EXCLUSIVE: Writer Mike Gauyo has announced the 2026 class of his Black Boy Writes & Black Girl Writes Mentorship Initiative.
The cohort of 12 includes Alia Atkins, April Mabry, Blake Edwards, Brianna Seamster, Bryant Daye, Charles Brockman III, Christian Yosef, Ganeesh Genus, LaRon Hines, PreShus Lee, Tomi Falore, and Zaire Davis.
Said Gauyo, “As Hollywood morphs to meet the needs of an evolving audience, so must the creatives who are a part of it. This year’s cohort are made of muilti-hyphenates who are built to take on the expanding appetite of today’s entertainment marketplace.”
Intended to amplify diverse voices and narratives, the year-long initiative sees writers partake in monthly roundtables with established writers and industry leaders; writing workshops to fine-tune their scripts and prepare them for fellowships, generals, and staffing opportunities; general meetings with networks and production companies; and seminars in writing, pitching, and AI film creation. Each mentee will receive the latest in Final Draft software, courtesy of Final Draft, and at the end of the program year, each will have the opportunity to be read by agents and managers for possible representation. The program is co-run by Heather Daughtry, Chief of Programming.
Writers Chris Sanford (Reasonable Doubt), Kira Talise (Wonder Man), Steven Canals (Creator, Pose), and Sara Finney Johnson (Creator, Moesha and The Parkers) have joined as mentors this time around, alongside the returning Jackie Penn (4400) and Andre Ferguson (Power Book II: Ghost). Willonious Hattcher will run seminars on the expanding world of AI in filmmaking, and on the business side, the program adds Donnita Shaw, Manager of Partnerships & Brand Strategy.
English (US) ·