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Founded in 2021 in partnership with TV writers and producers Tanya Saracho (Vida), Mike Royce (One Day at a Time), and Liz Hsiao Lan Alper (Day of the Dead), the Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program is a first-of-its-kind initiative to support the full inclusion and employment of underrepresented groups in the television industry.
The program’s mission is to provide writers who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and/or over the age of 50 with the tools and education to become a writers’ assistant and script coordinator. These positions have historically been an invaluable way to learn the writing process first-hand, and are often the first step toward a successful TV writing career.
Participants learn through instructor-led lessons tailored to the positions of a writers' assistant or script coordinator. By the end of the 12-week course, participants have working knowledge of support staff responsibilities to integrate into a writers' room and crucial connections to access these opportunities. WGF also adds graduates to an ongoing list of trained writers’ assistants and script coordinators that is made available to studios, networks, and showrunners, to increase the pool of eligible hires. Many of our alumni have gone on to secure work in these roles—some alumni have even reached the staff writer level and joined the WGA!
By offering this opportunity to writers who are typically excluded from the writers’ room, we hope to increase representation among television writers and capture stories from all corners of the human experience. 100% of donations to this campaign support the Writers' Access Support Staff Training Program. Thank you for your support!
In Support of The Writers Guild Foundation
Since 1966, the Writers Guild Foundation has been the premier Hollywood resource for emerging writers and entertainment lovers. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, our mission is to preserve and promote the history and craft of writing for the screen.
Along with operating the Shavelson-Webb Library and Archives in Los Angeles, the Foundation hosts public events featuring notable TV and film writers as well as community outreach programs connecting writers with underserved communities.