The Writers Room

Since 1974, Humanitas has honored and empowered screenwriters whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. We champion screenwriting projects that explore the human condition, as we believe the act of acknowledging our common humanity can be transformational for audiences. A strong desire to identify and nurture new generations of screenwriters dates back to Humanitas’s founding and led to the creation of annual programs like the New Voices Fellowship, College Screenwriting Awards, and Industry 101. 

Thanks to generous support from The Muriel Pollia Foundation and the Snap Foundation, Humanitas is continuing The Writers Room, a TV writing workshop for high school students. The Writers Room offers students an introduction to TV writing and the opportunity to act as the “staff” of a TV “writers room,” working together to pitch, outline, and draft a teleplay of a pre-existing series. The Writers Room Workshop concludes with a table read in front of an audience. The 2026-27 Writers Room is offered in person at Hollywood High School throughout the school year. 

THE WRITERS ROOM 2026-27

The Writers Room begins in the fall with workshops taught by teaching artist Mollie St. John (Nashville, Arcane) and a 5-part guest speaker series exploring topics that relate to character, dialogue, structure, animation, and representation in storytelling.

In the spring, the TV-writing workshop offers students an introduction to TV writing and the opportunity to act as the “staff” of a TV “writers room,” working together to pitch, outline, and draft a teleplay of a pre-existing series. The Writers Room Workshop concludes with a table read in front of a live audience.

THE WRITERS ROOM 2026-27

The Speaker Series is supported by a number of partner organizations including Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), Young Storytellers, Center for Scholars and Storytellers, and more.

Week One - Improv with Upright Citizens Brigade (Partner: Upright Citizens Brigade)

UCB instructors Karen Baughn (American Christmas, Cowboy Killer) and Frank Garcia-Hejl (Make Some Noise, Hacks) kick off the speaker series with improv exercises, introducing students to the “yes, and” basics and how that attitude can be applied in a writers room.

Week Two - Character & Dialogue in Screenwriting (Partner: Young Storytellers)

Young Storytellers’ Jess Doss (Rainbocorns) and Tommy Metz (Static, 30 Nights) will lead the students in generative exercises about writing dialogue, creating characters, and how the two intersect to create a unique voice for each character.  

Week Three - Structure with Victor Dueñas

In week three, Victor Dueñas (Bunk’d, Noches con Platanito) will break down for the students how stories are structured, how this plays out in outlining and the work of a writers room, and how the basic building blocks for film and television differ.  

Week Four - Writing for Animation with Ken Goin
To compare and contrast writing for live-action versus writing for animation, guest Ken Goin (Family Guy, The Beachbuds) will come to class and discuss the differences between the mediums, with an emphasis on animation’s perspective.

Week Five - Telling Stories You Want To See (Partner: Center for Scholars & Storytellers)

Haidy Mendez (Senior Marketing & Development Manager for the Center for Scholars & Storytellers) & Jenile Brooks (Tournament of Champions, Being) wrap up the speaker series with a discussion about writing authentic stories in film and television, and that process of bringing those stories to the screen, even when that story is different from what the marketplace typically offers.

BENEFITS OF THE WRITERS ROOM

In addition to writing instruction, this collaborative, creative process offers students the unique opportunity to practice interpersonal communication, compromise, teamwork, active listening, conflict resolution skills, and the ability to receive feedback and offer constructive criticism.

Mollie St. John is a television writer whose credits include ABC's Nashville and Netflix's Arcane. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Animation Guild, the TV Academy and an alum of the WGF TV Writers Access Project. She currently has several projects in development. Mollie is passionate about arts education and teaches writing through UCLA Extension. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.