about
The Writers Room 5050 mentors storytellers, writers, directors and producers for next-level success in television, streaming and film. Develop your pilot, pitch your TV series, run the writers room and direct episodes. We aim to level the playing field in entertainment for underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, LGBTQA+, indigenous, disability, veterans, age, and woke men. Be part of our Inclusion Revolution. Our alumni are in demand and getting hired.
During this time, storytellers participate remotely using Zoom.
founder
Evette Vargas is an award-winning writer, director, producer and immersive storyteller. Named by the New York Times as an “Artist to Watch,” Vargas has produced series for Amazon, MTV, Bravo, DirectTV; and interactive content for Fast And Furious, Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Madonna and Wu-Tang Clan. Vargas executive produced, wrote and directed her digital series Dark Prophet, starring Henry Rollins, which was in contention for two Emmys. Vargas has a drama series set up at Entertainment One, a drama series at MGM Television with Marc Guggenheim and Rosario Dawson serving as executive producers, and sold her drama series, Muses, to TNT Super Deluxe. Vargas is currently writing a feature film for Reyes King Productions, developing a series for Shout! Factory and Twentyone14 Media, and developing the television slate for Hidden Empire Film Group. Vargas wrote The Current War VR Experience, a companion piece for the film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Vargas was commissioned by Final Draft to create the Evette Vargas Immersiveplay, the professional script writing template for VR, AR, XR writing. A staunch activist for inclusion and equity, Vargas founded The Writers Room 5050 to mentor storytellers and create opportunities for their next-level success. A member of the Writers Guild of America, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Producers Guild of America, Vargas was born in the Bronx and learned to tell stories at the dinner table where imagination ruled. Vargas collects action figures, typewriters and shoes; has past lives as a DJ, a fashion designer, and is a recovering New York City advertising Art Director.
producer
Roberta Marie Munroe has produced and/or directed over 30 award-winning shorts film and several features for companies such as Fox Searchlight, AT&T and the United Nations (UNFPA), that have played at festivals worldwide, (Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW and Tokyo Short Film Festival), won many “Best Of” awards, and/or enjoyed a theatrical release and television broadcast. For a complete list: IMDB LINK. Ms. Munroe produced a series of films with for the 2017 AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Program: an emerging filmmaker partnership where she was a creative mentor alongside Octavia Spencer, Shelby Stone (Freedom Road Productions), Common, Rick Famuyiwa (Dope) and James Lopez (Will Packer) and she also moderated their BFF Summit 2017 panel: Sending The Elevator Back Down, and The Blackhouse @Sundance 2018 panel, Hustle, Strategy & Perseverance: Make It Permanent. One of the projects, The Lost, won an Artios Award for Best Short Film casting (Lessall Casting). Ms. Munroe is the author of How Not To Make A Short Film: Secrets From A Sundance Programmer, (Hyperion 2009), which has been translated in several languages including Chinese, Korean and Spanish. Her latest book, How Not To Sign A Film Contract: Know What You’re Saying Yes To, provides indie filmmakers with an overview of film industry contractual law. Roberta is a Co-Founder of The Blackhouse, an educational and celebration space for Black filmmakers and their supporters at Sundance, and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). As a film festival consultant & programmer, Roberta spent 5 years programming film for the Sundance Film Festival helping to launch the careers of Aurora Guerrero (OWN’s Queen Sugar), Cary Fukunaga (True Detective, Beast Of No Nation), the Duplass Brothers (Togetherness, Room 104), Tiffany Shlain (The Tribe, Connected), Taika Waititi (Jo Jo Rabbit, Hunt For The Wilderbeast, Thor), and many others. In addition, she has programmed film at IFP New York (No Borders co-production section), Tampa LGBT Film Festival, Sundance, and the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF). She was Sales & Industry Theatre Manager at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and Managing Director of the Niagara International Film Festival (NIFF – Niagara on the Lake).
DIRECTORS
Patia Prouty is a recognized costume designer, with multiple CDG nominations for her work on CBS’s COLD CASE. Patia has designed JUSTIFIED for FX, AMERICAN CRIME for ABC, and both QUARRY and BANSHEE for HBO/Cinemax. Patia’s work innovating and shooting content for BANSHEE’s social platforms led to the transition into directing.
Patia made her directorial debut on HBO/Cinemax’s BANSHEE: Origins. That work received two Emmy nominations for “multi-platform storytelling. She went on to direct 2nd unit and action sequences for BANSHEE and HBO/Cinemax’s QUARRY. As MANHUNT: UNABOMBER’s 2nd Unit Director, she spearheaded MANHUNT’s unique macro bomb sequences, which became a key element to the series’ signature look. In 2016, Patia completed the Warner Brothers Director’s Workshop. She is a diverse talent who boasts a deft hand with actors, as well as a proven ability to handle complex action sequences.
Miguel Cruz is a Spanish Director and Producer based in Los Angeles with credits in 200 TV episodes, including the Top Rated Sitcom "AIDA." His first feature film, "VULNERABLES," was an independent thriller that opened theatrically in Spain and Latinamerica -- 4th at the Peruvian Box-office, acquired by Sundance Channel, TVE.
In Los Angeles, he has worked as EP in development for FOX's remake of the Argentinian Hit "Permitidos," directed DISNEY's Multicam Comedy "BUNK'D" and he directs dubbing for Netflix.
Miguel has also directed dozens of commercials for international brands and combines his extensive professional career with a strong relation with Academia. A Fulbright Scholar, Miguel serves as in the board of the Fulbright Association in Los Angeles and has directed and produced the TEDxFulbright series in Santa Mónica and Washington DC.
ART DIRECTOR
Carl Arriaga is a multi-talented art director and designer with extensive knowledge in both traditional and interactive design. He has crafted new emerging brands and established household names for many Madison Avenue and Los Angeles agencies, such as O&M, Y&R, Landor, Grey and The Food Group. Carl has developed brands for WestRock, Honda, Mattel, Disney, FOX, Proctor & Gamble, 3M, Sony, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Nestlé, Precision Dynamics International, and more.
Carl was born in Brooklyn with a pencil in his hand and was raised in Harlem on 125th Street. Carl went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, where he discovered Cappuccinos and Warhol. In college, Carl was in the CETA Program for Graphic Design, which landed him a job at Y&R as a junior graphic designer. Carl has worked on incredible project, from Madonna to IBM, Nestlé to Disney, Mattel to 3M, and now he wants to bring that experience to you.