Brian McAuley

Brian McAuley is a WGA screenwriter and published novelist whose work explores various genres and mediums. He wrote and associate produced the award-winning independent thriller Dismissed for BoulderLight Pictures. Five other films that he wrote (Nanny Cam, Twisted Sisters, Seduced, The Perfect Daughter, Hush Little Baby) premiered on the Lifetime Network before acquiring international distribution. He co-wrote and co-produced the short horror film The Banishing, which was bought by Terror Films and incorporated into the feature-length anthology Patient Seven.

Brian sold his hour-long sci-fi series pitch Affliction to Syfy Network in a pilot development deal with Universal Cable Productions. He also penned an episode of the half-hour comedy series Fuller House for Netflix and Warner Brothers.

Brian’s debut novel Curse of the Reaper was distributed by Simon & Schuster and named one of the Best Horror Books of 2022 by Esquire. It has since been optioned for development by an Emmy-winning writer/producer. His novella Candy Cain Kills was published in November 2023 by Shortwave Publishing to praise from Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews. His short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in various print and online outlets, including Dark Matter Magazine and Nightmare Magazine.

Brian holds an MFA in Film with a concentration in Screenwriting from Columbia University and a BA in Individualized Study from NYU’s Gallatin School. Before coming to ASU, he taught screenwriting, TV writing, and fiction writing to both undergraduate and MFA students at Columbia University, Loyola Marymount University, and Mount Saint Mary’s University. He is a frequent collaborator with UCLA’s Center for Scholars and Storytellers – a youth-centered organization that bridges the gap between social science research and media creation – where he co-authored the Race and Class in Teen TV Report.