New Voices Fellowship Winner: Cara Danielle Brown
In an industry that requires you to stand out, winning a fellowship can have an enormous impact on a writer’s career.
The Humanitias Prize, first awarded in 1974, was created to highlight the role of the writer with the hope that scripts could not just entertain, but also uplift. With prizes in numerous categories across both film and television, past winners have included Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker for Love, Simon in 2019, James Lee and William Blinn for Roots, Show #4 in 1978, and Jeffrey Scott for Jim Henson's Muppet Babies in 1986.
In 2010 the New Voices division of the program was created to help up-and-coming writers get their foot in the door. They require stories that “challenge us to use our freedom to grow and develop, confront us with our individual responsibility, and examine the consequences of our choices.” There are now also programs focused on playwrights and undergrad and graduate students.
Cara Danielle Brown was told by her former Lit Manager that it “was a great opportunity for scripts that fulfill the mission statement of the program (art that has something to say).” So she submitted. As a winner she will be paired with an accomplished mentor, as well as a $7,500 cash prize. I hope to create “new relationships and long-lasting support systems who I can hopefully go to for advice or guidance during my journey. And of course the possibility of professional opportunities.”
Having previously been an actress, Cara wasn’t happy with the roles she was going out for. She began writing and “quickly fell in love with the process of creation. Mostly, I wanted to defend misunderstood women.” This year she submitted a single-cam, 30 minute, female-driven, dramedy pilot to the program.
A freelance writer for numerous publications, Cara would “either love to create a show that makes it to air or be staffed in a writers room. Or both! I'm really just learning that the more adaptable one can be in the process, the better chance for success.”
Congratulations to Cara and this year’s four other winners of the New Voices Fellowship.
Find out more about the Humanitas Prize and the New Voices division: https://www.humanitasprize.org
Pepper Reed
Originally from Oklahoma Pepper Reed moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a TV Writer. She uses fantasy and supernatural projects to tell personal narratives. An NYU Alum, she was a Finalist for NBC’s Writers on the Verge fellowship for 2019.
You can find her on Instagram @pepperreed and on Twitter @starchaser14.
Website.