EXCLUSIVE: Chandus Jackson has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the CBS Studios/NAACP Production Venture Writers Program Scholarship and The Black List.

As part of the fellowship, Jackson will receive a WGA script deal from the CBS/NAACP Production Venture to develop a new pilot script for the partnership directed by Sheila Ducksworth.

“This is an incredible opportunity as a writer to tell stories that speak to the black experience,” Jackson said. “And I’m excited to be working with Sheila and her team at the CBS/NAACP Production Venture, who are committed to acquiring, developing and producing inclusive programming.”

Jackson, a former Army officer turned writer, recently joined the staff for Season 6 of the CBS series. bull for showrunners Kathryn Price and Nichole Millard. He is a student of the inaugural class of the Universal Writers Program.

“The association with The Black List has been wonderful,” said Ducksworth, president of the CBS/NAACP Production Venture. “One of the most rewarding parts of my job is being able to discover new voices and give them the opportunity to be heard. Chandus is incredibly talented and I’m excited to be a part of his journey and see what’s in store for him.”

“It has been an absolute pleasure working with CBS Studios/NAACP Production Venture to facilitate this opportunity, and it is an absolute joy, speaking as a black kid who grew up on US Army bases, that Chandus was their choice” Franklin Leonard said. , founder of the blacklist. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what he writes as a result.”

The Black List and CBS Studios/NAACP Production Venture Writers Program launched in August 2022 to identify episodic writing talent whose work exemplifies the authentic telling of Black narratives.