Warner Bros. Discovery has named the 10 new writers selected for the WBD Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program.

Now in its third iteration, the program is a collaboration between Warner Bros. Discovery, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (Canadian Academy) and Telefilm Canada. First launched in 2020, the program is a multi-year initiative aimed at supporting screenwriters from underrepresented communities across Canada.

The 2023 WBD Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program focuses on episodic content, allowing the selected writers to develop and workshop an idea for a series through mentorship and education by TV creators and executives. The projects may be written in English or French.

The writers include award-winning playwright Trey Anthony (Da Kink in My Hair), who is also the first Black woman in Canada to have her own prime-time series on a major network.

Also tapped were Ophira Calof (One More Time, Rubble and Crew), Canadian Film Centre alumnus Taf Diallo (Hudson & Rex, The Porter) and Franco-Québécois writer-director Léa Geronimo (Sort Of).

Hailing from Montreal are screenwriters Laura Kamugisha (Les Lavandières) and Kadidja Haïdara (Le chalet).

Nisha Khan comes to the program with a project about to be released on CBC Gem in the new year, Get Up, Aisha.

Ashley Park comes to the program with a diverse portfolio of credits, including Netflix’s Travelers and AppleTV+’s Circuit Breakers, while Playback‘s 10 to Watch alum Abdul Malik has writing credits such as Transplant and the upcoming CBC drama Allegiance.

Renuka Singh, another 10 to Watch alum, is the sole B.C.-based writer. A graduate of the Pacific Screenwriting Program’s Scripted Series Lab, Singh’s credits include Reginald The Vampire and I Woke Up A Vampire.

“WBD Access’ programs are making a real impact on our industry globally by providing opportunity and training to talented creatives from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds,” said Asif Sadiq, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement.

Pictured (L-R): (Top) Trey Anthony (photo by Dontee Nicholls), Ophira Calof, Taf Diallo (photo by Victor Rusu), Léa Geronimo, Laura Kamugisha (photo by Claudie-Ann Landry), (Bottom) Kadidja Haïdara (photo by Andréanne Gauthier), Nisha Khan, Ashley Park (Bryan Belanger Diaz), Abdul Malik (Photo by Janice Reid) and Renuka Singh.