New ViacomCBS International Studios Initiative for Diverse Creators

ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) has signed five first-look deals with emerging talent from the U.K. as part of an effort to provide meaningful opportunities for diverse creators.

As a part of the first-look deal strategy, the VIS content and production team has identified five initial writers from underrepresented groups in the U.K. They will each have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to VIS over two years. VIS has committed to commissioning at least two projects to the treatment stage of development. At least one will be taken to script.

The selected writers are Morgan Bailey, Bec Boey, Chris Bush, Iman Qureshi and Kaamil Shah and were chosen based on their proven scriptwriting talent, their variety of interests and writing styles and potential to collaborate on distinctive development projects intended for Paramount+.

“Since inception, VIS has been on the front lines of finding and partnering with diverse creatives from around the world,” said Kate Laffey, VP of ViacomCBS International Studios. “As ViacomCBS continues its expansion of Paramount+ globally, it’s critical that we create content that speaks to all audiences. This new initiative will ensure we continue to infuse diversity, equity and inclusion into every aspect of our work, particularly our U.K.-originated content. We are excited to work with this incredible group of creators to continue amplifying diverse voices and expanding our content offerings.”