Submission Deadline: July 31, 2021
Tanya Saracho, showrunner for the groundbreaking TV series Vida, and the UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, have joined together to create The Ojalá Ignition Lab as a means to amplify Latinx Voices & Stories For TV Pilots, They seek writers with television experience up to and including executive story editor level, as well as storytellers from other disciplines such as the digital space, film, theater, literary, journalism, and the documentary world.
The Ojalá Ignition Lab is committed to empowering creators by offering a nurturing artistic space to hone their voice. The Lab will serve as a culturally safe creative environment for writers to gain industry insight from established showrunners and producers, all while developing a television pilot script from start to finish. The Lab aims to give development access to TV writers who haven’t yet been staffed or whose careers have been stalled by repeating lower staffing levels, as well as storytellers from other disciplines who desire to enter the television space. Five writers will be selected to write a new original television project from story idea to finished pilot script. UCP will compensate the writers for this pilot.
Applicants are asked to submit a one-page television proposal along with an existing writing sample. Upon completion of the application review process, five writers will be selected to participate in the Lab. The Lab will last 26 weeks, with sessions generally held once a week in a writer’s group setting designed to generate a pilot script. Additionally, participants will attend a speaker panel once a month. Participants will receive support and feedback from Lab peers, Ojalá and UCP executives. By the end of the program, participants will have a finished pilot script, meaningful amplification of their professional profile and above all, a close-knit community of peers and allies in the industry intended to help cultivate exciting collaborations and opportunities long into the future.