Last week, we launched the WriteMovies Spring 2026 Screenwriting Contest. To highlight the occasion, over the next few weeks, we’re celebrating our recent winners and success stories – highlighting how WriteMovies contests have helped writers move their projects forward.
Today, we would like to introduce you to Paul Bayford, John Mazzullo and Mahmoud Boukhriss, who were all contest winners in 2025.
Check out their biographies below…
Paul Bayford is a Florida-based writer, originally from London, England. Working in the Information Technology field, he has spent time in Tulsa, Chicago, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon.
After taking up writing again after a break, Paul went on to win our latest writing contest with his script SERIOUSLY, THESE GUYS?
SERIOUSLY, THESE GUYS? is a laugh-out-loud comedy following a clumsy but good-hearted undercover alien and his conspiracy-minded human neighbor who team up with friends to stop a sinister plot to destroy Earth.
It pokes fun at corporate bureaucracy, cultural misunderstandings and sibling rivalries, with an underlying theme that everyone needs family.
Mahmoud Boukhriss is a Moroccan-born screenwriter based in Milwaukee. His work blends mythology, psychology, and high-concept worldbuilding to create emotional, cinematic stories with international appeal.
Drawing from his multicultural background and personal journey, he focuses on crafting genre-driven stories that balance commercial entertainment with meaningful, character-driven depth.
He is the winner of the WriteMovies Spring 2025 Pitch Contest and the creator of TRIAL WORLD, currently in development through the WriteMovies pipeline. Mahmoud’s projects have been recognized by international festivals, including 13Horror.com and the Milwaukee Independent Film Awards.
About TRIAL WORLD – During a global eclipse, a hundred strangers are forced into a myth-inspired survival tournament broadcast to the world. As the trials grow deadlier, they realize the real danger isn’t the game – but what humanity becomes when suffering turns into entertainment.
John Mazzullo is a New York and Florida-based writer. His prior career as an investment manager in the Wall Street community has provided a rich assortment of characters and experiences.
In 2019, John authored, A Cup Story – a non-fiction account weaving pop-culture and personal insights to chronicle an unexpected odyssey which culminated in ordinary New York Ranger hockey fans to partake in one of sports most cherished traditions.
His screenplay, Live Bait was a 2025 Official Selection for the Blockbuster Screenwriting Contest. And another of John’s works – Fetch – won Best Action Screenplay in the New York Screenplay competition for 2025.
John won the WriteMovies Writing Contest 80 – Pitch Entry Award in 2025 for MOVIEOKE.
MOVIEOKE is a dramedy about a newly-minted movie-karaoke mash-up event tapped to rescue an ailing Off-Broadway theater. Its comedic wit and infectious energy drives the clever fusion of genres while also balancing family relationships that are dynamic and intriguing.
Each of these projects is currently receiving script development from the WriteMovies team, in preparation for pitching to the international entertainment industry later this year. Stay tuned for more announcements about our recent winners.
To have your projects developed, represented by TalentScout International Management and pitched to top producers, you can enter the WriteMovies Spring 2026 Screenwriting Contest.