Looking for a writer’s sanctuary? A place where you can leave the distractions of life behind and sit down in peace to put words on the page? That’s what we offer here at theOffice – a quiet, communal workspace on the westside of Los Angeles. We have a roster of A-list screenwriters, novelists and more, but sometimes the cost of membership can be too much for up-and-coming writers. That’s why we started our free fellowship over 7 years ago and we’re thrilled once again to offer it to you.

Announcing the 2017 FREE 6-MONTH FELLOWSHIP TO THEOFFICE!

It works like this:

You send us a sample of your best piece of writing along with a short email explaining why this fellowship is right for you. Our judges select one winner who will receive 6 months of free 24/7* access to the space. This is equivalent to a Premium Membership, the highest level of membership we offer, worth upwards of $2700. The winner gets a private door code to access the space even when staff isn’t here. You wanna write at 2AM on a Wednesday night? The space is all yours. You also get all the other perks of membership including free coffee/tea, Wifi, Aeron workstations and all the peace and quiet you need to get the job done.

This year’s fellowship starts September 1st and goes through February 28th, 2018. It is completely free to enter. The winner will be announced the last week of August. Open to all new/aspiring/up-and-coming writers who are looking to kick their productivity into overdrive. Think of this as your own writer’s retreat right here in the city.

This year’s fellowship will be judged by 3 current members of theOffice:

Mark Cullen
A Hollywood vet and longtime member here at theOffice, Mark is the creator of numerous TV shows including Mr. Robinson (with Craig Robinson), Back in the Game (James Caan), Heist, Gary the Rat (Kelsey Grammer) and Lucky (John Corbett). He also co-wrote the feature Cop Out (with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan).

Nicole LaPorte
Nicole is a contributing writer for Fast Company magazine, where she writes about entertainment business and technology. She was formerly a Senior West Coast reporter for Newsweek/The Daily Beast, and a monthly columnist for the New York Times Sunday Business section. She’s also the author of The Men Who Would Be King: Moguls, Movies and a Company called DreamWorks.

David Scarpa
David’s screenplay All the Money in the World made the 2015 Blacklist and is currently filming with Ridley Scott at the helm, starring Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Spacey and Michelle Williams. Other screenwriting credits include The Day the Earth Stood Still (Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates) and The Last Castle (Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo).

Pretty cool, right? Okay, so here’s what we need from you…

1. An email with your contact information: Full name, phone, and email address. We will contact the winner via email.
2. In the body of the email, please briefly explain why you want this fellowship and what you hope to gain from it.
3. A 10 page pdf writing sample of your work. Attach this to the email. Your best 10 pages. Do not submit pages that need to be set up or explained. Send 10 pages that stand alone. Only pdf submissions please. All other attachments will be deleted.

Email to: theOfficeFellowship@gmail.com by August 8th, 2017. That’s it. You’re done!

Some important points to remember:

• Do your research on theOffice. Don’t submit if you’re not local, if you’re not sure you’ll be available, if you don’t like writing in a room with others. If you live across town and hate the commute, this isn’t right for you. If you don’t flourish in a quiet space, skip it. We want this to be of major value to the winner. Serious submissions only, please.
• If you’ve never been to theOffice and would like to try things out before submitting, please do! We offer a FREE WEEK to all newcomers. Just be sure to call or email us first, on the day, for availability. Contact info here. More photos of the space here.
• The fellowship is open to ALL up-and-coming writers. Submit 10 pages of your screenplay, play, short story, novel, memoir, poem, article, etc. We’ll read it all.
• By “up-and-coming” we mean you can have no feature film credits as a writer on IMDb (short films are okay) and no more than 1 hour of television credit as a writer on IMDb. For authors, we just want to make sure you’re not someone with a three book deal and money to spare. This is for new/aspiring/struggling writers only.
• DEADLINE TO ENTER IS AUGUST 8th, 2017. No submissions accepted past midnight PST.
• You must have sole writing credit for the sample pages you submit. This fellowship is for one (1) free premium membership and is non-transferable.
• If you have any questions, please either comment here, email theOfficeFellowship@gmail.com or ask us on Twitter: @theOffice_LA. theOffice staff will NOT be able to assist you with the fellowship, so please DO NOT call, email, or drop by theOffice with fellowship questions.
• Current members of theOffice are not eligible.
• Winner will be notified and announced by August 31st.

This is an opportunity to take your craft and career to the next level. If you are looking for a place to be inspired, a place to write with the big guns, a place to get it done, submit now. We look forward to reading your work!

*theOffice is closed to ALL members on Mondays 6PM-11PM and Saturdays 8AM-10AM due to outside rentals. Otherwise, the space is yours.