Kelly Cochran-Yzquierdo

Cochran-Yzquierdo’s pronouns are (she, her, hers), and she holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Film and Television from Emerson College and a Master of Arts with an emphasis in Creative Writing. She has been a college professor for almost 20 years and has taught Screenwriting, Creative Writing, English Composition, Film and Literature, and Mythology. Prior to coming to OCCC, she spent over 15 years teaching at Northern Virginia Community College.

In summer 2023, She started her own production company, From the Fringe Entertainment, LLC, which gives a platform to underrepresented voices in Hollywood. The company allows LGBTQ+, women, and BIPOC filmmakers to tell their stories from an authentic place. The company will focus on short films for the next several years and then move into independent features. The company’s first production, Grief, is in pre-production and will be shot summer of 2026.

Cochran-Yzquierdo has been fortunate to win or place in several screenwriting competitions listed below:

SCREENWRITING AWARDS AND HONORS

• New York Script Awards, Winner, Best TV Pilot (2022)
• Richmond International Film Festival Screenplay Competition, Winner, Best Original Drama Screenplay (2025)
• Stowe Story Labs, Ireland Writing Retreat, Selected Project (2024)
• Creative Screenwriting Shoot Your Short, Top 10 Finalist (2024)
• The Massachusetts Independent Film Festival, Official Selection (2024)
• Chicago Script Awards, Official Selection (2024)
• Oxford Script Awards, Official Selection (2023)
• New York Script Awards, Official Selection (2023)
• Prague Screenplay Awards, Official Selection (2023)
• Best Script Awards-London, Official Selection (2023)
• Budapest Movie Awards, Official Selection (2023)
• Kosice International Film Festival, Official Selection (2023)
• Golden Art Film Academy, Nominee (2023)
• Coverfly Red List, Top 1% Discoverable Projects (2023)
• Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, Second Rounder (2023, 2022, & 2021)
• Queer Global Arts Fest, Nominee (2021)
• Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards, Diverse Writers Outreach, Finalist (2023)
• Stowe Story Labs, Page Fellowship Finalist (2023)
• Emerging Screenwriters Genre Competition, Finalist (2023)
• Portland Screenplay Awards, Finalist (2021)