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Disney Entertainment Television (DET) Writing Program

The Disney Entertainment Television (DET) Writing Program is a highly selective, annual TV staffing program. The goal is to staff emerging and diverse television writers on DET scripted series. Program Writers are contract employees of Disney for one year (or until they staff on a show), and receive mentorship, professional development, and unprecedented access to the company and its creative executives, producers, showrunners, and program alumni. In 2020, the Eunetta T. Boone Comedy Writers Scholarship was created to provide a dedicated writer within the program with special staffing consideration on a Disney Branded Television series. In 2024, the FX John Singleton Scholarship was created, providing one writer special staffing consideration on an FX Networks series. 

Established in 1990, the one-year writing program is widely recognized as one of the entertainment industry’s most successful of its type. It has kickstarted the careers of many established and award-winning writers, producers and showrunners, including Saladin Patterson, Raamla Mohammed, Peter Saji, Zahir McGhee, Dailyn Rodriguez, Luvh Rakhe, Sierra Ornelas, and Claudia Forestieri, among many others. 

The Program has had a nearly 100% staffing rate each year. It also has a long history of being the only staffing/writing initiative in the entertainment industry to employ its writers contractually as full-time employees prior to staffing. 

2026 Disney Entertainment Writing Program

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2026 DET Writing Program

Nearing its fourth decade, the DET Writing Program continues to be a launchpad for emerging television writers, offering advanced career development and industry access. The program supports participants as they strengthen their samples, sharpen their voices, and build relationships with executives, showrunners, producers and alumni across the Disney Entertainment Television ecosystem. 

 

Over the course of the program, writers take part in intensive workshops and professional development sessions, and are integrated into the creative community through meetings and mentorship. Participants are employed by Disney for one year with salary and benefits; if a writer staffs during that period, compensation transitions to WGA scale. The program has maintained a near-100% annual staffing rate for more than a decade, with last year’s cohort staffing on “9-1-1: Nashville,” “Adults,” “Deli Boys,” “Far Cry,” “Shifting Gears,” “The Rookie” and “Tracker.” 

 

“These programs represent the best of what we can do as a creative community — identify exceptional voices and back them with real opportunities,” said Jane Francis, executive vice president, Series, 20th Television. “My team is proud to champion this burgeoning talent by connecting them to series where they can develop their craft and kickstart their careers.”  

 

The 2026 Writing Program cohort includes Maya Florin, Mariam Girgis, Cassidy Lee, Noelle Liljedahl, Monica Lucas, Neiman & Aaron Outlen, Jenna Park and Kat Vladimirova. 

 

Notable program alumni include Jewel Coronel (“The Chi”), Claudia Forestieri (“Gordita Chronicles”), Raamla Mohamed (“Reasonable Doubt”), Sierra Ornelas (“St. Denis Medical”), Sabir Pirzada (“Ms. Marvel”), Luvh Rakhe (“Chad Powers”) and Peter Saji (“Unprisoned”). 

MEET THE COHORT

2026 DET Writing Program Cohort

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Cassidy Lee

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Cassidy Lee

Cassidy MJ Lee is a writer who fled the Midwest cornfields for Los Angeles. Thrillers, action, and seditious dynamics are her wheelhouse. She was a fellow in the Showrunners' Mentorship Matters Initiative and recently wrapped the 2025 WIF Fellowship Program. Cassidy was a fellow in the WIF x Black List Episodic Lab, #StartWith8 Career Development Program, and the Athena Film Festival and Lifetime Feature Lab.

She previously worked as a Staff Writer for two seasons of the Korean variety show, ACROSS AND AROUND AMERICA, and as a literary fiction editor. Cassidy was recently the Showrunner's Assistant on an upcoming Apple TV+ thriller.

Before transitioning to writing, she worked as an executive in development, international sales, and production, first at Propagate Content, then at Le Train Train Productions.

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Jenna Park

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Jenna Park

Jenna Park is a queer writer based in Los Angeles, originally from Denver, Colorado. She served as a Contributing Writer and Associate Producer on Eric Andre and Kitao Sakurai's hidden camera Netflix comedy, BAD TRIP. Before that, she was a Writers' Assistant and creative consultant on Sakurai and Phil Burger's TBS pilot, THE PASSAGE, which was an official Sundance selection in 2018.

She received her MFA in Writing and Producing for Television from Loyola Marymount University and also spent three years working in development for NBC International Studios, where she contributed creatively to a large slate of television projects across development and in current programming.

Jenna was a finalist for NBC's Writers on the Verge in 2018, and her independently produced comedy pilot THE OFF SEASON won Best Produced Screenplay at LMU's Film Outside the Frame Awards in 2017. She most recently taught screenwriting to film students as an adjunct lecturer at Loyola Marymount. Jenna uses her comedy to rebel against an increasingly unsettling world and expand representation for complex women and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as to examine issues surrounding mental health and sexual trauma.

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Ekaterina Vladimirova

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Ekaterina Vladimirova

Ekaterina "Kat" Vladimirova is a comedy writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She worked her way up in the TV writers' room as Writers' Assistant on DELI BOYS, SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE S2, and Zoe Lister-Jones' SLIP, and as Script Coordinator on the first two seasons of SHIFTING GEARS. She has four writing credits across these shows and most recently wrote the SG Season 2 finale alongside Michelle Nader.

Prior to these roles, Kat spent nearly two years working for Jenni Konner, gaining mentorship from the esteemed Showrunner through the production of WELCOME TO CHIPPENDALES and SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE S1.

She has a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she also learned how to be a lesbian. The daughter of a Russian-by-way-of-Uzbekistan immigrant, she grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border and has a unique relationship with identity and hyphens.

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Mariam Girgis

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Mariam Girgis

Mariam Girgis entered college in pursuit of a career in Neurology, but left California Lutheran University with a degree in Communications for Film & Television. In college, she interned for Hollywood powerhouses like Sam Haskell, Jack Rapke, and Robert Zemickis.

Her professional experiences include working as a Showrunner's Assistant on Dolly Parton's HEARTSTRING (Netflix), as well as a Writers' Assistant on TOONED OUT (HBO Max) and THE GAME (Paramount+). She also wrote an episode on Season 2 of Disney's hit animated series, THE GHOST AND MOLLY MCGEE.

Between shows, Mariam works in digital content and social media. She has created funny, engaging content for iconic internet brands like Smosh, Tastemade, and Popflex Active. On her personal Tik Tok account, she has amassed millions of views creating comedic content centered on pop culture. Viewers have commented that they think she may be "the funniest person alive."

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Maya Florin

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Maya Florin

Maya Florin is a queer, Puerto Rican-American genre writer. She earned a BA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University, where her genre play THE MOON'S PEAK was produced. After graduating, Maya went on to work in television and film development at MarVista Entertainment, Skydance Media, SYFY, USA, and Peacock.

She tried her hand at agency life, working as the TV Literary Coordinator at Buchwald, before entering the room of CBS' NCIS: ORIGINS where she most recently served as Script Coordinator.

Previously, she was part of Film Independent's inaugural Story Residency where she was mentored by Emmy nominee Rebecca Sonnenshine (THE BOYS, ARCHIVE 81). Maya uses her experience as a military brat and her knowledge of different cultures to tell meaningful found family stories that explore identity and the eternal hunt for a sense of belonging.

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Monica Lucas

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Monica Lucas

Monica Lucas is a former "Washington insider" turned TV drama writer. After working in the U.S. Department of State and for various nonprofits and think tanks, she left DC for Los Angeles, where she received her MFA in Writing for Screen and Television from USC. She's since had the pleasure of working as a Showrunner's Assistant for an Amazon show helmed by Meredith Stiehm (HOMELAND, COLD CASE), and as a hybrid Showrunner's Assistant / Writers' Assistant for a Netflix show helmed by Kasi Lemmons (EVE'S BAYOU, HARRIET).

Monica was named a 2024 Artist Disruptor by the Center for Cultural Power, a Writer-in-Residence at Hedgebrook, and an Official Selection of the 2025 Women's List. She is also the only writer to date to be awarded both the Accelerate Screenwriting Fellowship and the Visionary Filmmaking Fellowship by the Inevitable Foundation, which supports the careers of disabled writers.

She recently wrapped a Netflix-funded short film starring Lilly Kay (STICK, YELLOWSTONE) which marked her debut as a writer/director. She loves to write about unconventional characters forced into power struggles they were never meant to win. Monica is neurodivergent, Puerto Rican, and is easily distracted by cute dogs.

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Neiman & Aaron Outlen

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Neiman & Aaron Outlen

Aaron and Neiman Outlen are Baltimore born and raised twins with a passion for crafting heartfelt, character-driven stories where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. After earning their Masters Degrees in Film and Media from Johns Hopkins University in 2020, they relocated to Los Angeles.

Neiman became an Executive Assistant in Current Series at FX, cutting his teeth on critically acclaimed dramas like SHOGUN, THE OLD MAN, AMERICAN HORROR STORY, and FARGO. Naturally, Aaron copied, earning his stripes as an Executive Assistant in Current Series for Disney Branded Television. There, he continued to develop his artistic voice working on PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS, BUNK'D, GOOSEBUMPS, VAMPIRINA, and more.

In 2024 they attended the Stowe Story Labs Writer's Retreat in Vermont on a full scholarship. Their original work has also been recognized for excellence in screenwriting, earning the Grand Prize from the Shore Scripts TV Pilot Competition. When they're not passionately debating character motivations on whatever show they're watching between commercial breaks, they can be found gaming, teaching their Bernedoodle to not "gruff" at people, or asking each other the age-old question: "what are we going to eat tonight"?

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Noelle Liljedahl

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Noelle Liljedahl

Born and raised in Iowa, Noelle Liljedahl moved to the West Coast to attend San Diego State University, where she began studying film production. During her sophomore year, a screenwriting class reignited her love for storytelling, prompting her to transfer to Chapman University's Screenwriting program. While at Chapman, Noelle honed her storytelling skills and interned at several production companies, including HBO.

She began her career as a Director's Assistant before joining the psychological horror series, CASTLE ROCK, from J.J. Abrams and Stephen King. Starting as a Writer's PA, she was later promoted to Script Coordinator Season 2. She was a Writers' Assistant in the mini-room of another Stephen King-inspired series, OVERLOOK. Noelle later joined Season 4 and Season 5 of FX's MAYANS M.C. as a Script Coordinator.

Around this time, she also began pursuing a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, integrating her creative background with her passion for emotional storytelling and human connection. Most recently, Noelle worked as a Script Coordinator on the PRISON BREAK reboot pilot and currently serves as a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee pursuing her clinical hours.