Writers Guild Initiative Unveils TV Support Staff Training Program
variety.comWilson Chapman editorThe Writers Guild Initiative, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Writers Guild of America East, has unveiled a new Support Staff Training Program for aspiring TV writers that is set to launch next month.The WGI’s charter is to support people from marginalized communities who are looking to go into screenwriting.
The Support Staff Program, funded by a grant from NBCUniversal, provides individuals with two career tracks on the support-staff level: writers assistant and script coordinator.
Those accepted for the program will go through a bootcamp where they will be trained on industry-standard programs such as Final Draft and virtual writers room simulations.The program was created and devised by Ian Olympio, a WGA East member who works on the Starz drama “P-Valley.” According to the guild, Olympio was inspired to create the program after facing difficulty filling the writers room for Season 2 of the show, as many applicants were unclear on what was required of working on a writers room.
Olympio also previously participated in WGA East’s Made in NY Writers Room, a fellowship to support emerging writers in the industry. “Everyone starts without experience,” Olympio said in a statement. “It’s finding the right opportunities to be taught and nurtured that makes all the difference—that changes lives and builds careers.
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