AJ Dinsmore
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Writer & Producer
About Me
AJ Dinsmore is a Chinese-American writer and producer based in LA. In 2023-2024, AJ was a writer fellow in Emmy winner Lena Waithe's renowned Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab, during which she developed an original dramedy/mystery pilot. In 2021, AJ was one of five writers selected to participate in the WeScreenplay Shorts Lab. Her scripts have also been recognized by the HorrOrigins Film Festival, the ScreenCraft Short Film Competition, and the PAGE International Screenplay Awards, among others.
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​​As a transracial adoptee raised in the boondocks of W(hite)yoming, “intersectional” doesn’t begin to cover the weirdness of AJ’s identity. Navigating this constant in-between space inspired AJ to write stories that heal the divides that exist within individuals, systems, and all of humanity. She feels most at home writing character-driven dramedies that blend genres.
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AJ was a Coordinator for the Academy Award-winning film development company, The Lagralane Group (ICARUS, LUCKY). She also worked as a Coordinator for Tony-winner Sarah Jones’ social justice-focused entertainment company, Foment Productions (SELL/BUY/DATE). AJ’s producing credits include Lagralane’s short film, “Ownership,” and their podcast, “Lagralane Spirits,” which has featured guests like Kemp Powers, Erika Alexander, and Channing Dungey.
TELEPLAYS
Hot City
Dramedy/Mystery (original pilot)
Series Bible available on request
An estranged adopted daughter returns to her rural hometown for the first time in years, but when she is accused of her ex’s murder, she must find the real culprit to clear her name and escape the “unimaginable horrors” of small town life.​​​
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Developed in Emmy Award Winner Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab
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Quarterfinalist, WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab (2025)
The Conspiracist Kids
Mockumentary (original pilot)
When Wendy Huynh, an overly-enthusiastic 13-year-old and aspiring conspiracy theorist, hears about an alleged alien abduction in her hometown, she jumps at the chance to find proof of a real conspiracy and earn her spot in an elite conspiracy theorist organization.
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Selected for the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab (2023)
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Quarterfinalist, The Script Lab - Free Screenplay Contest (2023)
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Quarterfinalist, WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab (2023)
Black Sheep
Dramedy (original pilot)
The rebellious lifestyles of two adopted ex-Catholic sisters are uprooted when their deeply religious and totally-pilled sister is sent to live with them in Los Angeles.
NARRATIVE SHORTS
My Life as a Teenage Conspiracy Theorist
Comedy
When Wendy, a 13-year-old aspiring conspiracy theorist, hears about a potential alien abduction in her town, she jumps at the chance to find proof of aliens and earn her spot in an elite conspiracy theorist organization.
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Adapted into a Pilot, "The Conspiracist Kids."
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Winner, WeScreenplay Shorts Lab (2021)
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Semifinalist, ScreenCraft Short Film Screenplay Competition (2022)
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Semifinalist, PAGE International Screenwriting Awards Competition (2022)
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Semifinalist, Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards (2021)
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Coverfly Top 1% in Genre/Format.
Real
Satire
A woman hires a professional to re-film her marriage proposal to her girlfriend in an effort to impress her homophobic parents.
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Quarterfinalist, Fresh Voices Screenplay Contest (2019)
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Quarterfinalist, WeScreenplay Shorts Contest (2021)
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Me With You, Without You
Magical realism/Horror
When a nonbinary South Asian Stanford student is accepted into a prestigious ballet school, they must convince their immigrant mother to accept their choice while a mysterious figure in the mirror both terrifies and entrances them.
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*Story developed in collaboration with a group of writers.
It's Not Delivery, It's [REDACTED]
Comedy
When Colby Jackson, an excessively upbeat film student, tries to make a documentary about their family's pizza restaurant, they accidentally stumble on a conspiracy deeper than deep-dish pizza.
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*Story developed in collaboration with a group of writers.
