Belo named winner of TriForce WriterSlam
December 16, 2020
TriForce Creative Network, the organisation which promotes diversity and inclusion in the film and TV industries, and Amazon Prime Video have announced the winner of the latest TriForce WriterSlam competition, which aims to support emerging writers from across the UK.
The winner, Tumi Belo, was one of four finalists selected from over 1500 submissions following a nationwide call out for original ideas, with writers invited to submit a synopsis and 15 pages of script for an audio drama or comedy. The final script extracts were performed by actors, including Lauren Drummond, Ivanno Jeremiah, Michael Salami, Jennifer Nicholas and Amrita Acharia, in a virtual version of the WriterSlam Final (normally performed live) on Tuesday 15 December, hosted on Twitch for an industry audience. Tumi hails from London and won with her script entitled The Philadelphia Hope, which was inspired by stories of Black newspapers in the US in the 1920s she uncovered while studying history.
Tumi commented; “I’m really honoured to win the TriForce WriterSlam, and incredibly excited to start my mentorship with Amazon Studios. I was drawn to this competition because it had a reputation for inclusion, and I felt it was accessible for stories like mine, which gave me confidence that it would get consideration. It really is a dream come true to take the next step in my career with the help of TriForce and Amazon Studios.”
WriterSlam welcomes entries from writers from all walks of life. The competition focuses on removing the barriers to entry with no fee to enter, welcoming writers with no representation or previous broadcast credits, as well as a requirement to write just 15 pages of script, recognising that not all promising writers have the luxury of time to write a full script at the start of their careers.
This year TriForce once again collaborated with Prime Video, who will offer the winner a paid development and mentorship with Jonathan Lewsley, UK Head of Scripted for Amazon Studios, over 3-6 months to develop their idea into a full episode script.