A resident of Boston and a senior medical writer at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Diane Hanks makes the 2017 Hit List. She broke onto the scene last year when her pilot CHANGELINGS won the 2016 Page International Screenwriting Awards Grand Prize. Continuing her success, PARAGRAPH 175 was recently featured on the Black List website and was a 2017 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship semifinalist.
“SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM HIT LIST 2017:
In 2016 we saw Netflix making its first appearance on the list (behind only Fox) with 3 projects on the list, and this year they not only returned, but they tied Paramount and Sony for the top studio spot with 4 projects apiece. Still sitting atop the eight year overall list however is Warner Bros. who added 2 more projects this year to watch their total projects accounted for at time of release jump up to 31. Beyond just individual studios, the 2017 list would also set records for the most projects set up at both studios (29) and production companies (60).
After becoming the first annual ‘best of’ list to have a female writer land the top spot in 2014 (Catherine The Great – Kristina Lauren Anderson), we’d seen the number of female writers breaking a new record year-over-year since, and 2017 is no different, as one up last years record of 22 with this years record of 24 female writers. Additionally, the number of returning writers on this years list would tie last year’s record, with 22 projects being written by 26 Hit List alums.”