EXCLUSIVE: Starz #TakeTheLead and Veterans in Media and Entertainment, a nonprofit connecting U.S. military veterans with careers in entertainment, have set the first year cohort for their Creative Mentorship Program for Television Writers and Producers. The inaugural cohort includes Rachael Brant, Thada Catalon, Shannon Corbeil, Libby Friz, Sarah Hopkins, Satinder Kaur, Lynelle White, and Jazmyn Wright.
Additionally, applications for the second year of the program are now available until September 14 at 6 PM PST. The five-week online program offers veterans insight into the TV industry and its processes as they pursue careers in the field.
Eight veterans will be selected to receive mentorship, which includes weekly interactive sessions with Starz executives, to gain insight into the creative process and practical skills. Workshops cover development, finance, budgeting, post-production, publicity, and distribution, while also guiding participants in the fundamentals of navigating general meetings, delivering compelling pitch presentations, and deepening their overall understanding of the roles of writers and producers throughout the production process.
“Starz has always prioritized bold, authentic storytelling by, for, and about women,” Kathryn Busby, President, Original Programming at Starz, said. “Having an opportunity to support veterans who have dedicated their lives to serving our country in the armed forces truly embodies our programming mantra. While we support their transition into new careers through this mentorship program, we are also gifted with their diverse and experienced voices, allowing us to broaden the creative scope of stories told on screen.”
The TV Creatives Mentorship Program was created by VME Army veterans Karen Kraft and Rebecca Murga, in collaboration with Starz’s #TakeTheLead initiative, to support veterans as they develop their careers in entertainment.
Murga—a former U.S. Army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, who is now a TV writer on ABC’s Will Trent—knows firsthand how transformative these initiatives can be, having gone through a Disney/ABC Directing Program herself.
“Veterans bring extraordinary life experience to storytelling, having served as medics, pilots, lawyers, diplomats, linguists, intelligence experts, and more,” shared Kraft, VME Board Chair and Executive Director. “After our time in service, though, we can find ourselves playing catch-up to our civilian peers, especially in this industry where who you know is as important as what you know. Starz is actively helping bridge that gap by speeding up the learning curve and fostering connections.
The veterans from the 2024 cohort continue to meet monthly, sharing resources, advice, and encouragement as they navigate their careers in the entertainment industry.
Learn more about the inaugural class below.
Rachael Brant writes socially aware stories that embrace humor. A lawyer by background, highlights of Brant’s legal career include jumping out of airplanes as an Army lawyer and working in the White House Counsel’s Office. She won the PAGE Awards Gold Prize for Best TV Comedy Pilot and completed the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Project program. Blending creative and business skills, Brant brings unique stories to life, with a focus on women, the LGBTQ+ community, and veterans.
Military Experience: Brant served in the Army Reserve JAG Corps for nine years, including a 12-month active-duty mobilization with the 82nd Airborne Division.
Thada Catalon has produced three feature films, including Created Equal, directed by Bill Duke and starring Aaron Tveit, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Edy Ganem. The film won over a dozen festival awards, including Best Feature at BronzeLens, and earned nominations for the Imagen Awards. Her debut film, Because I Love You, turned a profit, and her follow‑up, Flashes, secured the inaugural Houston Filmmaker Grant.
As a screenwriter, her work has placed in Urbanworld, ScreenCraft, and the Atlanta Film Festival, and she ranked in the top 3% for Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Impact program.
Military experience: A U.S. Army veteran, Catalon served eight years as a Drill Sergeant and Human Resources Manager, leading teams and shaping new recruits into soldiers.
Shannon Corbeil is an Air Force veteran, actor, and screenwriter, recently honored as a finalist for the Disney TV Writing Fellowship. She has acted in CBS/Paramount+’s Seal Team, ABC’s The Rookie, and the Duplass Brothers’ feature film The Knife. Her debut play, Napoleon’s Wh*re Sister, earned a nomination for Best Comedy at the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Festival and won the Playwright’s Promise Award.
Military Experience: Corbeil pivoted from her creative endeavors to join the first class of ROTC graduates to volunteer after 9/11. As an Air Force intelligence officer, she provided intelligence support to the 25th Fighter Squadron in South Korea. She concluded her career as a Cyber Threat Analyst and Flight Commander at the National Security Agency.
Libby Friz is a film and television writer previously staffed on Amazon’s GI Joe spinoff, AMC’s Turn: Washington’s Spies, and, most recently, worked on HBO’s Dune: Prophecy. She has a BA in Biblical Studies and an MA in History. She also holds a black belt in Shorin-Ryu Karate. Friz also spent time working with NGOs in Pakistan, Nepal, and China.
Military Experience: Friz served as a Signals Analyst, Cryptologic Technician, Collections (CTR2 9147) in military intelligence in the U.S. Navy for six and a half years and was stationed in Central Australia, Denver, Colorado, and Japan, where she supported fleet and front-line combat with signals of interest for in-theater targets.
Sarah Hopkins is an award-winning writer with IP adaptations (TV and Feature) in development and is represented by Zero Gravity Management. Dovetailing her BA in Organizational Leadership with fellowships like the Writers Guild Foundation’s Veteran Writing Project and contest accolades, Hopkins continues to build an unconventional entertainment career. She collaborates with producers across several genres.
Military Experience: Hopkins enlisted in the Air Force and earned an Airman of the Year Award as a Dental Specialist in the United Kingdom. She wore the dual hat of veteran and military spouse for over twenty years. Her service continued as the Key Spouse for the 927th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, and she led a faith-based military family retreat.
Satinder Kaur is a writer, director, and Army veteran. As a TV writer, she has written for Trinity (20th TV/Netflix) and The Bondsman (Blumhouse/Amazon). She’s an alum of the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and the NBCUniversal GTDI Feature Writers Program. Her short film Blood and Glory premiered at Tribeca and screened at festivals worldwide. She holds an MFA in Film Directing from USC.
Military Experience: Kaur served as a Preventive Medicine Specialist in the Army Reserves and was deployed to Iraq in 2005. She led disease prevention efforts in combat environments, monitoring burn pits, inspecting base camps and detention facilities, and training U.S. and Iraqi personnel to reduce the spread of infectious diseases and safeguard troop health.
Lynelle White’s TV writing credits include Black Lightning, Z Nation, and Army Wives. In her writing, she blends genres and puts a twist on a familiar story, reflecting her perspective as a nerdy, Black, Gen X woman. Her storytelling also focuses on dysfunctional families. She is currently pitching a one-hour drama series about the resilience of a found family of Veterans connected through a VFW post. She is a graduate of the UCLA MFA Screenwriting program.
Military Experience: As a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, White flew combat missions in support of operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She accumulated over 2,200 flying hours in the KC-135 Stratotanker, an air refueling tanker, and the C-21, a Learjet used to airlift generals, admirals, and high-ranking civilians.
Jazmyn Wright is an award-winning writer, producer, and Navy combat veteran. A graduate of UCLA’s MFA Producers Program and a Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Project fellow, her screenplay Harvest was a finalist in the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition. Drawing on her lived experience, she crafts impactful narratives centered on resilience, self-discovery, and the indomitable human spirit. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and her pet plant, Larry.
Military Experience: During her time in the Navy, Wright served as a Fire Controlman, responsible for maintaining and operating advanced weapons systems while deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and in a combat zone in the South China Sea.
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