HBO Max and WBD Access, the talent development division of Warner Bros. Discovery, announced the selection of 12 European screenwriters for participation in this year’s Script Engine Program. The four-month initiative aims to support writers in developing original television series concepts with locally rooted narratives, which participants will present to HBO Max executives in November.
Frank Spotnitz, a veteran producer and showrunner known for work on The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle, and Medici, will serve as the program’s lead facilitator and mentor. In a statement about the program, Spotnitz emphasized the growing international appetite for European storytelling and stressed that the initiative provides mid-level writers with professional development, collaborative skills, and confidence-building opportunities to establish sustainable careers in the global television industry.
The selected writers represent France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, bringing varied experience across television and film projects. The French contingent includes Tolula Dada, Justine Gautier, and Storm Sigal-Battesti. Germany’s representatives are Tunde Aladese, Stefanie Ren, and Ben Braeunlich. Italy’s participants comprise Tommaso Matano, Emanuele Mochi, and Simona Nobile. Spain’s selections are Jesica Aran, Lidia Fraga, and Miguel Mayorga Moscoso.
The program curriculum features workshops, masterclasses, and networking opportunities led by HBO Max executives and industry professionals. Writers will receive guidance from HBO Max market advisors specializing in their respective territories, with the curriculum developed in collaboration with the Series Mania Institute. The initiative reflects HBO Max’s broader strategy to integrate its originals operations, with U.S. and international programming teams now unified under Sarah Aubrey, head of original programming. HBO Max recently completed its European rollout, establishing operations in major markets including Germany, France, Italy, and the U.K.
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