With the announcement of ABC's new primetime line-up came an abundance of support from new and returning showrunners striving to incorporate diversity into writers' rooms. For the sixth consecutive year, all eight of the writers selected for the Disney|ABC Writing Program have been staffed on DATG series. This year's staffings include Dayo Adesokan ("Downward Dog"), Amanda Idoko ("Imaginary Mary"), Andrew Mathieson ("Dr. Ken"), Ron McCants ("Speechless"), Miguel Ian Raya ("Famous In Love," Freeform), Janine Salinas Schoenberg ("American Crime"), Christina Walker ("Still Star-Crossed") and Jeffery Wang ("Notorious"). In addition, Raya is penning an episode of Freeform's "Famous in Love" while Schoenberg and Walker are co-writing episodes of ABC's "American Crime" and "Still Star-Crossed," respectively.
"We're proud that our selection of writers for this year's writing program proved appealing to not only creative executives but showrunners as well," said Tim McNeal, vice president, Creative Talent Development & Inclusion. He added, "Just as we pride ourselves by introducing new diverse voices to the creative process at the lower level, we find it equally rewarding to champion the staffing of program alumni as a means to career longevity."
Approximately 50 alumni at levels ranging from staff writer to executive producer will be staffed during the 2016-17 television season with 14 staffed on Disney|ABC networks. Alumni staffed on DATG series include Co-Executive Producer Zahir McGhee ("Scandal," ABC), Supervising Producer Nelson Soler ("Once Upon A Time," ABC), Co-producer and Story Editor Silvia Olivas ("Elena of Avalor," Disney Channel), Executive Story Editor Ryan Maldonado ("Conviction," ABC) and Story Editor Lucas Brown Eyes ("Young & Hungry," Freeform).
About the Disney|ABC Television Group Disney|ABC Television Group is comprised of The Walt Disney Company's global entertainment and news television properties, owned television stations group, and radio business. This includes
ABC Studios, the
ABC Owned Television Stations Group, and the
ABC Television Network, which provides entertainment, news and kids programming to viewers via more than 200 affiliated stations across the U.S. It also includes Disney Channels Worldwide, a portfolio of 116 kid-driven, family-inclusive entertainment channels, including Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Disney Cinemagic, Hungama, and Radio Disney brands, as well as cable network Freeform, which targets Millennials. Disney|ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution and Disney Media Distribution round out the portfolio. Disney|ABC Television Group also has equity interests in A+E Networks and Hulu.
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