CRIPS series – Writers Room

Three people, two in wheelchairs and one standing, in front of a white wall with a string of lights, wearing different clothes and hairstyles.

During their residency, the team behind the series CRIPS is setting up a writers’ room – a creative lab dedicated to further developing and conceptualising the dramedy series.
Jan Kampmann (Creative Lead) and Leonard Grobien are leading the lab and inviting a brilliant artistic team (see below) to collaboratively shape the creative process.In September, the artists will be hosted at Un-Label’s studio – as part of the Lab for Inclusive Culture (L.I.K.).

About the Residenz

Three millennials with physical disabilities realise they’ve been putting their real lives on hold for far too long. Careers, relationships, dreams – everything has been left untouched, until a fire alarm unexpectedly brings them together. What starts as a bizarre chance encounter soon turns into an intense friendship: together, they navigate relationship chaos, everyday barriers, and personal crises. Forget the classic hero’s journey – this is more of a group trip. Because sometimes it’s not about finding yourself but finding the people who’ll stand by you when everything’s burning.

CRIPS is a dramedy series about a very belated coming-of-age – full of longing, self-doubt, and the attempt to finally become the main character of your own life in your thirties. Funny, touching, socially critical: a story that isn’t afraid to go where it hurts, where we laugh – and realise that sometimes those two things aren’t far apart at all.

“CRIPS is more than just a series. CRIPS is the missing link. Between the handful of disabled characters on screen – usually either pitied or reduced to clichés – and the millions of disabled people in the real world. Between cringe, comedy and care. Between self-image and external perception.

We believe humour is the sharpest tool to break through rigid ideas. Not by laughing at the CRIPS – but by laughing with them. Not by creating heroes who are ‘strong despite’ their disabilities – but by showing people who are strong and vulnerable, funny and sad, loud and quiet all at once. People whose lives are messy, contradictory, moving – and hilarious too.

CRIPS doesn’t tell stories about disability – it tells stories through it. With characters who are never just ‘the disabled sidekick’, but who take the lead when it really counts. A series that doesn’t aim to educate – but to inspire.

We want non-disabled viewers to watch CRIPS, laugh, feel, maybe cry – and at some point, suddenly realise: ‘Oh yeah, they’re CRIPS. I almost forgot.’ That’s our goal. Visibility that isn’t built on deficits, but on life itself. And we’re not doing this because it’s trendy right now. We’re doing it because it’s long overdue.”

— Jan Kampmann, Creator, Creative Lead

The CRIPS Series Writers’ Room is part of the NEST programme by MOIN Filmförderung and is supported by the Claussen-Simon Foundation.

Artists

A person in a light green blazer and a black glittery top plays a Yamaha keyboard against a red background.

Jan Kampmann

Jan Kampmann (concept, creative lead, actor) has become one of the most prominent voices in the German-speaking CRIP entertainment scene over the past three years. He acts, writes and speaks – always with a sharp mix of humour and social awareness. His recent work includes series and TV films for major broadcasters such as ARD and ZDF, a german theater premiere Theater Altes Heizkraftwerk, performances in public spaces, as well as his own stage plays. In addition, Jan develops original projects, advises productions on anti-ableism, runs diversity workshops, and serves as an ambassador for organisations such as Filmmakers.

A person with curly brown hair, wearing a patterned shirt and a black blazer, sits in front of a light background.

Leonard Grobien

Leonard Grobien (director, concept) writes and directs films, and performs both on screen and on stage. He also works as a script and film consultant. In 2023, he completed his degree in screenwriting at the ifs internationale filmschule köln and is now based in Berlin. With his company Aura Film (aura.film), he has produced more than eight short films. In 2019, he hosted the Grimme Award-nominated YouTube channel 100percent me. As an actor, he has performed as a guest at Schauspielhaus Wien, Theater an der Ruhr, Theater Hagen, and other venues. In 2024, he appeared in the Un-Label production „24 Hebel für die Welt – Berichte aus der Winterreise“ (a co-production with Beethovenfest Bonn). Productions involving Leonard have been invited to festivals in Graz, Bremen, Mainz, Heidelberg, and Berlin.

A person wearing a striped T-shirt and a beige cardigan holds a white cup with both hands.

Yulia Yáñez Schmidt

Yulia Yáñez Schmidt acting) was born and raised in Cologne. She studied cultural studies in Hildesheim and Cologne before completing her acting training at the Inclusive Acting Studio at Schauspiel Wuppertal from 2019 to 2022. Her work as an actress is strongly influenced by the immersive performance installations of the Danish-Austrian collective SIGNA, with whom she has appeared at various venues in Germany, Austria and Denmark. From 2022 to 2023, she was a member of the ensemble at the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus. Since 2024, she has been working primarily as a television actress.

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a black turtleneck jumper, in front of a light background.

Lorelei Holtmann

Lorelei Holtmann (sensitivity reading, concept) is an actress and author. As a sensitivity reader, she supports character development with a focus on diversity and sensitivity to discrimination. She contributes her own lived experience as a disabled person (“crip experience”) as well as dramaturgical expertise in theatre.

A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a light pink turtleneck jumper, stands in front of a stone wall.

Melanie Grün

Melanie Grün (production) is an experienced producer who has worked at Brainpool, Paloma Pictures and FLOW Media. She has been responsible for formats such as Ladykracher, Pastewka and Queens of Comedy, and has brought numerous successful comedy and dramedy productions to German television. With a special flair for socially relevant topics and strong perspectives, she now primarily produces diverse and innovative series formats for the streaming and TV markets.

Three people: two women standing on the left and right, with a man seated in the middle. All are looking at the camera, dressed in light-coloured clothing, against a neutral background

Fassung 3 Kollektiv

Fassung Drei (screenwriting collective – Jana Forkel, Sophie Dittmer, Alexander Schmid) is a young, multi-award-winning collective of writers with a unique take on everyday humour and human relationships. Jana Forkel has recently achieved great success as head writer of Angemessen Angry, including winning the Grimme Prize.

Bildcredits: 1 – 5) Anna Spindelndreier, 6) Melanie Grün, 7) Julia Gierzynski

About the residence programme by Un-Label

Un-Label’s artist residencies provide artists with disabilities with the opportunity to realise their own creative projects while receiving targeted support. The Labor für inklusive Kultur (L.I.K.) in Cologne serves as a central space where artists with disabilities can connect, collaborate, and work in an inclusive environment. In addition to financial, personnel, and logistical support, the residencies focus on interdisciplinary and intersectional collaboration. Un-Label also partners with cultural networks to establish accessibility and long-term support for artists with disabilities within the arts sector.