Fox Announces 2012-13 WRITERS INTENSIVE Program Finalists

Fox-Announces-2012-13-WRITERS-INTENSIVE-Program-Finalists-20130221

FOX Audience Strategy today announced its sophomore class for the FOX Writers Intensive (FWI), the company's advanced writer's program designed to nurture experienced writers who have diverse voices, backgrounds and life experiences. The program also is meant to create a strong pipeline of well-rounded talent for potential staffing on FOX television, feature film and digital entertainment productions, as well as for potential pitches to HarperCollins.

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 Hispanic Media Coalition, 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 13 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 and their respective representatives are:

- Angela Allen (The Cartel)
- Yule Caise (Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman)
- Sal Calleros (Rothman, Brecher, Kim / Magnet Management)
- Carol Doyle (The Gersh Agency)
- Sara Endsley (Rothman, Brecher, Kim / The Shuman Company)
- Warren Hsu Leonard (ICM / Circle of Confusion)
- Nick Ozeki (Independent)
- Chitra Sampath (Ragna Nervik Management)
- Theo Travers (ICM / Artists International)
- Marisa Wegrzyn (Abrams Artists Agency / Myra Model Management)

Hart Hanson (BONES), Shintaro Shimosawa (THE FOLLOWING, "The Grudge"), Andre and Maria Jacquemetton ("Mad Men") and Zal Batmanglij ("Sound Of My Voice," "The East") are among this year's FWI session participants. In addition, Reggie Rock Bythewood ("New York Undercover," "Notorious") and Marion Rosenberg ("Revolutionary Road") served on the expert panel that selected the FWI finalists.

"I couldn't be more impressed with the caliber of this year's 10 FWI finalists - not only are they unbelievably talented, accomplished writers, but they all have really fresh, unique creative perspectives that we would like our entertainment businesses to tap into and grow," said Nicole Bernard, Senior Vice President, Audience Strategy for The FOX Group. "Reflecting a broad range of viewpoints - both in front of and behind the camera - remains a top priority for our company, and we're fortunate to have so many of our writers and producers supporting us in these efforts."

Launched in 2011, the FOX Writers Intensive is designed to nurture the careers of experienced writers with diverse voices, backgrounds and life experiences and create a strong pipeline of well-rounded talent for potential staffing on FOX productions across television, feature films and digital entertainment. Administered by Film Independent, the intensive 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. Upon successful completion of the program, FOX will work to staff participating writers on FOX projects and provide each writer with a first look on his/her original script(s).

This year, FOX Audience Strategy expanded the FWI to provide established writers with opportunities across multiple FOX companies. At the conclusion of the intensive, FOX will also:
Select one outstanding finalist as the FOX Writers Intensive Fellow, whose submitted original script will be purchased and developed jointly by FOX Broadcasting Company, 20th Century FOX Television and FX. The FOX Writers Intensive Fellow will be announced across all FOX entertainment businesses and will receive one-on-one meetings with network and studio heads, as well as priority staffing efforts across FOX properties.
Select one FWI finalist to apply for the FOX Writers Studio on a first-look basis.
Select one FWI finalist to pitch his/her script to HarperCollins.

Fox will award the referring 501(c)(3) charitable organization of the winning Fellow a financial grant to be earmarked for its writing program. In addition, beginning next fall, funding for one staff writer position will be earmarked specifically for FWI finalists on all new and returning FOX network series.