ABOUT THE PROGRAM

NALIP and NFMLA are excited to collaborate once again with STARZ for the fourth season of the STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive—an empowering program aimed at nurturing new voices in television. This initiative provides emerging writers the opportunity to refine their skills and develop original spec scripts with hands-on guidance from top-tier mentors, executives, and experienced writers.

In 2025, four writers will be selected to participate in both phases of the program. In Phase 1, participants will connect with 15 industry professionals from a diverse range of TV backgrounds while crafting a spec episode treatment. In Phase 2, each writer will be paired with a mentor to write a full spec episode script based on an existing STARZ series.

APPLICATION RELATED DATES

Call for entries opens on August 26th, 2025, at 11:00 am PT*
Call for entries closes on September 18th, 2025, at 11:00 am PT*
Participants will be announced on October 2nd, 2025*

*Dates are subject to change; all revised dates will be updated on this page.

PROGRAM RELATED DATES

Selected participants must be available for the duration of the following dates:

● Phase 1: October 6th, 2025 to October 10th, 2025
● Phase 2: October 13th, 2025 to October 24th, 2025

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Phase One
(1 week for participants at approximately 32 hours total throughout the week, taking place Monday - Friday)

● A one-week intensive featuring meetings and sessions with industry creatives and professionals
● Participants receive feedback and support to develop an episode treatment
● The program culminates with a STARZ jury reading treatments

Phase Two
(2 weeks for participants at approximately 8 hours each week)

● Meetings with STARZ executives to hone spec script
● Feedback from STARZ mentors to refine spec script
● Final review and final set of notes for spec script
● Presentation of spec script

Awards & Prizes

BENEFITS

● A $5,000 USD grant will be awarded to writers selected for the program
● An opportunity to connect with industry professionals and creatives
● An opportunity to obtain feedback on your spec episode script from leading executives
● Finalists will be provided a Stage 32 Scholarship and given one-year of unlimited access to over 3,000 hours of training taught by Stage 32 educators

Rules & Terms

APPLICATION/APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

● Must complete and submit a PROGRAM RELEASE FORM in order to complete your application
● Must be a credited writer with at least one fully completed short or feature narrative film, which has been accepted into a film festival, OR have a story department-related credit (e.g., writer's assistant, staff writer, showrunner's assistant, script coordinator) on an episodic project
● Must be or become a member of NALIP and/or NFMLA
● Must be at least 18 years old at the time of application and legally authorized work, and participate in the Intensive in the United States
● Must accept and agree to program rules, terms & conditions, and sign the program release
● Must be available for all program dates outlined in the TIMELINE

APPLICATION/APPLICANT MATERIALS

● All submission materials must be in English. If the project is in another language, please include a written English translation.
● The first ten pages of an original episodic ½-hour or 1-hour script
● A treatment of the original episodic ½-hour or 1-hour script submitted
● A resume (no more than one page)
● A writer's statement (no more than one page) detailing what inspired you to apply to this program and your professional goals
● A bio of the writer, including any relevant projects, awards, accolades, festival recognitions, etc.