Hello and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen podcast. I am your host Valerie Complex and today we are talking to Screenwriter/director Steven Canals and Screenwriter Dani Fernandez.
Both are queer members of the Writer’s Guild of America and have a lot of thoughts about how this strike is affecting marginalized writers and that includes Black and Brown folks, members of the LGBTQ+ Communities, the disabled and anyone else in this industry who exists on the edge.
Dani Fernandez is an accomplished LA based writer and actress. She wrote in the anthology series The Good Immigrant USA about her life as a Chicana in America. She has hosted for E! News, iHeartRadio, Nerdist, The CW, and Disney. Dani can be seen in animated form, playing herself, in Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet as well as SYFYs The Great Debate. She wrote on the upcoming Max shows The Girls on the Bus and MORE as well as the WB drama Incarnate formerly at Netflix. She also sold a half-hour comedy pilot based on her life, 1% Happy to Max. The writer/actress recently wrote a Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy love story for DC Comics, and also wrote and starred in a short psychological thriller, In the Static premiering at multiple festivals this summer.
Steven Canals is the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning co-creator, executive producer, director and writer of the FX drama series, POSE. A groundbreaking Queer, Afro-Puerto Rican creator, Steven’s work on POSE has received a Peabody Award, two AFI Awards for TV Program of the Year, plus Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Drama Series, among many other accolades.
Steven is also the winner of the GLAAD Media Award for ‘Outstanding Drama Series,’ the 2020 Final Draft Awards’ ‘New Voice Award for TV,’ and The Point Foundation’s Horizon Award, recognizing a trailblazer who has taken a leadership role as an advocate of the LGBTQ community. He has also been featured on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Issue, named to their list of 2020’s ’50 Most Powerful LGBTQ Players in Hollywood.’ He is currently directing episodically for FX and Netflix, while developing projects that center the voices and stories of historically marginalized/underrepresented communities under his Story Ave. Productions banner.
Their combined industry experience provides an introspective look on the parts of the business that the regular person may not see. As long as the strike continues, Scene2Seen will chat with others from the WGA to get their perspectives on how things are being resolved. Watch
The audio is also available on online if you prefer to watch rather than listen.
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