Robinson, Frank Mosley, Joslyn Jensen, Mo Perkins, and Mary Pat Bentel
11:00 AM — Cheerio Collective
Presentation: Crowdfunding 101
with Danny Dolan
2:00 PM — Vidiots
Panel: Leveling Up to the Big Time
with Andrew Guest, Will Matthews, Jeffrey Addiss, Matt Gunn, and Amber Sealey
4:00 PM — Wrap
Optional post‑summit drinks at Capri Club
Full summit passes are available for $300 and include access to all eight panels and workshops.
Day passes ($100/day) will be released after March 12, subject to availability.
Limited capacity — full summit passes recommended.
Leonora Pitts is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, actress, dancer, and teacher. Her fifteen years co-founding and leading large moms’ groups in Los Angeles and creating spaces where women have the opportunity to support and uplift each other have informed every piece of storytelling she is involved in.
Leonora earned her BFA in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of Arts, where she trained with the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School and later served on its faculty for several years, and her MFA in Screenwriting from the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Arts.
Leonora's screenplay Mad Bad Dangerous to Know (co-written with actor/filmmaker Emily Robinson) won Best Unproduced Screenplay at the Raindance Film Festival and was a semi-finalist for the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship. Her latest script, This Way Comes, was a top-ten finalist for Roadmap’s Top Tier Competition, won Best Feature Screenplay at the Big Apple Film Festival, and was chosen for the prestigious Stowe Narrative Lab.
Leonora’s four award-winning short films have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide, including Aspen Shortsfest, HollyShorts, Outfest, Raindance, Bentonville, Dam Short, Mill Valley, Nevada City, and Indie Memphis.
She produced (and co-stars in) the feature film I Hate Myself and Want to Die, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival to sold-out crowds and will be released in 2026. Leonora joined the faculty of the American Film Institute in 2024, teaching in their MFA Directing program.
As an actress, Leonora has guest-starred on numerous network TV shows, appeared in films such as Charlie Day’s directorial debut, Fool’s Paradise, and had a recurring role on the Apple+ series For All Mankind. A frequent collaborator with the Duplass Brothers, she’s featured in their films The Freebie and Magic Hour (both directed by Katie Aselton) and Manson Family Vacation (directed by J. Davis). She also guest-starred in their acclaimed HBO series Togetherness and Room 104.
She is the creator and host of Mothering Heights, a weekly podcast exploring the intersection of caretaking, creativity, and community. Leonora also co-founded the Los Angeles Women’s Film Collective and the popular LA moms’ group NELA Mamas. She is a board member emeritus of the Independent Shakespeare Company, which brings free Shakespeare performances to nearly 40,000 Angelenos every summer in Griffith Park, and serves as a founding and advisory council member of the legendary Vidiots Foundation.