Through the Story Department Internship program, emerging BC writers gain valuable experience in a working writers room. This advances their understanding of the industry and helps them develop key relationships to progress their career.

A vital stepping stone for series writers is their first role in a writers room. Through this program, the PSP offers subsidies to qualifying production companies to increase internship opportunities for emerging writers. These experiences allow up-and-coming screenwriters to display their skills and build a rapport with seasoned writers, and many interns have secured writing room jobs after completing an internship.

After reviewing all the information on this page, please contact us at info@pacificscreenwriting.com if you are a production company interested in applying.

The PSP will fund $600 per week for an internship position, which must be, at minimum, matched by the Mentor Production Company, ensuring that the intern is paid at least $1,200 per week. If approved, the funds will be paid to the Mentor Production Company and must be used only for the intern’s fee.

Internships can be as short as one week or as long as ten weeks. The PSP encourages the hiring of writers from historically underrepresented communities for these internships.

The spirit of this program is that it facilitates an additional position in a writers room which would not otherwise have been there. Preference will be given to opportunities for interns who have not have been hired in a writers room previously (they may have interned before).

Once an emerging writer has found a producer and mentor who are willing to hire them, an application can be submitted. Unfortunately at present the PSP does not have the capacity to match interns with production companies, so this is a task the intern must undertake. However,  we are always happy to assist production companies who are looking to fill internship positions. Please email info@pacificscreenwriting.com.

The internship must take place in the story department of a confirmed production licensed for broadcast, or funded for development, under the guidance of an experienced Mentor. It can be an in person or a virtual internship.

The internships may include participation in story meetings and undertaking other tasks such as proofreading and distributing scripts, and research. An outline of the proposed internship work will need to be submitted as part of the application.

In addition to taking place in the story department of a confirmed production licensed for broadcast, or funded for development, applications must meet all of the following criteria to be considered

  • The application must be comprised of a Writer-Intern and Mentor Production Company, plus an identified, experienced Mentor;
  • The Writer-Intern must be a resident of British Columbia and a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident;
  • The Writer-Intern needs to show a track record of writing experience and a commitment to enhancing their screenwriting skills;
  • The Writer-Intern should be someone who has not yet earned a WGC or WGA Story Editor credit, although very occasionally exceptions may be made at the PSP’s sole discretion;
  • The Mentor Production Company must be a Canadian company as defined by the Investment Canada Act;
  • The Mentor Production Company must be a signatory to the WGC Independent Production Agreement;
  • The Mentor is an Executive Producer, Showrunner, Senior Writer, or Senior Story Editor at the Mentor Production Company.
  • The project must be of scripted episodic content;
  • The project must be intended for broadcast as a series on network television or VOD platform.

Excluded genres include, but are not limited to, pornography, talk shows, news, live sports events, game shows, reality television, and branded content.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis subject to the availability of funding. It can take two to four weeks to review an application, longer if information is missing.

Please contact us at info@pacificscreenwriting.com if you are a production company interested in applying.

In addition to submitting full contact information for the Writer-Intern and the Mentor Production Company, applicants will need to upload the following documents in PDF format:

  • Internship Proposal (including dates, project summary, and internship tasks/job description)
  • CV of the Writer-Intern;
  • Letter of intent from the Writer-Intern;
  • CV of the Mentor;
  • Letter of intent from the Mentor;
  • Credits of Mentor Production Company and related production companies.

As part of the application, you will need to accept the PSP’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

After the application has been received, an optional self-identification survey will be sent directly to the Writer-Intern.

Applications will be reviewed taking the following criteria into consideration:

  • Skill level and experience of the Writer-Intern;
  • Skill level and experience of the proposed Mentor(s) from the Mentor Production Company;
  • Proposed professional relationship between Writer-Intern and Mentor(s) from the Mentor Production Company;
  • Proposed responsibilities to be undertaken by the Writer-Intern;
  • The commitment of the Mentor Production Company to independent film and television production in British Columbia.

After the application has been received, an optional self-identification survey will be sent directly to the Writer-Intern.

Some answers to the most frequent questions we get. Do you have an additional question? Feel free to reach out to us as well.

▸ Can the PSP help me find a story room to intern with?

It is the responsibility of the Writer-Intern to identify and contact potential Mentor Production Companies to arrange their proposed Internships.

Working as a series writer is going to require you to proactively network and build relationships throughout your career; finding an internship is no exception. We recommend you:

  • Pay attention to what’s being filmed locally and who the writers are
  • Attend industry events, conferences and gatherings and actively meet new people in the sector
  • Join the InkCanada facebook group and attend InkDrinks events to get to know the community
  • Request informal “informational interviews” with industry people (i.e. politely ask potential industry contacts if they could spare 30 minutes for you to buy them a coffee and ask a few questions, bearing in mind not everyone is up for this but many people love to give advice!)
  • Have script samples at the ready for different genres
▸ I found a production mentor who will work with me, but I don’t have previous experience writing for TV. Will you still consider my application?

Yes; if you have everything needed to complete your application, we are interested in receiving it.

▸ I still have questions. Where can I get more information?

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The Pacific Screenwriting Program thanks the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations for their continued stewardship of the unceded and occupied land on which our work takes place. We are committed to collaborating with and supporting Indigenous storytellers.

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