Universal Pictures Launches Emerging Writers Fellowship

From The Wrap:

Universal Pictures announced on Thursday that it has created an Emerging Writers Fellowship designed to identify and cultivate new and unique voices with a passion for storytelling. 

Emerging writers who are chosen to participate in the program will work within the studio to hone their skills and gain access and exposure to Universal executives, producers and other key industry professionals.  

Universal's co-presidents of production Peter Cramer and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum will oversee the fellows. 

“This fellowship is a great opportunity for aspiring writers but it’s also a great opportunity for Universal,” said Cramer.  

“As audiences continue to be even more discerning about the films they see, finding new voices with unique and creative ideas is extremely important for our business,” added Kirschenbaum. 

Under terms approved by the Writers Guild of America West, the Emerging Writers Fellowship will allow Universal the opportunity to expand the community of writers with whom the studio works.

 From the Fellowship's official website:

Fellows admitted into the program will be hired under a writing service agreement and must be committed to working full-time for one year. 

This program is not intended for candidates who received Producer, Director, Assistant Director, Co-producer, Associate Producer, 2nd Unit Director, Director of Photography, Writer or Source Material credits on any feature film commercially released theatrically or television show that has been aired within the U.S. Candidates may not have any attachment to third-party projects that are currently in development. Any candidates who do not meet the aforementioned criteria will be disqualified.

I wonder if "attachment" means that you've been paid to develop something?  What if you haven't but are working with producers/etc.?

Universal Pictures’ will entertain applications for the fellowship beginning on September 3, 2013.  Interested applicants should submit an original screenplay as well as additional background materials in order to be considered.   All semi-finalists will then be asked to submit a second screenplay.  Ten finalists will be selected and interviewed in Los Angeles.  Up to five fellows will be chosen to participate in the program. 

A link to the submission application will be available at midnight on Sept. 3, 2013. Applicants must submit all of the following materials in order to be considered.  Only online submissions will be accepted.  The submission window will only be open for 30 days or until we receive 500 applications (whichever comes first). Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible as only a limited number of submissions will be accepted. Universal Pictures reserves the right to close the application window at any time.

If you want to apply, you'll need a WGA-registered feature script that's a Comedy/Romantic Comedy or Action/Adventure/Thriller (other genres not accepted), two letters of recommendation, a resume, legal release and statement of purpose (see the site for more details.) Note that if you make it to the next round you'll also need to have a second feature ready.

As for the limit of 500 applications - I can only imagine that Universal's site will crash when thousands of writers try to submit.

Good luck!

Attend an ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship informational event Tues 4/23 in LA

Meet the the directors of the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship, Frank Gonzalez and Ollie Ashtari-Larki! Learn more about the program, get your questions answered, and kickstart your application. One night only.

Date: Tuesday, April 23
Time: 7-9 PM
Where: Busby's
            5364 Wilshire Blvd
            Los Angeles, CA 90036

Slamdance script competition early deadline approaching

Planning on entering Slamdance this year? Apply by the early deadline of March 25 to save some cash! (The regular deadline is May 13.)

From their website:

The Slamdance Screenwriting and Teleplay Competition is dedicated to discovering and supporting emerging writing talent. To that end, we are unveiling an exciting new partnership this year with JuntoBox Films who will be awarding a Grand Prize of $10,000 cash and a $50,000 production grant to the winning feature length script. JuntoBox Films’ goal of producing films and finding writers with innovative and interesting stories is a great fit with what Slamdance strives to achieve. 

We welcome screenplays in every genre, on any topic, from anywhere in the world. A unique feature of the competition is providing constructive feedback for every entrant. In addition to this, we also offer a more intensive coverage service for a supplementary fee. Now in our eighteenth year, we have a history of highlighting talented, independent screenwriters and introducing them to the entertainment industry. All of our readers approach scripts differently, but in general we are looking for originality and promise in a work. As an organization, we strive to foster an independent spirit among new writers and filmmakers. We've established a strong track record through our competition successes and are committed to continuing our pursuit to champion outstanding new work.

Categories:

• Feature
• Short
• Horror
• Original Teleplay/Webisode

Deadlines:

• Early Deadline: Feb. 25th - March 25th, 2013
• Regular Deadline: March 26th - May 13th, 2013
• Late Deadline: May 14th - June 25th, 2013
• WAB Extended Deadline: June 26th - July 2nd, 2013

Prizes:

• A total of $19,000 will be awarded to the winners this year.

• Slamdance Grand Prize by JuntoBox Films: $10,000 cash and $50,000 in production funds for the best feature length screenplay regardless of category.

• The winner of the Feature, Horror, and Original Teleplay/Webisode categories will receive $3,000 each.

• The winning Short screenplay will have an option to be produced and screen at Slamdance 2014.

• The top three screenwriters in each category will receive prize packages that include Festival Passes good for all screenings and parties at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah (January 2014)

• The top three screenwriters in the Feature and Horror category are eligible for membership in the Writers Guild of America’s Independent Writers Caucus.

• The winning Short and winning Feature screenplays will receive $2,500 in legal services from Pierce Law Group, LLP.

• The top three screenwriters in each category will receive merchandise from the Slamdance SHOP (T-shirts, beanies, etc.).

• The top three screenwriters in each category will be included in the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival program which is distributed to industry professionals in Park City and year round.

• Production companies, studios, top agencies and managers request to read our top scripts

Nickelodeon Writing Program applications due Feb 28

If you're a comedy writer, be sure to enter the Nickelodeon Writing Program - one of the only paid writing programs in town. It's not just for children's writing; many alumni go on to write for mainstream network comedies (and you should submit such a spec to enter).

Applicants should also read my long interview with Nickelodeon Writing Program Executive Director Karen Kirkland.  

Establishing a writing routine

Niles writes: I've heard writers talk about how important their routine can be since writing is sorta a form of hypnosis. I think Stephen King said that. Obviously he's a novelist not a TV writer, but it's all like the same thing. I'm curious, do you have a routine to help you get into the "zone"? Most fellow comedy writers I know seem to get intoxicated. I dunno about taking up that habit, but I am impressionable.

I think this is the Stephen King interview you're referring to:



Your comedy writer friends are probably just procrastinating, but I have been known to booze a bit at the laptop. :)

My friend Nate recently alerted me to a great essay by Kevin Hartnett called Letters in the Wind: A Writer's Evolution. The takeaway:

I learned that a real writer shouldn’t need a cup of tea at his side or a cabin with a view of the ocean or things just so in his own mind in order to get his work done.

It's nice to imagine yourself writing Oscar-worthy pages in your perfect ergonomic chair, breathing in the salty Pacific breeze, listening to some really rare import record that TOTALLY sounds different from the mp3. Maybe you even have a fancy iPad USB typewriter or a hot housekeeper bringing you tea like Colin Firth's Aurelia in LOVE ACTUALLY...but none of that actually has anything to do with writing. Generally all I use is my laptop...and when I'm working at a table, I also use a bean bag wrist rest (at some point I'll invest in a more ergonomic setup, but I'm not there yet).

You asked about routine, though, which I think is more about regimen than comfort. I don't have a strict time or number of hours I work; perhaps I should (F. Scott Frazier says he writes every single day, Monday through Sunday, 6-12 pages), but right now I still balance writing with blogging, tutoring and script coverage - things that occupy different stretches of time on different days. I personally find it difficult to A) wake up earlier than I really have to, and B) squeeze in a half hour of writing here or there. Instead, I generally write in very long chunks late at night or on the weekends (when there are fewer distractions). When I first quit my assistant job, I felt guilty about not always getting writing done during free time in the afternoons...but if you want to work out in the afternoon and write at midnight, who cares? You have to find what works for you - though I admit that's different from making excuses. If a year goes by and you haven't finished a script, maybe you're the kind of person who needs more strict of a schedule. You might also find it helpful to use fellowship/contest deadlines or writer's group deadlines as motivation (these definitely helped me in the beginning). 

Other options: 

30-minute writing sprints, a la Jane Espenson, who encourages her Twitter followers to spend 30 minutes doing nothing but writing - no Tweeting, no emailing, no getting up for a snack, etc. 

The Pomodoro Technique:

The Pomodoro Technique from Pomodoro Master on Vimeo.

Related post: Balancing writing and your day job