Writers Guild Foundation Taps 2026 Veterans Fellowship Cohort

EXCLUSIVE: The Writers Guild Foundation has revealed the latest cohort military veterans to participate in its Veterans Fellowship program.

The 2026 program will include Jon-Alexander Genson, Kat Castañeda, Manda K. Skelton, Shain Brenden, and Shannon Corbeil.

They will be paired with five mentors: Dennis Lehane (Smoke, Black Bird), David Schulner (New Amsterdam, Memory of a Killer), Aron Eli Coleite (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Locke & Key), Dayo Adesokan (Superstore, Party Down), and Brian Studler (The Blacklist, Motherland: Fort Salem).

The goal of the intensive mentorship program is to provide educational resources, professional guidance, and career-building opportunities specifically to military veterans who are seeking a breakthrough into the television industry.

This is the program’s third year, and once again it will be led by instructor Eli Edelson, a development executive and writer. The fellowship builds on the success of the WGF Veterans Writing Project, which is a yearlong mentorship program that has helped military vets develop their screenwriting craft for more than a decade. Fellowship alumni have had scripts optioned, secured representation and landed positions on shows including Paradise, Watson, Memory of a Killer, and American Blue.

“While the industry landscape continues to be challenging, I believe there will always be a place in Hollywood for writers with incredible stories, and these five talented military service veterans have more than a few stories to tell. With the help of their high-level mentors and the community of the Writers Guild Foundation, I have no doubt they will find their place in the writers’ room before long,” Edelson said in a statement shared with Deadline.