EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off the Max debut of The Girls on the Bus, on which he’s a staff writer, Tawal Panyacosit has signed with M88 for representation.
Created by Amy Chozick and Julie Plec, the political drama tells the story of four female journalists who follow the every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, finding friendship, love, and a scandal that could take down not just the presidency, but our entire democracy, along the way. The first two episodes of the series, starring Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, and more, which is produced by Berlanti Productions, premiered on March 14.
Panyacosit’s other writing credits include showrunners Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre’s Vampire Academy for Peacock, and Life After First Failure for CW Seed, which is a series that he co-created, co-developed and co-executive produced. As a diehard genre geek with a penchant for anything magical, mystical, mythological, and/or musical, he plans to use that passion as a throughline in his work moving forward.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Panyacosit is the second child of Chinese and Thai immigrants. After attending Brown University, he worked as a political organizer for marriage equality, which led to a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University. At present, he continues to pursue his passion for civil engagement as the co-founder of the Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity, a volunteer organization committed to fostering accurate and authentic storytelling in the entertainment industry, as well as improving working conditions for all TV writers, especially those from historically excluded communities.
Founded in 2020 by former WME partner Phillip Sun and Macro founder and CEO Charles D. King, M88 reps storytellers, actors, writers and multi-hyphenates, with an emphasis on diverse talent. Other recent signings include The Brothers Sun scribe Justin Calen-Chenn, comedian Funny Marco, The Bear and Platonic actor Andrew Lopez, and One Piece star Iñaki Godoy, to name a few.
Panyacosit continues to be represented by Peter Sample at Jackoway Austen Tyerman.