Desa Larkin-Boutté (https://www.networkisa.org/profile/desa-larkin-boutte) is a television and feature screenplay writer based in Los Angeles, California. Her body of work is varied, though united through highlighting under-serviced themes or communities. Whether it be race and identity (Zora & Zizi), the love and heartache of a senior living facility (The Old & the Restless), or depression in the black community (How to Be), Desa’s mission is to start a conversation through the stories she tells.

In addition, Desa also specializes in adaptation. From a feminist twist on 1001 Nights (Arabian Days), a little known gothic thriller from Louisa May Alcott (A Long Fatal Love Chase), to a Creole twist on a favored fairy tale (The Red Shoes), the stories she chooses to adapt all feature women fighting against insurmountable odds.

Born in Los Angeles, raised in Atlanta, and educated in Boston, Desa has first-hand knowledge of America’s vast and varied communities. She has worked in the television industry for over a decade, learning extensively from the creative minds behind The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, and Westworld. Desa was a 2018 AFF Semifinalist (How to Be), as well as the 2020 Grand Prize Winner of Creative Screenwriting's Unique Voices Competition (Zora & Zizi).

Time Stamps:
0:00 - intro
1:06 - Current watches and Industry heroes
3:17 - Origin Story
8:10 - Does a great resume guarantee anything?
10:54 - networking and maintaining connections
13:55 - would you change the path you took if you could?
16:01 - spending time in post-production
19:06 - Desa’s voice in writing
22:41 - balancing parenting and writing
29:49 - introduction to ISA
31:19 - advice for writers
33:52 - fun concluding questions