Got a great idea for a TV show?
Fox Diversity Development is again offering aspiring television writers the opportunity to submit original pilot scripts for the Fox Writer’s Initiative, a program to support the development of original television series ideas by diverse writers or by non-diverse writers writing about inherently diverse themes and/or diverse lead characters.
Several Asian American writers participated in the program’s first year last year, including Tonya Kong, who worked on the Fox legal drama Justice, and Bryan Oh, whose writing credits include shows like October Road and The O.C.
Fox optioned a pilot Oh wrote called Life Below Zero, a drama about a doctor who specializes in cryonics. Oh is currently working with the creators of October Road on a new ABC Family show called Samurai Girl, which centers on a young Japanese girl (played by Jamie Chung of MTV’s The Real World San Diego) who discovers she’s destined to be a great samurai warrior.
Fox Entertainment Group has reached out to young, urban and ethnic consumers in recent years, especially within the 18-34 age group, so the need for more diverse stories has grown.
Drawing from the African American, Asian American, Latino, Native American, and East and South Asian communities, the Fox Writer’s Initiative invites accepted writers to a six-week writer’s boot camp and subsequent consultation with mentors.
So what does Fox look for in script submissions?
“A level of talent and craftsmanship that suggests professional potential,” Fox Diversity Development Vice President Ron Taylor said.
Taylor noted that, because of the writers strike, none of the first year’s batch of scripts were ordered to pilot. “That would have been an incredible home run,” Taylor said. “But at least a couple of the writers have emerged professionally.”
Other Asian American writers who have participated in the Fox program include Monica Macer, Lisa Parsons, John Lau, Nicole Ranadive, Jenny Lynn, Oanh Ly, Claire Yorita and Shannon Goss.
But it remains to be seen whether an increase in Asian American writers will increase the visibility of Asian Americans on television, especially given the failure of previous attempts such as Margaret Cho’s All American Girl. Taylor said Cho’s show exemplified the history of diverse casting: “It was generally driven by talent.” Taylor cited shows built around the comedic talents of Bill Cosby and George Lopez, as well as Rosanne Barr And Tim Allen. “What seldom used to happen was the thinking that, ‘Let’s just do a show about an Asian family or a black family.’”
Taylor said that, from the start, writers simply describe a world that they want to create on TV. So, said Taylor, “let’s start talking about the diversity in that world from the beginning, so the writers are hearing those voices as they write the script. Does that promise more diverse casting? We think it does.”
Taylor had this advice for writers: “Write about something that you feel strongly about more than what you think will sell. ”
The Fox Diversity Writer’s Initiative will be taking submissions of original television pilot scripts through July 3. For more information: fox.com/diversity.