Life After WarnerMedia's Access Writers Program

Back in March, WarnerMedia announced Access Writers, a seven-month entry-level program geared toward amplifying underrepresented voices within the entertainment industry. Including participants from the U.S. and Canada, the initiative will grant aspiring writers unparalleled access to the brand's suite of cable and streaming properties, on-site learning and mentorship from upper-level writers. As more networks take similar steps to address the long-existing race and gender gaps within the industry, questions remain as to what these emerging writers can look forward to once the program ends. For Karen Horne, WarnerMedia's senior vice president of equity and inclusion, much of the program's value lies in the participants' continued access to opportunities with what she considers "some of the greatest IP" in entertainment industry. "It's really our goal to make sure that the talent that we find know that they can shape their stories within WarnerMedia," Horne tells Adweek. "So if you have an interest in multi-camera comedy, Warner Bros. Television does that. If you have an interest in animation, we have Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Warner Animation Group. If you want to write for comics, we own DC Comics. If you want to shape your career at WarnerMedia, you can do that." The program's shift from its previous iteration, HBO Access, to WarnerMedia Access Writers indicates a crucial change that allows participants to gain experience across multiple properties instead of remaining sequestered to a singular network "silo," as Horne describes it. This also gives the writers access to a greater pool of mid- to high-level staff writers for post-program mentorship. "What we're hoping to do with this program is to really allow the talent that we find within that program to have opportunities throughout the enterprise, because we work throughout the enterprise," she says. "I don't just work with HBO. I also work with HBO Max, Warner Bros. Television and the film division. Those are the opportunities that we're hopeful that the writers will have." That desire to develop and retain underrepresented talent is not just a product of the program itself but an approach that Horne has taken throughout her career, having previously run similar fellowship programs for NBC and Disney's ABC, as well as the Nickelodeon Writing Program, which she created. Alumni from the Nickelodeon fellowship in particular have gone on to lead writers rooms for shows on the home base network and Cartoon Network. According to Horne, the writers who complete the program will join an existing network of talent, some of which continue to turn to her for staffing leads and guidance. "I'm a New Yorker by way of New Jersey and I always say, 'Once you're in, you're in,'" Horne said. "When I believe in a talent, it is my goal to make sure that that everybody else believes in that talent. I cannot guarantee a writer that they're going to get staffed. But I can guarantee that if they go sit through our curriculum and then you write a great script, my team and I will work really hard to get them staffed and start their careers." WarnerMedia Wraps Upfront Sales, Securing Record Revenue

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

WarnerMedia's Karen Horne on What Awaits Graduates of the Access Writers Program

The exec aims to help emerging writers start their careers post-fellowship

Shannon Miller

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Shannon Miller