The Coletta Preacely-Garcia Diversity Fellowship

Roadmap Writers is proud to continue our mission of opening doors for unrepped writers from underrepresented groups. As we approach the 7 year anniversary of our monthly Diversity Initiative, we’re excited to widen the scope of our efforts to provide even more actionable industry knowledge to more applicants by expanding our monthly Diversity Initiative into the Coletta Preacely-Garcia Diversity Fellowship.

Always FREE to apply and now offered quarterly, Roadmap Writers will award ONE diverse Winner the Grand Prize of a full scholarship for Steps 1-4 of our Career Writer Program—a $1600 value! ONE Runner-Up will also be awarded Step 1: Pitch Prep. These immersive and interactive programs (Pitch Prep Program, Marketing Intensive, Portfolio Polishing, and Manager Track) give writers a competitive edge in the marketplace while helping them build relationships with as many working industry professionals as possible from anywhere in the world.

This program is for diverse screenwriters with at least 2 polished original features and/or TV pilots in their portfolio (with at least a 3rd original script in the works) who are ready to tackle the marketing aspects of their career! Roadmap defines "diverse" as anyone belonging to a group whose voice has been traditionally marginalized in Hollywood, particularly BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women over 45, and Disabled writers.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be part of the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women over 45, or Disabled communities.
• While 25 Semifinalists will be submitting only one original feature or pilot as Part 2 of their Fellowship application, the applicant's portfolio must have at least 2 completed and polished original scripts (features and/or pilots), with at least a 3rd original script drafted by the beginning of CWP Step 4. If a writer does not have at least 3 completed original scripts in their portfolio by Step 4, they will not be eligible to apply for Top Tier, which is Roadmap's most vetted group of exec-ready writers where most signings take place.   
• Must have earned less than $25k as a screenwriter. 
• Must have fewer than 3 produced feature film or TV credits that aired or had distribution. 
• Must not currently have a literary manager or agent. Writers who have been previously repped are still eligible.
• Must be able to actively participate in CWP Steps 1-4 back to back throughout 4 months (aka January - April). Special permission would need to be requested for a one-time, one-month delay between two steps in order to retain the Diversity Fellowship prize without reapplying. If a prize winner does not attend or come prepared to participate in the supermajority of sessions for any given CWP Step, their prize will be canceled. The writer would then have to resubmit as part of a future applicant pool in order to be considered to complete the Career Writer Program.

Roadmap Writers reserves the right not to pick a winner and/or a runner-up from a given applicant pool if we don't find a candidate whose writing and interview skills are ready for the Career Writer Program. Deadlines and announcement dates are subject to change. 

Signing & Staffing Success

Past winners of our previous diversity initiative have been signed by Anonymous Content, Rosa Entertainment, APA, First Story Entertainment, Untitled Entertainment, Fictional Entity, The Buchwald Agency, and more! Our December 2020 winner Lillian Wang recently staffed on a Netflix show!

"As I complete the final weeks of my Diversity Initiative Fellowship, I wanted to express my appreciation for the experience here that each of you made possible. Roadmap is indeed THE place to cultivate community, craft, and opportunity. As someone who struggles with low self-esteem, anxiety, and everything that comes with trauma, every step from Pitch Prep to Manager Track has helped build confidence in myself as an artist and a business. Thank you for your time, talent, hard work, and support during the last four months."

– Bernadett Belinda York, 2023 Diversity Fellowship Winner