Native American TV writers lab calling for script submissions

LOS ANGELES – The LA Skins Fest, a Native American film festival, in partnership with NBCUniversal, CBS Entertainment Diversity and HBO announced today they are accepting applications for the inaugural the NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB.

“CBS Entertainment Diversity is proud to continue our long partnership with the LA Skins Fest. The NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB will provide another point of entry for emerging writers that we look forward to getting to know,” said Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, CBS, EVP Diversity, Inclusion & Communications.

The NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB is an intensive TV writing workshop that prepares Native Americans for writing careers at major television networks. This lab is designed to address the lack of Native American writers in primetime network TV.

The NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB was created in accordance with the LA Skins Fest’s mission to improve media portrayals of Native Americans and to increase the number of Native Americans employed in all facets of the media industry.

“NBCUniversal is pleased to partner with the LA Skins Fest, offering a valuable pipeline for Native American actors, writers and directors. We are dedicated to fostering diverse storytelling and are proud to support the NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB,” Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer, NBCUniversal.

The five week, total immersion workshop will be mentored and guided by Geoff Harris, the program mentor for the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Writers Program and former head of Story Development at NBCUniversal. The lab will be conducted in Los Angeles, CA with a maximum of seven writers accepted.

The five-week lab will take place mid-May to mid-June of this year and consist of panel discussions, one on one meetings and group workshops. The purpose of the lab is to further develop the skills of the writers and prepare them for employment in the industry.

The NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB is for seasoned writers who are capable of writing at least one half hour comedy or one-hour drama television script within a five-week period. Each selected participant is expected to complete at least one script by the end of the five-week session, which will then be read by network executives.

Ian Skorodin, Founding Director of the LA SKINS FEST, said, “Together with our partners, we are honored to offer this incredible opportunity. This lab is a first step in giving a voice to an overwhelmingly talented but overlooked community.”

The NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB deadline to apply is April 11th, 2016. For more information and to submit please visit www.laskinsfest.com.

The NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB is supported by NBCUniversal, CBS Entertainment Diversity and HBO.

The LA Skins Fest is a Native American arts initiative that offers an annual film festival now entering its tenth year, a concert that showcases contemporary Native musicians and year round development opportunities for emerging Native American actors, writers, and directors. The LA Skins Fest is a project of the Barcid Foundation; a non-profit organization that focuses on multimedia programming in indigenous communities.

For more information please visit laskinsfest.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..