Husslup Launches Initiatives To Support Writers During Strikes
22.08.2023 - 16:59
/ deadline.com
Husslup, the talent discovery platform founded by former Amazon exec H Schuster, has established a number of initiatives designed to help writers and freelance creatives during the writers and actors strikes.
These include script development workshops, a trans creatives working group and a new AI hiring tool.
The Hussulp Script Development Workshops will help diverse writers develop spec scripts. Launching in September, it will see actors read the scripts to a small audience of members who will provide feedback. The first two scripts that will be read are Quick, Quick, Slow, a queer, two-step romantic comedy in the vein of Footloose-meets-Priscilla Queen of the Desert, by Jett Garrison and The Big Coconut, a feature by Mexican-American writer Randy Gordon-Gatica.
The readings will be executive produced by Samantha Sprecher, who spent 20 years at Billy Crystal’s production company and produced Jennifer Esposito’s debut feature Fresh Kills, which premiered at Tribeca 2023.
The trans creatives working group will launch with an in-person mixer this month for more than 50 trans professionals working in Hollywood and will be followed by creative groups for BIPOC and women creative members.
Elsewhere, the Ask Me Anything (AMA) series features industry experts and kicked of with entertainment attorney Orly Ravid and will next feature a networking scheme from David Eilenberg, Head of Content at Roku.
The platform also has webinars and a community forum to help its 7,000 members, some 65% of which self-identify as diverse.
It is also launching an AI hiring tool that will help its production company partners source talent for open roles when the industry gets back to work.
The tool will ensure partners, which include