Exclusive: Starz, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers on Thursday revealed participants for the second season of the Starz #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive, kicking off February 5.
This year’s selection is comprised of writers from varied and often overlooked communities, aiming to embody the representation Starz champions in front of and behind the camera, and across its company. The Season 2 finalists are Christopher Au, Xavier Burgin, Caroline Guo, Lyn Alicia Henderson, Diego Lanao, Eunice Levis, Tyler Miguel Mercer, Wesley Rodriguez, Vee Saieh and Ora Yashar.
The initiative provides participants with opportunities to learn from and connect with industry professionals across the ecosystem of television, including Starz President of Original Programming Kathryn Busby, Paramount Television Studios VP of Development Gary King, Echo Lake Entertainment Manager Kim Yau, writer Charla Lauriston, WME agent Daniela Federman, HBO showrunner Amy Aniobi UTA TV lit agent Gina Reyes, Invention Studios president Nicholas (Nicky) Weinstock,...
This year’s selection is comprised of writers from varied and often overlooked communities, aiming to embody the representation Starz champions in front of and behind the camera, and across its company. The Season 2 finalists are Christopher Au, Xavier Burgin, Caroline Guo, Lyn Alicia Henderson, Diego Lanao, Eunice Levis, Tyler Miguel Mercer, Wesley Rodriguez, Vee Saieh and Ora Yashar.
The initiative provides participants with opportunities to learn from and connect with industry professionals across the ecosystem of television, including Starz President of Original Programming Kathryn Busby, Paramount Television Studios VP of Development Gary King, Echo Lake Entertainment Manager Kim Yau, writer Charla Lauriston, WME agent Daniela Federman, HBO showrunner Amy Aniobi UTA TV lit agent Gina Reyes, Invention Studios president Nicholas (Nicky) Weinstock,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The ongoing writers strike is taking center stage in the WGA East’s officer and Council elections. In their official candidate statements, released today, they all pledged their support for the strike, vowing to remain on the picket line until a fair contract is achieved. The strike, which began May 2 and is now in its 114th day.
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who is running unopposed to be the guild’s next president, said that she will lead the guild “over the finish line in our epic battle for fair pay,” and that “We will not give up. We will not give in.”
As the current vice president of the guild’s Film, Television and Streaming sector, Cullen wrote that “This strike has meant nonstop, round-the-clock talking with members, meeting with staff, leading committees and coordinating with sister Guilds, politicians and non-members. But I burst with pride at our heroic army of...
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who is running unopposed to be the guild’s next president, said that she will lead the guild “over the finish line in our epic battle for fair pay,” and that “We will not give up. We will not give in.”
As the current vice president of the guild’s Film, Television and Streaming sector, Cullen wrote that “This strike has meant nonstop, round-the-clock talking with members, meeting with staff, leading committees and coordinating with sister Guilds, politicians and non-members. But I burst with pride at our heroic army of...
- 8/23/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen will be the next president of the WGA East, succeeding Michael Winship, who is not seeking re-election.
Cullen, who is running unopposed in the guild’s upcoming elections, will be its third female president and the first person of color to hold the post, starting next month. She currently serves as VP of the guild’s Film/TV/Streaming sector.
Winship said in a statement today that his decision not to run again “was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency. Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Takeuchi Cullen’s bio on the guild’s website...
Cullen, who is running unopposed in the guild’s upcoming elections, will be its third female president and the first person of color to hold the post, starting next month. She currently serves as VP of the guild’s Film/TV/Streaming sector.
Winship said in a statement today that his decision not to run again “was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency. Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Takeuchi Cullen’s bio on the guild’s website...
- 8/1/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
WGA East president Michael Winship will not be seeking re-election amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“This is a decision that was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency,” Winship said in a statement sent to guild members Tuesday, just as Wgae revealed the candidates up for officer seats in its upcoming council election this September. “Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Per Winship, “This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them. Now...
“This is a decision that was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency,” Winship said in a statement sent to guild members Tuesday, just as Wgae revealed the candidates up for officer seats in its upcoming council election this September. “Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Per Winship, “This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them. Now...
- 8/1/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Writers Guild of America East President Michael Winship will step down from his post in September despite the union’s ongoing strike against Hollywood studios.
Winship, who previously led the union from 2007-2017, said Tuesday in a letter to union members that his name does not appear on the list of candidates for this year’s upcoming elections because he intends to stick with the pledge he made when he returned in 2021 and only serve two years.
“This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them,” Winship wrote. “Now the time has come for me to pass responsibility to the new generation of Guild members and the elected council.”
The news came as the candidates for the next vote were announced, with only Lisa Takeuchi Cullen,...
Winship, who previously led the union from 2007-2017, said Tuesday in a letter to union members that his name does not appear on the list of candidates for this year’s upcoming elections because he intends to stick with the pledge he made when he returned in 2021 and only serve two years.
“This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them,” Winship wrote. “Now the time has come for me to pass responsibility to the new generation of Guild members and the elected council.”
The news came as the candidates for the next vote were announced, with only Lisa Takeuchi Cullen,...
- 8/1/2023
- by Eileen AJ Connelly
- The Wrap
Katori Hall’s “P-Valley,” a show about the female dancers at The Pynk, a popular strip club in Mississippi, uses music to shine a spotlight on southern female rappers and artists.
In putting together the soundtrack for the series, music supervisors Sarah Bromberg and Stephanie Diaz-Matos turned to the show’s stars, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Loretta Devine, as well as Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion, to curate the anthems for Brandee Evans’ Mercedes, Elarica Johnson’s Autumn Night and Nicco Annan’s Uncle Clifford.
Here, Bromberg and Diaz-Matos break down how they landed Beyoncé and other needle drops for the show’s second season.
“Way Back” by Enchanting
Bromberg: “Way Back” by Enchanting started as “Dance Song 4,” a brief for an original song written by producer Ian Olympio and showrunner and music supervisor Katori Hall. Katori and Ian write these incredible briefs for our original music with extraordinary detail and background,...
In putting together the soundtrack for the series, music supervisors Sarah Bromberg and Stephanie Diaz-Matos turned to the show’s stars, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Loretta Devine, as well as Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion, to curate the anthems for Brandee Evans’ Mercedes, Elarica Johnson’s Autumn Night and Nicco Annan’s Uncle Clifford.
Here, Bromberg and Diaz-Matos break down how they landed Beyoncé and other needle drops for the show’s second season.
“Way Back” by Enchanting
Bromberg: “Way Back” by Enchanting started as “Dance Song 4,” a brief for an original song written by producer Ian Olympio and showrunner and music supervisor Katori Hall. Katori and Ian write these incredible briefs for our original music with extraordinary detail and background,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild Initiative, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Writers Guild of America East, has unveiled a new Support Staff Training Program for aspiring TV writers that is set to launch next month.
The Wgi’s charter is to support people from marginalized communities who are looking to go into screenwriting. The Support Staff Program, funded by a grant from NBCUniversal, provides individuals with two career tracks on the support-staff level: writers assistant and script coordinator. Those accepted for the program will go through a bootcamp where they will be trained on industry-standard programs such as Final Draft and virtual writers room simulations.
The program was created and devised by Ian Olympio, a WGA East member who works on the Starz drama “P-Valley.” According to the guild, Olympio was inspired to create the program after facing difficulty hiring support staff for Season 2 of the series, as many of the...
The Wgi’s charter is to support people from marginalized communities who are looking to go into screenwriting. The Support Staff Program, funded by a grant from NBCUniversal, provides individuals with two career tracks on the support-staff level: writers assistant and script coordinator. Those accepted for the program will go through a bootcamp where they will be trained on industry-standard programs such as Final Draft and virtual writers room simulations.
The program was created and devised by Ian Olympio, a WGA East member who works on the Starz drama “P-Valley.” According to the guild, Olympio was inspired to create the program after facing difficulty hiring support staff for Season 2 of the series, as many of the...
- 4/19/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
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