• Helen Deutsch Writing Workshops
• Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship
• The Literacy Committee
• Global Initiative
• Television History Education Project
• The Baltimore Sun Fellowship

History of Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting

2009 Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship Recipient

The Writers Guild of America, East Foundation presented the first Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting to Sara Van Acker of New York University at the 61st Annual Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at the Hudson Theatre in New York City. The award was presented by Tom Fontana, President of the WGAE Foundation and Marshall Brickman, Chair of the Fellowship Selection Committee. Michael Winship, WGAE President and David Steven Cohen, WGAE Awards Chair, also served on the fellowship selection committee. Van Acker was selected from a pool of nine nominees submitted by a corresponding number of U.S. colleges and universities invited to participate in the Collyer Fellowship’s pilot year. Marshall Brickman served as the mentor to Van Acker.
Van Acker is a May 2009 graduate of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Dramatic Writing, where she majored in screenwriting and minored in producing. The oldest of four children, she has spent much of her time telling stories to her brothers and sister and has been incredibly encouraged by her loving parents. During her four years at NYU, Van Acker was active in developing collaborations between the Film & TV, Acting, and Writing Departments. Her feature Not So Happily Ever After was a finalist in the NYU Fusion Film Festival. In addition, she helped produce several community-centered programs, as well as NYU’s nationally recognized program of the year “Ultra-Violet Live,” a campus-wide talent show case.