Fox Writers Intensive Finalists Named

The Fox Writers Intensive is designed to nurture the careers of experienced writers with diverse voices, backgrounds and life experiences and create a pipeline of talent for potential staffing as writers, story editors or producers on Fox productions as well as potential pitches for publisher HarperCollins. Last year, writer-director Yule Caise was selected as the FWI Fellow from the class of 10 finalists. He inked a development deal with FX Networks. Here’s this year’s 10 finalists, culled from more than 400 nominations to make up the third-annual list:

This year’s 10 FWI finalists were selected from more than 400 nominations and submissions by talent representation and arts organizations across the country, including National Association of Latino Independent Producers, Sundance Institute, New York Foundation for the Arts, Outfest, Film Independent, NAACP, Women in Film Los Angeles, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment and Visual Communications. They will spend the next 14 weeks honing their crafts and establishing deeper connections with a wide range of Fox staff writers, showrunners, screenwriters, directors and creative executives.

This year’s FWI writers/teams and their respective representatives are:

• Nazrin Choudhury (ICM / Silver Lake Entertainment)
• Tze Chun (WME)
• Nate Clark (Independent)
• Sonay Hoffman (Kaplan Stahler / Scripted World)
• Johanna Lee (Scripted World)
• Bernadette Rivero (Circle of Confusion)
• Kevin Seccia (The Gersh Agency / Gotham Group)
• Gabby Revilla (Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein & Kohner, P.C.)
• Debby Wolfe (ICM)
• Ed Gonzalez & Jeremy Haft (Summit Talent and Literary Agency / Luber Roklin Management)

Award-winning writers and producers Hart Hanson (BONES), Glen Mazzara (“The Walking Dead,” “The Shield’) and Jessica Sharzer (“American Horror Story: Coven”) are among the members of this year’s FWI Host Committee that will introduce the 2014 finalists. In addition, this year’s participating guest speakers include Cheo Coker (ALMOST HUMAN), Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (FAMILY GUY), Christal Henry (GANG RELATED), Ruben Fleischer (“Gangster Squad,” “Zombieland”) and Valentina Garza (“Borderland”).

Launched in 2011, the Fox Writers Intensive seeks both to elevate the craft of participating writers and further establish deeper connections with a wide range of Fox staff writers, showrunners, screenwriters, filmmakers and creative executives across television (both on-air and multi-platform), feature films and digital entertainment. Administered by Film Independent, a non-profit arts organization supporting artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision, the initiative offers trained writers a rigorous, four-month curriculum focused on 1) developing original material; 2) learning and honing writing skills for multiple mediums; and 3) exploring the business of media and entertainment.

Selected writers will have the opportunity to receive detailed feedback and guidance on their scripts through interactive “master classes” and will engage in intimate guest speaker sessions with experienced writers, showrunners, executives and directors to discuss case studies of their films and television shows, and learn about their writing processes. Upon successful completion of the program, finalists will receive priority staffing meetings for the established FWI Staff Writer position on Fox entertainment productions and Fox will endeavor to provide each writer with a first-look deal on his/her original script(s).

In addition, at the conclusion of the intensive:

• One (1) FWI finalist will be named the 2014 FWI Fellow. The FWI Fellow will be awarded the following: (i) either a purchase and development deal on his/her original script or a so-called “first-look” deal from Fox Broadcasting Company or any of its affiliated entities; (ii) an announcement across all Fox entertainment businesses and through entertainment trade publications; (iii) one-on-one creative meetings with network and other Fox entertainment business heads, as well as senior cross-divisional current and development executives; and (iv) priority staffing efforts across Fox entertainment properties.
• One (1) FWI finalist will be selected to pitch his/her original script to the News Corporation Publishing Company, HarperCollins.
• All FWI finalists will receive staffing meetings for current FOX entertainment series and a first-look agreement to option their original and new scripts.

Fox will award the referring 501(c)(3) charitable organization of the winning Fellow a financial grant to be earmarked for its writing program.

Fox Audience Strategy is a department within 21st Century Fox designed to identify programming and operational opportunities that reflect diverse perspectives across all of its entertainment platforms. For more information about the Fox Writers Intensive and a full list of referring organizations, please visit: http://www.fox.com/audiencestrategy.