Film alumna Ida Yazdi ‘22 has been selected as a finalist from a pool of over 500 applicants to participate in the STARZ TaketheLead Writers Intensive. The program is a collaboration between Starz, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and NewFilmmakers Los Angeles.
Yazdi is one of ten finalists who will be given access to big industry players including a number of Starz executives: Jairo Alvarado and Tony Gil of Redefine Entertainment, Molly Breeskin of Gina Rodriguez’s I Can and I Will Productions, Lauren Jane Holland at Creative Artists Agency, and Felicia Pride, writer and producer of Grey’s Anatomy. Throughout the duration of the intensive, these industry professionals will act as mentors and speakers for the cohort as participants grow to understand the ecosystem of the television industry and how to navigate their careers as emerging TV writers.
The first phase of the program launched on August 22, 2022 and will run through September 16, 2022. For the second phase of the intensive, four participants out of the ten finalists will be selected to move forward, at which point they will have the chance to develop, write, and pitch a spec episode script for a current Starz show with the support of program mentors. Congratulations to Ida and the other finalists!
Ida Yazdi (‘22) is an Iranian-American writer raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a former architect, having worked within architecture studios around the world before embarking on a career in television writing. She received an MFA in Screenwriting from Columbia University and is currently a Script Coordinator for HBOMax.
