The Diverso Fellowship
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DIVERSO is a student-run film nonprofit dedicated to changing the face of entertainment by empowering the next generation of underrepresented storytellers.
In partnership with THE WRITERS GUILD FOUNDATION, we have created The Diverso Fellowship: a paid internship program for minority student screenwriters.
Vetted by a rigorous committee of industry readers, four talented students will spend ten weeks over the summer fine-tuning a writing sample with a personalized mentor, attending panels and classes with industry leaders, and learning from the best by shadowing in a writers' room.
Selected students will receive a $6,000 stipend to support a part-time commitment over 10 weeks. Interns are expected to make a 20-hour commitment each week. The internship program will be hosted virtually over the summer (tentatively set for June 6th - August 19th).
Our program is made possible by our incredible sponsors: WARNERMEDIA, MADISON WELLS MEDIA, Lin Manuel-Miranda's MIRANDA FAMILY FUND, the Writers Guild Foundation, and more.
Benefits
This is the first year of the Diverso Fellowship program. Below, you'll find the benefits afforded to the Fellows.
BENEFITS
1. $6000 Stipend
2. Distribution to Agencies and Production Co's: Fellows' scripts will be sent to over a dozen agents and producers at different companies including A24, Blumhouse, Anonymous Content, Paradigm, United Talent Agency, and more.
3. Virtual Panels with Top Industry Professionals:
Previous speakers include:
- The Daniels, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
- Shaka King, JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
- Jessica Gao, RICK & MORTY
- Amy Aniobi, INSECURE
- JD Dillard, STARWARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
- Dennis Liu, RAISING DION
4. General Meetings: Our fellows will be set up on 5+ general meetings with executives from studios and production companies. Previous companies include Plan B, 3Arts, Paramount, Universal, Big Beach, JuVee, Tornante, and more.
5. Mentorship: Like our Minority Report and Black Writers in Focus programs, Fellows will be matched with experienced writers in the industry based on their personalized style and experience. Mentors provided both career and script guidance. Previous Diverso mentors included:
Aeryn Michelle Williams, HARLEM
Charise Castro Smith, ENCANTO
Ifuoma Ofordire, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
Announcements
No announcement dates listed.
Rules
At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.
Please read all instructions and FAQs carefully before you begin your submission process. Applicants can only submit once per category. Any errors or multiple submissions could disqualify your application.
Applicants must be Underrepresented writers currently enrolled in a university as an UNDERGRADUATE or GRADUATE student (Class of 2024 Graduates are eligible). They may be graduating at the end of the 2024 calendar year. For eligibility and submissions information, please scroll down and read the Frequently Asked Questions portion.
Please ensure your submission has a cover sheet with only the TITLE of the screenplay. The author's name must NOT appear anywhere in the script in order to preserve anonymity in the judging process. Please specify genre when submitting material.
SUBMISSIONS FORM:
After submission on Coverfly, applicants MUST fill out a submission form which includes an optional PERSONAL ESSAY and RELEASE FORM. The submission form can be found here.
Who can submit?
Underrepresented student writers currently enrolled in a university whose script has not been optioned. Screenwriters may not have earned more than $25,000 writing fictional work for film or television. The Diverso Fellowship is intended to promote and assist amateur writers exclusively.
How long should my script be?
We accept submissions within the page count below for each category:
Feature screenplays: 75 -120 pages
Half-hour teleplays: 20-40
Hour-long teleplays: 45-70
Scripts over 130 pages will be eliminated.
At this time, no refunds will be issued, please read all instructions before submitting. If you wish to submit a new/corrected draft, applicants will incur a second submission fee. Please reach out for assistance with this.
Who qualifies as an underrepresented writer?
Underrepresented writers as defined by the Writers Guild of America include:
- American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Middle Eastern, Latino/a, LGBTQ, Women, Writers with disabilities.