RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab, Summer 2023
Francine Daniels
A cultural stew of “da” Boogie Down South Bronx and Panamanian roots, Francine Daniels is a Black, queer, disabled writer and actor in no particular identity order. She revels in writing comedies and dramedies about unconventional, uncensored, and morally flawed women, who don’t look and live like stereotypes.
Her most recent TV series, In God We Gay, was selected by the world-renowned Hedgebrook writer’s program and she will be a “Writer in Residence” in Spring 2023. The pilot has also received awards from The Writers Lab, (lab fellow), Mara Brock Akil’s Writers Colony (writer residency), Daisy Pettles Writers Competition for Women (first place finalist), the Storyteller Foundation (full scholarship for the Year of the Novel Program), Black Boy Writes/Black Girl Writes Mentorship Initiative (second round placement), and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab (top 25 out of 1,500+ scripts).
Francine’s other two TV series Mosaic Blues and Skin-Kin have also won awards from the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College Virtual Writers Lab (lab fellow), co-hosted by the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting, and sponsored by LIFETIME, The Disruptors Fellowship (lab fellow), and Stowe Story Labs (lab and writers retreat) among others. Additionally, her comedy short Virgin Honeymoon was a top eight finalist for Kevin Hart’s Women Write Now Fellowship.
In 2023 she was selected by award-winning producer and writer Patricia Resnick for the Unlock Her Potential mentorship program. She’s also been awarded an Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Improv Diversity Scholarship (acting), Film Independent: Project Involve Fellowship, and chosen as a Women in Film Mentorship Program recipient.
She earned a J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law; M.A., Black Studies, and M.A., Women’s Studies both from The Ohio State University, and B.A., Liberal Arts, West Virginia University.
Learn More
After an extensive search and interview process, 20 individuals were invited to participate in the Virtual Cohort of RespectAbility’s 2023 Entertainment Lab taking place August 14 – September 21, 2023. This 6-week Lab aims to develop and elevate the talent pipeline of disabled entertainment professionals working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while connecting them with industry professionals and creatives. Participants include people with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, other disabilities, and multiple disabilities ranging in age from the 20s through the 50s. The Lab is a recipient of The Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award and is made possible with support from The Harnisch Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Charitable Trust.
