Paramount+ is coming on board as the lead sponsor for the 2026 edition of Pacific Screenwriting Program’s Scripted Series Lab, PSP’s flagship program for emerging B.C. screenwriters.
“The PSP is delighted to have Paramount+ Canada on board for the 2026 Scripted Series Lab,” said Camilla Tibbs, PSP’s Executive Director, in an announcement. “The Scripted Series Lab is nationally recognized as an outstanding training program, and it plays a vital role in BC’s domestic sector, identifying and nurturing new television writing talent. We are excited to be moving forward in partnership with Paramount+ in Canada for the 2026 iteration.”
Vanessa Case, Vice President of Content at Paramount+ and Pluto TV Canada, said the streamer has been impressed with the work done through the Scripted Series Lab thus far.
Launched in 2019, it annually provides training to six emerging screenwriters with an emphasis on historically under-represented communities. In addition to being immersed in a 10-week writers room with a showrunner, participants receive script mentorship on their original pilots and engage in workshops and information sessions with industry leaders. Past participants have earned writing credits on B.C. series like Family Law, Allegiance, Murder in a Small Town, Wild Cards, and Sight Unseen.
Paramount+ previously partnered with PSP and the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) on the Indigenous Screenwriters Lab, supporting six mid-level Indigenous writers from across Canada with a genre focus on futurism and science fiction.
The announcement marks the eighth Canadian partnership for Paramount+, joining the 2024 Reelworld Summit, BANFF SPARK Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media: Producer Edition, inkcanada to Connect Emerging Writers with Industry Allies; a collaboration with the Black Screen Office for the Black Creators Festival Initiative; a joint venture with BIPOC TV & Film and the National Screen Institute for the ELEVATE program; and a partnership with The Shine Network Institute (TSNI) for the Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive.
