Biography

Having double-majored in both film and literature at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, Ms. Stevens began her work in the film industry working with Academy-Award-winning Director/Actress, Lee Grant. Serving as Story Analyst, Ms. Stevens immersed herself in story-telling techniques by also taking subsequent work in screenplay evaluation and development for numerous producers in New York and LA: Raw Films, Fever-Dreams, etc. She also served as backup reader for Harvey Keitel's production company.

Ms. Stevens worked as a Research Associate on the Martin Scorsese documentary, "Airbus."

Her feature script, "Organized Criminal," has been recognized twice by the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Nicholl Fellowship, placing in the Top 15% and Top 20% of all entries. In 2019, "Organized Criminal," was also selected as an Official Finalist at The Cannes Screenwriting Competition.

After earning 5 separate certificates in U.S. Government and Politics at HarvardX, Ms. Stevens proceeded to develop a political thriller, "Kill List," as an episodic series for marketing to streaming and cable networks.

In March of 2020, both "Kill List" and "Organized Criminal" were selected into The Drama Inc. Screenplay Competition. In May of 2020, she optioned her original feature screenplay, "Crucify You." She also placed as Finalist with "Organized Criminal" at The Big Apple Screenplay Competition in June of 2020. In March of 2021, "Organized Criminal" was selected as the Winner of the Best Script Award (feature) in the UK - the screenplay was additionally designated as the Best Script of ALL submissions/categories by the jury.

"Kill List" also placed as a Finalist at The Prague International Film Festival (March 2021) and was the Winner/Best Pilot at Art Film Awards (April 2021). Her pilot was also among the Finalists at Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards (Winter 2021).

While continuing to provide ghost-writing services on screenplays in all genres, she has worked with both indie and Oscar-winning producers and directors alike. In 2019, she co-produced the short film, "Nadia Jaan," with producer Julie Pacino.

In June of 2021, "Organized Criminal" won Best Feature Screenplay at The Cannes Film Awards. In November of 2021, both "Kill List" and "Organized Criminal" were designated Official Selections at The Culver City Film Festival. December 2021, "Kill List" was also an Official Selection at The Toronto Film and Script Awards and at ISC.

In May 2022, "Kill List" won for Best Pilot Script at The Future of Film Awards and her short script, "Drive" was selected as the Winner at Art Film Awards in London and at The Gothamite Film Festival in NYC. "Drive" was also declared the Winner at Hollywood Script Award. "Drive" also took the top prize as Best Drama Screenplay at The Austin After Dark Film Festival.

In Nov. 2022. Ms. Stevens also served as a first-round judge at The Big Apple Screenplay Competition and later became a part of the Jury. March of 2023, "Organized Criminal" was designated an Official Selection at Austin After Dark and "Kill List" won Best Pilot at The Oxford Script Awards. In 2023, she optioned an original drama/thriller screenplay to Grammy-nominated composer/film producer, Stephen Endelman. After working as an Associate Producer on the feature film directed by Derek Presley, "Tonic," Ms. Stevens briefly took on script evaluation duties for The Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition. In July of 2023, the "Kill List" pilot was among the finalists at Filmmatic Drama Awards. December 2023 brought 2 more Official Selections at The Culver City Film Festival on both "Kill List" and "Drive," with "Drive" taking the top prize as Winner for the Best Drama Short Script.

Her new thriller/drama/crime feature script, "Patrick's War" was designated a Finalist at the European Cinema Film Festival and a Finalist at CinePulse in May of 2024, during which she also began serving on the Jury at The Seattle Film Festival.

In 2025, her work on feature films continued with "Father Figures" a film she co-produced, and she saw another option on her feature script, "Unholy Nights."

Going beyond writing and producing in 2026, Crystal is directing her first film, a documentary about JFK, "The Way You Left." Still heavily involved on the writing side, she is also working on a feature script collaboration in development with Crim Media and an adaptation of Emmy-winner Solange Schwalbe's book, "I'm Not Supposed to Know This." Overall, she has earned more than 40 honors at festivals and competitions worldwide.
- IMDb mini biography by: V. Davis