Lawrence Silveira 11/7/24 Lawrence Silveira 11/7/24

Donor Spotlight: Rashad Raisani

The Veterans Writing Project is a cornerstone of the Writers Guild Foundation. The program pairs military veterans with WGA members for one-on-one mentorship and trains vets how to write a screenplay and navigate the entertainment industry. Hundreds of vets have gone through the program since its start in 2010.

One of the program’s biggest supporters is Rashad Raisani, a former Air Force brat with a deep appreciation for vets. In his own words, Rashad shares how growing up on Air Force bases fostered his love for TV, how gratitude motivates his support for the Veterans Writing Project, and why veterans make excellent TV writers.

Lawrence Silveira 9/9/24 Lawrence Silveira 9/9/24

Donor Spotlight: Lynn Esta Goldman

The Writers Guild Foundation has seen a lot over the past fifteen years: the rise of streaming, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, superhero fatigue, a pandemic, #TreeGate, Barbenheimer, Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), and so much more.

Through it all, one constant has remained: Lynn Esta Goldman’s support. Lynn has donated to WGF each year for the past fifteen years. In her own words, Lynn shares how she first connected with the Foundation, how our online resources help keep her connected all these years later, and why her support has never faltered.

Lawrence Silveira 5/15/24 Lawrence Silveira 5/15/24

Donor Spotlight: Brian Nelson

Last May, the WGA went on strike. Over the next five months, the Writers Guild Foundation staffed the Universal Studios Barham picket line and met so many dedicated and inspiring picketers there, including Brian Nelson, a long-time guild member and a strike captain at the Barham gate.

A few months after the strike ended, Brian made a generous donation to the Foundation during our year-end fundraising appeal. In his own words, Brian shares how the strike helped reconnect him with the Foundation and why our library is so important to keeping the history of screenwriting alive.

Enid Portuguez 3/12/24 Enid Portuguez 3/12/24

Meet The Inaugural Class of the WGF Veterans Fellowship

The Writers Guild Foundation has launched the WGF Veterans Fellowship, an 8-week mentorship program that provides educational resources, professional guidance, and career-building opportunities for alumni of the Foundation’s flagship program, the Veterans Writing Project.

Six veterans have been selected to participate in the inaugural 2024 class: Brian McDevitt, Jr., Cathy Torres, Kadyn Michaels, Nicole Schwegman, Rylan Tuohy, and Tracy Thompson. Each fellow will be paired with a showrunner mentor, who will provide valuable feedback on their scripts and unique insights into the business of writing. This year’s mentors include Bill Wrubel (Ted Lasso), Desmond Moran (Tiny Beautiful Things), Jeremy Carver (Doom Patrol), Joy Kecken (Genius: MLK/X), Linda Gase (Dr. Death), and Maria Ferrari (Call Me Kat).

Lawrence Silveira 1/29/24 Lawrence Silveira 1/29/24

Donor Spotlight: WGFriends

One screenplay here at WGF that we keep going back to is Groundhog Day (written by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis), which tells the story of a man living the same day over and over and over again. Coincidentally, here at WGF we have WGFriends, our monthly giving program where donors set up an automated, recurring gift and donate over and over and over again.

Monthly giving is an easy, yet impactful way to support the Writers Guild Foundation. Our WGFriends provide financial stability and ensure WGF’s success with each and every gift. This Groundhog Day, we’d like to give them an extra special “thank you” and share some of their favorite scripts.

Next time you visit the library, check out these incredible recs!