Introducing our Pipeline Program with The Black List, Writers Guild Foundation, Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, Deaf Talent Collective UK, Pillars Fund and Words Uncaged

We started Inevitable Foundation to fund and mentor the next generation of disabled screenwriters—a mission that requires access to the best disabled writers working in the industry.  

Today we’re excited to announce our Pipeline Program, a broad coalition of industry-leading individuals and organizations working together to identify promising disabled screenwriters and fast-track them for consideration for our Screenwriting Fellowship. 

Founding members of the coalition include The Black List, Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, Deaf Talent Collective UK, Words Uncaged, Pillars Fund and the Writers Guild Foundation, including the WGA’s Veterans Writing Project and Writer’s Access Support Program, with more Pipeline Program partners to come soon.

“Partnering with organizations that are on the front lines of developing up-and-coming writing talent allows the industry to quickly discover more incredible disabled screenwriters,” said Richie Siegel, co-founder and president of Inevitable Foundation. “The Pipeline Program empowers our partner organizations to pass the baton so we can continue advancing the careers of talent they have already invested in and get their work on screen, further driving the impact of their efforts as well.”

“For too long, the stories we’ve seen on screen have failed to reflect the diversity of human experience, particularly for people with disabilities who are often tokenized, infantilized, or villainized,” said Katie Buckland, executive director of the Writers Guild Foundation. “As a Pipeline Partner with the Inevitable Foundation, we are striving to close the gap in representation for disabled writers in the writers room and beyond by supporting access to financial and creative freedom to share authentic stories via their Screenwriting Fellowship.”

“The mission of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is to create opportunities for people with disabilities in front of and behind the camera and, in turn, to change the way the world sees disability,” said Nic Noviki, director of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. “Now our film challenge participants have a direct line to the Inevitable Foundation and their programs, which gives them access to additional resources and exposure to new opportunities. We are excited for this collaboration." 

Disabled screenwriters who have gone through programs from our Pipeline Partners are encouraged to reach out to their contact at their respective organization who will then refer them to the Screenwriting Fellowship with a priority application.

“The Pipeline Program and the partnerships within strengthen our long-term commitment to empowering a new generation of disabled writers who are set up to succeed in the industry,” said Inevitable Foundation co-founder Marisa Torelli-Pedevska. “Our Fellows are writers that you can buy projects from and staff today, not a decade from now. These writers will help you tell more authentic and compelling stories as a result and diversify your writers’ rooms at the same time.”

About Inevitable Foundation’s Screenwriting Fellowship 

Inevitable Foundation’s Screenwriting Fellowship program invests $25,000 in talented, professional screenwriters who happen to be disabled, and offers them bespoke mentorship and high-touch workshops, all of which empowers them to build the relationships and skills they need to thrive in the industry. This year the Foundation will name four Screenwriting Fellows and provide professional development for more than a dozen more disabled screenwriters with plans to scale up the program even further in 2022.