Launch Pad Alum Laura Bensick Signs With UTA (EXCLUSIVE)

〉 Bensick joins over 150 Launch Pad writers who have landed representation in just three years.

We are excited to announce that 2016 Launch Pad Pilots Competition writer Laura Bensick, whose original drama pilot THE MOTHER recently landed in the Top 10 of the LPPC, has signed with UTA agents Amanda Burnett, Charles Ferraro, and Greg Iserson. She is also repped by Tom Drumm of Think Tank Management and Production.

Pitched as Rectify meets The Killing, the mystery is centered on a woman who is released back into the world, thirteen years after being accused of, and accepting the guilt for, murdering her daughter during an episode of postpartum psychosis. She then sets out to regain the trust of her family and live a normal life, but when she discovers evidence that may prove she never committed the crime, she begins to question her own sanity and whether she can trust those around her.

Our Launch Pad readers praised The Mother as a captivating slow burn that simmers with drama, secrets of the past, and the horrors of never knowing if you’re in control. Never veering away from the darkness, this pilot delivers a compelling lead and lets her wade through the waters of depression, murder, guilt, and a quest for an innocence that may never come. An undeniably complex breakout lead steers us through a story that is delivered through impeccable character work, deftly drawn dialogue, and a terrifyingly real setting. With no shortage of twist and turns, tense familial drama, and a cliffhanger that feels genuinely shocking – but entirely earned – this is a show that will keep viewers talking and ratings sizzling.

Bensick began her storytelling career with an autobiographical play that was produced by theaters in Los Angeles and St. Louis. Her Launch Pad pilot, The Mother, touches on her experiences of being raised in a family that was affected by mental illness. She earned her MFA in Writing for Screen & Television from USC where she created a student-produced pilot which was nominated for an award by The Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors. During her time at USC, she also interned in the writer’s office of Mad Men for two seasons.

Most recently, Bensick was accepted into the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s TV Writers Program, was a Semifinalist for the 2015 Disney/ABC Writing Program, and a Finalist at the 2015 Austin Film Festival. Currently, she has TV drama series in development with Fabrik Entertainment and Gidden Media.

Bensick joins several 2016 Launch Pad entrants who have already signed with agents and managers, including Valedictorian writer Jimmy Mosqueda, The Game writer Justin Jacobs, and Emmy-nominated scribe Rowan Wheeler.

Congratulations Laura! We can’t wait to see what the future has in store!

To see the complete list of writers who made the Top 10 of our 2016 Launch Pad Pilot Competition click here. Be sure to check back later today when we unveil the WINNERS of the 2016 Launch Pad Pilots Competition, the writers selected by our 2016 TV mentors, and our Guaranteed Signing by Lee Stobby Entertainment!

The submissions for the 2016 Launch Pad Manuscript and Features Competition are open! Learn more about the Launch Pad Competition!

Josh Lyons | Managing Editor