Notable Achievements 

English major who contemplated a journalism career—Dog Day Players improv group changed her thinking; earned 2012 M.F.A. from Columbia; lives in Los Angeles with husband Conor Britain and two children

Began career as assistant to TV showrunner; known for screenplays of Set It Up (Lucy Liu plays a Dartmouth alum), Booksmart, Isn’t It Romantic, and Don’t Worry Darling; Netflix film Ladies First, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, set to air in 2026; projects in development include Paramount film Reality Vice

“One thing I really like about the movie industry is how much of a meritocracy it is. So many people who started as assistants and production assistants have linked arms and come up as a generation, which I find both helpful and inspiring.” 

“I was obsessed with my freshman trip leaders and wanted to do things they did, so I joined the Dog Day Players improv group, which inspired me to want to learn more about writing and comedy and performance. I did not like the performing part.”

“My professors instilled the healthiest version of a belief in myself. They encouraged me to believe it was possible to pursue a writing career, to be realistic but not pessimistic.” 

“My work process differs only slightly depending on whether I’m writing an original screenplay or reworking an existing script. I always spend a lot of time figuring out character stuff in the beginning: where everyone’s going to start and where they’ll end up, even if that means having to change the plan.”

“I’ve been lucky to produce a lot of scripts I’ve written. Making a movie is hard: A location falls through, an actor’s unavailable because something happens, it’s raining and you thought it was going to be sunny, or a scene’s not working the way you thought it would.” 

“I watch movies to get my mind off what’s happening in the world. I watch a lot of Nora Ephron—You’ve Got Mail is one of my favorites. My comfort movies are Clueless, Bridesmaids, Legally Blonde, or First Wives Club. I also watch a lot of Wes Anderson and lately a lot of 1990s movies.” 

“The joy of working with Olivia Wilde on Booksmart was trying to make each other laugh. When I write by myself, I’m talking to myself a lot. I rely on friends whose tastes I respect to read drafts and give me honest feedback.” 

“Writing a psychological thriller such as Don’t Worry Darling wasn’t all that different from writing comedies. I want any movie to be about characters viewers love and want to follow in an arc. I want things that happen to be grounded and surprising and entertaining. What was different was not laughing as much.” 

“Now that I have a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, I can’t watch movies about kids in danger or being sad, so I certainly wouldn’t want to work on one like that. Kids’ movies, though, amaze me—how much they can teach about empathy and curiosity and bravery.” 

“I wouldn’t want to put meanness or cruelty out into the world. We have plenty of that going on right now. The one current I’d like people to see through all my work is that there’s humanity in it. It’s about people who are trying their best.”