Warner Bros. Discovery Access Writers Program
Programme · 2027Prestige 78/100
WBD's episodic TV pipeline for early-career writers toward staffing across Warner Bros. Discovery.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
Applications for the 2027 cohort closed on 12 July 2026. Windows are announced on WBD Access's official social channels rather than the website.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 14 Jul 2026. Last checked over a month ago; confirm on the official site before entering.
Key facts
- Formats
- TV Pilot
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western
- Eligibility
- US residents18+Early-careerNo prior staffing
- Open to
- United States
- Required materials
- Two original live-action scripts in the same genre · Application materials
18 or over, living in the US with the right to work there, and at the very start of a TV career (zero or one season staffed). Two original live-action samples in the same genre; no specs and no animation.
Prizes
Curriculum, mentorship and industry exposure with staffing consideration across Warner Bros. Discovery. Not a cash-prize contest.
Judging
Applications via Submittable, with finalist interviews in the autumn beforehand and a status update to all applicants by year end. In-person LA bootcamp weeks in January plus a virtual curriculum.
The PreList verdict
WBD Access is Warner Bros. Discovery's early-career writers' programme: free to apply, aimed squarely at writers with one staffed season or none, and built around an in-person Los Angeles bootcamp running from January 2027 for the current cohort. As studio pipelines go, the eligibility is unusually generous to genuinely emerging writers.
The honest part: the programme's communication is its weakest feature. The official website publishes no application dates at all; windows are announced on WBD Access's social channels, and the 2027 window closed on 12 July 2026 with little fanfare. If you are not following their accounts, you will miss it, as anyone relying on the website this year did.
The application asks for two original samples in the same genre, and applicants must be 18 or over, US-resident with the right to work. If this is on your list for next year, do two things now: follow the official channels, and build the second sample, because that requirement catches more writers than the deadline does.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 7 Sept 2026
Frequently asked questions
How much does WBD Access cost to apply?
Nothing. Applications are free and run through WBD's official Submittable portal when a window is open.
Who is eligible?
Writers aged 18 or over, living in the US with the right to work there, who have been staffed on no more than one season of US network or streaming television. Two original samples in the same genre are required.
When is the next application window?
The 2027 cohort window closed on 12 July 2026. The next has not been announced, and windows are announced on WBD Access's official social channels rather than the website, so follow those.
Is your script right for Warner Bros. Discovery Access Writers Program?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this programme: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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