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The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) has announced its 2014 Writer Access Project Honorees, a slate of 15 diverse television writers who’ve competed in Comedy and Drama script categories. 

Coordinated by the Guild’s Diversity Department, WAP identifies talented, diverse writers with television staffing experience through a peer-judging process and provides a vehicle for accessing their outstanding work to entertainment industry decision-makers, including showrunners, producers, network/studio executives, agents, and managers. 

First launched in 2009, and timed to coincide with TV staffing season, the program was created as an attempt to address the chronically low numbers of diverse writers hired in television writing rooms. As WAP matures it is yielding tangible results: for example, 2013 WAP honoree Lena Waithe is currently a staff writer on TV’s Bones. In addition, comedy writing team and 2012 WAP honorees Jacqueline McKinley & Antonia March were subsequently staffed as producers for TV’s Are We There Yet?as well as consulting producers on First Family. This year, McKinley & March were also selected to participate in the WGAW’s 2014 Showrunner Training Program, which mentors experienced TV writers to become the next crop of showrunners.

For WAP consideration, qualified WGAW members were invited to submit their work in one of five diversity categories: minority writers, writers with disabilities, women writers, 55-and-over writers, and gay and lesbian writers. Entries were read and scored on a blind submission basis by panels of WGAW members with extensive television writing experience, including current and former showrunners, as well as writer-producers.

This year, a total of 164 scripts (106 in Drama / 58 Comedy) were submitted for WAP consideration – and a total of 93 Writers Guild members served as 2014 WAP judges during the selection process.

“The Writer Access Project was conceived from the beginning with a dual function – to benefit both mid-career diverse television writers by improving their access to those making hiring decisions during staffing season and to serve as a resource for showrunners who are looking for diverse writers for their staffs. Five years in, the program is working. Many honorees have gone on to staff and many have moved up the ranks from staff writer into Story Editor or Producer level writing jobs. Showrunners are beginning to see the Writer Access Project as a trusted source – recommended by their peers – of quality, experienced TV writers from a wide variety of diverse backgrounds. In the crush of staffing season this program offers a valuable resource for both sides of the hiring equation,” said WGAW Director of Diversity Kimberly Myers.

For more information about the WGAW’s Writer Access Project and 2014 WAP Honorees, including their scripts, please visit: http://www.wga.org/wap.

2014 WAP COMEDY HONOREES

Gloria Calderon Kellet – Accidental Sluts
Geetika Lizardi – Sofa King
Cynthia Riddle & Peter Hunziker – Invisible
Sara Saedi – The Most F**ked Up Book Club Ever

2014 WAP DRAMA HONOREES

Beth Armogida – Charlotte Tanner
Will Berson – Elsinore
Yule Caise – World Affairs
Lana Cho – Damaged
John Lau – The Business of Pleasure
Susan Gauthier – The Bitches of St. Brigid’s Hall
Adam Rodman – The Real Thing
Jared Romero – Repossessed
Deborah Swisher – Smart Girl
Marc Scott Zicree – Mad Men: Walking Distance