New WGF program trains emerging writers from underrepresented groups for assistant and script coordinator roles.

(1/7/2022)

WASSTP Fall 2021 graduates

Last spring, TV writers and WGAW members Tanya Saracho, Mike Royce, and Liz Hsiao Lan Alper teamed up with the Writers Guild Foundation to launch the Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program, an initiative that provides writers who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, or over the age of 50 with tools and education to become a writers’ assistant and script coordinator.

After the initial application period garnered over 2,200 applications, 48 emerging writers were selected for two eight-week training sessions led by seasoned writers’ assistants/script coordinators Debbie Ezer and Clay Lapari. Held entirely over Zoom through summer and fall of 2021, the sessions covered duties from note-taking and formatting to handling various drafts, as well as simulated writers’ room and problem-solving exercises. The courses also educated students on writers’ room etiquette and provided comprehensive information on the life cycle of an episode, from its spark and development in a writers’ room through writing, production, and post. Showrunner guest speakers, such as Steven Canals (Pose), Gloria Calderón Kellett (With Love), and Sera Gamble (You), stopped by the sessions to answer questions and provide insight into room dynamics and processes.

Now, the first class of writers are trained and ready to hit the ground running. Some landed jobs soon after the sessions on shows such as HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, Disney+/Marvel’s Agatha: House of Harkness, and Netflix’s Manifest.

“I couldn’t be happier with the script coordinator I was fortunate to find and hire through the Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program,” says Jeff Rake, the creator and showrunner of Manifest. “She came to the party fully trained and ready to jump in right from the start. It’s quite clear to me that the program is incredibly comprehensive, turning out skilled and confident graduates. I’d hire from the program again in a heartbeat.”

If you’re currently hiring support staff for your writers’ room and would like to consider one of the graduates from the Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program, contact the Writers Guild Foundation to request a copy of the lookbook.