‘Snowfall’ Writer Jeanine Daniels Wins Humanitas’ Inaugural Starz #TakeTheLead Award

“Snowfall” writer Jeanine Daniels as the inaugural recipient of Humanitas‘ Starz #TakeTheLead Award. Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming for Starz, will present the award to Daniels at The Humanitas Prizes Awards Show and Toast on Sept. 12 at the Avalon Hollywood.

Created through the streaming platform’s “#TakeTheLead initiative,” this award “recognizes a writer who has completed the New Voices Fellowship and demonstrated a dedication to improving representation through their storytelling.”

Daniels was a New Voices Fellow in 2019, and was mentored by Erika Kennair, Head of Scripted, US and Canada at The Mediapro Studio and a member of Humanitas’s Board of Directors. In addition to writing and co-producing for “Snowfall,” Daniels currently serves as a supervising producer on “P-Valley.” Her portfolio includes projects for Netflix, Apple, HBO Max, OWN, BET and TVOne.

“Jeanine is a seasoned and wholly unique writer whose voice is ripe with specificity and authenticity,” Busby said in a statement. “Her passion for telling stories with complex and compelling characters and transforming trauma into humor resonates strongly with our dedication to ensuring stories and characters offer bold and fresh perspectives that will allow viewers to feel seen. Like Humanitas, we believe in the importance of representation and in creating opportunities to support writers, like Jeanine, whose work advances viewers’ understanding of the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way.”

Daniels was selected for the award after a multi-step judging and interview process. Eric Anthony Glover (“Tom Swift,” “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy”) and John Lowe (“Virgin River,” “Matlock”) were named finalists for the Starz #TakeTheLead Award. As part of the prize, Daniels will receive a blind script deal with Starz as well as mentorship and professional development for one year from Starz executives.

“Given the state of the industry, awards and experiences like the Starz #TakeTheLead Award are so meaningful to us and our fellows, we’re hoping to help create more opportunities like this one in the coming years,” said Humanitas executive director Michelle Franke.