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.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY.

The post Open Submission To Tanya Saracho’s Ojala Ignition Lab for Latinx Writers first appeared on .

The Imagen Foundation announced that TV writer, Luisa Leschin has been tapped as the recipient of the Imagen’s Norman Lear Writers Awards.

Leschin, whose recent credits include Amazon’s Just Add Magic and the Netflix pilot Mr. Iglesias, was originally an actress and a co-founding member of the comedy group Latins Anonymous where she began honing her writing skills. She has written comedy shows, co-executive producing for the George Lopez and Everybody Hates Chris and several dramas including Hulu’s East Los High, Austin & Ally, and The Brothers Garcia.

Officially, Leschin is so much more than just a TV writer. She’s also a television producer, actress, and voice-over artist. Her childhood background is also just as interesting and impressive. Her mother was a concert pianist and her father the former President of El Salvador. While she was born in Hollywood, California, she grew up in Guatemala, where at the age of five made her debut as a dancer. At age eight, she moved to Europe, where she mastered to speak French and Italian. Upon her return to the U.S., she studied at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City, where she majored in ballet. She graduated with honors, and at 19, she joined the Grand Theatre de Geneve ballet company in Switzerland.

In Hollywood, Leschin has successfully amassed many films and TV credits as an actress. The fact that her roles were mostly gang girls, maids, and pregnant women led her to turn her passion for writing.

The post Luisa Leschin Recipient of Norman Lear Writer’s Award first appeared on .