Women’s Rights Fellowship

19 May 2022, posted by Jeff Gordon

The deadline has passed for this category and winners have been selected. Please submit a Career Survey to inquire about Writers Boot Camp’s support through Basic Training and Professional Membership.

Fellowship Application Deadline: Saturday, May 28th, Noon, LA time.

Writers Boot Camp is continuing our support of diverse artists and fresh voices by providing three $2500 full scholarships in the Saturday, June 4th Basic Training to women writers. Candidates must be available to write 10 hours per week for 12 weeks during the Basic Training process that has supported more than 12,000 writers and filmmakers over the past 33 years.

This month’s theme, “Women’s Rights”, is not only about the individual rights of women but about stories of women being right. We are NOT looking for period pieces such as the suffragette movement or the fight for E.R.A. The emphasis will ideally be on modern day personal and civic experiences, stories of relationships, partnerships and teaming up.

We are not looking for dystopian, futuristic or Big Brother stories. Courtroom drama, comedic or satirical workplace stories, road trips, updated romantic stories, modern-day political adventures and achievements by and for women are all preferable paradigms and genres. We are looking for ideas that are more socially-oriented and go beyond personal trauma, which the Women Going Places Fellowship previously covered. The creative parameters of stories–whether TV series ideas, feature film scripts, theatrical material or books/novels–are wide open in this realm. Your project simply must be topically relevant and depict principal characters who are female. Men can certainly be viable and principal or supporting characters as appropriate to the genre and circumstance.

Writers Boot Camp alumni who have applied to a prior fellowship within the past six months–or who have won before–may apply for fun yet are not eligible to win.

Only winners will be notified individually. All non-winners will be notified by email no later than June 1st.

For all candidates who would like to hear the highlights and review of their applications, Writers Boot Camp Founder, Jeffrey Gordon, will host a 90-minute Mini-Camp on Monday, June 2oth that all non-winners will be invited to attend as desired.

When Women Are Right, Everything is Right with the World

For perspective, the higher percentage of our hundreds of alumni successes and their credits have been achieved by women. While we celebrate our anniversary each October, the first, experimental session of Writers Boot Camp that founder Jeffrey Gordon conducted was in his living room in March 1989 during his last semester of his MFA at USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program. Our track record of diversity and support of women’s voices is unparalleled.

Among our favorite alumni–a past staff member–writer-director, Sian Heder, recently won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for her movie CODA. Alumnus Cindy Chupack has won two Emmys for her work on Sex and the City and Modern Family. You can see countless other movie and TV credits by Writers Boot Camp alumni on our A-List Credits page.

The Fellowship Application

Please complete only one application per person. Partners working together may apply via separate applications utilizing the same project. Keep every answer to only one single sentence, including your answers to the four topical questions combined into one four-sentence paragraph. Again, alumni who have applied to a fellowship in the past six months–or who have won before–are not eligible to win. Please Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute to Apply!

Fellowship Application Deadline: Saturday, May 28th, Noon, LA time.

Name:

Mailing Address:

City, State & Zip Code:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

How You Heard About Writers Boot Camp (if through a person, include their name):

Name of Personal Reference & Relationship to You:

Reference Contact (Phone & Email):

Your Occupation or Job Title:

Your Entertainment Industry Background and Experience:

Prior Writing and Filmmaking Experience:

Are you currently working--and can you comment on your employment situation?

Please answer these four topical questions in order in only one sentence each within one paragraph--and without including the questions: How has being a woman informed your perspective as an artist? Share with us an extraordinary experience that you attribute to being a woman. What is your view of progress in the world regarding women's rights? What historical event or subject regarding gender would you like to see updated and how would you specifically revise it?

If you win a Writers Boot Camp scholarship, please state the title and format of the project you will write, and share the premise in a single sentence only. A Premise Line is more than a typical logline and may include up to 50 words, focusing more on the middle of the story and what characters actually do along the 2nd-Act Adventure. If your project is for television, then the A-Story of the first episode will be more relevant than a general series description.

Please include above: Title, Format (Movie, TV Pilot, Book, etc.), and Premise Line (One Sentence Only).

For the purposes of announcing winners, please provide a single-sentence bio about yourself written in third person, including where you're from and where you live, your educational accomplishments, your professional background and entertainment industry goals.

My name below certifies that all my answers on the above application are true. I understand that my email submission will be kept confidential and not shared with anyone outside Writers Boot Camp's staff without my permission. I understand that if I win an award, it is not transferable and if I cannot fully utilize it, then it will be offered to the the next eligible writer. I understand that due to the short timeframe until the fellowship process that only the winners will be notified of their standing by telephone. All applicants will be notified by email with the results and guidelines for additional benefits, if applicable. My name below acknowledges Writers Boot Camp’s pledge of confidentiality regarding my application, answers and project details. I understand that all internal staff discussion of my project idea is in the interest of determining winners. I understand that I am sharing my ideas and answers to be eligible for a fellowship award and that submission of this application does not guarantee me receipt of conceptual notes or story services. I understand that I can protect my material by registering and/or copyrighting my written materials prior to submitting them. I give permission to Writers Boot Camp to verify my information and answers with the above reference and understand that this verification, if necessary, is only for the finalists and only to determine award eligibility.

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