ISA Staff Picks: July 2025

The team at the ISA is excited to showcase these exceptional screenplays and their talented writers as top selections for July 2025. These scripts were handpicked for their strength in craft and originality. They are now being reviewed for potential submission to ISA-vetted agents, managers, producers, and industry executives who are actively searching for standout voices and compelling material.

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Introducing ISA's Staff Picks for July 2025:

GRIDIRON (Feature - Action/Sports/Thriller) by Travis J Opgenorth

Logline: An aging, former MVP quarterback’s final game turns into a life-or-death struggle when vengeful men take his family hostage and threaten to kill them if he underperforms.

Selected by (ISA Staff Member): Craig James

Comments: Gridiron is another shining example of Travis’s ability to craft stories that just move—his scripts are effortless to read, incredibly visual, and always built on strong emotional stakes. This one hits hard for fans of both sports and thrillers. At the center is Alex, a quarterback at the end of his career, who’s played like crap all season and isn’t even supposed to take the field—but now he has to. His family’s life depends on it. The tension builds not just from the action on the field, but from the ticking-clock pressure of a deadly criminal scheme riding on a massive bet. What’s so satisfying is how the story mirrors the unpredictable, high-stakes nature of real football—think Any Given Sunday with a thriller pulse. Travis weaves in motivation, redemption, and urgency without ever losing momentum. He’s one of those rare writers we’ve long supported through the ISA who just keeps delivering across genres.

ISA Connection: ISA Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch, ISA Development Slate, ISA Fast Track Fellowship 2nd Rounder

Awards: 

*This is a fresh, new script from this fantastic writer. 

OUR HEARTS WERE FORGED IN VENGEANCE (Feature - Western/Action) by RB Ripley

Logline: In 1875 Colorado, a naïve, Black publisher from the East coast hires a jaded Arapaho, ex-U.S. Army scout to help find his brother's killer and mete out vigilante justice. But as the perilous adventure unfolds, it transforms a bitter quest for revenge into an unexpected bond that helps them survive the brutal journey and heal their own wounded hearts.

Selected by (ISA Staff Member): Shayna Weber

Comments: If you have seen my picks before, I don’t normally select this genre, BUT this one is unique. Our Hearts Were Forged in Vengeance may seem like a Western… but it’s so much more than that. Set against the brutal backdrop of the American frontier, it follows two characters we rarely see in these types of films: A refined Black “Easterner” named Titus and Ambrose, a hardened Arapaho ex-army scout. Each on his own path of revenge, fate brings them together as unlikely allies—revealing trust, tenderness, and quiet strength - qualities rarely shown between men in stories like this. Think Unforgiven meets Brokeback Mountain - a revenge tale full of gunslinging yet deeply grounded in character. 

ISA Connection: ISA Development Slate

Awards: 

*This is a fresh, new script from this fantastic writer. 

MONEY MAKERS (Pilot - Comedy/Female Forward) by Alex Rubin 

Logline: Three millennial women with big dreams realize the deck is stacked against them, and enter into the world's oldest profession... marrying rich.

Selected by (ISA Staff Member): Felicity Wren

Comments: Money Makers is an unapologetic romp following three smart but broke, strong female leads in New York City, which shines as its own sparkling character. Desperate for a break, these modern women set out to marry rich, aiming to fix their lives and to reclaim the narrative around "gold digging."

This is a fresh take on Sex and the City, showcasing real women with complicated family lives who are determined to better themselves, whatever it takes. Expect a story that's funny, sassy, real, and endearing as they break hearts, break into wine fridges, and try to dodge the Feds across the hall in their new upscale apartment in Tribeca.

ISA Connection: Emerging Screenwriters Genre Winner, ISA Development Slate, ISA Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch - The ISA Development Team introduced Alex to her Manager. 

LAST REFRAIN (Feature - Drama) by Caitlin Gallo & Brittany Harris

Selected by (ISA Staff Member): Molly Kasch

Logline: Three dysfunctional adult siblings take their music-obsessed father with Alzheimer’s on one last road trip to Woodstock.

Comments: This is an endearing and heartbreaking look at a family going through Alzheimer's with their father. We go on a literal journey with the family, recreating a childhood trip, capturing moments in time, enjoying family sing-a-longs, and grasping at the last moments with their dad. The family dynamic is chalk full of sibling rivalry, banter, judgement, resentment, love, and role reversal as the children step up to be the caretakers. This is a lovely script, that is completely relatable for me as I navigate the changes with my aging parents, reminding us what is important in life.

ISA Connection: ISA Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch, ISA Development Slate

Awards:  

2024 Black List Writers Lab