WGA East Announces Graduates of 2026 Staff Writer Bootcamp
NEW YORK, NY (May 15, 2026)- The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) is pleased to announce the graduates of the 2026 Staff Writer Bootcamp, a six-week program for WGAE members who are either looking to staff an episodic writers’ room for the first time, or are early-career television writers looking to improve their skills.
The Staff Writer Bootcamp featured a plethora of experienced showrunners, including Soo Hugh (PACHINKO) and Beau Willimon (ANDOR), presenting and facilitating in-depth conversations on the art of writing, pitching, producing, networking and more. The itinerary included:
- Dynamics of the Writers Room with Matthew Ross Fennell;
- From Landing the First Job to Handing in Your First Episode with Soo Hugh;
- Breaking Story with Beau Willimon;
- What Showrunners Expect of Writers/ What Writers Should Expect of Showrunners with Tanya Barfield, Beth Schacter, Gary Lennon, Chris Brancato;
- Psychology of the Writers Room with Bash Doran;
- Getting On Set Experience, Learning How to Produce, and Getting Producer Credit with Brennan Shroff, Céline Robinson, Angie Meyer, and Kate Erickson.
“The future of television depends on the writers we invest in today. The Staff Writer Bootcamp is part of the WGAE’s commitment to fortifying the pipeline, and making sure talented writers have the knowledge, skills and connections they need to not just enter the room — but to thrive in it,” says Michael Rauch, WGAE VP of Film/Television/Streaming.
The 2026 program, which wrapped Tuesday, May 12, welcomed 30+ diverse participants ranging from new episodic television writers to writers looking to transition from shows such as THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT. Congratulations to the graduates from this year’s program: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Erika Bagnarello, Beanie Barnes, Jordan Barsky, Brooke Berman, Jen Bosworth-Ramirez, Brandon Burkhart, Amy Chu, Benjamin Cox, Francisca Da Silveira, Mike Drucker, Patrick Foley, Matt Foss, Alex Gonzalez, Jill Goodwin, Greg Iwinski, Ran Jing, Aditya Joshi, Ariel Levy, Matthew Libby, Jonelle Lightbourne, Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz, Nisha Mehta, Jerah Milligan, Joseph Opio, Anthony Rhone, Dallas Rico, Zack Schamberg, Alexis Scheer, Felipe Torres Medina, Randy Troy, Natasha Vaynblat, and Julia Young.
ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST
The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union of more than 7,500 members working in film, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org.
