Fox Writers Lab Scripts Its 2017 Fellow

Fox Inclusion said today that Keely MacDonald has been named as this year’s Fox Writers Lab Fellow. The North Carolina native receives a script development deal with Fox Broadcasting Company.

In 2013, when Fox’s Sleepy Hollow began production on its first season, filming on location in North Carolina, then-recent Duke University grad MacDonald landed a job on the series as a research intern, then worked her way up the ladder and eventually wrote the Season 4 episode, “Insatiable.”

Launched in 2011, the annual initiative formerly known as the Fox Writers Intensive is designed to nurture experienced writers who have diverse voices, backgrounds and life experiences,” Fox said, and create a strong pipeline of well-rounded talent for potential staffing on Fox TV shows, films and other Fox Entertainment projects.

This year’s 12 FWL writers were selected from a pool of nominations submitted by showrunners, talent representation and arts organizations across the country, including the National Association of Latino Independent Producers and the National Hispanic Media Coalition. The 2017 class also included Arielle Diaz, Brad Marques, Elizabeth Oyebode, Erick Castrillon and Esteban Arango, Jennifer Graham Imada, Lauren Tyler, Mellori Velasquez, Nicky Young, Pilar Valdés, Tania Lotia and Yasemin Yilmaz. Following their completion of FWL, each is being promoted throughout the Fox creative community and submitted for potential staffing on current and future Fox entertainment productions.

“Fox is deeply committed to supporting the most talented emerging creatives working today,” said MyKhanh Shelton, SVP of Fox Inclusion. “Diversity is key to our success, and this year’s pool reflects the core belief that the future success of Fox lies with nurturing these unique voices.”

Said Terence Carter, EVP Drama Programming, Development and Event Series at Fox: “Fox Writers Lab has become an increasingly crucial component of our staffing process,”  “There are so many talented writers, with so many different points of view. Those diverse viewpoints help make our programming smarter, stronger and, ultimately, more reflective of Fox’s viewership.”