Linsay Rousseau - Writer

TELLING STORIES THAT FIGHT BACK

I’m a writer who believes in truth wrapped in grit. My work lives where genre meets humanity – action, drama, sci-fi, and comedy rooted in real people, real stakes, and the messy beauty of survival.

Before I ever stepped into a writers’ room, I was a combat photographer and journalist with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. I’ve seen what power looks like up close – and what it looks like when communities take it back. That perspective shapes everything I write.

I don’t tell stories to tick boxes. I tell them because they’re the lives I’ve lived, the people I’ve met, the truths that won’t stay quiet.

From Journalism to Screenwriting

Before filmmaking, I worked as an associate producer and investigative reporter for PBS Frontline and as a Carnegie Fellow with ABC News’ Investigative Reporting Program. That journalistic eye for truth still guides me.

My time in Iraq – documenting combat and humanitarian operations with the 101st Airborne Division – taught me to see people not as subjects, but as stories. Those experiences shaped my voice as a storyteller and my drive to highlight resilience, justice, and underrepresented voices.

I also create political satire on TikTok and YouTube – a mix of humor, outrage, and the occasional deep sigh – because sometimes comedy is the only way to process the chaos.

Recognition

WGA Foundation Veterans Writing Fellow (2024/2025)
Starz #TaketheLead and VME Creative Mentorship Program for Writers and Producers (2025)
Stowe Story Labs Genre Feature Film Launch Semifinalist (2025)

Investigative Journalist

Master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley
Associate producer and reporter for for PBS Frontline and Carnegie Fellow with ABC News’ Investigative Unit

U.S. Army Combat Photographer and Public Affairs Sergeant

Served with the 101st Airborne Division, deployed to Iraq from 2005–2006, documenting combat and humanitarian operations

Activist and Advocate

Worked for Amnesty International. Lifelong commitment to women’s issues, human rights, LGBTQ+ visibility, and immigrant justice
Leadership roles in SAG-AFTRA, the National Association of Voice Actors, QueerVoxand Common Defense
Volunteer with Diving With a Purpose on marine debris cleanup, coral restoration, and maritime archaeology projects, with a special
focus on the Transatlantic Period of Enslavement and the maritime history and culture of African Americans

Performer

Trained in classical theatre, improv and music. From stage to screen, Shakespeare to Sondheim, have starred in critically acclaimed theatre
productions, animated series, AAA video games, episodic television and award winning radio dramas

Education & Community

I hold a master’s in journalism from UC Berkeley and a bachelor’s in sociology and anthropology from The College of William and Mary.

I serve as Media Affairs Director for the National Association of Voice Actors, Vice President of QueerVox, and sit on SAG-AFTRA’s Interactive and L.A. Local Committees.

Outside the industry, I volunteer with Diving With A Purpose – working on coral restoration and maritime archaeology projects – and with Common Defense, a grassroots group of progressive veterans advocating for democracy and social justice.

Why I Write

Because I’ve seen what it costs to stay silent.

I write to make sense of the world I’ve lived in – from war zones to newsrooms to the unpredictable wilds of human connection. My years as a combat photographer and journalist taught me that truth isn’t clean. It’s raw, imperfect, and sometimes painful. But it’s also where our shared humanity lives.

I’m drawn to the stories people try to bury – the ones that live in the margins, in the quiet moments after chaos. I believe that resilience doesn’t always look heroic, that humor is one of our greatest survival tools, and that representation isn’t a trend – it’s reality.

Every project I take on starts with one question: Who isn’t being heard here?

Whether it’s a woman fighting for justice in a system designed to silence her, soldiers still at war long after they’ve come home, or an ordinary person facing extraordinary odds, I’m interested in the cracks where light gets in.

I write to remind us that the truth is messy, survival is complicated, and heroes are rarely perfect – but they’re always human.

What I Write

I tell character-driven stories that live where truth meets genre – emotional, cinematic worlds that explore justice, identity, and survival. My work often blends drama, thriller, sci-fi, and dark comedy, because real life doesn’t fit neatly into one category.

At the core, I write about resilience, truth, and connection – people fighting to be seen, to be heard, and to hold on to their humanity when the world pushes back.

Whether it’s the raw injustice of Green Motels or the dry humor of Dive Guide, every story I tell aims to do the same thing: fight back with heart.

in development

Green Motels

One-Hour Crime Drama
A small-town husband-and-wife legal team and a free-clinic nurse investigate the disappearance of an 18-year-old farmworker, uncovering a web of systemic sexual abuse across California’s fields.

Project Valkyrie

Feature, Action Thriller
Decades after serving together, four veterans from an elite all-female Army Ranger unit reunite for a covert mission to dismantle a global trafficking network – while confronting the demons they left behind.

Hybrid Dawn

Indie Feature – Sci-Fi, Drama
In a world shattered by catastrophe, four survivors journey through the wreckage, uncovering the dark truth behind the disaster – and their connection to it.

Linsay Rousseau - Writer

TELLING STORIES THAT FIGHT BACK

in development

GET IN TOUCH

And you can always contact me directly here!