"For over three decades, HUMANITAS has honored the writers of today. Now we are empowering writers to tell the stories of tomorrow. We are thrilled to welcome these brilliant, creative and dedicated Trustees to the HUMANITAS family to make it happen."

"I was lucky enough to know Bud Kieser -- the man who created HUMANITAS over three decades ago. He believed -- even in our visual medium -- that everything springs from the heart, mind and soul of the writer. He believed writers were the most important 'element' in Hollywood -- and yet were frequently treated as second-class citizens. More than anything, he wanted to empower writers to write. Today, we joyously build on his mission with the creation of the HUMANITAS Script Development Fund. We are deeply grateful to our friends, Barbara Bacci Mirque and Bob Liodice from the Association of National Advertisers. They said 'yes' to HUMANITAS when they easily could've said 'no.' We are grateful."

"The intersection of art and commerce in the entertainment business has always been a lonely and daunting place for the writer. My discovery 26 years ago that there was an organization that had planted itself in the middle of that intersection, an organization whose only goal was to support writers (literally and figuratively) as they navigated that difficult nexus, has been one of the happiest and most sustaining of my career."

"HUMANITAS has always been known for honoring the best writing in film and television. Now they are taking the lead in promoting writers' work by establishing a development fund to insure that high-quality scripts continue to be produced. Their creative vision, always in support of writers, is welcome and needed in these challenging times. And thanks to the ANA for stepping up to support the engine that drives Hollywood: the writers."

"Writers need encouragement. I love the way courage sparkles like a jewel in the word encouragement and I love that the root of courage is coeur heart. Keeping my heart open is more than a good idea, it's my job description. Our annual HUMANITAS awards ceremony reminds me of this. It's also a great opportunity to put on lipstick and flirt with Marshall and Ed."

"I'm very lucky that as a young writer, my voice was heard by Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz who basically found me under a rock in Brooklyn and not only employed me, but encouraged me and insisted that I never stop challenging myself as a writer. These days it seems the Ed and Marshalls of the world are few and far between which makes the HUMANITAS script development fund an exciting and vitally important endeavor. I am honored and humbled to be associated with The HUMANITAS organization, and to be included among Ed, Marshall, and this startling group of writers. I'm eager to help discover, nurture and encourage writers whose voices might otherwise never be heard."

"Too often in television, even the leading creative forces in the medium trivialize what we do: 'It's just a sitcom,' or 'It's only a procedural.' We take solace in the fact that, at best, we provide escapist entertainment. The HUMANITAS organization raises the bar encouraging us to write and produce stories that maybe, actually, matter a little. In a time when it's such a struggle to get a fragmented audience to connect with anything well, what a pleasant surprise it will be when this new initiative not only finds and supports new voices, but serves as a roadmap for all of us as to what we need to be writing in the future."

"There is more at risk in our vocation than ratings, box-office and sales. As writers, we have the opportunity and responsibility to make our audiences question their worlds with stories that challenge their notions of community, government, family, love and humanity the HUMANITAS production initiative is about inspiring those risks."

"Great storytelling can open minds, change the way we think, and change the way we live. I'm so thrilled to be part of this new HUMANITAS venture to not just reward writers who have achieved this rare feat but to actually make it happen."

"HUMANITAS rewards writers for telling great stories. Now they are going to pay writers to write great stories. I applaud them."

"Of all the compliments and accolades one might receive in the quest to create and entertain, the one that I value most is when someone says of my work, 'That was good.' Being good doesn't mean you make the most money or that you have the most fans. It isn't often reflected in fame or ratings or merchandising fees for action figures. Being good is an abstract state. It comes through the work like a scent from a bakery. And when it's there, it cannot be denied. Good excites. Good challenges. Good endures. Some companies in Hollywood are in the movie business, some are in the TV business. HUMANITAS, with its new script development fund, has placed a foot squarely into the 'good' business. Here's to the next writer, hearing someone say of their work for the first time, 'That was good.'"

"Every story we tell is 'political'; every character we create is 'social.' It's just that some writers and directors recognize the impact of the story and the character, and make decisions about their creation's behavior based upon what can have the greatest impact on the greatest good. With this initiative, I hope more film and television will be made with their political effect and social concerns front and center - if artfully disguised in moving stories. I'm proud to be a part of HUMANITAS' attempt to amplify these voices - voices we are increasingly desperate to hear."

"The world is careening with a heavy foot on the accelerator. The faster we go, the more life blurs and before long, we're at the end. What have we seen? Learned? Or done to change what we know demands attention? As writers of popular culture we possess the power, if not to slow things down, then to at least offer an alternate, even appreciative perspective of life's passing scenery. Words and pictures matter, especially when targeted at the human soul. The new HUMANITAS project will allow those with a special optic on the scenery to continue to offer that vital perspective. And from where I sit, it could not have come at a better time."

"HUMANITAS has always rewarded the kind of writing that I love -- scripts that make you think and feel, that not only entertain but shine a light on our best and worst moments as human beings. I am honored to join this impressive list of writers (who continue to set the bar high for me) in this initiative to help nurture and give voice to the brave new storytellers of tomorrow."

"The original ideal of HUMANITAS required not only having insight into human nature, but doing something to reform it as well -- perception paired with challenge, contemplation along with action. The humanism movement was borne of an evangelical mission to project HUMANITAS from the individual into the community at large. If we choose to do so, storytellers are uniquely able to accomplish this. I'm proud to be part of an organization that takes that mission as its own -- and I'm thrilled to support the Script Development Fund, which will serve to empower new storytellers, through their work, to project the spirit of HUMANITAS to the world."

"Every person on Earth shares one deep and abiding commonality, independent of race, nationality, age or gender -- every single one of us has a story to tell. For those who have been gifted with the great fortune to tell our stories on the grandest scale imaginable, our shared goal is to somehow tap into the core emotional nature of that which makes us human. This conceit would be purely esoteric if an actual organization were not committed to illuminating this ideal and celebrating those who have captured it while seeking out an entirely new generation of storytellers to carry the torch forwards. Thank God for HUMANITAS."

"After 35 years of recognizing quality in entertainment, HUMANITAS is finally getting around to creating it as well. Through the HUMANITAS Script Development Fund writers have an opportunity to tell stories that aren't otherwise being told in today's television environment. Stories which both reveal the human condition and have an impact on it. The fund offers not only creative control but also financial participation so that, for all involved, genuine visions can become reality."

"The HUMANITAS Prize has always been a beacon on the peak of the creative mountaintop. Given the current economic tidal wave which we all face and our industry's perpetual insecurities, the script development fund is a haven for new voices, new ideas and writers with a conscience."

"In a time when a troubling economy and the loss of audiences to newer technologies in entertainment have made it more difficult for certain kinds of stories to be produced, the HUMANITAS organization might, ironically, turn into a revolutionary production outlet; a place for writers to create powerful, more personal stories about our times and our individual journeys. HUMANITAS answers a call to fill a void; to support evocative, self-reflective work by artists who hold a mirror up to our culture."

"The privilege of writing for motion pictures and television -- still the most powerful form of mass communication yet invented -- also comes with a terrible responsibility. HUMANITAS celebrates what should be at the core of our writing: stories that enlighten as well as entertain, narratives that speak to human dignity and the universality of man. Stories are our window to understanding; no two people or cultures tell them quite alike, and it's important that we watch and listen with open minds. Through this new initiative, HUMANITAS is taking a much-needed step toward enabling new voices to tell new stories and enrich the fellowship of all writers everywhere."

"For 35 years HUMANITAS has held high and honored what it is to be human in the most crucial and challenging of circumstances, whether comic or tragic. What could have greater validity and imperative in our time now than to create it as well?"

"Writers empowering writers to write? It doesn't get any better than that. Writing isn't easy. Getting good stories on the air isn't easy. Which is why anything that makes it easier is to be celebrated. HUMANITAS and the ANA have taken a giant step forward. They've created a fund to empower writers to tell stories they are passionate about, stories which attempt to make the world a better place by exploring the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. As I said, it doesn't get any better than that. My hat is off to them. I am proud to be part of this venture."