UCLA student awarded NAACP–NBC screenwriting fellowship
Award seeks to promote minority voices in entertainment industry
NAACP/NBC fellow for 2008
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and NBC Entertainment on Thursday announced the recipient of the NAACP/NBC Fellowship in Screenwriting at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal TV Studio co-chairman Marc Graboff and NAACP interim president and chief executive officer Dennis Courtland Hayes named UCLA screenwriting student Michael Hazzard the second recipient of the fellowship, which was established last year. Hazzard was selected from a group of finalists submitted by members of UCLA's screenwriting faculty for review by NBC and the NAACP.
"NBC is proud to join with the NAACP in sponsoring this vital fellowship that encourages new voices within the minority community to learn valuable screenwriting skills under the guidance of such an excellent school as UCLA," Graboff said. "This involvement underscores NBC Universal's continuing commitment to promote diversity within the entertainment industry's artistic community."
The $20,000 fellowship is awarded annually to a UCLA screenwriting graduate student, with primary consideration given to those students with unique and original voices who further the interests of underrepresented minorities in the entertainment industry.
"The NAACP has historically recognized the importance of education as a tool for advancement and is proud to be working with UCLA and NBC in this effort," Hayes said. "We applaud NBC for making this ongoing commitment to the development and support of new diverse talent in the entertainment industry."
NBC executives serve as mentors to the fellow, who is required to participate in internships at NBC and the NAACP's Hollywood bureau. Ted Frank, executive vice president of strategy and programs at NBC Entertainment, is supervising the fellowship project in collaboration with Vic Bulluck, executive director of the NAACP's Hollywood bureau.
"Of all the fellowship and scholarship programs that serve the interests of our students, this gift is especially gratifying," said Robert Rosen, dean of the school. "It will directly further our goal of helping all our students make the difficult transition from the university to the world of professional practice."
Michael Hazzard was born in New York City and raised in Jamaica. Initially cast as an actor in a Jamaican theater workshop, his writing talent was soon discovered and nurtured to develop the musical pantomime "Asare," which won the silver medal at the Caribbean Theatre Festival. Returning to the U.S., Hazzard attended the State University of New York–Purchase College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in dramatic writing.
During this period, he created several works for the stage and screen, including the rock musical "crush" staged at Performance Space 122 in New York; "liveBait" staged at New York's Signature Theatre; "Lift Yr. Skinny Fists to Heaven," starring fellow Purchase alum, Jay O. Sanders; and the screenplay "The Sinatra Section," a finalist in the 2003 Outfest screenwriting competition.
At UCLA, Hazzard has written several features and teleplays, most notably "Port Azure," an original television pilot about a family forced to flee to a resort island; "S'Kin & Blood," a tale of a family of Afro-Caribbean psychic vampires, which is also being pitched as a graphic novel; and "The Devil's Whipping Boy," a coming-of-age drama for which he won the NBC/NAACP fellowship. He also wrote additional dialogue for the forthcoming film "Swishbucklers," directed by Yule Caise.
Hazzard's current writing projects include the screenplay "Webcam Sex Virus," a contemporary sci-fi thriller about a computer virus that infects the members of an online adult chat room, and a procedural featuring a female homicide detective nearing retirement in Detroit.
The NAACP/NBC Fellowship in Screenwriting is part of UCLA's Ensuring Academic Excellence initiative, a five-year effort aimed at generating $250 million in private commitments specifically for the recruitment and retention of the very best faculty and graduate students. The initiative was launched in June 2004 and its goals include $50 million to fund fellowships and scholarships in UCLA's professional schools.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded in 1909, is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization projects and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television offers its students a unique blend of scholarship and practical training, bringing together the highest levels of professionalism with the social mission of a public university. Its landmark integration of theater, film, television and digital media and its outstanding faculty and facilities nurture creative innovation, personal vision and social responsibility.