As a Signal Award Winner, Jeannette Lara is a storyteller at heart, shaped by her Puerto Rican heritage and a childhood spent in Japan, where she fell in love with international films and anime. She got her start in the industry by volunteering at the Atlanta Film Festival, eventually working as a PA on live-action indie projects like Stomp the Yard II and The Fatboy Chronicles. Driven by curiosity and a love for the craft, she moved to Los Angeles, where she continued to volunteer for LALIFF and The Animation World Summit before becoming an assistant to an independent producer at Therapy Content. There, she met her longtime writing partner Michael J. Beall, and together they co-wrote MUSE, a Nicholl Quarterfinalist animated feature.

Jeannette specializes in coming-of-age stories infused with heart, heroics, and humor. Her original pilot, Me, My Shadow, and Iris, was a Screencraft Animation competition finalist. Her writing credits include the award-winning PBS Kids series Alma’s Way, the Emmy-nominated Santiago of the Seas for Nickelodeon, Netflix’s Rainbow High, and the Drew Barrymore-executive-produced Princess Power. She has developed projects for studios including Moonbug, DreamWorks, Sesame Workshop, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Nickelodeon, and served as a consultant for Big Grin Studios.

Currently, she’s co-writing a 30-minute animated special for Disney and a 40-minute original audio story for Tonies. She’s also co-producing an animated indie film called Waffle Cop and recently co-wrote the upcoming live-action short Musings with director, Rodrigo Carvalhedo.

When she’s not writing, you’ll probably find her rewatching K-Pop Demon Hunters, cooking soulful Puerto Rican recipes, or trying out a new experience like Chinese archery.