The NYU Los Angeles PitchFest

In 2024, an alumnus from the first-ever semester of the NYU Los Angeles program approached Director Nina Sadowsky to discuss an ongoing concern.

Having graduated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he, like many of his fellow alumni, felt he had missed several opportunities to showcase his work as a writer to prospective audiences.

From that conversation, the NYU LA PitchFest was born.

The NYU LA Pitchfest is a unique chance for writers to put themselves and their writing directly in front of agents, managers, producers, and executives.

The Pitchfest is specifically designed to give undiscovered writers within the NYU community a chance to gain real experience pitching their material to a handpicked group of industry insiders who are in a position to actually elevate careers.

The PitchFest Committee

Nina Sadowsky

Nina Sadowsky is an author, filmmaker and educator whose thrillers JUST FALL, THE BURIAL SOCIETY, THE EMPTY BED, CONVINCE ME and PRIVACY have all been published by Penguin Random House. Her books have been translated into German, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, French, Turkish and Serbian. JUST FALL, THE BURIAL SOCIETY and THE EMPTY BED have been optioned for television adaptations. Sadowsky is known for her ability to thread social issues into mainstream thrillers, for her pacing, and for her cheerfully dark view on the world. She is currently developing her first scripted narrative podcast, the family drama TOTALITY for Fresh Produce Media.
Sadowsky serves as the founding Director for NYU Los Angeles, a study away program for advanced students interested in pursuing careers in the film, television, broadcast, music and tech industries.
JT Piesco

TBD
Lena Parodi

Lena Parodi is a writer, producer, administrator, and all-around organization wiz.
Since graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a double major in Dramatic Writing and Journalism and a Minor in Spanish. She has also written and directed short scripts for Cinequest Film Festival, transcribed and organized material for several documentary films currently being produced by Beau Willimon’s Westward Productions, translated interview footage from Italian to English for the History Channel’s docuseries Hunting ISIS, and edited and localized English translations of Korean online comics. She was also a Researcher for the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards and worked as a Production Coordinator for production companies like C4 Media, Ignition Films.
She’s happy to join the PitchFest committee as part of her role as NYU Los Angeles’ Academic Coordinator.
Pinar Binay

A Film Independent Project Involve fellow on the producing track, Pınar graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a major in Film and TV Production, along with triple minors in Producing, Art History, and the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. After graduation, she gained experience working for two producing managers at Entertainment 360.
Pınar produces a diverse range of content, spanning short films to TV pilots. Her work has been showcased at festivals worldwide, including SXSW, HollyShorts, and RiverRun. Her films have earned significant recognition, with Sunflower making the Oscars longlist and Survived By receiving multiple nominations and winning the Audience Award at the 2024 Dances With Films.
Over the past three years, Pınar has collaborated as an Executive Producer with Sounds Better Productions, where she has been developing, pitching, and producing both scripted and unscripted TV series and feature films.
As a producer, she is passionate about championing genre stories with a twist. Drawing on her diverse background, Pinar is dedicated to uncovering authentic narratives and bringing them to life through innovative storytelling.
Mia Kim

Mia Holly Kim is a Los Angeles-based writer and director with experience that blends the worlds of technology and storytelling. An alumna of NYU, she holds a BFA in Film/Television and a Master's in Human-Computer Interaction. Mia's diverse career path has seen her working with tech companies like Intel and Microsoft, and as an on-air tech reporter, experiences that have profoundly shaped her creative vision.
Her work, particularly at the intersection of emotional impact and computer technology, is driven by a desire to tell stories that resonate with the human experience in the digital age. Mia's films often explore the nuanced relationship between humans and technology, reflecting both contemporary issues and timeless aspects of the human condition.
As a staunch advocate for diversity and representation in the film industry, Mia is dedicated to bringing the narratives of underrepresented communities to the forefront. Her commitment extends beyond her own filmmaking, as she actively works to create opportunities for those historically marginalized in the world of film.
Gracie Corapi

Gracie Corapi is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in film and TV production. She produced a number of advanced projects at USC, including a Student Academy Award Semi-Finalist and a short selected for the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes. Other projects have premiered at LA Shorts and the Beverly Hills Film Festival. She previously earned her BA in dance and media arts from American University in Washington D.C., after which she was an apprentice member of a contemporary dance company, a freelance dance photographer, and a full-time nanny. She’s originally from Tennessee.