sophia mei arnao

As a child, Sophia Arnao knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up: a farmer. But after winning a school-wide screenplay competition in fifth grade (and securing the grand prize of a T-shirt), she traded in her pitchfork for a pen and has been writing ever since. Half-Japanese and half-Italian, she writes about the duality of identity and refuses to confine herself – or her characters – to a single box.

Sophia graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a BFA in Writing for Screen and Television in 2022. Her dark comedy short VIRGINS FOR SATAN, produced at USC, premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2023. Most recently, she collaborated with singer Lyn Lapid on a series of trailers for her BUZZKILL album. She currently works at Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions, where she supports the president.