Fox/Variety

NALIP nominee Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez and his partner Jasmine Elist have been selected out of 500 applications to join the top ten group in Fox’s Writers Intensive program.

 

The top 10 participants will be able to attend workshops, seminars and mentoring sessions provided by Film Independent to help them work on scripts and build skills that’ll allow them to land staff writing jobs.

The Fox Writers Intensive Program (FWI) works on talent development of writers from diverse backgrounds to help their career move forward. In its fourth consecutive year, the program partnered with Young Storytellers Foundation (YSF), a non-profit that provides mentoring support to public school elementary students in the Los Angeles Area.

 

Fox audience strategy executive VP, Nicole Bernard, described their commitment to diversifying the media industry, “The growth of the Fox Writers Intensive over the past four years was a distinct goal, but even more gratifying is how the Fox businesses and shows have recognized and engaged in FWI as the creative resource it was designed to be. Our commitment to authentically engaging broader and diverse talent is stronger than ever,” she said.

One of the 10 participants will be selected to receive a development deal with one of Fox’s partners and an opportunity to attend creative meetings with executives. The writer will also participate as a mentor to several students from YSF during an eight-week short script writing course.

Congratulations to Benjamin and Jasmine, and the rest of the finalists!

 

Check out the complete list of finalists on Variety.com