FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Araceli Velasco | 626-792-6462 | nhmc@sunshinesachs.com
August 10, 2021
The National Hispanic Media Coalition Unveils Its 2021 Series Scriptwriters Program Cohort
The 35-year-old civil rights nonprofit organization is proud to announce a new group of Latinx writers entering the signature program
Los Angeles, CA – The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) welcomes ten talented Latinx writers to its 2021 Series Scriptwriters Program. The writers were selected from hundreds of applicants across the country by the 35-year-old civil rights and advocacy nonprofit organization. This new group of talent include Linzy Beltran, April M. Sanchez, Diego Moreno, Michel Lichand, Eli Vazquez, Ana Defillo, Rolando Gomez, Desiree Carcamo, Samantha Renee Cordero and Linda Dillon Moya, who were all celebrated this past Thursday, August 5th with an event attended by Tim McNeal, Walt Disney Television; Claudia Prado, Univision; Diana Rodriguez, Union Bank; Pete Corona, Netflix; Clint Odom, T-Mobile; and Robert Baltazar, NBCUniversal among many others.
Photos can be found here.
Highlights from the event include remarks from President & CEO, Brenda Victoria Castillo; NHMC Series Scriptwriters Program Mentor and former NBC V.P. of Script Development, Geoff Harris; remarks from guest speakers Erika Kennair, President of Production at Extracurricular, and former graduates of NHMC’s program Zayre Ferrer and Danny Batista; along with a presentation from each of the ten graduating writers.
The writers’ program has served nearly 200 diverse alumni who have gone on to write for series such as The Umbrella Academy, The Flash, Cruel Summer, Generation, Resident Alien, Santiago of the Seas, Legendary, Painkiller, Indebted, Selena: The Series, and more. Some notable NHMC Series Scriptwriters Program alumni include Emilia Serrano (Writer, Untitled Paramount+ Feature, CO-Executive Producer, ABC’s Mixed-ish); Sierra Teller Ornelas (Executive Producer, Peacock’s Rutherford Falls), and Rob Sudduth (co-executive producer, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, co-executive producer, ABC Untitled TV Movie). Also, writers Jessica Lopez, Jorge Ramirez (Story Editor) Martinez and Pamela Garcia Rooney are all writers for Selena: The Series on Netflix.
“NHMC is proud to cultivate the next generation of storytellers. We are always elated to see a new group of writers start this program. They are the future of the industry. From the next staff writers to your favorite show’s showrunners,” said Brenda Victoria Castillo, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. “As we have done so for nearly twenty years, we continue to advance Latinx writers in an industry that has yet to fully utilize our community’s rich and diverse talent. NHMC is here to bridge the gap and connect the entertainment industry with well-equipped writers who are ready to tell authentic stories.”
NHMC’s Series Scriptwriters Program was held virtually from June to July of this year, and was proudly sponsored by Univision Communications, Inc., The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal Telemundo, T-Mobile, Netflix, Union Bank, and ViacomCBS. During the virtual program, ten talented Latinx writers emerged themselves in a writers room-style lab, where they learned from industry leaders and completed 30-minute to 1-hour pilots in drama or comedy. Among guest speakers were Erika Kennair, Zayre Ferrer, Pete Corona, Emilia Serrano, Lainie Gallers Tarter, Davah Avena, Alex Tse, Ryan Cassells, Kristy Grisham, and Mitch Graham.
