The 12 finalists for the fifth annual Fox Writers Intensive (FWI) were announced on Feb. 3. The FWI aims to nurture experienced writers with diverse voices, backgrounds and life experiences. There were more than 500 nominations and submissions for FWI, the most in the platform’s history.
“The growth of the Fox Writers Intensive over the past four years was a distinct goal, but even more gratifying is how the Fox businesses and shows have recognized and engaged in FWI as the creative resource it was designed to be,” said Nicole Bernard, Executive Vice President, Audience Strategy for 21st Century Fox. “Our commitment to authentically engaging broader and diverse talent is stronger than ever.”
The finalists will spend 14 weeks working on their craft and developing connections with Fox staff writers, showrunners, screenwriters, directors and creative executives. This year, FWI is also partnering with Young Storytellers by giving the 12 finalists an opportunity to mentor elementary-school students interested in writing their own original short scripts.
“Partnering with such a respected organization as Young Storytellers not only gives our finalists a deeper connection with the community, but also helps Fox build a future pipeline of dynamic storytellers,” said Nicole.
FWI finalists receive priority staffing meetings for the established FWI Staff Writer position on Fox entertainment productions. At the conclusion of the intensive, one FWI finalist will be named the 2016 FWI Fellow will be awarded a purchase and development deal on an original script or a first-look deal from Fox Broadcasting Company.
The 2016 FWI writers/teams and their respective representatives are:
- Ahmadu Garba (Epicenter)
- Peter Chen (Independent)
- Jamila Daniel (Circle of Confusion and Don Buchwald & Associates)
- Julia Fontana (Circle of Confusion)
- Leon Hendrix (Independent)
- Ann Kim (Independent)
- Jasmine Elist & Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez (Independent)
- Jamie Rosengard (CAA & Management 360)
- Ester Lou Weithers (Independent)
- Jake Zebede (Independent)
- Tricia Johnson (Kaplan-Stahler Agency)
- Jorge Rivera (Independent)
To learn more about FWI, read the 21st Century Fox Social Impact post about the announcement of this year’s finalists. Visit the Fox Audience Strategy website to learn more about the group’s other initiatives.
