Writers Boot Camp Fellowship
Educating Future Professionals

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

The Writers Boot Camp Fellowship is awarded every month to three writers based on a viable idea, an entertaining scene conveying the potential of your idea and a short description of creative goals.
The Fellowship includes a full scholarship through one year of Writers Boot Camp’s Online Professional Membership (OPM) and additional individual staff support.
One development deal is awarded annually to one of the Fellows selected throughout the year.

The Fellowship mission is to discover, train and launch new screenwriting, television writing, diverse and inspired talent.

Three Fellows are selected every month, including one Feature Fellow, one Television Fellow and one Diversity/Inspired Fellow.
Winners will be notified by a Writers Boot Camp staff member and names posted on your My Status page.
Fellows will be immediately integrated into the Writers Boot Camp community and may begin OPM coursework within 24 hours of notification.
Once Fellows complete the first six months of coursework, competition for the development deal will begin.

A development deal is a contract to write a script based on an original idea or source material for an individual producer, production company, network or studio.
After six months of individual coursework, each Fellow’s work will be further evaluated to create a ranking within the group of Fellows for that year and to select the most outstanding Fellow.
The development deal will be subject to change depending on the Fellow’s unique writing strengths, background and the priorities of our sponsoring partner at the time. The development deal could be based on one of the writer’s original ideas or a new project assigned by our sponsoring partner.
We have many potential partners in various aspects of the entertainment business. A typical development deal will include installment payments by the sponsoring partner to the writer as stages of work are completed and signed off. If the project is produced, all payments will be treated as advances against the equivalent Writers Guild minimum for the appropriate budget level.

OPM is Writers Boot Camp’s Online Professional Membership, which is our live full development coursework and support adapted for our members outside of the New York and Los Angeles areas.
OPM teaches writers, and anyone working with scripts in the entertainment industry, how to take an idea from early draft of a script all the way through an empowered rewriting method to work in the most proficient and professional way.
OPM lets you keep your day job and requires only 10 hours a week for your writing and creative work, focusing you on the completion of a script every six months.
An instructor guides your process as course materials are released every two weeks with assignments and deadlines to help you build your script. Office Hours are available for one-on-one telephone and email support, as well as website portfolio utilities and supplemental educational materials.
The Fellowship includes one year of OPM coursework, including instructor support and three script evaluations, plus additional staff support and benefits throughout the formal Fellowship calendar. Together with coursework and additional support, the Fellowship equivalent value is $5000.

Click on “Become a Fellow” and you can follow the simple instructions from there.
First, register on our website with your email and password.
Complete the 20 application questions, including a project title and single-sentence Premise Line.
Upload your script pages in Final Draft format to the application.
Sign the Fellowship Agreement by clicking on the signature box.
Choose your Fellowship Categories and optional Diversity/Inspired Categories.
Complete your payment.
Login to My Status for notification of winners and updates.

Candidates must be available to commit 10 hours a week to writing and creative work.
Candidates must be 18 years or older to apply.
Candidates must sign the Fellowship Agreement by clicking on the signature box.

An original project idea for a Feature Screenplay or Television Pilot.
A Project Title and Premise Line for your project.
One written scene (three pages or less) conveying the entertainment potential of your project.
A short paragraph on your writing goals.
We don’t recommend sending the opening scene of your project for submission.
Your scene should be entertaining and pertinent to the expectations indicated in your premise line.
Motivation for continued writing and education.

Submissions are carefully reviewed by specially trained and experienced Writers Boot Camp staff members.
The evaluation process is based on a comprehensive checklist and a set of professional tools that have launched hundreds of A-List screenwriting, television writing and filmmaking careers and are an inherent part of the educational coursework at Writers Boot Camp created and evolved by founder Jeffrey Gordon since 1989.
Each submission is evaluated on a point system that includes rating numerous variables, including the viability and originality of your idea, the strength of your Project Title and clarity of your Premise Line, the nature of your principal characters and their relationships, and the readability and quality of your scene work and dialogue.
The evaluation will also address your writing voice, education, personal statement and creative calendar (your availability for writing).

Creative Categories are the specific film genres and television themes for consideration each month.
Creative Categories change every month throughout the year.
Your project must be consistent with one of the monthly categories to be considered for that month’s Fellowship.

Consideration for the Fellowship in a single Creative Category is $54. Your application fee will depend on how many Creative Categories you choose.
You may choose to apply only for the Feature Screenplay Fellowship, only for the Television Fellowship, or for both the Feature and TV Pilot Fellowships.
Application fees are designed to provide savings in cases where consideration is warranted in multiple Creative Categories.
Each Diversity and Inspired category is an additional $12 fee. There is a limit of three Diversity/Inspired Categories.

Diversity and Inspired Categories are designed as an opportunity to award a third Fellow each month based on additional and often intangible strengths of your material and background.
Diversity Categories are based on culturally and ethnically diverse heritage.
Diversity Fellows are selected based on the subject matter and/or lead characters of your project.
Inspired Fellows are selected based on your areas of personal interest, professional background, passion and experience.