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Our Staff

Mariana (she/her) is a recent graduate student from the University of South Florida, where she foolishly earned a Master’s degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Film Studies. She’s a proud mother of one beautiful little schnauzer named Pepe and a lover of all things trauma theory related. When she’s not rewatching The Leftovers, Mariana may be found rewatching LOST as a means to finally understand the human condition, one traumatic show at a time. A must read for her is Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life.

Mariana Delgado

Editor in Chief/Co-Founder

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Sydney (she/her) is in the process of completing her final semester of undergrad, pursuing a degree in Television Production, with a double minor in Creative Writing and Political Science. Her passion for television came when at age 14, she wanted to be the first woman to host The Tonight Show as she would rally back and forth between late-night talk shows before bed every night. An actor first, these days she is primarily a writer who enjoys overanalyzing every aspect of television, from the text to the camera framing.

Sydney Grulloń-Matos

Editor in Chief/Co-Founder

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Samantha (she/her) has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder, but she likes to think it was her lifelong love of movies and TV that got her through graduate school. She has nurtured her passion for film since the age of 14 and has religiously followed film festivals and award cycles since then. At heart, she still wishes she could be Dana Scully when she grows up. Beyond watching as many movies and TV shows as she can, Sam loves reading, writing, and shooting on her film camera. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two adorable rescue dogs.

Samantha Moya

Managing Editor

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In a past life, John (he/him) taught things to young people. Currently, he chases his dog from place to place while his child chases him. When that’s not happening, he writes about TV, film, and all manner of pop culture absurdity for Screen Speck, The Gist, Starcasm, and assorted publications of low repute.

John Brown Spiers

Managing Editor

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Sharmane (they/she) is a freelance film and television writer based in Singapore. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in English Literature and has written for publications like Girls on Tops, Film Cred, Singapore Unbound, and Into the Fold Magazine. In her free time, she tries to read for leisure or think about Keri Russell’s snub at the Emmys for her role as Elizabeth Jennings. Her favorite television shows: The Americans, Person of Interest, The Leftovers, Fringe.

Sharmane Tan

Editor

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Evelynne (she/her) holds a MSc in Gender, Media and Culture Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is currently working in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights, but her penchant for being overly invested in television analysis has been a constant in her life for as long as she can remember. In her spare time you can find her fixating on the latest sapphic science fiction novel, or on the nearest badminton court.

Evelynne “Evie” Gomez

Editor

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Elizabeth Rossbach (she/her) currently works as a library assistant at the Hernando Public Library. She has an M.A. in Humanities and Cultural Studies with a concentration in Film Studies and New Media Studies from the University of South Florida. She also has a B.A. in English with a focus on Creative Writing. She loves video games, particularly the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which she wrote her master’s thesis on. Her favorite book series is probably The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater.

Elizabeth Rossbach

Editor

Bishop V. Navarro (they/she) is a poet, fiction writer, critic, and aspiring filmmaker. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of South Florida and currently pursue a Ph.D in Communication where they primarily research queerness in Supernatural (2005-2020). Some of their favorite media includes Scream (1996), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Mandalorian (2019-), and Matt Fraction’s run on the Hawkeye comics. Aside from Screen Speck, you can find their work at Screen Queens and Women Write About Comics.

Bishop V. Navarro

Editor

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Kara Powell (she/her) is a screenwriter and podcaster from Baltimore, MD. She is a self-proclaimed lover of television, earning her the senior superlative “Class Netflix” in high school. She loves to talk about all things TV and what makes a good pilot on her podcast, It’s In My Queue. She is working towards her MFA in Writing and Producing for TV at Loyola Marymount University. Kara one day hopes to write romantic comedies, dramedies, and coming of age stories featuring Black women at their most joyful. Favorite film are When Harry Met Sally, her favorite tv show is Sex Education, and her favorite book is Emma by Jane Austen.

Kara Powell

Staff Writer

Margaret (she/her) is a twenty-something recent transplant to Los Angeles. Originally from the Philadelphia area, she graduated from Saint Joseph’s University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in English. In her free time, Margaret likes to watch and share memes about the latest episode of Euphoria on Twitter. Favorite film is A Promising Young Woman. Favorite tv show is Sense8 (on Netflix). Favorite book is The Waves by Virginia Woolf.

Margaret Mallison

Staff Writer

Simone (she/her) is a writer, pop culture obsessive, and proud survivor of the Glee fandom. Her favorite season is awards season. When not worshipping at the altar of Sofia Coppola, she can be found teaching herself to crochet, binging the latest HBO prestige miniseries, or cooking her way through yet another recipe she found on TikTok. She lives in Minneapolis and has plans to adopt a cat in the very near future. Top 3 Movies: You’ve Got Mail, The Social Network, Marie Antoinette Top 3 TV Shows: Veep, Twin Peaks, Parks and Recreation Top 3 Books: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton.

Simone Ritchie

Staff Writer

Sharena Sigmon (she/her) is a director and screenwriter from the Southside of Chicago. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Fiction Writing, and recently earned her MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University. Her writing has appeared in Northwestern’s Dialogue Magazine, Harness Magazine, the 13Horror Screenwriter Competition, as well as the Chicago Film Office’s Social Justice Screenwriting Competition. Her favorite film is Moonlight, favorite TV show is I May Destroy You, and favorite book is Bastard Out of Carolina.

Sharena Sigmon

Staff Writer

Ashley (she/her) is based in Tampa, Florida, and works as an editor in media data. She has an MA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Film and New Media Studies, as well as a background in film production. After watching Jaws and Halloween (1978) at a young age, she fell in love with tension and suspense, and now has a love of the horror genre. She maintains a delusion that she can compete on Survivor one day, and believes The Silence of the Lambs is a perfectly edited film.

Ashley Steinbach

Staff Writer

Ezra Brain (they/she) is a NYC-based trans artist and activist. Ezra’s essays and articles have been published by Left Voice, Truthout, Litro Magazine Howlround, and Harper’s Bazaar and they have contributed to the “Opposing Viewpoints” series from Greenhaven Publishing and contributed a chapter (co-authored with Olivia Wood) to a forthcoming book in the Critical Companions to Contemporary Directors series from Lexington Books Their writing has been translated and re-published in Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, Venezuela, Spain, and Chile. They are a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the Editorial Board of Left Voice. Ezra’s favorite film is Black Swan (as the giant tattoo on their right shoulder would indicate).

Ezra Brain

Staff Writer

Emma Popkin has been writing as a hobby for years. She is excited to be working with Screen Speck to pursue this passion further, along with her love for film. In addition to this she works as an audiovisual specialist and a freelance photographer. You can see her photography at @EmmaPopkinPhotography Pronouns she/her Favorite movie: But I’m A Cheerleader

Emma Popkin

Staff Writer

Bryce (they/them) believes that the world’s downward trajectory is correlated with the decline of Hong Kong’s geung si movies. Wafflehousecult on Tumblr. Favorite TV Shows: Dead Like Me, Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Bryce Kelly

Staff Writer

Josie Meléndez (she/her) is a Puerto Rican writer, entertainment journalist, and film critic. Named an emerging content creator by NALIP and an emerging journalist by TIFF, she is also the founder of the Film Posers podcast, a platform hosted by four Boricuas dedicated to analyzing film and television from their cultural perspective. Her work has been featured in Elle Magazine, The Cherry Picks, The Mujerista, Todas PR, The Los Angeles Times, among others.

Josie Meléndez Hernández

Staff Writer

Vynique Moon is a screenwriter and playwright with an MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University and they own a small crochet business called by the moon crochet. They write dramedies with surrealist or even fantastical elements and often include the topics of mental health, physical and mental disability, race, sexuality, and gender. Three of their favorite films are The Addams Family (1991), Juno, and Coraline. Three of their favorite books are Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives by Wenda Trevathan, and the physics textbook she reads through and notates from time to time, but cannot currently locate. Three of their favorite television shows are Charmed, Hannibal, and Ted Lasso.

Vynique Moon

Staff Writer

Farah (she/her) is in her final year of studying Communications & Media with a major in Journalism in Cairo, Egypt. She mainly loves writing about film, TV, and culture but hopes to venture into screenwriting and directing in the future. When she’s not doing that, you’ll find her on Twitter trying to find a way for Paddington 2 to win an Oscar. Her favorite films are Inside Llewyn Davis, A Single Man, Bridget Jones’ Diary. Her favorite books are Yes, Please by Amy Poehler, Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher, All About Love by bell hooks.

Farah Sadek

Staff Writer

Miya Bacall (she/her) is cinema lover who is working towards becoming a film programmer. She has a B.F.A. in Film and Television from Savannah College of Art and Design. Miya spends most of her free time at her favorite indie art house cinema or at home singing and playing the piano. She has a love for Old Hollywood Classics, watching the Great British Baking Show and being over analytical about the show Ted Lasso. She hopes to break into the industry to help further open doors for young black woman like herself.

Miya Bacall

Staff Writer

Aiko Hilkinger (she/they) is a screenwriter and film critic from Colombia. She was named a one of the Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2021 by Network ISA, and an Emerging Content Creator by the Latino Media Film Festival and Women in Media Forum in 2020. She has written articles for Remezcla, been quoted in the New York Times, and started her own film and TV review podcast Film Babes earlier this year. Hilkinger loves watching and writing YA, coming-of-age stories centered around identity and queerness primarily in the animation space.

Aiko Hilkinger

Staff Writer

Miriam Handel (she/her) is a Dallas-based pop-culture obsessive, who loves to write about movies, television, and everything in between. She is currently in her second year studying Journalism and hopes to one day make freelance writing her full-time job. When she isn't studying and working towards her degree, Miriam can be found telling her friends all about the newest show or film that has become her favorite (until the next one comes along), and getting mad that these shows have been snubbed by The Emmys. Some of these favorite shows include The Leftovers, Weeds, Better Call Saul, and The Americans.

Miriam Handel

Staff Writer

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