Biography

Alyson Richards is an award-winning screenwriter, director, producer, and educator known for bold, inclusive storytelling. In 2024, she won the Director’s Guild of Canada Award for Best Short Film for her documentary I WAS HERE. She also directed the ‘horror’ episode of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING (CTV, The CW, Netflix), featuring legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg in a guest starring role.

As a screenwriter, Alyson wrote THE RETREAT a queer slasher that sold to Showtime, hit #7 on Hulu, and was a Globe and Mail Critics' Pick. She was selected for the prestigious NYC-based Writer’s Lab, supported by Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Nicole Kidman. Her next feature script, MOMBIES, was selected for the Finance Forum at TIFF. She has a series in development with Crave and one with New Metric Media (Letterkenny, Bria Mack Gets a Life).

With over a decade of experience as a creative producer, Alyson has shaped projects that premiered at Sundance, TIFF, Sitges, AFI, and Locarno. Her extensive television credits include CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING (Roku/CTV/The CW), HOME SWEET ROME (HBO Max), SMALL ACHIEVABLE GOALS (CBC), and the docuseries QUEER FOR FEAR (Hulu/Shudder).

She has taught screenwriting at the University of Guelph-Humber, creative producing at the Canadian Film Centre and has been a guest speaker at the University of Toronto, University of Miami and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.