Screen Nova Scotia and Netflix partner for Screenwriter Internship Program

The second year of Screen Nova Scotia’s Screenwriter Internship Program will provide expanded opportunities with their partnership with Netflix.

The Nova Scotian program is meant to help screenwriters in the area expand their network and gain experience in the writers' rooms of television series.

“We got this off the ground last year with some local support from the provincial government. It was incredibly oversubscribed,” said executive director of Screen NS, Laura Mackenzie.

“We knew this was something we could and wanted to expand, and we were excited to get support with it.”

Last year saw three writers placed in writers’ rooms for Canadian shows Mary Kills People and Diggstown. This new partnership with Netflix will allow for opportunities all across North America.

“Netflix is thrilled to partner with Screen Nova Scotia to expand the acclaimed Screenwriter Internship Program,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, Director, Original Series at Netflix in a release. “We look forward to helping Nova Scotian writers grow their networks and are excited to provide them with opportunities to work with world-class talent across North America.”

Screen Nova Scotia’s Mackenzie says writers on Twitter were excited about the program, and that there was “a lot of noise” around it.

“I was attending Prime Time (the annual conference for business leaders in film, TV and media) in Ottawa in January, and I had lunch with Stéphane Cardin, Netflix’s director of public policy in Canada,” she said.

“I pitched him the idea of sponsoring and partnering on the internship program, which would allow us to find opportunities in writers’ rooms in California, LA, Vancouver and more in Toronto.”

Netflix felt this was also a great opportunity, and the partnership developed over 10 months.

“We will now be able to work with showrunners and creators on shows that aren’t necessarily Canadian,” said Mackenzie. “It will be an important learning curve and give our Nova Scotian writers new talents they can then bring home.”

“This will bring our interns a lot of diversity in opportunity, and give an international reach to this program.”

The program this year will feature two-week internships offering screenwriters hands-on training, industry experience and practical knowledge. It will also be a huge networking opportunity.

Mackenzie said people were happy with last year’s outcomes, but this may produce even more opportunities.

“The response was overwhelming last year, and we did debriefs with everyone. The opportunities that came out of this were amazing. They all got more opportunities in different capacities, and there were measurable results that expanded their career trajectories,” she said.

Screen Nova Scotia’s mandate remains to grow and develop talent so they can work, film and create Nova Scotian stories in the area. These internships will ultimately help writers from here grow, says Mackenzie.

“Right now, we have such strong writers, but many don’t have that necessary and important experience in writers’ rooms. So what we want to do is give them that experience. We want to get our writers out there and ensure they get triggered when writers’ rooms are called upon,” she said.

“We eventually want writers’ rooms here in Nova Scotia, and we want our talent working here in Nova Scotia on local stories.”

She says this project has no boundaries, and opportunities could be endless for those who get involved.

“We are ready to send writers absolutely anywhere where there are opportunities for them. If people want to get involved, we want to hear from them. We are talking to showrunners and creators right now.”

Calls for applications will be released this fall, and you can visit here to learn more about Screen Nova Scotia.