The PSP will provide an amount per week to cover the fees and contract fringe costs of two Emerging Writers. In this pilot phase, the PSP will support one-to-two week development rooms, funding between two and four Showrunner-EPs and their projects. The resources are available to support four weeks of work in total, but we hope that if we can demonstrate value, the program will be renewed and expanded.

The Emerging Writers must be engaged as Story Editors on WGC contracts; they will earn $1,500 per week minus any writer deductions remitted to WGC. The Emerging Writers do not have to be PSP program alumni; however the PSP is happy to recommend some of our graduates to showrunners who are seeking emerging writers to hire; please email info@pacificscreenwriting.com.

If funding is approved, a contract will be drawn up between the PSP and the Showrunner-EP, outlining the agreed terms. Funds will be provided to the Showrunner-EP at the end of the development room period, after proof of payment to the Emerging Writers has been supplied. If the project moves ahead into production, the PSP must receive a credit for participating in the project’s development.

Funding is not available for work that takes place before the application is submitted or before the PSP’s support is confirmed.

The intention of this program is to encourage the creation of small scale development rooms in BC which would not otherwise take place, and to create opportunities for emerging screenwriters to work on and contribute meaningfully to projects. As this is a pilot program, the PSP reserves the right to modify the program processes, criteria and priorities in the pursuit of the program’s intentions.

• The Emerging Writers and Showrunner-EP must be residents of British Columbia and Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents;
• Via their CV, the Emerging Writers need to show a track record of writing experience and a commitment to enhancing their screenwriting skills;
• The Emerging Writers should have not yet earned WGC or WGA Story Editor credits on more than two shows (including WGC development rooms), although very occasionally exceptions may be made at the PSP’s sole discretion;
• The Showrunner-EP should have a track record of creating scripted episodic content in a WGC or WGA environment that has been broadcast as a series on network television or VOD platform, including credit as creator and executive producer.
• The Showrunner-EP must have a registered Canadian business which will receive the funding and pay the writers involved; this could be a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporation;
• The entity receiving the funding and making the payments must become signatory to the WGC Independent Production Agreement for the purposes of this project and all writers hired must be on WGC contracts;
• The Showrunner-EP and other writers hired for the room must be WGC members, excluding the Emerging Writers who may or may not yet be members;
• The writers room must take place in-person and in British Columbia;
• The project must be of scripted episodic content, intended for broadcast as a series on network television or VOD platform.

Excluded genres include, but are not limited to, pornography, talk shows, news, live sports events, game shows, reality television, documentary and branded content.

Applications will open on January 6, 2025 and thereafter are accepted on an ongoing basis subject to the availability of funding. It can take two to three weeks to review an application.

In addition to submitting full contact information for the Emerging Writers and the Showrunner-EP, the applicant will need to upload the following documents in PDF format:

• Project Summary (log line, development stage, prior funding, details of any market interest and/or attachments)
• Development room details (scope of work/goals, dates, the names of any other participating writers)
• CV of the Showrunner-EP
• CVs of the Emerging Writers

The applicant will also need to accept the PSP’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

After the application has been received, an optional self-identification survey will be sent directly to the Emerging Writers.

Qualifying applicants will be awarded funds on a first-come-first-served basis, subject to the availability of funding. If the program is immediately over-subscribed when applications open, then a lottery system will be employed to select projects.

This is a pilot program, and the PSP reserves the right to make adjustments in order to ensure that the program’s objectives are met. The decisions of the PSP regarding funding are final.