Ana Maria DePeña is an award-winning writer, producer, & late bloomer. She survived her conservative, working-class immigrant upbringing through her beloved 13-inch TV/VHS combo. Drawing from her unconventional (traumatic) life and neurodivergent mind, Ana writes to understand and be understood. She’s drawn to stories that celebrate outcasts, challenge power, and honor our fucked-up humanity.
As a community organizer and political sicko, Ana recently entered local and national politics, writing & researching for Los Angeles’ Zohran Mamdani, Rae Huang, during the 2026 mayoral primaries and for DSA’s first Los Angeles congressional candidate, Angela Gonzales-Torres, during the 2026 general midterms. She also created and runs a popular political YouTube channel of one of the Left’s leading voices, which garners 1–3 million views a month.
Ana cut her teeth in television as a producer on the beloved late-night show, Desus & Mero on Showtime. She sharpened her bold & singular voice studying sketch comedy, improv, & satire at the Upright Citizens Brigade, The People’s Improv Theater, & Second City while pursuing an M.S. in Global Affairs at NYU. (So yes, she’s heard of Del Close.)
Most recently, Ana was a 2025 Disability Belongs Fellow and member of Inevitable Foundation’s Elevate Collective, where she received The Loreen Arbus Foundation Award. In 2023, Ana was featured in MovieMaker Magazine as a Screenwriter to Watch after her satirical comedy pilot, Momentous, won in the Austin Film Festival screenwriting competition. Her screenwriting also earned her recognition as a recipient of the ’24 Disrupters Fellowship, ’23 Rideback Rise’s Circle &’21 NHMC’s Series Scriptwriters Program. Her writing has been published in both print & digital publications, such as McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, & websites that no longer exist.
As a researcher & producer, Ana also worked on The Read on Fuse, The Vote on PBS, & Complex’s The Daily Drift on Twitch. Before TV, Ana paved her road to hell as a Christian missionary, human rights graduate student, & nonprofit professional. You’ve reached the end of her bio.
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Cuties. (Disrupters 2024 class)