WarnerMedia Access unveiled its new Showrunner Program, and alumnus Kevin Lau ’13 is among the members of the inaugural cohort.
Launching in April 2022, the Showrunner Program will give participants valuable first-hand instruction from established showrunners to prepare them for the demands of running a writer’s room and managing a production.
“WarnerMedia is excited to announce this important initiative within our Access programs,” said Karen Horne, WarnerMedia’s SVP of Equity + Inclusion, in a statement to Deadline. “We recognize that showrunners operate as CEOs of companies, but writers don’t always receive relevant leadership training as they rise through the ranks to that role. The Showrunner Program will provide practical tools and leadership development that will set them up for success as they helm their next show.”
Additionally, program participants will receive instruction centered around the vital leadership development skills needed to catapult their careers. Masterclasses will focus on topics such as: running a writer’s room, conflict resolution, and leading with an equity mindset. Participants will be exposed to on-set culture and post production while also strengthening skills related to staffing an inclusive room, managing budgets, and collaborating with department heads. Read more about WarnerMedia’s programs here.
Kevin Lau is a writer and director. He was awarded the Sony Television Diverse Directors Fellowship and the HBO Access Directing Fellowship, for which he directed the comedy pilot “F**cked Up.” In the pilot, available to stream on HBO Max, “a know-it-all tries to prove herself by losing her virginity on the first day of college.” Lau’s Made in Chinatown, which was his MFA thesis film at the School of the Arts, received the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant and the SimonSays Entertainment Award for Innovative Filmmaking. At the NBCUniversal Shortcuts Competition, Made in Chinatown won Best Film, Best Writing, and Best Actor. Currently, Lau is a staff writer for HBO’s fantasy epic House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel from Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, and George R.R. Martin. He has also written for Lovecraft Country, The Nevers, Westworld, and Damnation.
