George Lanigan

George is an English screenwriter based in Los Angeles and is awarded the Pigott-BAFTA Scholarship. After graduating from the University of Bristol with a first-class degree in English, he became a high school teacher for two years in Southall, London. In his second-year teaching, George mentored disadvantaged young men as the school’s Boys Achievement Leader. He arranged school trips, guest speakers and launched a reading program for reluctant male readers. He continued to work on scripts during evenings and weekends and was determined to pursue screenwriting full-time.

In 2023, he left teaching and was awarded a scholarship to pursue an MFA at UCLA, swapping West London for West LA. George enjoys writing romantic comedies, buddy comedies, and half-hour situation comedies. He likes exploring the cultural contrast between America and Britain in his writing, as someone who enjoys educating Americans on the joys of cricket and seventh-division English football. He is extremely grateful for this Pigott/BAFTA opportunity.