First Latina Emmy winner for comedy writing Frida Perez featured in scriptwriters program

The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) recently held a closing ceremony for the completion of its 2025 Series Scriptwriters Program, a virtual eight-week intensive writers lab.

According to the NHMC, the program has helped launch the careers of more than 200 Latinx writers in its twenty-plus-year history.

Coming off of a recent historical Emmy win as the first Latina to receive Outstanding Comedy Series honors, Dominican-American writer Frida Perez joined the ceremony to provide some uplifting words to the 2025 cohort. 

“[Writing] is such a collaborative medium,” Perez said. “So I would really emphasize trying to make the experience of telling stories a really fulfilling and enriching one. I worked hard, I had my voice and perspective, but I wouldn't be where I am today had I not been promoted, elevated and supported. You all have such distinct backgrounds and personalities, and I really am so excited to see that on screen.”

Perez became the first Latina to win an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for her work on “The Studio.” 

The show, created by Seth Rogen about a fictional Hollywood studio head, won four awards during the prime time festiviess. Combined with the nine it had already won in previous weekend's Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies, it gave the show a total of 13 wins, the most ever for a comedy series in a single year. The previous record of 11 was set last year by FX's "The Bear."

Perez also won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, alongside Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck.

Perez started as Rogen’s assistant. “I was on set with him all the time, and we got to know each other, and he began to trust me,” she told Variety.

NHMC has implemented the Series Scriptwriters Program for more than twenty years. They accept nationwide applications and select ten Latinx writers from diverse backgrounds to participate. Participants work closely with mentors, meet seasoned writers in the industry, join a community of alum Latine writers, and have the opportunity to connect with agents, managers and executives in the entertainment industry. By the end of the program, participants will have developed a half-hour or hour-long original series pilot. During the closing ceremony, network executives and partners of the program listen to the pitches the writers have developed. Partners include The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, Netflix, T-Mobile, Golden Globe Foundation, Google, Motion Picture Association and the Writers Guild of America West. 

“At a time like this, the ultimate achievement is to protect a free society so that your stories, your creations, can be free and live forever,” president & CEO of NHMC, Brenda Castillo, said. “It is us who tell the stories, us who should write and control the narrative, and speak truth. The reason I'm so elated to be here among you, the writers, is that this is where we all fit in. You are those storytellers.”

This year’s participants included Akaylah Ellison, Ann Valdes, Ariana Padilla, Christina Ingraldi, Grasie Mercedes, Janet Quinonez, Kari Mote, Kat Castañeda, Michelle De la Rosa Driscoll and Sibia Millan.

NHMC states that alumni of the program have gone on to work on shows that can be viewed on Netflix, Apple TV+, NBCUniversal, HBOMax, Hulu, Paramount, Paramount+, Amazon Prime, Disney+, AMC Networks and more. 

For more information about the Series Scriptwriters Program visit www.nhmc.org/writers/.