Telemundo graduates Escritores.

Telemundo announced the graduation of eight students from the third installment of its Taller Telemundo: Escritores. The network’s education initiative is designed to inspire, discover, recruit and train the next generation of television writers. In an alliance with Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Continuing Education and Professional Development, Telemundo once again partnered with academia to create a dynamic curriculum that specifically prepared and retained Hispanic writers in two new critical areas: fiction writing for TV and fiction writing for Digital Media. The students were commemorated at a special ceremony presided by Don Browne, President, Telemundo and creator of the program held today on the LMU Campus.

“We are extremely proud of each student that has graduated from the program,” said Don Browne, President of Telemundo Network. “Each year, Taller Telemundo helps aspiring Hispanic talent reach their dreams. Thanks to our partnership with Loyola Marymount University, we are able to give talented students in Los Angeles the opportunity to contribute to the growth of Telemundo and the Spanish language television industry.”

Four students were recognized with special awards, including one Telemundo-Atria Book Award . This year’s ceremony honored three students with awards based on the highest scores given after presentations made earlier this month to a panel of Telemundo Executives. Rodney Jimenez and Liliana Hung received the “Fiction for TV” Award and Javier Gallo received the “Digital Storytelling” Award.

For the third consecutive year, Telemundo and Atria Books decided to jointly present one new book award this year, in the non-fiction category. Graduating student, Jorge Alvarado was the recipient of the Telemundo/Atria Book Award. Alvarado will be charged with compiling and editing a book based on interviews with Telemundo stars.

The Telemundo/Atria Book Award was presented to Alvarado by fellow fiction author, Cecilia Samartin. She is best known for her critically-acclaimed best seller, Broken Paradise, published by Atria Books in February 2007. A well-respected author in her field, Samartin is also known for her activism with the Los Angeles Hispanic Community.

The students who graduated from the prestigious program were selected from an initial pool of 1,500 applicants worldwide. The top eight students, out of an original class of 21, completed the nearly 300 hours of intensive coursework in the Los Angeles program. The application process drew applicants from all walks of life representing 32 states and 23 countries from as near as Miami and New York, to as far as Switzerland, Belize, Spain, and Lithuania.

As in prior years, Telemundo executives and industry writers delivered many of the special workshops during the six-month intensive course.

“Loyola Marymount University was excited to partner with Telemundo for this creative educational program,” said Ernest Rose, senior vice president and chief academic officer. “These talented students received a unique and hands-on educational experience that likely changed their lives and will provide them with opportunities beyond their dreams.”

In 2005 and 2006, Taller Telemundo: Escritores was incredibly successful. More than 70 percent of the U.S. graduates are today writing top-rated programs and leading successful Promotions and Digital Media projects for the network. Several international students of the 2005 and 2006 courses have received international writing offers and four are authoring books for Atria.