The Center for Cultural Power, an Oakland, Calif.-based organization led by and for artists of color, has announced the 10 television writers for its second annual Disruptors Fellowship.
Disruptors stands out from other diversity programs because it is specifically for writers of color who also identify as trans/non-binary, disabled and/or undocumented or formerly undocumented.
“We are excited to kick off the second year of this vital fellowship as we continue to push Hollywood to become more inclusive and welcoming to diversity stories, especially in this global moment of racial reckoning,” said Favianna Rodriguez, the Center’s president, in a statement. “Audiences are demanding more diversity, and we are privileged to offer these storytellers a platform to have their voices heard.”
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The three-month program, which includes a $6,000 stipend and Final Draft software for each participant, features mentorship from such scribes as Jennifer Castillo (Vida), Zackery Alexzander Stephens (Q-Force) and Carolina Paiz (Orange is the New Black) and masterclasses on comedy writing (taught by The Good Place‘s Josh Siegal), drama writing (from The L Word: Generation Q‘s Nancy Mejia), pitching (CSI:NY‘s Trey Callaway) and intellectual property (Original Media Ventures’ Kathryn Schotthoefer). Fellows will also receive a personal writing coach, feedback and peer support to develop their pilots, an excerpt of which will be presented in an industry reading at the end of the program.
The Disruptors Fellowship was designed in partnership with Toppel Production, Young Entertainment Activists, Original Media Ventures and Final Draft.
“This year’s fellows are an extraordinary group of talented writers,” said the Center’s senior program manager Julio Salgado in a statement, “and we cannot wait for them to change the dialogue and enrich the industry.”
The ten 2021 Disruptors Fellowship recipients are:
Disability Cohort
Nasreen Alkhateeb
Francine Daniels
Teresa Jusino
Trans and/or Non-Binary Cohort
Jonathan P. Higgins
Sundeep Morrison
Malek Mouzon
Tee Jaehyung Park
Undocumented/Formerly Documented Cohort
Camila Alvarado
Francisco Aviles Pino
Carlo Nicdao
