Drama Alumnus Roberto Marinas (’03) was awarded the 2008 Disney Screenwriting Fellowship, one of the industry's best known and most respected writing fellowships. Marinas is one of four writers selected from over 1200 entries. He received the good news last month and said that it was “Very cool.” He continued “It all happened very quickly since the announcement. My head is still swimming. I have to be in LA end of the month!” He leaves New York and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he has held the position of Coorinator of Special Programs.

Marinas has every right to be excited: the fellowship will supply him with the basic essentials to establish his writing career in the entertainment industry. It will also provide him with the personal and professional encouragement he needs to practice and hone his craft.

The fellowship began in 1990 in partnership with the Writers Guild of America West. Of the program’s 200 alumni, many have become elite screenwriters, directors, and television show runners in Hollywood. An extremely limited number of full-time fellowships are available each year for both feature film and television projects. Fellows receive a weekly salary for a one-year period amounting to $50,000 plus benefits. The program is an intensive, hands-on experience that involves workshops, seminars, and mentorships with creative executives from ABC, ABC Television Studio, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Lifetime, and Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group.