Level 4 Press, The Writers Room 5050, and producer/manager, Justin Steger, have partnered to create the BIPOC Writers Fellowship: Adapting Books for the Screen. This 12-week Fellowship educates, mentors, and fosters opportunities for emerging screenwriters of color, with the goal of leading them to meaningful employment.
Developed in conjunction with writer/producer, Evette Vargas, the founder of The Writers Room 5050 Foundation, a non-profit organization, the Fellowship brings book publisher, Level 4 Press, and its catalogue of books to the Fellows. We hope to increase the Fellows’ representation among film and television writers, while lending their perspectives to the human experience.
Row 1: Diana Densmore, Dion Watkins, Diana Romero Row 2: Andrew Liou, Jade Jenise Dixon, Allamaprabhu Pattanashetty Row 3: La'Chris Jordan, Rodney Wilkins, Nti Aning
The Fellows were selected from hundreds of applicants throughout the United States. As part of the submission process, applicants were asked to provide a completed screenplay or pilot script, a short introductory video, a letter of interest, and a bio/resume.
The Writers Room 5050 and Level 4 Press are elated to announce the 2021 BIPOC Writers Fellows:
Nti Aning
Diana Densmore
Jade Jenise Dixon
La'Chris Jordan
Andrew Liou
Allamaprabhu Pattanashetty
Diana Romero
Dion Watkins
Rodney Wilkins
This unique program provides Fellows with mentorship from executives, producers, and financiers to foster growth and build invaluable industry relationships. Film Studios & TV Networks such as Harpo/OWN, Facebook, and several others. There are weekly meetings, providing guidance with developing, writing, and polishing an original feature film screenplay or television pilot script based on a Level 4 Press book. Fellows participate in panel discussions with industry professionals, agents, managers, and executives.
“We encourage all of our fantastic Fellows to expand their representation and truly make these stories their own,” says Randy Becker, Executive Vice-President of Level 4 Press.
Evette Vargas states, “A staunch activist for inclusion and equity, I founded The Writers Room 5050 Foundation to educate and create opportunities for underrepresented storytellers. The BIPOC Writers Fellowship is a chance to use our experience, circles of influence and writers rooms techniques to foster extremely talented BIPOC writers and provide a solution for a systemic problem.”
"It's an honor to be involved in such a vital and essential venture as this Fellowship and Mentorship," states Justin Steger. “Being able to connect these incredible aspiring voices and their inspirational works to various industry executives, producers, reps, and financiers is both humbling and rewarding...they truly are the next great creators of today and tomorrow."
Writers Room 50/50: https://www.writersroom5050.com/who-we-are
Level 4 Press: https://www.level4press.com/corporateinformation