Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters of Matriarch Productions and Phil Temple of Birdie Pictures have teamed up to establish a new initiative to help writers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds kickstart their careers and gain proper access to the TV industry.

They state “We are driven by a passion to reform the system which holds back many talented, working class writers. This will be a scheme that hopes not just to raise awareness of the issues, but to help in a practical way to change it, and to also challenge others in the industry to take steps themselves to address them.”

The winner of the Grass Routes writing competition will receive a prize of £5,000. Matriarch and Birdie will also pay a further amount to option the script. The writer will then develop their project with Matriarch and Birdie before pitching it to different buyers, getting their work seen by key decision makers and gaining invaluable insight into how the creative and business processes work within the scripted television industry.

As part of the initiative, Matriarch and Birdie will help the winning writer obtain an agent, and arrange meetings with other leading industry writers, directors, producers, script executives and commissioners, helping them grow their network of contacts so vital for a career as a writer in TV.

For more information and to apply please click here.

Deadline: Monday 8th January 2024