With ‘Forever,’ Mara Brock Akil Wanted to Offer an “Apprenticeship Education” for Writers

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In July last year, Mara Brok Akil, the celebrated writer known for shows like ‘Girlfriends’, ‘The Game’ and ‘Being Mary Jane’, found herself within a stylish Mid-Century modern house situated on Sunset Gower Studios. As she engaged in conversation with a director regarding their upcoming Netflix series titled ‘Forever’, a cluster of fellow writers, positioned nearby at the video village, observed their exchange through monitors.

But the writers weren’t working on Forever.

The team hailed from Akil’s Writer’s Colony, a residency program founded in 2021. They were selected for Akil’s first-ever Shadow Program, an initiative that invites graduates of the writer’s residency to accompany Akil to various meetings, discussions with the art department, and all other related activities. The main aim is to give these writers a firsthand look at what goes into managing a television production.

Due to a decrease in filming activities in Los Angeles and tightened budgets, screenwriters have found themselves with limited chances to visit the sets of their shows. This shift, discussed during the 2023 union strike, highlights a fresh reality: the upcoming generation of showrunners may lack adequate on-set experience and guidance necessary to effectively manage filming without direct exposure and mentorship.

The Shadow Program was initiated on the set of “Forever”, a television series based on Judy Blume’s novel, which Akil has adapted. This program aims to provide writers with an opportunity to work on-set, offering them practical experience. For Akil, this program represents the natural progression for her four-year-old Writer’s Colony.

Akil shares that with success comes invitations to speak on panels and share experiences publicly, which often leads to being approached by people eagerly asking about the secrets behind her achievements. However, she admits that she needed to pause and ponder over how exactly she managed to achieve what she did. This reflection served as the starting point for The Writer’s Colony.

Starting from 2021, I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of The Writer’s Colony – a three-month screenwriting sanctuary specifically for Black creators. It’s conveniently situated right beside Akil’s West Adams offices, providing me with a perfect writing atmosphere. This creative haven, designed by the brilliant Tiffany Howell of Night Palm, spans over 2,300 square feet, offering an environment that fosters tranquility to help us concentrate on our screenplay masterpieces.

While managing the residency, Akil often reflected on her initial encounters with her mentor, Ralph Farquhar, who was known for his work on shows like “South Central” and “Moesha”. Akil recalls, “On show nights, the writers would sit behind the showrunner. During breaks between takes, he’d turn to us and say, ‘I need a joke.’ While he went off to write it, the director communicated with the camera, and the showrunner interacted with the actors. We were expected to quickly deliver the joke.

Akil refers to this as “apprenticeship education” and describes the television industry as a teaching hospital for aspiring writers, where they can learn their craft. Akil points out that the apprenticeship model is flawed in many ways, and laments that showrunners are often not permitted to bring writers to set to work on scripts they have written. Akil questions why this practice is discouraged, stating that it’s a valuable resource that should be embraced!

Aissa Rose Gueye, a Wesleyan graduate who has served as a writers’ assistant on shows like Issa Rae’s “Rap Sh!t”, notes that it’s becoming increasingly uncommon to work on film sets, let alone with a Black female creator. This observation came when she was preparing to transition from support roles to writing positions. She applied and got accepted into the Writer’s Colony and later the Shadow Program, which gave her hope that there’s still a career path for her in this industry.

Aquillia ‘Q’ Mikel, who was part of the Shadow Program too, mentions, ‘Whenever you have an opportunity to observe all the pieces coming together on a film set, you can tell that’s where I want to be.’

In the “Forever” production set, Gueye and Mikel found themselves in the video village. A budding staff writer from “Forever” joined them to observe the episode being taped. Gueye recalls, “Being there and witnessing her work made me think, ‘What an amazing experience to have someone advocate for you.’ I was watching her career progress live and in action.

Akil’s work with The Writer’s Colony persists even as Hollywood seems to be reversing its earlier commitments towards diversity. Companies like Disney, Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, and others have been scaling back their focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, a trend that has gained momentum under the Trump administration’s opposition to such policies. This development leaves studio and network programs, which were designed to offer training and opportunities to creatives who have historically been underrepresented in entertainment, in a vulnerable state.

Akil states, ‘I’m well-versed in history, and this isn’t a novel experience for me or the Black community,’ he adds. ‘There are constant fluctuations due to America’s ongoing struggle with the illusions of racial prejudice.’

She adds, “I’d like to emphasize this point, even though it’s disappointing to take steps backward, what I firmly believe is that advancement can only come through unity.

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2025-05-30 20:24