Writer’s Panel

Born in Florida but raised in the metropolis of what is affectionally referred to as the DMV area
(DC, MD, VA), Devan Renea is an alumnus of Morgan State, Howard, and Full Sail University.
Devan got her start in the industry through the prestigious Television Academy Emmy’s
Internship Program and eventually found a home at Warner Bros. early on in her career.
Her credits include OWN’s scripted series, ‘Queen Sugar’, ‘Freefrom’s, ‘Famous in Love’ CW’s
‘Stargirl’, and she was most recently a writer for OWN’s new legal drama series, ‘Delilah’.
In addition to her professional pursuits during her eight years with Warner Bros., Devan also
presided as the Board Co-Chair President of the Black Employees at WB (BE), which allowed
her to oversee employee engagement initiatives geared at strengthening diversity and inclusion
across all of Warner Media. She also devotes her time through mentorship with the WB Youth
Mentoring Program, HBCU in LA Internship Program, and a non-profit foster youth
initiative, Kids in the Spotlight, where she volunteers her skill sets as a screenwriting instructor.
Devan is also an Executive Producer who recently produced a forthcoming short independent
film entitled, ‘Unconquered’, slated to hit the film festival circuit this fall, and a television
creator who recently adapted B. Sharise Moore’s majestic young adult fantasy novel, Dr.
Marvellus Djinn’s Odd Scholars, which is currently in development for television!

​KRISTINA THOMAS

BORN IN EAST OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA…

STAFF WRITER on the upcoming Bad Robot/HBO Drama “DEMIMONDE”, Writer-Director Kristina Thomas first showed her potential in the documentary side of filmmaking by winning awards that led her to win $50,000 to direct a pilot TV show in New Orleans, Louisiana for MTV/Endemol. After paying her dues as script coordinator for such shows as Greenleaf, Lovecraft Country and The Haunting of Bly Manor (S2), her feature “WORTH IT” received some well-deserved recognition as a semi-finalist for the Women in Film/The Black list feature competition and BET’s Project Cre8 Feature competition. 

Also, winner of the Writers Assistant Network Pilot Workshop, Finalist for Hollyshorts Fest and former staff writer on the webseries The Rise of Theo and the Romeos for Issa Rae’s production company, Thomas’s comedy short film “HOUSE OF BALLS” based on her time playing women’s dodgeball is continuing to make its rounds in the festival circuit. Recently her actress Mariah Robinson won Best Actor at the AFF Alt Film Festival and the 1/2 pilot script for “House of Balls” was Semi-Finalist for the BET’s Project Cre8: TV and Hollyshorts Fest. Currently she’s in the Women in Film Mentoring Program for Directors and preparing to direct her first feature. 

Kristina is a proud alum of Howard University and University of Southern California.

Krystal N. Foster, MFA is an award-winning writer, director, and producer with
more than 20 years in the arts and entertainment industry. She has worked as a
staff writer for Bounce TV’s Saints & Sinners and specializes in stories that
encourage, enlighten and uplift her community. Krystal’s screenplay, “Traits”,
received the Alfred P. Sloan award and the short film version, in which she made
her directorial debut, was selected at seven film festivals.

Krystal received her Bachelor’s degree at Howard University and upon
graduation she worked at several entertainment companies including Paramount
Pictures and Fox Entertainment. Wanting to take her creative side to the next
level, Krystal pursued her true passion in writing by attending film school. She
received her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where
she was the recipient of the Dramatic Writing Full Tuition Departmental
Fellowship for her writing talent.

In her spare time, Krystal enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and
playing with her two four-legged children (dogs).