Next Gen 2012: Hollywood's Fastest-Rising Stars

The playwright-turned-writer-director of the summer's dark wedding comedy Bachelorette parlayed what she calls "a huge year" into what surely will be an even more bang-up 2013. Headland's play Assistance (about executive underlings; the native of University Park, Md., 31, used to be one for movie mogul Harvey Weinstein) is being developed into a half-hour comedy for NBC, with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay attached as producers.

INDUSTRY MENTOR: Obviously Harvey, who allowed me to move from assistant to filmmaker. And his company bought my film!

BEST ADVICE: A filmmaker once told me, "Do everything before you're ready."

MOVIE FIX: I've probably seen The Shining more than any other human being.

BEST DAY: During the making of Bachelorette, there was a scene where Adam Scott comes off the stage to kiss Lizzy Caplan. I'd imagined that shot for five years. To see this random idea come to fruition was overwhelming. But I'm sure I'll be a jaded son of a bitch in a few years.

WORST DAY: We had a rehearsal dinner scene with 30 minutes to shoot because the union was going to shut us down. We also lost a key location, and my parents were there.