ABOUT THE PROGRAM
NALIP and NFMLA are excited to collaborate once again with STARZ for the fifth season of the STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive—an empowering program aimed at nurturing new voices in television. This initiative provides emerging writers the opportunity to refine their skills and develop original spec scripts with hands-on guidance from top-tier mentors, executives, and experienced writers.
In 2026, four writers will be selected to participate in both phases of the program. In Phase 1, participants will connect with 15 industry professionals from a wide array of TV backgrounds while crafting a spec episode treatment. In Phase 2, each writer will write a full spec episode script based on an existing STARZ series and receive support from an industry mentor.
APPLICATION RELATED DATES
Call For Entries Opens
August 18th, 2026 @ 11:00 am PT*
Call For Entries Closes
September 15th, 2026 @ 11:00 am PT*
Participants Announced
October 7th, 2026*
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Selected participants must be available for the duration of the following dates
Phase One
October 12th, 2026 - October 16th, 2026
1 Week, 32 hours total (Mon - Fri)
- A one-week intensive featuring meetings & sessions with industry creatives and professionals
- Participants receive feedback & support to develop an episode treatment
- The program culminates with a STARZ jury reading treatments
Phase Two
October 19th, 2026 - November 20th, 2026
4 Weeks, 4 Hours/Week
- Meetings with STARZ executives to hone spec script
- Feedback from STARZ mentors to refine spec script
- Final review and final set of notes for spec script
BENEFITS
- A $5,000 USD grant will be awarded to writers selected for the program
- An opportunity to connect with industry professionals and creatives.
APPLICATION/APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS
- Must be the credited sole writer with at least one fully completed short or feature narrative film, which has been accepted into a film festival, OR have a story department-related credit (e.g., writer's assistant, staff writer, showrunner's assistant, script coordinator) on an episodic project
- Must be or become a member of NALIP and/or NFMLA
- Must be at least 18 years old at the time of application and legally authorized work, and participate in the Intensive in the United States
- Must accept and agree to program rules, terms & conditions, and sign the program release
- Must be available for all program dates outlined above
APPLICATION/APPLICANT MATERIALS
- All submission materials must be in English. If the project is in another language, please include a written English translation
- The first ten pages of an original episodic ½-hour or 1-hour script
- A treatment of the original episodic ½-hour or 1-hour script submitted
- A resume (no more than one page)
- A writer's statement (no more than one page) detailing what inspired you to apply to this program and your professional goals
- A bio of the writer, including any relevant projects, awards, accolades, festival recognitions, etc
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
The STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers' Intensive is accepting applications via Scrybe.If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]
*Dates are subject to change, all revised dates will be updated on this page