Personal Branding 101
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 5-6:30 PM PT | Online

New Year, New Me? At the beginning of each year, many people take the opportunity for a “fresh start” either personally or professionally. With writers, often their goals will fall under both. In this discussion, we’ll discuss pitching and marketing yourself, necessary materials to prepare, and potential media training (including social media), with the ultimate goal of gaining representation.

Jane Espenson

Jane Espenson is a Hugo-award winning writer of television and short fiction. She is best known for her work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Gilmore Girls, Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, Once Upon a Time, and Foundation, among other series. She is currently writing for Amazon's Fallout. Jane is @janeespenson on Bluesky.

Lauren LeFranc

Lauren LeFranc is a visionary showrunner, writer and producer recognized for her assured creative voice and distinctive visual aesthetic.

As an innovator exploring the genre from a different lens, LeFranc developed HBO’s critically-acclaimed limited series The Penguin where she serves as showrunner and executive producer. The series stars Colin Farrell, reprising his acclaimed role as Oz Cobb (aka The Penguin), and marks a return to executive producer Matt Reeves’s gritty, crime-ridden Gotham City last seen in 2022’s The Batman. Co-starring Cristin Milioti, who recently won an Emmy for her role as Sofia Falcone, the series picks up where The Batman left off, chronicling The Penguin’s rise to power in Gotham’s criminal underworld.

Under her creative leadership, the show represents a significant departure from conventional comic book narratives. LeFranc’s unique ability to blend innovative narratives with visual storytelling has been the driving force behind the series’ success.The Penguin is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 95% rating, surpassing the premiere ratings of Succession’s final season and White Lotus season 2. The series was nominated for 24 Emmy Awards including “Best Limited Series” and “Best Writing”, was named as one of the ten AFI Television Programs of the Year and Variety hailed it as “a masterful examination of criminality, the show is twisted, disturbing and deeply enthralling".

Prior to The Penguin, LeFranc most notably showran YouTube Premium’s Impulse for two seasons, garnering praise for her deft and sensitive treatment of sexual assault and trauma within the space of a genre series. A television veteran, her body of work also includes credits on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hemlock Grove, and CHUCK.

Based in Los Angeles, Lauren LeFranc continues to challenge genre conventions and infuse fresh perspectives into the television industry.

Rashad Raisani

Rashad Raisani is currently an executive producer, co-creator and showrunner of 9-1-1: Nashville. He began his career on USA’s long-running drama series Burn Notice, rising from staff writer to co-executive producer. He is repped by UTA and The Shuman Co.

Erika Kennair
Head of Scripted Content, The MediaPro Studio US/CA

As the Head of Scripted Content for The Mediapro Studio, US and Canada, Erika Kennair oversees the procurement, development and production of features and television series for the US and Canadian arm of The Mediapro Studio (The Young Pope/The New Pope, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Official Competition, The Good Boss). Erika has brought in and produced features Mother Wolf (starring Melissa Leo), The End of It (starring Rebecca Hall) and Series Forever Home for Channel 5 in the UK.

Directly before Mediapro, as President of Production for Extracurricular, Erika oversaw projects including The Last of the Sea Women with A24 for AppleTV+, the Independent Spirit Award award-winning feature, Joyland, and the Oscar nominated documentary short, Stranger at the Gate.

At Berlanti productions, she served as Senior Vice President, Development, producing the award-winning series, The Flight Attendant, for HBO Max, You for Netflix, and more.

While Vice President, Comedy Development, ABC, Erika oversaw creative for American Housewife, Splitting Up Together, Roseanne, and The Connors.

Prior to joining ABC, Erika was Vice President, Original Programming and Development, Syfy. She shepherded series including The Magicians, 12 Monkeys, Killjoys, and Helix. She also served as creative point on WWE Friday Night Smackdown! and was made an honorary “Diva.”

As Manager, Entertainment Diversity Programs, NBC Entertainment, Erika created the network’s competitive writing program, Writers on the Verge, an initiative aimed at developing, marketing and placing new writers. Graduates include Lee Sung Jin (Beef), Rashad Raisani (911), Meredith Averill (Fourth Wing), and Lauren LeFranc (The Penguin).

A Cuban-American, Erika has been recognized multiple times by Imagen as one of the Most Influential Latinos in Media. Erika serves on the executive board of Humanitas and NALIP.