We Are Paradox LabPeople love cures — and hate to see someone suffer without one. There is hope, pain, humor, and countless untold stories in that gap. We're a creative production studio funding and making films and shows rooted in the actual science of medicines and how they get to patients.

People take medicine for granted — until they need one that doesn't exist. The stories behind those medicines — how we got the ones we have, how we get the ones we need — are some of the most human on earth, and almost no one is telling them. Paradox Lab funds writers and filmmakers who will. Bring us a story where medicine matters, and we can help you get the science right, and help you get it made.

It's free to submit materials, and you retain the rights to your IP.

The stories are there.

There's no Contagion for the race to cure Alzheimer's.

There's no The Pitt pulling back the curtain on the intensity with which scientists fight disease in laboratories — where cures for millions of people are being made.

There's no Law & Order: SVU asking who, exactly, decided to deny a patient her medicine.

There's no comedy that makes you laugh at the absurdity of a copay for chemo — as if someone might fake cancer to score some.

But the stories are there.
The drama is there.
The dark humor is there.
We can help you mine for them.

And help you get them made.

Dustin Hoffman in a hazmat suit in the film Outbreak

Paradox Lab : Who We Are

Founded by a scientist who got into science because of a movie.

Peter Kolchinsky saw Outbreak — Dustin Hoffman in a spacesuit, saving the world — and decided that was the life he wanted. He became a virologist, then worked on HIV at Harvard. Now, after some twists and turns - and twenty five years - Peter has become the co-founder and Managing Partner of RA Capital Management, one of the most active life sciences investment firms in the world. RA Capital funds thousands of scientists and innovators at more than 200 companies working to make us all healthier, happier, and more productive. Many of those innovators may be invisible to the public today, but could make headlines tomorrow with stories of their breakthroughs - breakthroughs that transform lives and change the future of health.

Peter founded Paradox Lab on a conviction: biomedical innovation needs better storytelling. If the people working to invent tomorrow's cures fail to tell their stories well, others will. When the public isn't sure how much it trusts science, and when the debates over NIH funding, drug prices, vaccines, and insurance have never been louder, it's time for the people doing the hard work of drug development to pull back the curtain on the hidden and misunderstood world of medicine to inspire pride in what's been accomplished - and excitement for what could be next.

And that's what Paradox Lab is built to do.

“I love this industry. But the public doesn't get to see what I see, because we have never bothered to tell our stories.”

What we bring

The real world is interesting enough — if you know where to look.

And we do.

The Pitt doesn't compromise on the truth of an emergency room, because people who've actually worked in ERs are on the writing team. That it's also one of the most gripping shows on television should surprise no one. Truth, told well, is the most compelling material there is.

Paradox Lab opens the doors to the previously hidden world of drug development: the laboratories, the clinical trials, the twenty-year climbs, the heartbreaks, the boardrooms, the insurance denials, the night an experiment turns on one result and the world changes. Through RA Capital Management, projects funded by the Paradox Lab get direct access to the scientists, physicians, investors, and patients living these stories right now.

You bring the storytelling. We bring the technical expertise, systems knowledge, and biomedical insight.
Together, we can change how the world thinks about medicine.

Funded projects may receive:

  • Access to the scientists, physicians, innovators, and investors who live this world — so your story rings true.
  • Access to writers, producers, directors, and studios who can help get your idea made.
  • Development funding — to write and research your idea.
  • Production investment, for the right projects.

How it works.

01

Submit your materials. It's free.

Rolling submissions, no deadlines, no entry fees, no hosting fees — ever. Any format: docuseries, feature, scripted drama, comedy, podcast, short-form, live. We don't require prior screenwriting credits. You need a story and a reason it matters.

02

You keep your rights.

You retain all rights, title, and interest in your submission. Our submission agreement says so explicitly. Until we have a mutually agreed deal worked out with you, your submission is yours.

03

We read everything.

Our development team reviews every submission. If your project has development potential, we reach out directly — typically within 60 to 90 days — to discuss a partnership.

04

We fund what we believe in.

Development funding to write and research. Production investment for the right projects. Access to the real world your story lives in.

Submit Your Materials

Questions?

No. Submitting materials to Paradox Lab is free. There are no entry fees, no hosting fees, and no paid evaluations — ever. Paradox Lab is a production studio funding projects, not a contest platform charging writers.
No. Submitters to Paradox Lab retain all rights, title, and interest in their submission. The Paradox Lab submission agreement explicitly states that Paradox Lab does not claim ownership of any submitted material. Submission of an idea to Paradox Lab does not transfer any intellectual property rights to Paradox Lab.
The Paradox Lab development team reviews all submissions. When Paradox Lab identifies a project with development potential, it reaches out directly to the submitter to discuss a partnership. Paradox Lab receives a high volume of submissions and can only respond to projects it is actively pursuing. Silence does not reflect a judgment on the quality of the submission.
Paradox Lab funds entertainment projects in any format that can positively impact public understanding of biomedical innovation: including but not limited to docuseries, feature films, documentaries, scripted drama, comedy series, podcasts, short-form video, and experiential or even live storytelling. Paradox Lab funds both development (writing, research, production development) and, for the right projects, full production.
No. Paradox Lab is not making propaganda — for the industry or against it. We fund stories that lean into complexity, ambiguity, and moral difficulty, and that challenge what audiences think they know about healthcare in every direction. Our only requirement is that the story get the real world right. We provide access to the people inside that world so it can.
A logline, a short pitch (a page is plenty), and a note on why you're the right person to tell this story. Sample pages, a treatment, or a sizzle reel are welcome but not required at submission.
No. Paradox Lab evaluates the quality of the story idea and the clarity of the storytelling instinct, not the submitter's professional credits. Paradox Lab has relationships with experienced writers, directors, and producers who can be brought in to develop strong concepts that need craft support.
Yes. Paradox Lab accepts submissions that involved AI tools, provided the submitter discloses this use in the submission form. The Paradox Lab submission agreement requires submitters to identify any AI-assisted portions and confirm that the submitter holds the rights to submit that material. Paradox Lab evaluates the strength of the idea, not the tools used to develop it.
Yes. You may submit multiple ideas to Paradox Lab. Each idea should be submitted separately using the submission form so that the Paradox Lab team can evaluate each project on its own merits.
Paradox Lab is a creative production studio. RA Capital Management, a multi-stage life sciences and planetary health investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, provides Paradox Lab with deep insight, technical expertise, and the real world stories of hundreds of companies working to cure disease and transform human health. RA Capital provides capital and access; creative decisions are made by Paradox Lab's development team.
Paradox Lab does not publish a fixed review timeline. Projects that Paradox Lab wants to pursue are typically contacted within 60 to 90 days of submission. If a submitter has not heard from Paradox Lab after 90 days, they are welcome to resubmit a refined version of the project through the submission form.