The Hollywood Reporter: Inevitable Foundation and Starz Launch #TakeTheLead Partnership Supporting Disabled Screenwriters (Exclusive)
The multiprogram effort will empower writers through professional development grants, fund Inevitable’s Concierge service and staff one foundation program participant on a STARZ Original Series.
By Abbey White
Inevitable Foundation and Starz are teaming for a new multiprogram partnership that has already placed one selected participant on the writing staff of the network’s upcoming original series from director Ava DuVernay.
Starz’s #TaketheLead is part of a larger commitment to supporting and amplifying narratives by, about, and for women and underrepresented audiences. And it now counts Inevitable, which has launched a series of needle-moving initiatives that expand professional and creative opportunities for writers with disabilities since its founding in 2021, among its latest collaborators.
This series of programs will see the non-profit and the cable network empowering foundation participants both financially and professionally through a three-pronged approach.
One portion of the program will support professional development grants through Inevitable Foundation’s Elevate Collective program, which is currently open to applicants. Three will be chosen as a special cohort and will receive a grant, mentoring and coaching from Starz programming executives.
Kalen Feeney, a Spring 2021 Accelerate Fellow, is also being supported through the new non-profit and network partnership, having already been staffed on Ava DuVernay’s currently untitled romantic drama for Starz starring Lauren Ridloff and Joshua Jackson.
“Nothing describes the feeling I have when I read a script that has been written collaboratively by writers who share one or all my identities. I feel seen, heard and understood. That is a gift everyone should have. Thanks to Inevitable and STARZ, we are telling a very specific and extraordinary love story in hopes of creating value in understanding life through multiple lenses,” Ridloff, the show’s star and member of Inevitable Foundation Board of Directors, said in a statement. “My deepest hope is that audiences feel not only seen and heard but also that they can see and hear others. The better we can see ourselves, the more inevitable it is that we are able to see others.”
#TaketheLead will also help fund Inevitable’s Concierge service, which helps showrunners, producers and more connect with mid- and upper-level disabled writers for staffing and development opportunities. The service and #TakeTheLead are one among a host of programs, campaigns and collaborations the non-profit has launched around writing and podcasting in the last two years.
“We’re thrilled to partner with STARZ #TakeTheLead to support mid- and upper-level disabled writers, especially given the network’s track record of supporting diverse creators, shows and talent,” said Inevitable co-founders Richie Siegel and Marisa Torelli-Pedevska in a joint statement.
Like Starz, Netflix, Disney, AMC Networks, Spotify, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and the Nielsen Foundation have also worked with Inevitable Foundation to create their own pipelines for disabled writers.
“We are proud to launch this comprehensive partnership with Inevitable Foundation, an incredible organization that has been a leader in ensuring disability representation is included in the push for better diversity, equity and inclusion within the entertainment industry,” said Kathryn Busby, president, original programming for STARZ. “We are excited to join them to advocate for more opportunities for disabled screenwriters through a range of programs.”
