Deadline to submit to the NHMC Television Writers Program: July 31, 2014
By Brian Pacheco
Despite being the biggest media consumers, Latinos are woefully underrepresented in television and film; and the few portrayals we see are too often far from fair, accurate or balanced. The NHMC 2012 studies on media portrayals of Latinos show that this has consequences on society: the most commonly-held Latino stereotypes run parallel to those reflected in media. This is why NHMC works to ensure fair and inclusive media portrayals.
In addition to watchdogging and holding media outlets accountable for inaccurate portrayals, another way NHMC works to ensure positive media portrayals is by increasing Latino employment behind the camera. In 2003, NHMC created the NHMC Television Writers Program, an intensive scriptwriters workshop that prepares Latinos for writing jobs at major television networks.
The program has graduated more than 100 writers, 25% of whom have been staffed on shows in networks such as ABC/Disney, NBC, CBS,FOX, Nickelodeon, CW, BET, LATV, VH1 and NUVOtv.
Increasing Latino employment in back of camera improves media portrayals of Latinos
In the 2012-13 television season, Latinos composed only 4% of writers staffed on TV shows, despite the fact that the Latinos make up 17% of the U.S. population.It’s crucial to have Latinos in back of camera as producers, writers, showrunners, etc. Having Latinos in the writers room in television shows is an opportunity for us to tell our own stories in a way that’s fair and accurate.
We see few Latino characters or storylines — and these are still too often stereotypical, unbalanced, and inaccurate – because the behind-the-scenes executives who green light TV projects are disproportionately white, and often out of touch with the Latino community. But a Latino will know –most of the time– how to write about the Latino experience in a respectful and multi-dimensional way. Not only that, but Latinos should also be in the writers’ room on shows that aren’t specifically about Latinos.
How does the Writers Program increase Latino employment in media?
Landing a staff position as a writer at a television show is extremely competitive–for anybody. The NHMC Television Writers Program gives participants what they need to have a competitive edge: it hones Latinos’ scriptwriting skills, and prepares them to best package and promote their work to television show executives. Writers also leave the program with at least one spec script, and some graduate with agents and managers.
To learn more and to apply to the NHMC TV Writers Program, click here. Deadline to apply is July 31, 2014.
To learn more about other NHMC programs, click here. To see NHMC reports, click here.
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