October 8, 2025
Frida Perez, First Latina Emmy Winner for Comedy Writing, Keynote Speaker at NHMC’s 2025 Scriptwriters Program Closing Ceremony
National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) recently held a closing ceremony for the successful completion of its 2025 Series Scriptwriters Program, a virtual eight-week intense writers lab that has helped launch the careers of more than 200 Latine writers in its twenty-plus year history.
Coming off of a recent historical Emmy win, as the first Latina to receive Outstanding Comedy Series honors, Dominican-American writer Frida Perez joined the ceremony to provide some uplifting words to the 2025 cohort sharing, “[Writing] is such a collaborative medium, so I would really emphasize trying to make the experience of telling stories a really fulfilling and enriching one. I worked hard, I had my voice and perspective, but I wouldn't be where I am today had I not been promoted, elevated, and supported. You all have such distinct backgrounds and personalities, and I really am so excited to see that on screen.”
For more than twenty years, NHMC has cemented the Series Scriptwriters Program as one of the leading writer’s labs in the entertainment industry. The unique eight-week intense writers lab accepts nationwide applications and ten Latine writers from diverse backgrounds are selected to participate. Participants work closely with mentors, meet seasoned writers in the industry, join a community of alum Latine writers, and have the opportunity to connect with agents, managers, and executives in the entertainment industry. By the end of the program, participants will have developed a half-hour or hour-long original series pilot. During the closing ceremony, network executives and partners of the program listen to the pitches the writers have developed. Partners include The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, Netflix, T-Mobile, Golden Globe Foundation, Google, Motion Picture Association, and the Writers Guild of America West.
President & CEO of NHMC, Brenda Victoria Castillo, emphasized the importance of this year's writers being present in this industry, stating: “At a time like this, the ultimate achievement is to protect a free society so that your stories, your creations, can be free and live forever. It is us who tell the stories, us who should write and control the narrative, and speak truth. The reason I'm so elated to be here among you, the writers, is that this is where we all fit in. You are those storytellers.”
This year’s participants included:
Alumni of the program have gone on to work on shows that can be viewed on Netflix, Apple TV+, NBCUniversal, HBOMax, Hulu, ViacomCBS, Paramount+, Amazon Prime, Disney+, AMC Networks, and more.
For more information about the Series Scriptwriters Program visit: https://www.nhmc.org/writers/.
