SeriesFest: Season 11 • April 30–May 4, 2025 • Denver, CO

SeriesFest

A Celebration of Episodic Storytelling

Five white woman stand outside with their arms around one another. From left to right: tallest, dark hair with bangs, hand on hip, pink sweater and light blue jeans, next the shortest woman with long gray and white hair in a black and white floral dress, then the center woman with curled blond hair, a big smile, and a black jumpsuit and white blazer on top. Next, a woman with dark hair and highlights and bangs smiles, wearing a white high collared top underneath a matching black and gray plaid matching set, and finally a shorter woman with dark hair, gray/green shorts, a white top, and a nice blue and white jacket with gold buttons.

Jan Marino Scholarship

A scholarship to the Stephens College M.F.A. in Television and Screenwriting for women over 45

ABOUT THE JAN MARINO SCHOLARSHIP

SeriesFest is honored to partner with the Stephens College M.F.A. in Television and Screenwriting for the third year on the Jan Marino Scholarship, designed to support women over 45 who are students in the Stephens College M.F.A. in Television and Screenwriting program. Named to honor author Jan Marino, the mother of M.F.A. student Betsy Marino Leighton, the scholarship nurtures the power of strong, independent female storytelling in television and film. 

ABOUT THE Stephens College M.F.A. in Television and Screenwriting PROGRAM

The Stephens College Low-Residency M.F.A. in Television and Screenwriting is the first low-residency M.F.A. program to focus solely on television and screenwriting, and it carries a mission:  To increase the voices and impact of women in television and film.  

It is mentor-based, and all of the faculty are working writers, including some of the most successful television and screenwriters in Hollywood. Students gather at the Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood for ten days of intensive workshops in early August, and again in January. During the semester they work one-on-one with mentors online. This flexibility makes the program available to those who are mid-career and have families – which defines many women over 45.  The Jan Marino Scholarship will open doors to a future for these emerging writers that may have seemed permanently closed. 

Past Lecturers include:

  • Linda Woolverton (Beary and the Beast, Maleficient)
  • Winne Holzman (My So Called Life, Wicked)
  • Kevin Wilmott (BlackKklansman)
  • Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman)
  • Jane Anderson (The Wife)
  • Jane Espenson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
  • Kemp Powers (Soul)
  • Meg LeFauve (Inside/Out)

ELIGIBILITY 

Scholarships will be awarded based upon need and writing samples that demonstrate an original voice and a desire to explore deeply emotional aspects of the human condition, just as Jan Marino did.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, you must apply to the Stephens College M.F.A. in Television and Film program.

The application deadline is March 31th of each year.