Humanitas New Voices Fellowship
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The program identifies and empowers five writers each year who are currently working on a 30- or 60-minute pilot or feature film screenplay. These are stories and people who, for varying reasons, may go overlooked by the traditional marketplace.
Humanitas also recognizes the importance of mentorship and the changing nature of apprenticeship in Hollywood, and how advancement in the film and television industries involves social access and community building.
With that in mind, through mentorship, workshops, conversations on professional development, and networking opportunities, New Voices equips writers with the tools needed to advance their careers. Fellows are paired with a mentor, invited to the September 2023 Humanitas Prizes event, and receive a trophy and $7,500 stipend.
Since 2010, 63 fellows have completed the New Voices program, with many becoming showrunners, producers, directors, and staff writers.
Former New Voices fellows include Will Pascoe (Absentia), J. Holtham (Supergirl, Jessica Jones), Jeanine Daniels (Snowfall), Rashaad Ernesto Greene (The Chi, Searching for Alaska), Carlito Rodriguez (Empire), Emily Silver (Finding Carter), Martin Zimmerman (Ozark), Obiageli Odimegwu (All American), Eric Anthony Glover (Tom Swift), and Eugene Ramos (The Dragon Prince).
OUR PROCESS
The New Voices Fellowship annually receives between 900 and 1,100 applications per year. To select New Voices semi-finalists, Humanitas oversees a three-round competition powered by Coverfly. Humanitas staff curate reading committees that then oversee the review of approximately 25 semi-finalists and 10 finalists to determine the five fellows, who represent the approximate top 0.5% of applicants.
For their part, Coverfly curates a group of readers to support the Humanitas New Voices Fellowship and College Screenwriting Awards annually. Each application’s script is read anonymously at least once.
For 2023, Coverfly has gathered 58 readers from across the United States. These readers have a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds. 50% do not identify as white, 53% identify as either female or non-binary, 3% are over the age of 50, 17% of readers identify as LGBTQ+, and 3% of readers identify as disabled.
Readers have or are currently working as development execs, consultants, critics, story editors, authors, and in other positions at companies like Warner Bros., FOX, Lionsgate, HBO, Paradigm Talent Agency, Netflix, Magnolia Entertainment, StudioCanal, Paramount, and Starz, as well as competitions from the Austin Film Festival, Slamdance, The Tracking Board, Screencraft, and Launchpad.
Coverfly compensates readers at an average rate of $19-21/hour based on experience with bonuses available for quality and efficiency.
To learn more about what we look for in a script, you may wish to read this article on our blog about the art of screenwriting and exploring the human condition.
Benefits
Mentorship: Fellows are paired with award-winning showrunners for one-on-one mentorship focused on their project. Written notes are provided over a series of meetings. Former mentors include: Alan Ball, Jenny Bicks, Janine Sherman Barrois, Scott Z. Burns, Steven Canals, Matt Carlson, Liz Craft, Sarah Fain, Tom Fontana, Gary Glasberg, Gary David Goldberg, Deborah Goodwin, Marc Guggenheim, Hart Hanson, Chris Harris, felicia henderson, Winnie Holzman, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Jay Kogen, Bill Lawrence, Ali LeRoi, Melanie Marnich, Justin Noble, Nancy Pimental, Rashad Raisani, Robin Schiff, David Shore, Patrick Sean Smith, Robin Swicord, Pam Veasey, Ligiah Villalobos, Ben Watkins, and David Zuckerman.
Conversation & Workshops Series: The Humanitas staff and the New Voices Advisor invite fellows to join a series of conversations and workshops focused on the most pressing issues facing emerging television and screenwriters. Topics have included the art of the pitch, general meetings, networking, representatives, “branding” yourself as a writer, the guilds, first jobs, career longevity tips, and more. Fellows are also encouraged to attend Humanitas public programming efforts like Industry 101 and participate in a mock writers’ room near the conclusion of the fellowships.
Professional Development & Networking: In addition to the community cultivated through the New Voices Conversation and Workshops Series, New Voices aims to present fellows with at least one networking opportunity per year. Once the New Voices Fellowship has concluded, the fellows’ creative materials and contact information are collected in the New Voices Fellowship Talent Guide and distributed to the Humanitas agents and managers network. New Voices Fellows also receive invitations to community events throughout the year.
Stipend: Each fellow receives a $7,500 stipend.
Humanitas Prizes 2023 Event: Fellows will be invited to attend the 2023 Humanitas Prizes Luncheon, which is currently planned as an in-person event in Beverly Hills, California in Autumn 2023.
UCLA Extension Writers’ Program
UCLA Extension Writers’ Program will offer each fellow one UCLA Extension Writers’ Program course. UCLA Extension Writers’ Program staff will work with fellows to identify courses that best suit the needs of the fellows. The UCLA Extension Writers’ is one of the most prestigious creative writing and screenwriting continuing education programs in the nation. Their open admissions policy and supportive community ensures that all students are inspired and guided to do their best work. Their curriculum includes 400 annual writing courses, offered both onsite and online, taught by a diverse corps of 200 published and produced professionals.
The Black List is proud to offer New Voices Fellows one free month of hosting and two free evaluations of their projects on blcklst.com in 2023.
Fellows will receive a free 1-year WriterDuet Pro license, giving them full access to unlimited real-time collaboration, professional screenwriting tools, and a dedicated desktop app.
NFMLA
New Voices Fellows will be awarded 1-year of Rising Creator Memberships with NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA), providing them complimentary all-access passes to all NFMLA Festivals and Panels, a 20% discount on submissions to the NFMLA Monthly Film Festivals, and one complimentary submission to select NFMLA special content development programs (such as the NewNarratives Grant and the STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive).
Fellows automatically qualify as finalists for the biannual Coverfly Pitch Week and are included on a curated list sent to the over 70 participating industry members and companies, including Warner Bros., Sony, Paramount, Bad Robot, CBS, MGM, Disney, and other major studios and networks, who select writers for a week of meetings, pitches, and generals.
Roadmap Writers
Fellows will be gifted a 3-month membership to Industry On-Ramp, a multi-week online program that provides writers with educational tools, collaboration opportunities, and pitching strategies to elevate their craft and gain confidence. Fellows will learn how to structure strong loglines, master tone and voice when pitching, then practice with execs who can help identify the strengths and weaknesses of a pitch. Fellows will also participate in an exclusive roundtable with Roadmap’s CEO, who will develop strategies to personally introduce writers to a network of trusted execs. Since 2016, Roadmap Writers has helped over 300 writers get signed, staffed, optioned, and produced.
Fellows will be gifted copies of Scrivener. At Scrivener’s heart is a simple but powerful ring-binder metaphor that allows you to write, research and arrange long documents by breaking them into sections. Each section is integrated into a project outline, meaning that you can step back and work with an overview, and restructuring is as easy as drag and drop. Used by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, lawyers, students, journalists and more, Scrivener brings together tools familiar to writers everywhere in new and exciting ways.
Fellows will be gifted a 3-month membership to MasterClass, giving them access to instructors and classes across a wide range of subjects. MasterClass is here to get you inspired, learn a new skill, and reach any goal and is available to stream on mobile, desktop, and TV. MasterClass makes it possible to learn from 100+ of the world’s greatest minds anytime, anywhere, at your own pace. Classes cover a wide range of writing subjects with instructors including Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkin, Roxane Gay, Walter Mosley, and Margaret Atwood.
Professional Headshots
Humanitas will coordinate a photoshoot for fellows to facilitate the creation of professional-grade photos for their use during and after the fellowship.
Humanitas is grateful to the companies and organizations who have agreed to partner with us to support emerging writers! Check back for updates as we sometimes add partners throughout the year.
Components and benefits are subject to change. If you’re a company or organization that would like to be considered for program partnership, please email info@humanitasprize.org with “Program Partnership” in the subject line.
Announcements
Rules
At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.
SUBMISSION MATERIALS:
- -- Original 30- or 60-minute pilot, or feature film screenplay
- -- Logline
- -- Brief synopsis (~250 words)
- -- Supplementary materials: bio, resume, and a short artist statement that speaks to the applicant's professional aspirations and why they felt compelled to write the submitted project.
-- Signed release form (link)
Applicants must be 21 years of age or older by September 1, 2023.
Applicants do not need to be a U.S. permanent resident and/or citizen but must be residing in the US during the fellowship.
Applicants must be available to participate actively in all dimensions of fellowship programming, including mandatory workshops, virtual gatherings, and virtual public programs.
The New Voices Fellowship is for emerging television and screenwriters who 1) do not have a manager or agent, 2) have not been previously staffed as a writer in a scripted television series’ writers room, and 3) have not otherwise received payment for produced scripted feature film or television writing services prior to the submission period. Writers paid for options on unproduced scripts or for writing services on unproduced treatments, micro-budget features, or on unproduced projects outside the WGA’s jurisdiction and below WGA-established minimums should contact Humanitas with details on their situation to determine eligibility. Writing teams with a member who, as an individual writer, has produced credits will remain eligible so long as the writing team applying to the program does not have produced credits. The individual writer with credits, however, would be ineligible if applying on their own.
Applicants are strongly advised to only submit one application and script per year.
Scripts must be an original work. Adaptations or reimaginings of true events or fictional stories are acceptable; by submitting you acknowledge you have secured all rights needed to adapt any material.
Former semi-finalists and finalists are eligible to reapply so long as they meet all other criteria. Former semi-finalists and finalists are advised that all application materials must have undergone notable revisions, including and especially the script sample if it is the same project as previously submitted.
Previous recipients of the Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award and David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Award are eligible for the New Voices Fellowship so long as they meet all other eligibility criteria.
Former New Voices Fellows are not eligible to reapply.
Current Humanitas staff and interns are not eligible for the fellowship.
Assessment to determine finalists weighs the quality of the applicant’s script, the script’s relevance to Humanitas mission, and the quality of the applicant’s supplementary materials. All finalists are interviewed on Zoom. These meetings cover the submitted project, career aspirations, and play an essential role in determining who is selected for the annual New Voices Fellowship cohort.
Should a writing team be selected for the fellowship, the stipend will be split evenly amongst the writers.
While the New Voices Fellowship accepts materials from all writers, writers with diverse backgrounds and social identities historically underrepresented in media are highly encouraged to apply.
