Rise Up and the Alliance of Latinx Executives Launch Showrunner Development Program

Mike Roe
·4 min read
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Screenwriting initiative Rise Up has partnered with the Alliance of Latinx Executives for a showrunners development program called “More Latinx Showrunners.” The program, according to a joint announcement on Tuesday, will pair Latinx writers who are believed to have showrunner potential with Latinx studio executives, putting them in a position to develop the relationships and skills necessary for rising to that leadership role.

Executives from Netflix, CBS, HBO Max, A+E, the BBC, Mattel and others are part of the initiative.

“For too long, we have heard from studios and platforms that there aren’t enough high-level Latinx writers for them to hire for top showrunning positions,” the Alliance of Latinx Executives’ John Pollak said in a statement. “Our goal with this program is to change that perception and bring awareness to the amazing Latinx writers who have worked their way up the ranks on television’s biggest shows to earn consideration for these top jobs.”

A split of two images of people with light brown, medium-toned skin, both wearing blazers in outdoor environments.
John Pollak and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (Courtesy More Latinx Showrunners)

The initial round connects 10 high-level Latinx writers or writing teams with execs in the new advocacy program. That’s out of a group of 25 writers who submitted themselves for consideration and were subsequently vetted one-on-one by Latinx executives.

The execs involved in the program include Joey Chavez (HBO Max), Tom Lerner (A+E Studios), Adam Martinez (CBS Studios), Alejandro Melendez (BBC Studios), Michelle Mendelovitz (Mattel Television Studios), Edy Mendoza (Netflix), Diana Mogollon (independent) and Nina Tassler (independent).

The 13 writers chosen for this round (seven individuals, three writing teams) are:

  • Davah Avena (“Firefly Lane,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”)

  • Tawnya Benavides Bhattacharya & Ali Laventhol (“Bel Air,” “My Life With the Walter Boys”)

  • Sal Calleros (“Snowfall”)

  • Chad Gomez Creasey (“NCIS”)

  • Luisa Leschin (“Gentefied”)

  • Evangeline Ordaz (“13 Reasons Why,” “Vida”)

  • Davy Perez (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”)

  • Carlito Rodriguez & Leah Benavides Rodriguez (“Empire”)

  • Santa Sierra (“Power Book III: Raising Kanan”)

  • Al Septien & Turi Meyer (“Stargirl”)

“The job of showrunner is a really difficult one to get whether it’s creating your own series or being brought on to run another series,” Rise Up’s Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (“Survival of the Thickest,” “Up Here”) said in a statement. “But the difficulty isn’t in talent or ability — it’s in relationships. It’s in making sure that decision-makers at studios know who you are and believe in you enough to give you a shot.”

“Our goal is to lift up talented, high-level Latinx/e writers and make them visible to run not only series featuring Latinx/e characters, but series of every genre, representing all characters, in any world,” Sanchez-Witzel said. “The obstacle cannot be a belief that no qualified BIPOC writers exist for these jobs. Here we are. Hire us.”

Ultimately, the organizers hope to create “a sustained pipeline of Latinx writers at the top of the production process.”

Out of more than 500 shows in production in 2021-22 season, fewer than 20 showrunners were Latinx, according to the groups. That compares with approximately 6,000 writers employed on these shows.

“It’s the second-most challenging roadblock for Latinx writers after breaking out of the entry-level staff writer position,” a release from the organizations read.

Rise Up and the Alliance plan to create a new group of pairings each year.

The writers who submitted but weren’t selected for this year’s effort will get to join a networking mixer with members of the Alliance of Latinx Executives.

Rise Up is an existing initiative working to advance the careers of Latinx writers, founded by writers Christina Piña (“Law & Order: Organized Crime”), Jorge Rivera (“Betrayed”), Sanchez-Witzel and Moisés Zamora (“Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” “Selena: The Series”). They’ve previously partnered with UTA for a program connecting lower-level Latinx writers with literary agency readers, as well as pairing those writers with upper-level writing mentors to help them with both their samples and interviewing.

The Alliance of Latinx Executives includes more than 100 Latinx execs. The organization’s Pollak is a former NBCUniversal executive who launched Allied Management Group with Wilmer Valderrama (“NCIS,” “Encanto,” “That ’70s Show”).

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