War Writers' Campaign: Therapy Through Writing

A newly-formed veteran nonprofit organization called The War Writers' Campaign is hoping to encourage veterans to write about their experiences in war as a powerful therapy tool.

The campaign aims to maintain a long-term platform that facilitates the consolidated efforts of servicemembers and veterans to promote mental therapy through the literary word, all while raising funds for best-in-class veteran organizations and mental-health programs. They are also launching external with a partnership alongside Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, with the hopes of gaining a national audience.

Their first featured work Conquering Mental Fatigues will be available for purchase in the coming weeks. All of all proceeds go to the War Writers' Campaign.

See the video on Colorado's 9 News - KUSA TV.

See submission guidelines

Scriptnotes Podcast

In this popular podcast Scriptnotes, screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin discuss screenwriting and related topics in the film and television industry, everything from getting stuff written to the vagaries of copyright and work-for-hire law.

Recently, they sat down with screenwriter-turned-psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo to discuss writer's block, procrastination, partnerships and more. It's a can't-miss episode for aspiring writers and professionals alike.

See the iTunes archives here.

Social Emotional Arts (SEA) Certificate Program

UCLArts and Healing is launching a Social Emotional Arts (SEA) Certificate Program to empower educators and community arts professionals.

Arts educators are often not sure what to do or say when the inevitable "stuff comes up," like when a student comes crying after seeing a performance and says: that happened to me. There can also be unintended consequences of arts experiences, such as self-judgment, anxiety, and inadvertent re-triggering of trauma.

Through eight Saturday training sessions running September 2013 - January 2014, SEA trainees will learn to develop and deliver process-oriented arts education for children and adolescents in school and community settings to improve emotional well-being, the social climate and the learning environment.

In partnership with Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Visual and Performing Arts Department

See full details

EngAGE: The Art of Active Aging

EngAGE is a nonprofit that takes a whole-person approach to creative and healthy aging by providing arts, wellness, lifelong learning, community building and intergenerational programs to thousands of seniors living in affordable senior apartment communities in Southern California. Founded in 1999 by Tim Carpenter, EngAGE serves low- and moderate-income seniors between the ages of 55 and 100+.

EngAGE catalyzed the development of The Burbank Senior Artists Colony, a first-of-its-kind 141-unit senior apartment community devoted to art and creativity. It has its own theater group, independent film company, fine arts collective and music program, and an intergenerational arts program coordinated with the Burbank Unified School District. 

The NOHO Senior Arts Colony is the new active adult apartment community created exclusively for artists specializing in the performing arts, visual arts, film and beyond. If you're an artist 62 or older interested in a residency at the colony, contact the Leasing Office to arrange a visit.
 

PGA: Power of Diversity

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is pleased to announce the opening of submissions for the ninth annual PGA Producing Workshop,"The Power of Diversity," running May 28th-July 13th, 2013. The multi-session workshop is designed to foster the development of aspiring and seasoned producers who bring diverse perspectives to television, film and digital media.

This annual program provides ten participants with one-on-one mentoring sessions with members of the Guild's Diversity Committee as well as master classes with some of today's top producers. Topics are tailored to the participating producers and their projects, and will include all aspects of producing such as story development, pitching, packaging, financing, marketing and digital media.

Application Deadline: April 17, 2013.

See submission guidelines

Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop

The Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop

Deadline for entry: May 1-June 1, 2013

The Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop consists of three components, all geared towards preparing the writer for a successful career in television writing:

Lectures: Weekly lectures feature guest speakers currently working in television and include a mix of showrunners, directors, actors and agents. Each seminar will teach a new skill essential for surviving and excelling in a writers' room as a staff writer and beyond.

Simulated Writers' Room: In the winter, the Workshop participants are divided into smaller groups for an intensive writing experience. Each participant will be required to complete a new spec script under the same deadlines found on a show currently in production.

Staffing: Upon completion of the program, Studio executives will help participants, who pass the Writers' Room, obtain a staff position on a Warner Bros. television show currently in production.

For more information and to learn how to apply

Kids Imagination Awards

Cynopsis: Kids !magination Awards honor the best in kids & tweens media. Now in its second year, this unique awards program is from the industry's most trusted brand, Cynopsis Media, and celebrates the very best in children's television. Now's your chance to win a crystal Cynopsis: Kids !magination Award!

The Cynopsis Kids !magination Awards honor the year's most outstanding and imaginative achievements in programming, marketing and promotion - the efforts that will have lasting impact. This includes new shows, movies, websites, apps and games, in addition to the marketing and advertising campaigns that support children's content.

Entry Deadline: February 20, 2013.  Awards Ceremony: NYC, June 2013.

Selected Shorts

Writing Contest Call for Submissions:

Submissions are now open for the 2013 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize!

The winning submission, selected by Jim Shepard, will be read as part of the Selected Shorts performance at Symphony Space on June 12, 2013. The story will be recorded for possible later broadcast as part of the public radio series. The winner will also receive $1000 and a 10-week class from Gotham Writers' Workshop.

Story requirements:
* Submit a single short story that fits the theme "Complicated Families."
* Your story must have a title.
* Your story must be no more than 750 words (Times New Roman, 12pt font).
* Your story must be unpublished.

Deadline: 5pm, March 15, 2013, EST.

See full details

Living Worlds

  

Walt Disney's Imagineering Research & Development

announces:

LIVING WORLDS

Bringing Immersive Stories to Life in the Real World

Deadline to apply: December 1, 2012

Click here for full details

When Walt Disney created a place that brought his beloved characters, stories and places to life in a place called Disneyland®, he created a world of story experiences that immersed audiences and invited them to believe - and an industry was born. Nearly 60 years later, the creative and technical group that helped him create Disneyland® lives on as Walt Disney Imagineering.

Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development wants to work with innovative storytellers willing to push the limits to create fully immersive worlds where guests can explore, play and discover deep narratives. To achieve this goal, the Imagineering team has launched the Living Worlds program, through which they hope to support the development of a few unique concepts through collaborative project work. With your imagination and today's technology, the possibilities for immersive storytelling are almost boundless.

CineStory

The CineStory Writer's Retreat takes place over four days in the beautiful mountains of Idyllwild, California. Attendees receive three 90-minute one-on-one sessions with CineStory mentors. During these meetings they can discuss everything from the script(s) they submitted for feedback, to jump-starting their writing careers.

When not meeting in one-on-one sessions, writers participate in "informal rooms." These are interactive sessions with panels of 2-3 mentors, which cover such topics as pitching like a pro and the state of filmmaking in the digital age. In addition, mentors and writers gather for meals, drinks, film screenings, and other special events.

Want to come to a retreat? Click here to read the 2013 rules and deadlines.