Cole Friedman (he/him/his) is an queer, Jewish writer based in LA, originally hailing from the outskirts of Washington, DC. His work thoughtfully interrogates stigma against mental health, the fluidity of time, and the power we hold over each other, all with a wickedly funny, chronically online sensibility. 

He is a member of EST/LA’s New West Playwrights, which recently produced a public reading of his full-length play, john(s) - a stand-up set, in August 2025. His work has also been produced by Make/Shift Theater, Homesick Play Project, and The National Theater Institute. You can read some of it on New Play Exchange. On the screenwriting side, he is a 2023 Academy Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist for his feature, Good Youth.

Additionally, Cole has several years of experience in film and TV development, working directly with upper-level writers on scripts and pitches going out to market. Currently, he is a freelance reader for The Black List, covering features and TV specs submitted to the site.

Cole has a BA in Drama and Psychology from Tufts University. He was awarded the Moses True Brown Prize for Dramatic Criticism and the Jane Anne Herman Newton Award for Directing upon graduation. Additionally, he is an alum of the Kennedy Center Directing Intensive and the National Musical Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.