Harvardwood has announced its Writers Competition winners and Most Staffable TV Writers List. Several categories are led by writers from underrepresented groups. The winners are chosen via a blind judging process, and Harvardwood’s writers programs and competition have always had a far more diverse population than any WGA statistics on TV writers’ rooms or feature projects. 

“Harvardwood has strived to support new voices in the industry, and we are proud to see those efforts reflected in our competition winners,” says President Allison Kiessling.

Please see the Deadline announcement here.

The writers will be mentored by leading TV and film professionals, read by top producers, and considered for representation at established agencies and management companies.

The winners of the Harvardwood Writers Competition in each category are:

FEATURE Winner: 

• CHERRY HILL BLUES by Shay Ball* 

SHORTS Winner:

• THE BURDEN OF JAMIE MILNER by Ty Turley

TV Category: 

• Winners (tied for first place): 
  • GAS N’ SHOP by Rupak Ginn* and Amar Shah*
  • SHROOMS by Min-Woo Park*
• Runner Up: 
  • BOONE by Katherine Hart

HARVARDWOOD’S MOST STAFFABLE WRITER: 

• LOST CAUSE by Jared Lopez*

*Eligible for network diversity programs

To request materials directly from any of the above parties, please contact [email protected] and cc: [email protected]

Each of these talented writers was selected by a panel of industry professionals. Each writer will receive a one-on-one mentorship, and Competition winners received a cash prize.

This year's mentors include:

• Carolyn Cassidy (President, 20th Century Fox TV)
• Michael Colton (writer-producer, Home Economics, Close Enough)
• Nancy Cotton (EVP Scripted, EPIX)
• Adam Fratto (VP Scripted, History Channel)
• Mynette Louie (producer, I Carry You With Me, Swallow)
• David Mandel (writer-producer, Veep, White House Plumbers)
• Colleen McGuinness (writer-producer, Stargirl, Ramy)
• Jordan Reddout (writer-producer, Mixed-ish, Will and Grace)
• Diallo Riddle (writer-producer, Sherman’s Showcase, South Side)
• Jeff Schaffer (writer-producer, Dave, Curb Your Enthusiasm)
• Thania St. John (writer-producer, Project Blue Book, Covert Affairs)
• Patric Verrone (writer-producer, Disenchanted, Futurama)

In recent years, participants in the Harvardwood Writers Program and Competition have seen unprecedented success with pilot sales to ABC, the CW, Disney+, Jim Henson Company, Netflix, Showtime, Sony,, Syfy, and TV Land, in addition to blind script deals at ABC Studios and Warner Bros. Harvardwood writers have been staffed on over two dozen shows, and recent shows include: Almost Paradise (WGN), American Dad (Fox), Animaniacs (Hulu), Awkwafina is Nora From Queens (Comedy Central), Billions (Showtime), Bridgerton (Netflix), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (CW), Emergence (ABC), Family Guy (FOX), Fear the Walking Dead (AMC), The Flash (CW), Future Man (Hulu), The Goldbergs (ABC), Gotham (Fox), Grey's Anatomy (ABC), The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), Homeland (Showtime), How To Get Away With Murder (ABC), In The Dark (CW), Jane the Virgin (CW), Manhunt: Deadly Games (CBS), Marvel’s Runaways (Hulu), Power (Starz), Queen Sugar (OWN),The Resident (FOX), Shadowhunters (Freeform), and The Society (Netflix). Among our feature film writers, successes include writing for: Marvel Films, Circle of Confusion, Electric Entertainment, and Netflix.

Participants have secured representation at Apostle, Benderspink, Brant Rose Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, CAA, Circle of Confusion, Echo Lake, Gersh, ICM, Madhouse Entertainment, Management 360, Mosaic, Original Artists, UTA, WME, and others.

"Harvardwood thanks our outstanding mentors and panel of industry judges for their time and effort in helping develop new voices and diverse perspectives in film and television," says Harvardwood founder Mia Riverton Alpert. "We are thrilled by the high quality of work that continues to emerge from this program."

For more information about the Harvardwood Writers Competition and the Harvardwood Writers Program, please contact: Justin White, Director, at [email protected].