EXCLUSIVE: Incapacity Belongs, a nationwide disability-led nonprofit recognized for creating systemic change in how society views and values folks with disabilities, has revealed the newest cohort for its TV Writing Intensive.
This yr, 5 disabled writers will collect from June 20 to 27 for per week {of professional} growth, group constructing, and direct entry to leisure trade leaders. Incapacity Belongs additionally plans to carry a second in-person intensive targeted on unscripted content material later this yr.
The 2025 TV Writing Intensive Fellows are:
Christopher James, San Diego, CA
Kimberly Manky, Toronto, ON
Rebekah Mueller, Los Angeles, CA
Stephen Nolly, Los Angeles, CA
Diana Romero, Los Angeles, CA
4 of the 5 Fellows are alumni of the Incapacity Belongs Leisure Lab, now in its sixth yr.
“I participated within the Incapacity Belongs ™ Leisure Lab in 2020 simply after turning into a wheelchair person, and it was the primary time I actually felt included in a inventive area,” Diana Romero, who beforehand served as a writers’ assistant for the TV collection Good Bother and 4400, mentioned in a press release to Deadline. “Being surrounded by different disabled artists and allies was life-affirming—it gave me each group and braveness. One of many Lab audio system even turned my solo present writing trainer, and now I’m performing Me, Myself and Different on the Fringe competition circuit. I’m so excited to proceed creating my voice by way of the TV Writing Intensive. This group helped me discover path in my new profession as a author after years as a movie producer—and has additionally supported me as an advocate. I’ve had the respect of being invited to talk on their panels to share my experiences as a disabled inventive, which has been each humbling and empowering.”
Among the many alternatives obtainable through the TV Writing Intensive, fellows will take part in interactive classes with writers, showrunners, and executives from main studios, networks, and manufacturing corporations. From roundtable discussions to sensible workshops, the Intensive presents alternatives for fellows to each be taught from and community with skilled professionals of their area.
Final yr, the TV Writing Intensive was divided into separate tracks for drama and comedy. Nonetheless, this yr, Incapacity Belongs has determined to mix the cohorts to foster “richer collaboration, cross-genre progress, and stronger peer assist.”
For even larger networking alternatives, the 2025 cohort can even be capable to work together with 10 alumni from earlier program iterations: Michael Busza, Katherine Craft, David Dineen-Porter, Liz Galalis, Jeremy Hsing, Teresa Jusino, Melissa Kong, Monica Cecilia Lucas, Sandrene Mathews, and Ava Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt.
The Incapacity Belongs Leisure Lab and associated pipeline programming have constructed a robust group of 228 alumni who’re altering the channel within the leisure trade. Alumni have gone on to seek out jobs at main studios — together with Netflix, Disney, and Sony Photos Leisure — premiere work at SXSW and be part of applications on the Sundance Institute, amongst different wins.
