Our Mission
“Son, people like us don’t deserve to dream.”
These were the words Frankie Li’s father spoke when Frankie finally mustered the courage to share his dream of making movies and TV shows. As a child of low-income immigrants, he understood his perspective, but was nonetheless deeply upset by his response: a sentiment shared by many who are raised to believe that ambition is a privilege, not a right.
Armed with the belief that we could create opportunities for ourselves instead of waiting for our turn within the industry status quo, our small, remote team of students charged ahead, working off Google documents and sending thousands of cold e-mails despite having no real experience or track record.
Of the many socio-political and economic barriers that BIPOC, queer, disabled, and low-income screenwriters face in Hollywood, Diverso targets the most simple, fundamental issues: the scarcity of personal connections and the inability to take unpaid opportunities to break into the business.
Systemic issues like diversity and accessibility must be addressed with systemic solutions. Diverso understands that in order for true, long- term change to occur in the film and television industry, individuals must be empowered and exposed to career paths early in their development. Namely, at the student level.
We are a group of impassioned students dedicated to lifting other young diverse creatives into Hollywood by providing them with education, mentorship, community, resources, and access to a vast professional network. We hope to create an endless pipeline of exceptional emerging talents from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Together, as the next generation of movers and shakers, we can create a better, more inclusive Hollywood. And by changing Hollywood, we believe we can change the world.
2023 Panel with The Daniels
MAY 2019
Diverso Founder Frankie Li at an Academy Gold internship.
DIVERSO WAS BORN IN A COLLEGE DORM ROOM
Confronting the systemic barriers to entry to Hollywood firsthand, Frankie Li births Diverso from his college dorm room at Harvard College. It was a direct response to the difficulty he experienced breaking into the film and television business as a child of immigrants who did not come from fancy professional relationships or the financial resources to take unpaid internships.
He gathered a small, ragtag team scattered at universities across the country to begin building an entertainment organization for students, by students.
MAR 2020
Opening Ceremony for the Minority Report.
When COVID arrived in March 2020 and sent most of us home from our university campuses, we doubled down on our remote work with Diverso.
We partnered with organizations like The Black List, IMDb, and United Talent Agency to launch our first initiative called The Minority Report: a fellowship program for the top student screenwriters from underrepresented backgrounds across 200+ universities. Our industry jury included the likes of Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians), Dede Gardner (President, Plan B Entertainment), and Kemp Powers (Across the Spiderverse).
LAUNCHING OUR FIRST FELLOWSHIP
JUNE 2021
A panel with Barry Jenkins, Joe Robert Cole, and Cheo Hodari Coker.
The Diverso student team raised nearly $200,000 in its inaugural fundraising round from companies like Warner, Disney, and SONY. The funding allowed us to construct the first-ever paid fellowship program for student screenwriters.
We began attracting the attention of and collaborating with leading industry figures like Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), Joe Robert Cole (Black Panther), Chloe Zhao (Nomadland), and many more.
FUNDRAISING AND EXPANDING
MAY 2023
Diverso Founder Frankie Li with Lin-Manuel Miranda at a virtual fundraising event.
Diverso acquired official 501©3 status and built out its Board of Directors, constructing guide rails for its highly dynamic student team.
We built systems for longevity and made strides towards our ultimate goal of long-term change across the entertainment industry.
SYSTEMS BUILT FOR LONGEVITY
OCT 2024
Diverso alum Omar Kamara discussing his feature debut AFRICAN GIANTS, winner of the Audience Award at Slamdance 2024.
Given our student-centered nature as an organization, our alumni base is still quite young. The budding writers, directors, and executives who were incubated by our programming begin taking immense professional steps—writing on TV shows, climbing executive ranks, and winning awards with their feature debuts.
We compiled a 5-Year Impact Report detailing our achievements and outlining our vision for the future.
FIVE YEARS OF IMPACT
JUNE 2025
Diverso alumni at an in-person mixer at Blumhouse Headquarters in Los Angeles, Summer 2025.
IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING AND WHAT COMES NEXT
The first six years of Diverso saw its supported student artists staff on popular series, premiere their feature debuts, and climb the executive ranks of major entertainment companies. Our community of emerging writers, directors, and producers has grown over to sixty strong.
We have been validated in our program’s founding belief: when filmmakers are given resources and access, the work follows.
Now, Diverso enters its next chapter of operations, continuing to invest in bold storytellers and pushing the industry toward a future that better reflects the world we live in.