WGAW Announces 2018 Feature Writer Access Project Honorees
Los Angeles – The Writers Guild of America West has announced the honorees for its 2018 Feature Writer Access Project, the WGAW’s screenwriting program for minority writers, writers with disabilities, women writers, writers 60-and-older and LGBTQ+ writers.
This year’s Feature WAP honorees and their screenplays are:
Tara Atashgah – Under the Olive Tree
Bob Bridges – Khuska the Humble
Willie J. Hagan – The Furies
Joanna Philbin – Go Your Own Way
Peter Silverman – Herta Mansbacher
Garret Williams – Lost Dog
More information about the Guild’s 2018 Feature WAP honorees and complete versions of their screenplays can be found at: http://www.wga.org/fwap.
The WGAW’s six 2018 Feature WAP honorees include two minority writers, one woman writer, and three writers age 60 and older.
Launched in 2012 and coordinated by the WGAW Inclusion and Equity Department, the Guild’s program seeks to identify outstanding historically underrepresented writers and make their scripts available to entertainment industry decision-makers – including producers, studio executives, agents and managers – to help raise their profile and generate potential employment opportunities.
“Now on its sixth year, the WGAW Feature Writer Access Project continues to be beneficial to historically underemployed screenwriters. An extremely useful component of the program which the honorees find very helpful, is the meet and greet session with creative executives, an opportunity offered through the seminar series that is awarded to them. The meet-and-greet session puts them in front of those that can hire them, an opportunity some might not have otherwise, especially if not currently represented," said WGAW Director of Inclusion and Equity Tery Lopez.
The 2018 Feature WAP program received 162 script submissions from Guild members, including 34 minority, 38 women, 6 writers with disabilities, 67 writers 60-and-older, and 17 LGBTQ+ writers.
For consideration, qualified writers who met program criteria were asked to submit a current, feature-length, unproduced spec script. Entries were read and scored on a blind submission basis by a panel of experienced judges..
The program’s pool of second-round judges included 22 feature film writers, 17 drama and five comedy, including WGAW members Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians), Michael Golamco (Please Stand By), Jon Lucas (Office Christmas Party), and Scott Silver (White Boy Rick).
As part of the Feature WAP program, the WGAW hosts a series of workshops tailored for honorees, covering industry topics such as how to pitch yourself and an evening with screenwriter Michael Golamco (Please Stand By), as well as meet-and-greet mixers with development executives, agents, and managers.
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio, and Internet programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public policy and legislative matters on the local, national, and international levels. For more information on the WGAW, please visit: www.wga.org.