AGISM IN HOLLYWOOD:
Busting the Myth That Storytellers Age Out

In 2026 those born in the first year of the Baby Boomer generation turn 80 years old, and those born the last year turn 62. Which means the most populous generation will officially be senior citizens. Add to that, almost half the Gen X generation will be 50 or older by then as well.

Yet, when we go to the movies, turn on TV, or scroll through social media we see a parade of young people, particularly young women, in stories that don’t represent or relate to the experiences of a large chunk of the population. Although Hollywood has taken a few steps toward releasing stories that focus on the lives of older people (Hacks, Grace and Frankie, The Kominsky Method, Last Tango in Halifax, and Only Murders in the Building, are a just few), these efforts are mere drops in the ocean, when you consider the tens of thousands of hours of programming that need to be filled, versus the demographics of the people watching content.

Producer, screenwriter, and comedian Stacy Dymalski takes a deep dive into the Hollywood storytelling machine to reveal why studios are slow to produce stories that cater to people over 50, and what we can do about it.

As the Vice-Chair of the Career Longevity Committee of the Writers Guild of America (WGA—the union for professional screenwriters), Stacy works with her fellow CLC members and the committee Chair to encourage studios, content distributors, and producers to hire older writers for their wisdom, knowledge, and life experience (which naturally adds layered texture to stories based in authenticity and firsthand truth).

Why Book Stacy?

She’s an award-wining comedian, keynote speaker, and TEDx speaker.

A member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), she’s a professional screenwriter and producer in Hollywood
(so she has inside insights on storytelling practices in the media)

She’s the bestselling author of “Confessions of a Band Geek Mom” (humor book),
and “The Memoir Midwife®: Nine Steps to Self-Publishing Your Book” (self-publishing textbook)

She teaches storytelling and self-publishing in the entertainment capital of the world.

She’s so hilarious that she makes any keynote topic a fun event for the entire audience.

Bio

Stacy Dymalski is a comedian, filmmaker, story developer, award-winning professional speaker, and a bestselling author. She has won over 10 major Toastmasters speaking competitions, including making it all the way to the world stage in the semi-finals of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest, in which she competed for the coveted title of World Champion of Public Speaking. She’s also the winner of several Toastmasters humorous speech contests, as well as a finalist and semi-finalist in a number of standup comedy competitions.

Stacy keeps her storytelling skills sharp by performing regularly as a standup on the comedy circuit in Los Angeles. An active member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), she is the Vice-Chair of the WGA’s Career Longevity Committee, which exists to bring awareness to agism in Hollywood (and in the media in general). Her one-hour comedy show “A Bit Much” took a humorous, but poignant, look at how older and outspoken women are generally disregarded, even though they have a lot of relevant insights and wisdom to contribute to the world. “A Bit Much” played to sold out audiences at the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival, and won a Hollywood Fringe Encore Producers Award, and is currently in development as a feature film.

Branded as The Memoir Midwife® in Hollywood, Stacy works as an independent story-developer and producer, helping everyone from studio executives to retirees find, write, and share their stories in the form of books, movies, and live performance shows. In April 2016 Stacy gave a TEDx Talk titled "Prison: A Startling Path to Creativity" in which she details how she mentored author David C. Taylor to write his book "Jacumba Connection" while he was in federal prison for conspiracy. Today David’s book is in development as a feature film.

A single mom of two grown sons, Stacy mines many of her stories, comedy bits, and keynote speeches from family life. Her bestselling humor book, “Confessions of a Band Geek Mom” chronicles how she juggled her life as a professional comedian with raising two musically gifted, saxophone-playing sons. And her second book, “The Memoir Midwife®: Nine Steps to Self-Publish Your Book” is a humorous, yet practical, primer on how to successfully and efficiently (you guessed it) self-publish your book. The latter is the textbook for several college courses on independently publishing content.

Stacy also teaches story development and self-publishing at Pasadena City College, and has also taught these subjects at Glendale Community College and University of Utah.

WHEN YOU BOOK STACY AS A SPEAKER YOU'RE IN GOOD COMPANY

Some of Stacy’s previous speaking clients include Hewlett Packard, Everyday Mindfulness Wellness Center, The Art Institute of Salt Lake City,
Evans & Sutherland, Hill Air Force Base, Idaho Writers Guild, Biz Divas, and many more.

The applause at the end will not only be for Stacy, but also for you for putting your trust in her to make your event the best it can be!