Laila Wilson ’22

Laila L. Wilson ’22 is a screenwriter whose work explores coming-of-age stories centered on identity and belonging, often through the lens of male friendships.

Her writing blends emotional realism with nuanced character studies, earning recognition for its authentic portrayal of male voices and intimate dynamics. 

Wilson wrote, directed, and produced the pilot episode of her web series CLOUT with support from a YoungArts Creative Grant. The series’ logline reads: After the label lets him go, a forgotten middle-aged rapper must join forces with a Gen-Z SoundCloud artist to climb back onto the music charts. 

The project screened at the 2024 New York Latino Film Festival, presented by Warner Bros. Discovery, and most recently at the 2025 Black Film Space Weekend Conference.

Featured in Deadline, she was recognized by The Paley Center for Media as a future visionary television executive in the inaugural Peter Roth Internship Program.

Her industry experience includes working in Current Programming at The CW Network, covering flagship series within the DC Comics and All-American universes.

She was bestowed the 2024 New York Women in Communications Film and Television Scholarship and honored with the Mattel Fellowship, powered by The Alliance for Women in Media, which champions the next generation of women passionate about creating, telling, and connecting stories that impact our world.

Wilson is also a 2023 YoungArts at Sundance Ignite Fellow, an alumna of the Warner Bros. Discovery Access Early Career Bootcamp, and a full-scholarship recipient of The Gotham EDU Film and Media Career Development Program.

Wilson completed an MFA in Television Writing from Stony Brook University in 2025.