Taller Telemundo: Escritores Announces Student Selection.

Telemundo Network and Miami Dade College selected the 16 top students in the writers’ program to move forward into the final phase of its “Taller Telemundo: Escritores.” This groundbreaking educational program, launched in March 2005 and created by Telemundo in collaboration with Miami Dade College North Campus, School of Entertainment and Design Technology (SEDT), is designed to inspire, discover, recruit, and train the next generation of telenovela writers. During the ceremony, hosted by MDC’s Dean of Administration, Cristina Mateo and the network’s Vice President of Artistic Development, Mimi Belt, the 29 students who successfully completed the first two phases of the course received Certificates of Completion as well as a boxed copy of the Spanish-language international edition of Final Draft, donated by Final Draft, Inc. Final Draft is the software of choice for professional screenwriters.

“It was very difficult to narrow the group down to 16,” said Belt. “All 29 students are very talented, and I’m certain that those who could not continue in the program will also have a bright future ahead of them.”

These students were chosen from an initial pool of nearly 4,400 hopefuls from 26 countries as far as Lithuania and Japan, making them a very select and talented group of writers. The 16 participants who were selected to move forward to the last phase of “Taller Telemundo: Escritores” are:

1. Margarita Agudelo – currently employed in Finance, this journalist and TV host left her native Colombia to pursue the American Dream, and believes she found it in “Taller Telemundo”.

2. Carmen Duarte – Playwright, theatre director, and published novelist, Carmen has lived in Miami since 1993 pursuing her passion for writing.

3. Ernesto Garcia – A radio and television scriptwriter, Ernesto became an accomplished playwright and theatre director. His website, “Teatro en Miami,” focuses on theatre in the city.

4. Erick Hernandez – Since he made the dangerous 90-mile crossing from Cuba in an old boat, Erick has worked as a dispatcher in a concrete company. His passion, however, has always been literature, television and film. He is now living his dream.

5. Alejandro Leyva – For years, Alejandro has mastered the often volatile art of freelance scriptwriting. He believes that “Taller Telemundo” is a unifying force for all U.S. Hispanics.

6. Rogerio Manzano – A Journalism graduate, news and sports reporter, Rogerio was a middle school Spanish teacher in a lower-income neighborhood in New Jersey when he learned of “Taller Telemundo.” He relocated to Miami to take the writers’ course.

7. Julio Antonio Martinez – Presently a Technical Director with Telemundo Internacional, Julio has also directed dramatic series and musical programs. His new passion: telenovelas.

8. Veronica Mezzini – Currently a freelance journalist, Veronica is a published author with experience in Public Relations.

9. Antonio Nogales – With a Master’s degree in film and television scriptwriting, Toni didn’t hesitate in relocating from his native Barcelona, Spain to study at “Taller Telemundo”.

10. Bernardo Pilatti – A journalist, producer and news anchor in his native Uruguay (Canal 4), Bernardo says that his next dream is to become a successful fiction writer.

11. Soledad Rico – Soledad has been a magazine editor and has authored various books. Her dream is to make the cross-over to the visual medium with her unique storytelling abilities.

12. Hector J. Rodriguez – A journalist and Communications graduate in his native Puerto Rico, Hector moved to Florida just six months ago. Now, Hector drives from West Palm Beach to Miami every night to attend classes at “Taller Telemundo.”

13. Felipe Silva – With a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Science, Felipe began his career as a writer and radio programmer and later worked in Televisa (in Mexico) for 7 years. The pursuit of his dreams took him to Los Angeles, California – and then again, to Miami where he has taken on a job as a waiter to support himself while he studies at “Taller Telemundo.”

14. Mariana Silva – A Graduate in Philosophy and Communications, Mariana was an actress, theatre director, playwright and television scriptwriter in her native Peru when she was selected to participate in “Taller Telemundo: Escritores.”

15. Jason Sting – A graduate of Chicago’s Columbia College in Film and Communications, Jason was born in the U.S. but spent most of his life in Mexico. While studying at “Taller Telemundo,” he is working at a Miami bank.

16. Catalina Walsh – Catalina was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Mexico City. She began a career as a writer for “Plaza Sesamo” (“Sesame Street”) and various children’s telenovelas. With a Master’s degree in Film and Video, Catalina also lived in Washington, DC and moved to Miami to pursue her dream of becoming a telenovela writer.

These 16 aspiring telenovela writers begin the College Phase of the course on June 6, during which time they’ll be developing 16 original stories to pitch to the network. By fall, the group will be working in teams on the 4 best telenovela concepts — and in December, they will present fully-developed program bibles, character descriptions, and 5 one-hour scripts per project. At the conclusion of the 10-month course, the top candidates will reach for the brass ring — the opportunity to land a job as a full-time telenovela writer for Telemundo.

“MDC and Telemundo attracted an incredibly prestigious group of instructors, professors, and industry professionals to continually develop curriculum and manage ‘Taller Telemundo: Escritores,'” said Dr. Jose Vicente, President, MDC North Campus.

Fernando Calzadilla, a 30-year veteran of the genre, is the program’s Lead Professor, under the direction of Mimi Belt. He is joined by telenovela writers and course instructors Juan Marcos Blanco and Paul Rodriguez. MDC administrators Dr. Mario Beguiristain and Luis Perez Tolon joined Belt and Calzadilla in supervising the curriculum, program deployment, student assessment, and selection process.

Telenovelas are prime-time serial dramas that run Monday through Friday for an average of six months on Spanish-language television. Avidly watched worldwide and tremendously popular among U.S. Hispanic audiences, the genre requires a team of full-time writers to work in a high-pressure, creatively challenging environment. Telemundo Network airs four telenovelas in prime time (for a total of more than 900 hours per year). In order to address the rising need for new writers, Telemundo partnered with MDC to provide a year of intensive writing instruction to a select pool of talented candidates. The program, which is taught free of charge to qualified students, adheres to industry standards.