Caitlin McCarthy

Caitlin McCarthy earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Emerson College, which is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best graduate programs in the country. As an American, she is a member of the Métis Nation of Canada and Métis Federation of Canada; and she holds a Certificate of Aboriginal Status card through the Ontario Métis Family Records Center (OMFRC).

An award-winning screenwriter at international film festivals and labs, Caitlin’s scripts include: Wonder Drug, now in pre-production with Lori Singer as director, Caitlin McCarthy & Lori Singer as co-writers, Stephen Nemeth/Rhino Films & Caitlin McCarthy as producers, and Vanessa Hope as Executive Producer; A Native Land, promoted as a “highly-rated script” by The Black List website, selected for a Mass Cultural Council Dramatic Writing Fellowship, and among the Academy Nicholl Top 10%; and Resistance, promoted as a “highly-rated script” by The Black List website and a participant in the Midterm Pitch for the CannesFilms Unlimited’s Writers Residency in Cannes, France (partners include Canal+, Vivendi, The Black List, Festival de Cannes, Université Côte d'Azur, and the City of Cannes).

Caitlin is partnering on writing/creating the TV series Gaels with Lynsey Murdoch (BBC Scottish Voices 2020), developed with financial assistance from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and produced by Pirate Productions. Caitlin is also writing/creating the TV series Free Skate, named “One To Watch” on WeForShe’s WriteHer List.

Caitlin wrote the screenplay adaptation of Rory Samantha Green’s rom-com novel Playing Along. She also won the open writing assignment for a supernatural mystery inspired by real events. Her unique pitch paved the way for her to pen the original screenplay.

Caitlin’s screenplays have won admittance into prestigious programs including the HamptonsFilm Screenwriters Lab, where Wonder Drug was selected as an Alfred P. Foundation script and chosen for a live staged reading of select scenes starring Steve Guttenberg at the Hamptons International Film Festival; The Gotham Film & Media Institute (formerly IFP)’s Owning It Accountability Sprint Program; the Women in Screen Workshop, led by the Australian International Screen Forum in New York; the MTV/WIF TV & Media Outreach Program; and the Atlanta Film Festival Screenwriters Lab.

Her essays have been published in anthologies such as Idol Talk (McFarland & Company, 2018) and Soap Opera Confidential​ (McFarland & Company, April 2017), and on websites including The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet and Celebrities in Disgrace.

Caitlin has been recognized as an “Intelligent Optimist” by ODE Magazine; a “Woman to Watch” by Imagine Magazine; a “Person to Watch” by The Pulse Magazine; a “Woman to Watch” by Forty Over 40; a “Red Sox Most Valuable Educator” twice by the Boston Red Sox; and an “Unsung Hero” who rose to the challenge of working during a pandemic at Worcester Technical High School (2020-2021 school year). She was also featured in the book The Top 100 Indie Writers In The World by Del Weston & Theresa Coscarelli.

Caitlin was selected for a 2021 Artist Fellowship in Dramatic Writing from the Mass Cultural Council. She was previously a Fellowship Grant Recipient from the Worcester Arts Council.

She was a featured panelist during Final Draft’s live webinar “Breaking In: The Writers Journey” (panel moderated by Sade' Sellers). She has also given screenwriting presentations at Emerson College (Boston, MA); University of North Alabama; Orange Beach County Library in Alabama; and the TV Writers Symposium held in association with the Woods Hole Film Festival and Woods Hole Inn, hosted by TV drama veteran P.K. Simonds (former executive producer of The Ghost Whisperer and Party of Five).

Other honors include an MTA Human and Civil Rights Award from the Massachusetts Teachers Association; AARP Massachusetts Certificate of Appreciation as part of the prestigious Andrus Award for Community Service, in recognition of her exceptional service to the Massachusetts community through her DES (diethylstilbestrol) activism and commitment as a public education teacher; and a “Service to Community” Alumni Award from Regis College.

Additionally, Caitlin was nominated twice (in 2011 and 2012) for a Presidential Citizens Medal for her work on the DES (diethylstilbestrol) tragedy.

As a DES Daughter and activist, Caitlin worked closely with the offices of then-U.S. Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown and obtained an acknowledgement of DES as a “tragedy” from the FDA in 2011 after 40 years of silence. In 2022, Caitlin testified before members of Scottish Parliament about her experiences as an American DES Daughter and the need for a DES apology in Scotland, leading to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon including DES in her historic apology to forced adoption victims in 2023. Caitlin’s DES activism was acknowledged on the floor of Scottish Parliament during a speech by Monica Lennon MSP on International Women’s Day.

In addition to screenwriting, Caitlin serves as an educator at a high-poverty urban public high school with universal free breakfast and lunch. Prior to education, Caitlin worked in public relations, where she fostered relationships with the press and crafted messages for companies that were delivered worldwide.

Caitlin is represented by Barry Krost of Barry Krost Management (BKM).