RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab 2024
Cody Stickels
An optimist with clinical depression, Cody Stickels (he/they) is a writer who creates character-driven work that celebrates uniqueness and encourages imagination, usually by involving some sort of spaceship or a 60s-inspired monster with a pink bouffant-wig and a penchant for maniacal laughter. Growing up in a neurodivergent household made him an odd guy but in a good way. His parents, liberal Democrats in small-town Texas, instilled in him an outlook on life that encourages seeking common ground, embracing differences, and approaching challenges with an open heart and mind… and possibly a plasma blaster, but only for emergencies.
In true ADHD fashion, Stickels has tried on many creative hats in both the narrative and documentary spaces, finding a soft spot for animated children’s writing. Most recently, he was selected for the 2023-24 NYU Production Lab TV Writers’ Room program and, in 2020, the Outfest Screenwriting Lab, attaching the producers at Kyra Sedgwick’s production company Big Swing to his feature script The Wedding Date: a trans-rom-com you can watch with your mom.
His current documentary project, Untitled Texas Doc, participated in the 2023 Sundance Producers Intensive and was a finalist in the 2020 Sundance Documentary Fund. Stickel’s last film, A Night at Switch n’ Play, won the audience award for Best Documentary at New York City’s NewFest and screened at BFI Flare, Inside Out, and Woodstock film festivals. His narrative short film Two Birds also was awarded Best Short Film at aGLIFF, OUTSOUTH, and Las Vegas’ ClexaCon Film Festival. They graduated from New York University with a BFA in Film & TV. Originally from West Texas, Stickels recently moved from NYC to Los Angeles and is a proud dad of a himbo orange cat who is very much enjoying the LA sun.
Learn More
After an extensive search and interview process, 5 individuals were invited to participate in an intensive session for disabled writers interested in writing for children’s animation, taking place May 20-23, with additional virtual sessions taking place in partnership with the virtual cohort, May – September 2024. Participants include people with a variety of disabilities ranging in age from the 20s through the 40s. This intensive elevates disabled creatives, focusing on building community, networking, and career advancement through a variety of speakers and a pitching workshop. This intensive is in collaboration with Disney Television Animation, DreamWorks Animation, LeVar Burton Entertainment, and PBS KIDS.
