2024 BLACK LIST X WIF EPISODIC LAB
The Black List and WIF will invite six to eight promising non-professional television writers who are of an underrepresented gender (women, NB/GNC, and/or trans, and others) to the Lab.
The deadline for this program is December 15, 2023.
In order to submit for this program, you must be logged into the website and have uploaded a script.
The Black List and WIF will invite six promising non-professional television writers who are of an underrepresented gender (women, NB/GNC, and/or trans, and others) to the Lab. The Lab will run twice weekly for four weeks beginning March 5, 2024 and will consist of script development, pitching, peer workshopping sessions, and master classes with established writers and industry executives. Writers can also submit their script directly through WIF (submissions are open now). All Lab sessions will be held in-person on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in Los Angeles beginning March 5, 2024.
The Episodic Lab will take place in Los Angeles throughout the year and travel will not be provided for any events. If you live outside of the Los Angeles area, we kindly request that you withhold your submission to this opportunity.
LAB DEADLINES
***Please note the updated dates***
- Submission Period Opens May 24, 2023
- Submission Period Closes December 15, 2023
- Long List Notifications January 9, 2024
- Personal Statements Due January 15, 2024
- Short List Writers Notified January 18, 2024
- Additional Materials due from Short List writers on January 25, 2024
- Interview Candidates Notified February 2, 2024
- Zoom Interviews February 7-8, 2024
- Final Participants Notified February 12, 2024
- Lab Begins March 5, 2024
Please note, applicants can apply through the Black List and/or WIF, however instructions are different for each platform.
Participants must be able to provide proof of vaccination (including boosters per current CDC guidelines) and willing to test for COVID-19 infection prior to arriving at the in-person portion of the program.
You must have at least one evaluation attached to your script to submit to this program. You can read more about the Black List’s evaluation requirements here.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
From the Black List submissions, up to 12 writers will be invited, based on the strength of their scripts, to submit a one-page personal statement and professional resume. In addition, WIF will generate their own short list of up to 12 writers who submitted directly to WIF. From the total of those 24 submissions, up to 15 writers will be invited to interview. From those interviews, 6 writers will be selected by the Black List and WIF to participate in the Lab.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I Apply To The Episodic Lab With My Web Series Or Do You Only Accept Half-Hour And One-Hour Pilots?
Only half-hour or one-hour pilots will be accepted into the Episodic Lab.
Can I Submit A Feature Script To Be Considered For The Episodic Lab?
No, you must submit a pilot script to be considered for the Episodic Lab.
Can I Submit Multiple Scripts To Be Considered For This Program?
Absolutely. But writers will be selected for each program based on a single script; so if you’re selected, you must workshop the script that is chosen for the program.
Do I Have To Workshop The Script That Gets Me Selected For A Program Or Can I Workshop Something New?
You have to workshop the script that gets you selected for the program.
How Will The Scripts Be Evaluated For Each Program?
We use the ratings a script receives, both from our paid readers and from industry pros, to determine the short list of writers for each program who will be invited to submit a one-page personal statement. Evaluations initiated before midnight on the stipulated deadline for each program will be guaranteed consideration. You must purchase at least one evaluation to submit for this program. In the event that the purchase of a single evaluation is cost prohibitive, please follow us on social media and the Black List blog where opportunities for free and discounted evaluations appear from time to time.
I Have A Writing Partner Who Identifies As A Cis Man. Can I Still Apply To The Black List X WIF Episodic Lab?
Yes, you are still eligible to apply for all programs, including the Black List x WIF Feature Residency and the Black List x WIF Episodic Lab. In our effort to create equitable spaces in a currently male-dominated industry, should you be accepted into either the Black List x WIF Feature Residency or the Black List x WIF Episodic Lab, your partner would not be able to participate in the sessions directly. However, you would be able to share appropriate script feedback with them.
I Live Outside Of Los Angeles. Can I Still Apply For Any Of The Programs?
You may still apply for any of our programs. However, the Episodic Lab takes place in Los Angeles, CA and you will need to be located in the Los Angeles area by the start of the program, should you be accepted into the program, and decide to participate.
The Lab will take place in Los Angeles throughout the year and travel will not be provided for any events. If you live outside of the Los Angeles area, we kindly request that you withhold your submission to this opportunity.
I’d Like To Be Considered For The 2024 Episodic Lab! How Exactly Do I Do That?
Just opt your script into consideration during onboarding or add it from the My Scripts page!
And please make sure to read the Submission Requirements and the Submission Agreement for each program, which can be found as PDFs on each program’s submission page, to make sure you are qualified first. You’ll need to meet all of the requirements to participate in the program if selected.
Writers can also apply through WIF. However please note that the procedures and deadlines for applying directly through WIF are different than those for applying through the Black List.
Is This A Case Where The Person Who Buys The Most Evaluations Will Be Invited To The Program?
Not at all. Certainly more data allows us to make more confident decisions about the strength of scripts hosted on the site, but by no means is it necessary or recommended to buy up evaluations to improve your chances of being selected for one of our programs.
My Script Was On The Site Awhile Ago, But I Took It Down To Work On A Rewrite. Does A Script Have To Be Live On The Site To Be Considered?
Great question. It just needs to be live on the site for one week at some point between the time that the opt-in for the program opens and the opt-in deadline. Legally, writers have to opt into consideration for each program and they can only do that with an active script. We recommend reactivating the script for one month at some point between now and a week before the program’s opt-in deadline.
What Exactly Happens In These Writing Programs?
We can only speak to ours, but some of the things we do include:
One-on-one sessions with professional writers as mentors
Peer workshopping of each others’ scripts
Dinners with special industry guests
Guest lecturers and Q&As
Private film screenings
Sessions with lit agents and managers
REQUIREMENTS
* You are the sole and exclusive author of the pilot screenplay submitted for consideration and you are of an underrepresented gender (women, NB/GNC, and/or trans, and others)
* Feature screenplays will not be considered for submission.
* You have not received more than $25K in aggregate to date as compensation for television writing work.
* If selected as one of the writers invited to submit a professional resume and one page personal statement for additional consideration, you will deliver that personal statement within 5 days of receiving notification of your selection or by the deadline specified when you are notified.
* If selected for participation in the Lab program, you are available to attend all sessions in person during the course of the four-week Lab, COVID-permitting.