Story
Story & development
Concepts, formats, series bibles, pitches and scripts, at senior-writer quality. For series, podcasts, vertical and branded content.
The craftof story.
I'm Jess Harris-DiStefano, a WGA screenwriter. I know why a scene works, why a format lands, and why an audience stays.
12.
INT. WRITERS' ROOM – NIGHT
Five writers. One whiteboard. Cold coffee. A laptop renders a perfect shattered glass, frame after frame.
MAYA
Great. Now why does she throw it?
DEV
(beat)
Because he finally told her the truth.
Nobody looks at the laptop again.
The systemsto scale it.
I've spent twenty years inside YouTube, Google, TikTok and Wondery. Now I build the AI-powered content systems that get the work made, on deadline, without losing the people who make it good.
Story brain
- Concepts, formats and pitches
- Scripts, bibles and development
- Creative and production leadership
- Taste. Knowing what to cut.
Systems brain
- AI workflows wired into real production
- Pipelines that hold up on deadline
- Platform strategy and distribution
- Training and governance, so it runs without me
Most AI consultants have never shipped a season. Most creatives have never built a pipeline. I've done both, for twenty years.
AI scales the work. It never replaces the people who make it.
Built in real seats, not slide decks.
I started as a narrative designer in games, trained as a screenwriter at USC, and spent the next two decades on the production side of the platforms: Nike+ at R/GA, Google's The Zoo, YouTube Spaces' global studios, creative operations at TikTok, and head of video at Wondery.
Most recently I was AI Solutions Director at Monks, deploying AI across scripted, unscripted, animation and marketing production for global entertainment clients. I'm still a working WGA writer. Greenwood Ave is where both halves meet.
$2M
revenue growth delivered
$25M
in budget I've been accountable for
85+
people led across four global studios
30+
Fortune 500 brands
What I do.
StorySystemsBoth
Bring me in where the problem is, or across all of it. Every engagement is scoped around what you're making. No menu and no packages.
Both
Vertical drama development
From braindump to a full pitch package (one-sheet, series bible and sample episodes) in under a week. Every creative call made by a person.
Systems
Content production pipelines
AI wired into the unglamorous middle of production: prep, coverage, versioning, formatting and delivery. Built to hold up on a real deadline.
Story
Creative & production leadership
The teams, vendors and workflows that let the work move at platform speed. I've led 85+ people across four global studios.
Both
Content strategy & distribution
Platform strategy, packaging, launch and monetization. The playbook behind a video podcast that reached 189K subscribers in six months, 89% above goal.
Systems
AI workflow design & training
Where AI belongs in your operation, and where it doesn't. Then the governance and training so your team runs it without me.
Tell me what you're making.
A show, a channel, a campaign, or a pipeline that's fighting you. Here's what happens when you book.
- We talk for 30 minutesYou tell me what you're making and where it's stuck. No deck required.
- I tell you straightWhether I'm the right person for it. If I'm not, I'll tell you who is.
- I write a scope around your problemNo menu and no packages. You see the plan in writing before anything starts.
Do you replace writers or editors?
No. The systems I build put AI around the creative work (prep, coverage, versioning, distribution) so people spend more time on the part that needs them. I'm a WGA member, and that line matters to me.
Do you work with brands?
Yes. Branded series, documentaries, creator partnerships and campaign production. I've produced for Nike, Google and TikTok.
Who would I be working with?
Me, directly. No junior team and no handoff. Everything I build is documented so your team can run it after I leave.