April Shea and Jen Goin Blake met in 2017 at the Sundance Institute’s Episodic Story Lab, a show where emerging TV writers develop their pilot scripts in the idyllic setting of a Utah mountain resort. Blake, who was a script analyst at William Morris, was there as the lab’s founding director, and Shea, who later collaborated on shows like you are the worst, Mrs. America s fargoHe was there to work on the so-called drama tilted.
“We saw the benefit of being able to go somewhere in nature in a space, away from your normal routine, and how that involves you in the creative process,” says Sheehy of the Sundance Lab experience. Over the years, the pair have kept in touch, hoping to work together one day and recreate some of the magic they felt in Utah. “We started out dreaming, ‘Okay, one day we can open this giant ranch and have residencies and basically make our own version of Sundance Labs, create another space for artists.’ ”
In 2021, Sheehy and Blake went from dreaming to doing. They formed a production company, Diversity Hire, and used some of the money Shih received from his overall deal with FX to buy a $435,000 home in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., to host creative meetings.
Courtesy of Paul Carter
The three-story, 1,600-square-foot A-structure sits on more than half an acre in the San Bernardino Mountains, with few views of the neighborhood. It had all the features women wanted: lots of light, a fireplace, high ceilings, a wraparound deck, and they could imagine its three bedrooms and office filled with writers and artists. With the help of the contractors Blake worked with in Los Angeles, the guidance of a so-called “creative doula” named Beverly Hands, and the talent of designer Tess Henderson, the two women turned it into a community space for writers designing. Re-evolving.
As the contractors put rafters on the house, Hydes wrote words like “surprise” and “clarity” that reflect Sheehy and Blake’s intentions for the house, behind the drywall, and advised them to put the glazing. “The contractors were saying, who are these LA ladies and what’s going on? Blake says. “But at the end of the job, even the contractor would say, ‘There’s something about this space that makes me feel relaxed when I walk in.’ ”
To the furniture, the women added structured but simple objects, a metaphor for a good script. They chose a handcrafted brass sideboard sold on Etsy, a Hallman stove, a vintage Borge Mogensen armchair, and a Royal Quiet Deluxe typewriter.
Before the house was even finished, Shih and Blake began organizing creative getaways. Once they took the program authors are preparing Run the Bambi race For holidays in Montecito, hot spring tours and salt cave meditation. At the retreat, Hinds guides the writers through scenarios of intent, tea ceremonies, dances and other activities designed to help them “fall into their bodies,” says Shea. “It’s important to invest in our artists emotionally, intellectually and financially,” says Sheehy.
The house was developed alongside other creative projects the women are working on. Shih writes about the last season. fargo and a derivative of Diversity Hire land of joyA Pakistani film that premiered at Cannes and has several projects in development.
Shih and Blake hope the Lake Arrowhead retreat will be the first of many they will build, and they plan to create residency programs similar to those that exist in the dramatic, literary and arts communities. Participating writers, who have worked on projects developed by Diversity Hire, are not paid to stay.
“On television, you’re asked to write a project in a vacuum, in an area like New York or Los Angeles, where distractions are all around,” says Blake, whose husband is television writer Peter Blake (good doctor). “Television is a collaboration. Why not open collaboration before the green light phase? We thought, “Let’s give it to you.” We can’t guarantee anyone that your show will be produced, but we can say that we can help you figure out what your show is.”
This story first appeared in the September 6 issue of The Gossipify. Click here to subscribe.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
