BK
Brian Kratz
  • cinema and photography
  • Class of 2008
  • Onondaga, NY

Brian Kratz Wins Prize to Develop Television Pilot Script

2014 Jan 9

Brian Kratz has been selected as a winner of the Humanitas New Voices Program, through which he has received a $25,000 grant to write a television pilot script.

Kratz and his writing partner Joshua Corey will work under the supervision of veteran TV writer Jay Kogen, best known for his writing for "The Simpsons" and "Malcolm in the Middle." When they complete their script, Kogen will submit it to CBS Studios for consideration.

The highly competitive New Voices Program was launched in 2010 to recognize emerging writers whose work personifies the kind of writing that the Humanitas Prize has honored for almost four decades. The ideal candidate is a writer whose entertaining work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. Previous honorees have worked with such accomplished writers as Oscar and Emmy winner Alan Ball ("American Beauty," "True Blood"), Hart Hanson ("Bones") and David Shore ("House").

Kratz and Corey met at Ithaca College, from which they both graduated in 2008 with degrees in cinema and photography. They are in the early stages of writing their pilot, a comedy that they will submit in January. Although Humanitas paired them with Kogen, both say he is the writer they would have chosen to work with anyway.

"He’s a fantastic guy," said Kratz. "He’s just a really funny writer."

Kratz and Corey credit their professors at Ithaca College with their success. They also found support at the Pendleton Center, the home of Ithaca College's Los Angeles Program and a resource to help students and alumni find jobs and internships in L.A.

"We hope we get boatloads of money and fame," said Kratz. "But really, anything that comes of this would be great. We’re just happy to have the opportunity to write a pilot with Jay as our mentor."

The Humanitas Prize was founded in 1974 to celebrate television programs which affirm the dignity of the human person, explore the meaning of life, enlighten the use of human freedom and reveal to each person our common humanity. The organization's goal is to encourage the entertainment industry to use television to uplift and enhance the lives of viewers.

For more information, visit www.humanitasprize.org.