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Thomas Wong has been selected as the first fellow of Fox Writers Intensive, the network’s new initiative for experienced writers with diverse backgrounds, ethnic minorities as well as LGBT, foreign-born and others. Wong, chosen from the inaugural class of 10 FWI finalists, has received a deal from Fox to purchase and develop his original submission, drama script Queen. In addition, Fox will award Wong’s referring organization, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, a $15,000 FWI grant to be earmarked for its writing program. Wong is repped by The Gersh Agency. “I was impressed with Thomas’ unique sensibility and strong work throughout the Fox Writers Intensive – as well as the promising talent of our other FWI finalists – and I’m excited to continue building our relationships with all of these gifted writers,” Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly said. Another finalist, Jason Gavin (The Alpern Group) has been staffed as a story editor on Touch, and Wong and several other finalists are meeting with executive producers on Fox, 20th TV and FX series for staffing opportunities.
The FWI finalists spent four months (February through May 2012) participating in a rigorous curriculum administered by FWI partner Film Independent that focused on honing their craft and establishing deeper creative connections across Fox’s television, film and other entertainment businesses. The intensive featured collaborative sessions with writers and producers including Hart Hanson (BONES), Davey Holmes (“Awake”), Patrick Massett (“Friday Night Lights”), Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (FAMILY GUY), Scott Prendergast (“Wilfred”), Virgil Williams (“Criminal Minds”), Peter Sollett (“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”), Eli Dolleman (THE CLEVELAND SHOW), Laurence Andries (“Supernatural”), Jessica Sharzer (“American Horror Story”) and Roy Lee (“The Departed”). In addition, senior Fox executives including Reilly; Nancy Utley, President, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Nicky Weinstock, President, Fox Filmed Entertainment Writer’s Studio, participated in the program.
“It’s extremely important to our industry that we continually nurture fresh, diverse voices in storytelling,” said Utley. “The level of talent we saw in the Fox Writers Intensive finalists was absolutely phenomenal, and I look forward to working with many of them in the future.”
Hart Hanson, creator and executive producer of BONES said, “The writers I met with during the Fox Writers Intensive program were diverse in background, genre and subject matter. What these writers did have in common was intelligence, talent and ambition – not to mention energy. I fully expect to come into contact with these writers as they pursue their respective careers. It was my great pleasure to spend time with them. I suspect I gained more from the Fox Writers Intensive participants than they got from me.”
In addition to Wong, the inaugural Fox Writers Intensive class included finalists Nick Citton, Alessia Costantini, Jan Eliasberg, Jason Gavin, Nicole Jefferson Asher, Tina Mabry, Eric Nazarian, Mark Valadez and Iris Yamashita. The 10 FWI finalists were selected from more than 300 nominations and submissions by talent representation and arts organizations across the country, including the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Sundance Institute, New York Foundation For The Arts, Outfest, Film Independent, Writers Bootcamp, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment and Visual Communications. Following their completion of the Fox Writers Intensive, all of the finalists are being promoted across the Fox creative community and submitted for potential staffing on current and future Fox entertainment productions.
Fox Audience Strategy is a department within The Fox Group designed to identify programming and operational opportunities that reflect diverse perspectives across all of its entertainment platforms.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Well deserved. It’s nice when good things happen to great people.
As a white male writer I don’t have access like this.
But there’s advantage inherent in my sex and gender, right?
Still waiting for my evil hegemony to swoop in and give me that leg up…
Ha ha, @ Congratulations – so true. I’m happy for this guy and I’m sure he deserves the recognition, but the PC-saturated society we exist in is laughably ridiculous.
These comments are clearly from people who have never actually gone through staffing. Until I hear an executive say:
“Oh, we already hired a white male on that staff.”
or
“We had a white man on staff last year and it didn’t work out, so we’re going a different direction now.”
Then there is still a need for these programs.
(Yes, BOTH of these things have been said to me, as a minority woman who was repped by CAA at the time.)
You guys are pretty hilarious… and sad. Look at 99% of all the major companies and then look at their exec and senior management board. What do you see?
’nuff said.
Do you really think awards like this limits opportunities for white males? The only thing it does is open a sliver of opportunity to those who would otherwise be given none.
“The only thing it does is open a sliver of opportunity to those who would otherwise be given none.”
Except Tom was already given an opportunity in the ABC fellowship. As was Mark. And Alessia. Who was also in the Nick fellowship. So that’s seven opportunities between three people because they’re the better diverse writers. Not to mention Jason Gavin was part of the WGA’s Writers Access Program. And I’m too lazy to Google the rest, but seems like the idea that those here wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise is kind of skewed.
Makes you wonder, if there aren’t enough different diverse writers to fill all the diversity programs, how are there supposed to be enough to fill all the writers’ rooms?
But that’s the uncreative and highly political nature of entertainment, nothing more. Sundance promotes Sundance Institute films, grantmaking foundations award their grants to winners of other foundations, on and on.
The fact is, cold read, cold evaluation-meritocracy is dead (not that it was ever alive in entertainment). It’s what makes part of this country perpetually mediocre.
These writers cycle through the various programs over the course of several years – you can’t be in two programs at the same time – and the reason they have to cycle through several of them is not because there aren’t enough diverse writers applying – most of the studio and network writing programs get 1200+ submissions, or because they’ve hit an endless pot of gold – they’d much rather be staffed than be in another writing program- but because even with one of the writing programs on their resume, the barriers to entry for diverse writers are so tough that they still don’t get staffed…. so they try again… and again… and again… and they have to beat tremendous odds to win each of those opportunities – yet, after all that – they still have to jump the greatest hurdle of them all, getting hired as a diverse writer. It’s actually pretty simple psychology. People see a white dude with glasses and think, “oh that guy looks like a writer.” People see a black woman and think “hmm we don’t have any black female characters for her to write for.”
BTW, most of the studio and network writing fellowships actually do have one or two white writers every year. (And Warner Brothers isn’t even a diversity program.) They’re just that good that it doesn’t matter if they’re diverse or not… so you’re wrong, there are opportunities, you’re just not a good enough writer to get them for yourself apparently.
THIS.
Can’t believe people even have the nerve to complain about this. White males already have two GIANT advantages to get in that door, so now it’s time to snatch away the tiny bit of oppurtunity given to non white, non male writers?
WOW
IMO, it’s macro vs. micro problem. On a macro level, yes there are far too many white males in the business compared to minorities and females. However, on a micro level — individual white guys trying to get an in are having one hell of a time and there’s no help from programs like these. Why not have a second program that is strictly for new/emerging talent and let the work speak for itself…?? Would that be so wrong?
Sadly, it’s kind of like society. You say it’s so hard for white male writers but what they’re experiencing is what diverse writers have dealt with for years. And now that everyone is having problems “getting in” these programs look unfair. It’s kind of like when financial crisis and crack problem finally hit white communities, suddenly it’s “how did this happen”, and “these diversity programs are unfair”. As the previous writer mentioned ……”It’s actually pretty simple psychology. People see a white dude with glasses and think, “oh that guy looks like a writer.” People see a black woman and think “hmm we don’t have any black female characters for her to write for.”… Diverse writers are vetted to the bone to see if they can write like white people and white writers can go to black shows and know NOTHING. I recently worked on a show where the co-ep was pitching a fix on a scene and prefaced it by saying “This is the old corny white version.” If a black writer or a Latino writer said “This is the low rider, east sider, version… now you ‘white it up’”, they’d be fired.
Okay, IMO, the people posting stuff like you piss me off because you obviously haven’t done your research, perhaps you’re too busy complaining on deadline to put the work in and actually go seek out opportunity like this writer did… There are tons of completely color blind opportunities and programs…. In fact, the most respected programs in both TV and Film – The Warner Brothers Writing Workshop and the Nichols Fellowship – both have absolutely nothing to do with diversity. The diversity programs ARE the “second program.”
No. No intense research at all. Just the facts. In FACT, the prestigious Warner Brothers Program (as you called it) started out as a diversity program and without notice became a writing program for all (mainly assistants to execs). The WB program was started by the late Gus Blackmon. I am a graduate of the prestigious WB comedy workshop. And there were 5 people of color in a class of 30.
What do I see at the exec level of 99% of all companies?
Suits.
And suits don’t know race.
Just labels. Which sometimes can even be worse.
White males are the overwhelming majority of executives in Hollywood. The suits don’t know race? Is that why these executives still promote white stars in films even when most movies depend on their overseas revenues (where a lot of viewers aren’t white) to turn a profit…
Yes. Agreed. Dr. Flo is living in a dream world or has head buried in the white sand.
A gender change is feasible, but a race change?
We’ve had movies with black guys posing as white girls (just not good ones, though).
How about a white guy who disguises as a black guy to get funding from a minorities project?
Dr. Flo, minorities/women DO NOT get the same opportunities as white males. Period. Fact. You can ask idiotic, semi-racists questions, you can build your white pride, but if you don’t want to see the statistics, then so be it. But one thing is clear, you ignorance is overwhelming.
Out of curiosity, and NO this is not meant bitterly!
Do we have any info about how previous grads of other diversity programs around town have done?
A “Where are they Now?/What have they done?” type of piece?
You should explore that, Nellie.
It would be cool to see what these programs have given us.
(And before anyone reads that incorrectly and decides to spin it with their own agenda, it’s meant ONLY out of curiosity, nothing more/nothing less.)
I know this guy. He’s super talented and a good man. Congrats!
Always nice to hear about new writers.
Oh yes you poor oppressed straight white males!!! When will anyone ever think of YOU?
The problem is, you have to be extemely talented and even more so, experienced, to get in the writers room as a white, straight male. Awards like these increasingly bring down the quality of a show’s writing staff. I’ve lost count of the shows I’ve been on where ‘minority hires’ were glad-handed into the writers room and were ultimately among the least talented person there. Fox and other networks strong-arming showrunners to hire a minority are doing everyone a dis-service. The quality of a show suffers and this puts jobs in jeopardy.
I’m not saying this person who has won this award is not deserving of having his pilot purchased and developed, but it sounds like the only reason this happened is because he’s a certain race and/or sexual orientation. Like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesse Jackson, I dream of a day when we are judged not on the color of our skin (or sexual orientation), but on how hard we’ve worked along with a heavy dose of talent.
I wish I could find this mystical white people’s magic wand and just have my pilots purchased or get white-peopled up to an EP position…What’s that? The magic white people wand doesn’t exist? If only people could admit that to themselves.
First of all, this does not happen a lot.
2nd, maybe those hard-working, talented folks aren’t working hard enough or aren’t as talented as you think they are.
Lastly, please explain how this “brings down the quality of a show’s writing staff” and since “you have lost count”, please name a few shows.
BTW, what is it that you do to have observed all this?
Would love to hear an answer to free’s questions, Anon.
I would also like examples
Hiring people who aren’t white bring down the quality of television shows? OK. Give us some names buddy.
Let’s have a list of the hordes of talentless hack black women and asian men that stealing jobs that YOU should be getting.
I’ve never been in a writers room, but I’ve worked with lots of writers, and it just seems absurd to me that minority writers would automatically be among the “least talented” on any staff.
My guess is that when minority hires screw up, it’s blamed on their being a minority hire, rather than just inexperience or other factors. I suspect that if John, a white male writer, sucked in the writers room, the explanation would be: “John sucked.” But if Jane, a black female writer screwed up, then people would say, “Our minority hire sucked.”
‘John’ likely won’t be hired or get a recommendation.
‘Jane’ will be able to easily go to another show to be its minority hire.
The diversity programs are all flawed, often times the winners are Ivy League grads that have come up through all of the traditional paths of writers before them… the programs should reach out to the story tellers haven’t come up the same way everyone else.
That is absolutely positively not true.
When a “minority” hire screws up, their career is OVER. Period. I’ve seen it and know people it’s happened to. Why would another program take on someone else’s problem?
This is your IMPRESSION. But maybe you should take the time out and TALK to some of these people instead of making up your own asinine impressions. Because they are wrong wrong wrong.
Anon, how many “Jane” do you know that “easily” get another job. Your ignorance of diversity employment is staggering.
EXACTLY. Well said.
You act like these opportunities are handed to people on a silver platter — AND that being involved in a program like this is a guarantee of lifelong success. There are no guarantees and competition for them is pretty fierce. And they are so few and far between.
Awards like this do not “bring down” (or even “raise up”) the quality of a show’s writing staff any more than other unspoken things like nepotism, cronyism, who’s sleeping with who, who went to school with who (and was it an ivy league school) and gender bias / favoritism does in this business.
Also, please note that these programs do include several “white people” applying for many diverse reasons.
How can one “less talented minority writer” affect the quality of an entire show? He’s the “minority hire”. His script isn’t the one getting produced. Let’s say miracle of miracles he even gets the assignment then what? the showrunner is going to read a crappy script and say, “Yep, let’s shoot this bitch.” Stop with the poor aggrieved white male nonsense. I’ve never ever heard of a writer’s room with more than one person of color in it much less one in a position to decide what makes it to broadcast. Just except that apparently no one thinks you’re a good enough writer.
Programs like these are the only way non-white people can even get the chance to be in a writer’s room.
Or maybe “anon”, maybe FOX is like every other money making corporation in the world trying to discover a new talent stream from which to make a buck.
Minorities from different cultures and neighborhoods usually have different experiences than you… and I don’t know, maybe if some of that was represented in a more genuine way in television and film, more members of those communities might show up on a regular basis at the theater and on Neilsens tv’s and VOILA more MONEY!
The KING of that? TYLER PERRY. Say what you want about the man and his product (I personally hate it), but he sure did tap into a market your white ass had absolutely no interest in. And now he’s a BILLIONAIRE. A Billion Fox or any other entertainment company would LOVE to have in their coffers right now.
And BTW, why don’t you leave your name “anon”, and I’ll be sure to tell my friend VEENA SUD about your horrible dealings with minorities in writers room. I’m sure she’d love to hear it, being a showrunner (Cold Case, The Killing) who was the product of the programs.
IN- FREAKING- SANE!
And Disney and Warner Bros are NOT minority programs, so get your facts straight morons.
Um, let’s say you have 10 writers on staff. Or 10 people at any job.
If one is Indian, they don’t hire another Indian dude.
But if you’re white, they’ll hire another white guy, no problem.
My name is Akhmed Bharti. My resume is awesome.
When I apply to jobs as Robert Bharti, I get about 80% more callbacks.
Do you get it? Poor white guy. I get that you don’t benefit from dad giving you a job, some other guy does, but that’s just it — We don’t have parents who are partners in law firms to give us a job even if we went to a second tier law school. We don’t have parents who work in Hollywood. Diversity initiatives exist because when you hire talented people, it makes society or an organization rise.
Yes, a lot of minority writers aren’t talented. But tons of white writers on shows are even less talented. Deal with it. If you’re white and can’t get ahead, welcome to our world.
LOL. That was right on and brilliant, Bharti!
Well said.
Congratulations, Tom! You are an amazing writer and you deserve every bit of success!
One out of 10 million screenwriters ain’t bad.
. But the sad thing is well you had to be nominated by and have a agent to gain access. Its no wonder with their in house rules that we need the Asian market money. Will he go the path of most prize winning writers? With the 30th anniversary of Vincent chin maybe they will let him write and direct that one.
Dear Anon,
I’m so sorry that the lower level staffers you’ve encountered– you know the ones who competed among hundreds of other writers and still managed to write themselves into an access program, who then survived the second guessers and doubters at every turn to get a shot or second shot to do the job you seem to have done numerous times– I’m so sorry they stunk up the writers’ room with their minority laden talent so badly that they caused the show to be cancelled and caused so many white, heterosexual male writers to lose their jobs. These lower level “minority” writers are indeed a powerful group of people!
As a “minority” writer who has gotten jobs with and without access programs, I and many others can tell you that the illogical racist diatribe you just wrote is perhaps more emblematic of why shows fail. You got stinkin’ thinkin’.
We can also tell you that we generally encounter such incredible bias from some writers in the room that it becomes almost (but not totally) insurmountable FROM DAY ONE. You expect us to be bad at our jobs and then FIND subjective reasons to support your already reached conclusion and often use your higher level access to the showrunner to poison their opinion about the “minority” writer. The sad thing is you never stop to question the systemic social advantages that allowed you to have a shot at getting your job. The trick of whiteness (not white people, there’s a difference) is that it is “unmarked” until an aggrieved white person doesn’t get what they want or the aggrived person’s sense of entitlement is offended. Agents contribute to this mass hysteria among white males by telling them that “all the minorities”are getting the jobs and that’s why you’re not staffed…” It seems to never enter the minds of people who think as you do that the minority or diverse writer might actually have been, I don’t know, a great candidate for the job! They might actually be, horror, more talented and hard working than you! Or, as is the case with most television writers of all hues, they might actually be a great writer who simply has to get experience and your attributing the rookie mistakes that all television writers make to the fact that they are a Woman/Black woman/Black Man/Latino/Asian/Gay/Disabled is the epitome of essentialist thinking and well, racist. And I bet you voted for Obama, too.
Thank you, Get A Clue In the 21st Century!
Good to know I’m not the only voice screaming.
Thank you “Get a Clue”
Sincerely,
The one minority in the writers room.
Why do you think that so much of TV and Films suck? Is it that .02 percent that is minority or the 99% that isn’t? Perhaps we should fire all the white males and replace them with Minorities for 2 years and see if the quality of Films and TV changes.
Chris, you are 100 percent correct.
Good for this guy. Bottom line, the best writer should always get the job– irrespective of ethnicity.
That will never happen, of course. But that should be the goal.
@ David,
The best writer is a subjective opinion. So no, that will never happen. What can happen is that Showrunners can hire good writers of various backgrounds to round out a show. Plenty of good writers needing opportunity. Plenty of not so good one’s who get them all the time.
Dear White men,
The lowly black or Asian writer who wins some “minority sweepstakes” isn’t your enemy. The real villains are the connected white male insiders who hire their no-talent, ass sucking buddies who sit on the sofa and get “careers.”
These programs suck in minorities, get them on staff for a season and then most of them never work again.
These programs are a trick, a diversion, because creating a true meritocracy is near impossible given our natural tendencies to protect our friends and family and the fact that we are three generations deep in the idiot children of idiot children who run the shop.
All I can say is lead with talent, hope and pray.
I am completely confused? Why do these writers already have agents? If a writer already has representation, why are they allow to enter? This makes no sense.
As for white males – You are so selfish. It’s simple: SHARE.
Share what? 99% don’t have squat and want a break, just like you.
But the flip side is they don’t have special programs with placement, production credits, or initiatives to get them in.
@White Male Ain’t Easy Street, Sorry:
True. A lot of white male writers are looking for a break. It’s hard for everyone. HOWEVER, when you go look in a writers room the majority of the writers, meaning all but one are generally white people; past that the main majority are white men. So the perception and reality is that anyone not of the majority is having a harder time than their white contemporaries at finding work.
As far as special programs, many do allow white men to apply even though they might encourage diverse candidates to apply as well. When these programs, in general, maybe put the one person of diversity inside a writers room that is not exactly “getting in” comparatively speaking. And in Hollywood with all its nepotism, cronyism, sexism, ageism, racism, sleeping around for gigs, etc. one person getting in on a “program” isn’t all that beyond the pale is it? Especially when a good number of writers want to look down their nose at that person.
Good luck on your journey.
wah, wah, wah….
Poor me. Even if I don’t know what I’m talking about.
Here, let me help you.
http://writersworkshop.warnerbros.com/
http://abctalentdevelopment.com/programs/programs_writings_fellowship.html
Straight white males encouraged to apply. And yes, my straight white male friends have applied and two were accepted. Both working on shows now.
“I’ve lost count of the shows I’ve been on where ‘minority hires’ were glad-handed into the writers room and were ultimately among the least talented person there.”
I love that this comes from a guy who can’t spell “disservice”.
Congrats! Well deserved!!!
LGBT writers need help breaking into Hollywood? They already own Hollywood!
@Carlton –
I worked for years on a top-10 show that wouldn’t hire gay people as writers or even actors if they could help it because the star is a homophobic asshole. (They also declined to hire women writers for the same reason, but that’s another story.)
Saying any minority group secretly runs Hollywood is just silly.
Congrats, Tom! A terrific, talented, passionate and hardworking writer who deserves this honor and more. Can’t wait for Queen!
Because having an agent doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s just the beginning…
Disney fellowship isn’t a diversity program (contrary to what everyone says when they don’t get in:-) and neither is the Warner bros workshop. Go for it!
Hang in there, Black Chick. I know it’s not easy.
My issue with these programs is that they’re looking for “diverse” writers who “need help getting through the door”, yet…the only way to even get INTO these programs is by having an agent or manager…which, in my opinion, IS the friggin’ help getting into the door!
What about the writers who are talented and DON’T have an agent or manager? And not because they aren’t talented enough, but because they don’t have anyone “worthy” in their life to refer us to agents or managers? WE’RE the ones who need help. If these repped writers aren’t getting jobs, it’s not b/c of their color or sex or sexuality. Maybe it’s b/c they simply aren’t talented enough?
And I’m a Black male, so please don’t reply to the post thinking I’m a white guy who’s pissed about diversity programs. I’m a talented writer without connections, so thus continue to languish, while mediocre writers with a cousin or best friend in the industry gets to flourish.
Bitter? A little. But what can you expect from a world that’s based upon nepotism and connections?
No one has a best friend in the industry, until they do. Quit whining and go out there and network. That is half of your job and if you don’t understand that you will never flourish.
Dear How do I get a chance….
Um did you actually look into the programs? This program is a little different from the rest because it’s for mid-level writers, but even still, you don’t have to have an agent to be submitted – you could be submitted just by being part of one of the nominating organizations – for example – Writers Boot Camp, Film Independent, Organization of Black Screenwriters (OBS), the NAACP or any of the other 13 organizations listed here: http://www.fox.com/audiencestrategy/foxwritersintensive/ …but you don’t need anything but an internet connection and Save as PDF capabilities to apply to WB, Disney/ABC, NBC, CBS, Nichols, Nickelodeon, Sundance Screenwriters Lab, The Cosby Fellowship, Austin and I’m sure there’s others I’m forgetting, and I have friends who have gotten into all of these without a single recommendation or connection. Not really sure what you’re complaining about…. sounds like you haven’t even bothered to see what opportunities are out there before complaining up a storm of nonsense.
Did anyone notice iris yamashita was one of these writers. She has a friggin Oscar nomination for letters from iwo jima.
And she still can’t get staffed… so what does that tell you?
Congratulations to him! Well-deserved! Some of you venomous types may be interested to know that all 10 writers selected for this program got in through blind reads – that is, their names were not included on the cover pages. And the fact that some of the writers have made it through several rounds of judging in other programs with other scripts should only validate their talent. So rest assured that this is a gifted and hard-working individual who deserves to be recognized. Show a little love!
Tom! Do the damn thing. You deserve it! And please ingore the haters.