In 2027, New York Stage & Film’s Filmmakers' Workshop program will support up to eight early-career screenwriters working on strong drafts of a feature film or television pilot. Each writer will have their work read by professional actors, followed by a notes session with a team of showrunners and established screenwriters, who also serve as individual mentors. Recent industry mentors include Matthew Weiner (MAD MEN, THE SOPRANOS), Marcus Gardley (THE COLOR PURPLE), Halley Feiffer (AMERICAN HORROR STORY), Kenneth Lin (STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, HOUSE OF CARDS), Adam Higgs (FUBAR), among many others. In addition, there are masterclasses held in areas such as pitching, film editing, how to revise, and adapting intellectual property. Recent guest artists have included Carly Mensch (GLOW, CAPTAIN MARVEL), Liz Flahive (GLOW, CAPTAIN MARVEL), Madhuri Shekar (A NICE INDIAN BOY), and Ajay Sahgal (EXTENDED FAMILY).
We are seeking pilots and feature-length scripts that are beyond the first-draft stage but not quite yet at the finish line. We’re looking for writers who are committed to the revision process, and ready to use this program to help sharpen their scripts and bring them to the next level (which could include being staffed for the first time).
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Writers will be required to submit an application, which will ask you to include:
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A full-length draft of the proposed script.
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Artistic Statement: A one-page pdf document that includes your personal and professional background, passion for writing, artistic goals, etc. If you would prefer to upload a video with your responses, please ensure it is less than 5 minutes long and answers each question clearly
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Developmental Background and Goals: A one-page pdf document that includes your log line, the genesis of your piece, questions you’re grappling with, the goals you are presently working to accomplish, and the piece's developmental history
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Resume: Applicable resume
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Television Pilots Only: A Series Arc Document or Bible
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Payment of the $35 application fee.
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If this fee would make applying inaccessible to you, we encourage you to complete a fee waiver application form. Please note, waivers are extremely limited, and we take care to ensure that they go towards those who can most greatly benefit from their assistance. We appreciate your understanding and in the spirit of equity request that only individuals genuinely in need of this assistance apply.
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INTERVIEWS:
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Finalists will be invited to interview with the S&F Artistic team (Ian Belknap, Isabelle Fereshteh Sanatdar Stevens, Pradanya Subramanyan).
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Applicants will be contacted if we wish to request a phone or video interview. If you do not receive a response from us by February 1, 2027, we encourage you to apply again next year. We look forward to engaging with your work in the future!
PROGRAM DATES:
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The workshop will take place in Poughkeepsie, NY during one of the two following weeks (running Sunday through Sunday): June 13–20 or June 20–27. We will announce the final assigned dates as soon as possible.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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The program takes place at Marist University in Poughkeepsie, New York.
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New York Stage & Film will provide housing in apartment-style student townhouses on the Marist University campus, which include:
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Private Bedroom
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Shared bathroom, kitchen, and living space
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Free in-unit laundry facilities
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Free on-campus parking available
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Writers will receive a $500 stipend.
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We encourage writers across the United States to apply. After selections are made, there will be communication about travel and potential travel reimbursement.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
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Do you own the rights to my script?
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No, writers retain all rights. Participants will be required to sign a letter of agreement prior to arrival noting inclusion of an end credit should your feature or pilot get produced, stating that the project was developed with support from New York Stage & Film Filmmakers’ Workshop.
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Will you consider adaptations of existing material?
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We will consider adaptations if you can provide proof that you own the rights to the underlying material. Applicants are responsible for all underlying rights.
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My script has a producer attached. Can I still apply?
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Attachments must be disclosed in the “Project Status” section of the application and are considered on a case-by-case basis.
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I only have a treatment (or a partial script) will you accept that?
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No. We only accept completed original pilots or feature films for consideration.
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Why do you charge an application fee?
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Our application fee covers the compensation of our script readers. We offer fee waivers to support artists with financial need. The form for fee waivers can be accessed here. Fee waivers can partially or fully cover the application fee, depending on need and impact.
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ALUMNI PARTICIPANTS
Nichole Abshire
Sherif Alabede
Kevin Armento
Paul Baiguerra
Nancy Bannon
David Baugnon
Rob Bellon
Jason Begue
Anika Benkov
Brooke Berman
Jonathan Bird
Caroline Lai Hung Blair
Jaki Bradley
Maria Agui Carter
Yakira Chambers
Damon Colquhoun
Michael Cooke
Melody Cooper
Jed Cowley
Adam Curley
Danielle Davenport
Kim Dempster
Sachin Dharwadker
Nancy Duff
Jenna Ebersberger
Santino Fontana
Darcy Fowler
Avra Fox-Lerner
Kyle Fried
Jonterri Gadson
James Gallagher
Dan Giles
Bat-Sheva Guez
Hasan Hadi
Jenny Halper
Harrison Hamm
Jacob Harpel
Drew Harper
Lukas Hassel
Anderson John Heinz
Maia Henkin
Atticus Hoffman
Summera Howell
Jerry Hsu
Olga Humphrey
Isabella Jackson
Jalissa Arie Jackson
Tarik Karam
Alessandro King
Tori Larsen
Ana Lazarevic
Savanah Leaf
Rebecca Liaw
Anndi Jinelle Ligget
Josh Liveright
Nolan Lynch
Destiny Macon
Abigail Mangin
Lauren Marcus
Mozhan Marnó
Jabari McDonald
Charlie McNamara
Ally Merkel
Denise Meyers
Lara Miller
Matt Mitchell
Allyson Morgan
B. Monet
Caitlan Moore
Nikita Mungarwadi
Heidi Neurauter
Tyler Nilson
Samuel Nozik
Sam Pavich
Maya Perez
Ashley Pishock
Ama Quao
Guru Ramanathan
Traven Rice
Jay Riedl
Ivan Rome
Charia Rose
April Rouveyrol
Richa Rudola
Jianna Maarten Saada
Natalya Samee
Adriana Santos
Minnie Schedeen
Robin Rose Singer
Shawn Snyder
Sathya Sridharan
Benjy Steinberg
Azia Squire
Syd Stewart
Donna Bonilla Wheeler
Craig T. Williams
G. Wilson
Shawn Wines
Habib Yazdi
Emily Zemba
PROFESSIONAL MENTORS
Marilyn Agrelo
Zakiyyah Alexander
Joshua Astrachan
Jeff Augustin
Kevin Bacon
Stephen Belber
Kyle Bradstreet
Anthony Bregman
Keith Bunin
Anne Carey
Thomas Carter
Luis Castro
Micharne Cloughley
Elsie Choi
Rebecca Choi
Alexandra Cunningham
Miranda de Pencier
Bash Doran
Griffin Dunne
Laura Eason
Grace Edwards
Halley Feiffer
Marcus Gardley
Shani Geva
Melissa Gibson
Geoffrey Gilmore
Jessica Goldberg
William Goldberg
Tony Goldwyn
Bingo Gubelmann
Andy Hafitz
Jenny Halper
Zach Helm
Adam Higgs
Michael Hoffman
Soo Hugh
Tom Hulce
Chisa Hutchinson
Michelle Denise Jackson
Kim Jose
Rajiv Joseph
Toni Kalem
Aditi Brennan Kapil
Jason Katims
Richard LaGravenese
Kenneth Lin
Geetika Lizardi
Michael London
Andrew Marcus
Riva Marker
Laura Marks
Mia Mask
Mary Stuart Masterson
Max Mayer
Gabriel “Gabi” Mayers
Paula Mazur
Lillah McCarthy
Scott McGehee
Bill Migliore
Rebecca Miller
Rob Morrow
Ekwa Msangi
Arpita Mukherjee
Janine Nabers
Geoffrey Nauffts
Michael Nozik
Ken Olin
Tawal Panyacosit Jr.
Frank Pugliese
Josh Radnor
Jacquelyn Reingold
Anslem Richardson
Amy Robinson
Álvaro Rodríguez
Julie Rottenberg
Kent Sanderson
Peter Saraf
Kyra Sedgwick
John Patrick Shanley
David Siegel
Diana Son
Tim Squyres
Shelby Stone
Charlie Stratton
Lucy Thurber
Jon Tenney
Bryan Unkeless
Leslie Urdang
Ray Utarnichtt
Lindsey Villarreal
Ben Watkins
Matthew Weiner
Suzanne Weinert
Jennifer Westfeldt
Diana Williams
Matt Williams
Shawn Wines
Stu Zicherman
Maria Zuckerman
Elisa Zuritsky