The 2026 iteration of the program is evolving. We are so grateful for our partners at Circle M+P for shepherding the first five years of the Fellowship. As the mantle has now been passed to Anarchists United to run the program, we have taken the opportunity to assess the state of the industry and feel compelled to acknowledge that making TV in 2025 looks different than it did when we first started back in 2021. With that in mind, Anarchists United is excited to announce a broader scope for the Fellowship in two important ways.

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WRITERS WITH REPRESENTATION ARE NOW ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. 

A NEW FOCUS ON EMERGING MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL TV PATHWAYS.

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The overall structure of the Writers Discovery Fellowship remains the same. The Fellowship is a six-month program providing an immersive introductory experience to the world of the TV ecosystem. Each Fellow will be assigned a seasoned industry mentor who will guide them by way of script development and career advice, and by the end of the program, introduce them to television producers and executives who align with their creative voice. The mentors will support the cohort through each step of the creative and networking process.

While the Fellowship will still introduce the cohort to traditional pathways in the TV industry, we will also focus on alternative and concurrent methods towards building a brand within the industry. 

According to the WGA, TV writing jobs have fallen by 42% in the ‘23-24 season. In response, the Fellowship aims to offer inspiration and resources to writers by examining routes outside that traditional modality. The Fellowship will expose its writers to emerging, nontraditional long-form storytelling avenues such as digital series and new media, while exploring the creator economy and the nascent indie TV space with a focus on how writers can begin to build their brand through new media opportunities.

The Fellowship also includes informational panels with TV professionals, and the Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in mock general meetings and pitch sessions in preparation for their final industry meetings. By the end, each Fellow will have developed a submission-ready television pilot, been afforded multiple opportunities for networking, and be generally equipped with the essential tools for their success as writers in long form story telling. Each Fellow also receives a $10,000 stipend.

By promoting voices that have been historically underserved, the Fellowship will enrich both the professional lives of the Fellows and the dynamic quality of the entertainment industry.

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