Just got some big news: What’s Buried Beneath the Pines has officially been named a Semifinalist for the Filmmatic InRoads Fellowship 2025. Out of over 2,400 entries, this script placed in the top 2%.
That’s not a fluke. That’s traction.
Filmmatic’s InRoads Fellowship is designed to spotlight new voices and original material with real potential for industry exposure. This isn’t just about collecting laurels—it’s about identifying the scripts that are ready to move. To place this high means the work is being seen—and felt—by gatekeepers who’ve read everything under the sun.
WBBTP is a tough little beast. It doesn’t spoon-feed. It doesn’t chase trends. It’s a Southern Gothic drama that dares to move slow, to ask big questions, and to stare generational trauma right in the eye. The script centers on Gray Harris, a black sheep who returns home to bury his father and winds up unraveling a legacy of violence and silence that’s been rotting under his family name for decades.
I didn’t write this for mass appeal. I wrote it because I had something to say—about the South, about fathers and sons, about the secrets families pass down like heirlooms. And somehow, the more personal I made it, the more it started to resonate.
This semifinalist placement feels different. It’s not a first-round nod. It’s deep in the game. And when a script keeps pushing forward—across contests, on Coverfly, in conversations—that’s when you know it’s not just good. It’s ready.
WBBTP is also the anchor for a much larger vision—an anthology series called Revenance, where each season peels back the façade of another rural American family, exposing the sins, ghosts, and generational rot they’ve tried to keep buried. This pilot is the entry point, and this recognition from Filmmatic adds more weight to the foundation we’re building.
In the last few months, this project has landed quarterfinalist placements in Script Pipeline, the Nashville Film Festival, and Roadmap’s JumpStart Competition. It’s ranked in the top 9% on Coverfly. This isn’t about hype—it’s about hard-earned momentum.
If you’ve been following this journey, you know the work that went into this thing. The long nights, the gut-punch revisions, the obsessive cutting and rebuilding. You know how many times I almost walked away from it. But the story wouldn’t let go. And maybe now it doesn’t have to.
The InRoads Fellowship isn’t just another contest—it’s a development track. They offer support, exposure, and actual tools to get scripts into the right hands. Being named a semifinalist means I’m one step closer to having this story not only read, but championed. That matters.
So many scripts never see daylight because the timing’s wrong or the gate is too high. But the beauty of this fellowship—and others like it—is that they seek out the voices not yet discovered. They reward craft. They recognize fire in the work, even when it’s not coming from an already-lit stage.
I’ve got big hopes for where this project lands, but more than that, I’ve got faith in what it already is. This script has taught me to trust the slow build, to respect the silence, and to tell the truth even when it stings. That’s what makes this recognition hit a little deeper. It means the work is working.
I’m grateful to Filmmatic for recognizing the strength in the script. For seeing past the surface and feeling the pulse underneath. These kinds of fellowships matter—not just because of the potential access, but because they remind you that the story you told matters. That it landed. That it’s alive.
To everyone who’s supported this project—thank you. Your encouragement, your eyes on the page, your honest notes and quiet cheerleading—none of it went unnoticed.
We’re getting close. And we’re not stopping here. Let’s keep this thing moving.
