About the Panelists

KATIE DIPPOLD (Writer: The Heat, Parks and Recreation, MADtv)

Photo of Katie Dippold provided courtesy of photographer Robyn Von Swank.



Formerly a Co-Producer on Parks & Recreation where she wrote for 3 seasons, Katie started out as a writer/performer at UCB in NY. Prior to Parks & Rec, Katie was on the staff of MADtv for 3 seasons. Katie sold her spec feature The Heat to Fox which was released in June 2013. The Heat was directed by Paul Feig with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy starring.



DANA FOX (Creator: Ben and Kate, Writer: Couples Retreat, What Happens in Vegas, Producer: New Girl, Stark Producing Program)



A native of Rochester, New York, Dana Fox graduated from Stanford and the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing program. She worked for the creators of Smallville and screenwriter John August before being named one of Variety's "10 Screenwriters to Watch." Dana wrote the 2005 film The Wedding Date, the 2008 film What Happens in Vegas, and co-wrote the 2009 film Couples Retreat starring Vince Vaughn. She was previously a Producer on the Fox series New Girl and created and executive produced the critically acclaimed Fox series Ben and Kate. She currently has several feature writing and producing projects in development, including Don't Mess with Texas with Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara, and a comedy at Universal she's attached to direct.



TRACY OLIVER (Writer/Producer/Actor: The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, Writer: The Neighbors, Stark Producing Program)



Tracy Oliver is an emerging writer in the TV, feature, and digital space who first earned acclaim with her spec screenplay, Marriage is For White People, which Morgan Freeman is attached to star and produce. She recently completed her first season as a staff writer on the new ABC comedy, The Neighbors, where she wrote two produced episodes, including an Emmy-nominated musical episode featuring original songs from award winning songwriter/composer Alan Menken. She's currently developing a musical feature with Overbrook Entertainment and producer Sandy Stern. In the digital space, Tracy is known for writing, producing, and acting in the hit comedic web series entitled, Awkward Black Girl. She recently sold a half hour digital series entitled The Last Single Girl to Universal Cable Productions.

JEN STATSKY (Writer: Parks and Recreation, Hello Ladies, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, The Onion)



Jen Statsky is a Los Angeles-based TV writer and comedian. She graduated from New York University in 2008, majoring in Film & TV Production with a concentration in writing. Jen has written for The Onion, McSweeney's, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and is currently a staff writer on HBO's Hello Ladies and NBC's Parks and Recreation.

About the Moderator

JOANNA CHERENSKY

Joanna Cherensky, two-time Co-Chair of the USC Women of Cinematic Arts Industry Forum, is a former Alumni Co-Chair (2008-2010) and a current Alumni Advisory Board member. Since graduating from USC Cinema’s MFA Writing program, Joanna has studied Improv at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, performed Stand-up at Flappers and The Comedy Store and was a finalist for the Fox Diversity Writers Initiative, for her original comedic television pilot, Raised by White People. Inspired by the inaugural Comedy@SCA Festival, Joanna has written and directed several comedic shorts, including Douchebag Whisperer (a spoof of “The Dog Whisperer”) lovingly posted online at: jojocomedy.com

About Comedy@SCA

Comedy@SCA is the School of Cinematic Arts' initiative to become the destination institution for students who are serious about Comedy. Launched in 2011 with the Comedy@SCA Festival, we have created an interdisciplinary pathway through the Cinematic Arts curriculum, and offer twenty courses allowing students to focus their film studies toward the Comedy genre.

It is our goal to foster a greater appreciation for the difficult art of comedy; to recognize, preserve and pass on the legacies of great comic figures in Film, Television and future media. In addition to our distinguished faculty of comedy professionals, we work to promote interaction between students and the leading comedy talent of our day. Artist such as James L. Brooks, Jay Roach, Larry Moss and the minds behind Funny or Die have conducted recent on-campus workshops. We will continue to identify and promote opportunities for the growth of comedic education at SCA and to engage students with industry professionals.



Join us as we continue this mission with Comedy@SCA Festival, Volume 2, featuring screenings and discussions with leading figures in contemporary comedy.



View the full schedule for the festival at http://cinema.usc.edu/ComedyFestival2

About Women of Cinematic Arts

The Women of Cinematic Arts (WCA) was founded by USC students in 2005 as a networking group for USC students and alumni to increase cooperation among female classmates and address the specific challenges women face in the male dominated film industry. With a membership base of more than 800 women, the WCA's outreach includes such events as monthly networking meetups for students and alumni in Los Angeles, active WCA alumni divisions in New York and London and a listserv addressing networking, job/career placement, cast/crew recommendations and literary tracking.



To join the WCA or for more information, please check their website:

http://uscwca.org/