Sesame Street Writers’ Room Awards Two Development Deals

Sesame Workshop has presented creative development deals to two participants of the inaugural Sesame Street Writers’ Room fellowship program.

Monique Hall and Keion Jackson will each receive a development deal with and continuing mentorship from Sesame Workshop’s creative development executive team. Hall’s application included a script about a savvy young girl and her father who relocate to an otherworldly bed and breakfast in the country. Jackson’s application featured a script in which things go wildly wrong for a teenage boy and his best friend as they prepare for the first day of school.

Sesame Street Writers’ Room is an intensive six-week program intended to grow underrepresented talent in children’s media. Eight fellows were selected from a pool of more than 800 applicants through a series of blind readings. The sessions were led by Emmy-nominated television writer Susan Kim. Guest speakers included The Backyardigans creator Janice Burgess, Wallykazam! creator Adam Peltzman and Doc McStuffins creator Chris Nee, as well as Ken Scarborough, Sesame Street’s head writer, and Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, the senior VP of curriculum and content. At last night’s closing reception, a formal announcement of the winning fellows was followed by staged readings of their scripts by Sesame Street’s Nina Lopez and other performers. Sesame Workshop will hold another Sesame Street Writers’ Room fellowship in 2018.

“The first Sesame Street Writers’ Room has gathered so much exceptional rising talent in just a few short weeks,” said Brown Johnson, Sesame Workshop’s executive VP and creative director. “Reflecting our diverse world has always been a core part of Sesame Street, and we hope that programs like this one will help a new generation of writers gain the access they need to produce rich, engaging and relatable stories for all kids.”

“I can’t wait to see what Keion and Monique create for us in the coming months,” said Kay Wilson Stallings, Sesame Workshop’s senior VP of creative development. “Sesame Workshop is proud to extend these two exciting opportunities now, and I look forward to following the rest of our fellows’ bright careers in kids’ media in the future.”

The other participating fellows were Sarina Bajwa of New York, Joon Chung of New York, Ariana Espiritu of California, Jehan Madhani of Texas, Rebecca Nicholson of New York and Joy Regullano of California.