Pedro Riera Emleh - BIO

PEDRO RIERA EMLEH is a Brazilian writer from a small countryside town, shaped by the heritage of his English teacher mother, Peruvian father, and Palestinian grandfather. He began his career by earning a degree in Broadcasting in 2013, followed by training in Dramatic Writing at the British Council Center for New Writers in São Paulo (2015).

Now based in Los Angeles, he completed his MFA in Screenwriting at Chapman University through a Fulbright Scholarship (2022–2024). In Brazil, he worked for over a decade in the entertainment industry, progressing from assistant writer to staff writer, primarily for TV series—focusing on kids' programming (live-action and animation) and comedies. His early career included working as an assistant for a sketch comedy show at MTV before joining Emmy International winner Cao Hamburger, one of Brazil’s most renowned creators for young audiences. There, he assisted on a live-action series with over fifty episodes.

As a staff writer, his credits include the second season of Back to 15 (a Netflix Top 10 Global show for non-English speakers in 2023), the upcoming second season of Love Me Not (a Warner Max Brazil comedy series premiering in 2025), and three seasons of Brainiacs (a Globo Play kids’ live-action series, awarded Best Series of 2019 by the Brazilian Academy of Motion Pictures). He has also written for animated series such as Anittinhas Club (based on pop star Anitta’s life) and The Tiny Adventures of Tito and Muda (Discovery Kids).

In feature films, he collaborated on the romantic comedy Dissonances for Star+ (Disney). His experience extends to development roles with multiple production companies in Brazil, and during his MFA, he interned with West Ward Productions, owned by Beau Willimon (House of Cards, Andor, Severance Season 2).

Beyond fiction, Emleh has contributed to documentary series for the History Channel and various Brazilian productions. He also directed his first short documentary, Almost a Family Trip Movie (2019), capturing a trip to Cuba with his mother during the 2018 Brazilian presidential elections. The film won several awards in Brazil, including recognition for "making people cry at a comedy festival"—a testament to the blend of humor and heart that defines his work across TV, film, theater, and, most recently, podcasts.