FYI Listings: Ask the Expert
The following are individuals or organizations willing to provide free information to writers. While every attempt is made to ensure that FYI listings are purely informational and accurate, the WGAW does not endorse any of the following listings or the information they provide.
If you would like to list your services or update your contact information, or if you find a listing that is out-of-date, please email the Web Editor.
Government Agencies
Crime and Law
Medicine
Religion
Psychology
Other Experts
| Agency/Department | Contact |
| U.S. Air Force | (310) 235-7511 Air Force Office of Public Affairs www.airforcehollywood.af.mil |
| Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives | Ginger Colbrun (818) 265-2500 www.atf.gov |
| U.S. Coast Guard | (310) 235-7817 www.uscg.mil |
| U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Anne Sittmann CBP Public Affairs (202) 325-24905 Anne.m.sittmann@cbp.dhs.gov Main: (619) 216-4182 www.cbp.gov |
| Diplomatic Security Service | Angela French Television, Motion Picture and Book Liaison DSS Headquarters, U.S. Department of State Office of Public Affairs Frenchaj1@state.gov (571) 345-2507 www.diplomaticsecurity.state.gov |
| Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Betsy Glick National Office of Public Affairs (DC Headquarters) (202) 324-2326 brglick@FBI.gov www.fbi.gov/portrayals |
| Department of Homeland Security ICE/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Secret Service Transportation Security Administration (TSA) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) |
multimedia@dhs.gov www.dhs.gov/entertainment-industry-contacts |
| L.A. County Office of Education | Public Affairs/Communications (562) 922-6360 |
| U.S. Navy | Public Affairs (310) 235-7481 navyinfowest@gmail.com directorbob1@gmail.com |
| U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Public Affairs | (310) 268-3340 glawebteam@va.gov vhaglapublicaffairs@va.gov www.va.gov |
| U.S. Department of State U.S. Foreign Policy and Counter Terrorism Global Outreach |
Rainy Young Director of the Office of Public Affairs YoungRM@state.gov |
Crime and Law
| Expertise | Contact |
| Criminal Defense | James Blatt (310) 385-8066 j.blatt@jamesblatt.com www.jamesblatt.com Dmitry Gorin dg@egattorneys.com www.keglawyers.com |
| Criminal Defense – Federal | Robert M. Helfend (310) 456-3317 info@robertmhelfend.com www.robertmhelfend.com |
| Criminal Investigation & Police Procedure | Detective Adam Richardson adam@writersdetective.com www.writersdetective.com/blog |
| Cyber Crime & Terrorism | Nicholas Wooldridge, Esq. LV Criminal Defense (702) 623-6362 info@lvcriminaldefense.com www.lvcriminaldefense.com |
| FBI Investigations Homicide Cases Financial Crimes Illegal Gambling Rings |
Ryan Blanch (212) 736-3900 new-pnc@blanchpc.com www.TheBlanchLawFirm.com |
| Insurance Fraud/White Collar Crime | Aaron Spolin Spolin Law Firm (310) 424-5816 spolin@spolinlaw.com www.spolinlaw.com |
| Law Enforcement (Fraud Schemes, Undercover Investigations, etc.) |
John Auvinen (707) 453-0178 johnauvinen@comcast.net |
| Medical Law | Melissa Neiman, M.D., J.D. Board Certified Neurosurgeon (832) 289-9610 law@mneiman.com www.mneiman.com |
| Personal Injury | Inna Demin (310)734-7974 www.injuryjusticeattorney.com |
| Personal Injury/Elder Law | Jason Neufeld (800) 379-8326 jneufeld@nkplaw.com www.elderneedslaw.com www.neufeldlawfirm.com |
| Private Investigation | Murphy Investigative Services (213) 804-8484 |
| Expertise | Contact |
| Alzheimer's Disease | Alzheimer's Association (312) 335-4078 media@alz.org |
| Cancer | National Cancer Institute (NCI) (301) 496-6641 ncipressofficers@mail.nih.gov |
| Deaf/Hard of Hearing | Maria Monte de Rey California Association of the Deaf (CAD) LA (818) 356-8215 cadmediachair@gmail.com bluebeach3@gmail.com |
| DNA and Genetics | Debra Robertson, Ph.D. (858) 792-8019 robertson8019@gmail.com |
| Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and General Medical/Health Care Topics | Michelle Shuffett, MD (310) 995-6075 mshuffett@me.com |
| Homebirth | Laura Shanley (303) 521-5848 laurashanley@comcast.net www.unassistedchildbirth.com |
| Lymphoma | Peggy Ann Torney Lymphoma Research Foundation Director of Communications/Public Relations (212) 349-2910 ptorney@lymphoma.org (310) 204-7040 lrf@lymphoma.org |
| Medical Experts, Malpractice, Criminal and Civil Cases | Jane R. Leavy (954) 346-6591 mymedexpert@aol.com www.medexpertwitness.com |
| Neuroscience | Patrick Chen, Ph.D (949) 233-8691 pbc9@ucla.edu |
| Neurosurgery | Melissa Neiman, M.D., J.D. Board Certified Neurosurgeon (832) 289-9610 law@mneiman.com www.mneiman.com |
| Organ Tissue Donation and Transplantation | Elizabeth Flynn (310) 770-3842 flynnadv@att.net |
| Pediatrics, Primary Care and Minority Populations Health | April Khadijah Inniss, MD, MSc (617) 501-5920 innissa@med.umich.edu aprilinniss@gmail.com www.kidsmediadoc.com |
| Public Health Topics | Hollywood, Health & Society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center (323) 782-3311 www.usc.edu/hhs |
PSYCHOLOGY
| Expertise | Contact |
| Addiction and Recovery | SMART Recovery www.smartrecovery.org Tom Horvath, Ph.D. (858) 546-1100 x222 tom.horvath@practicalrecovery.com |
| Bipolar Disorder | (415) 281-3100 www.healthline.com |
| Media Education, Parenting, Mental Health | Common Sense Media (310) 689-7535 www.commonsensemedia.org |
| Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays |
(202) 467-8180 fax: (202) 467-8194 info@pflag.org |
| Psychiatry/Forensic | Dr. Blinder (415) 453-8920 |
| Psychology (Mental Health Disorders, Personality, and Psychologists/Therapists) | Allison Otto, PsyD The Media Watch Committee Society for Media Psychology and Technology American Psychological Association (610) 513-2118 Allisonpsych@gmail.com |
RELIGION
| Expertise | Contact |
| Catholicism | Paulist Productions (310) 454-0688 assistant@paulistproductions.org www.paulistproductions.org |
| Mormonism | Matt Ball LDS Church Public Affairs, West Coast (310) 475-7018 (800) 533-2444 (818) 388-9273 mball@lds.org publicaffairsla@aol.com |
| Muslims and Islam | Sue Obeidi Muslim Public Affairs Council's Hollywood Bureau Sue@mpac.org (323) 258-6722 www.mpac.org |
| Muslims and Islam | Imran Anwar imran@imran.com (646) 50-IMRAN or (646) 504-6726 http://imran.tv |
| Theological Accuracy | Paul Viggiano pastorpaul@integrity.com |
OTHER EXPERTS
| Expertise | Contact |
| African American & Black Issues, Criminal Justice | Kristen Marston Culture & Entertainment Advocacy Director kristen.marston@colorofchange.org Hollywood.colorofchange.org |
| Animals & Production | Amer. Humane Assoc. Film & TV Unit “No Animals Were Harmed” (818) 501-0123 filmunit@americanhumane.org www.humanehollywood.org |
| Archaeology | (310) 206-8934 |
| Chinese Culture | Samuel Chong (626) 487-8909 chineselanguagetutor@yahoo.com www.certifiedchinesetranslation.com |
| Computers | (505) 913-9050 ssalemi@earthlink.net |
| Croquet | (503) 838-5697 eliassen@open.org |
| Disabilities (Writers with Disabilities) | Allen Rucker Co-Chair, WGAW Writers with Disabilities Committee ARCA9@aol.com |
| Gun Safety/Accurate Portrayals of Gun Violence | Noelle Howey Director Of Cultural Engagement, Everytown.org nhowey@everytown.org Everytown.org |
| LGBTQ+ Issues | GLAAD/LA Communications Department (323) 933-2240 seth@glaad.org www.glaad.org |
| Literacy | (916) 324-7358 |
| Science and Technology | The Science & Entertainment Exchange, a program of the National Academy of Sciences (844) NEED-SCI AEBrown@nas.edu www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org |
| Search & Rescue | Alice Stanley (540) 582-5708 storyspinr@aol.com |
| Social Impact Topics (immigration, racial justice, prison reform, LGBT/gender equality, disability, climate change, social and health policy) |
UCLA Global Media Center for Social Impact in the Fielding School of Public Health (310) 794-4616 gmi@ph.ucla.edu www.gmimpact.org |
| Social Justice | Storyline Partners www.storylinepartners.com |
| U.S. Navy & State Department | Leonard Hennessy (360) 840-8021 hennessylw@gmail.com |
| World War I (U.S.) | Dan Dayton U.S. World War I Centennial Commission daniel.dayton@worldwar1centennial.org www.ww1cc.org (202) 380-0725 |