NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal TV Studio co-chairman Marc Graboff and NAACP interim president and chief executive officer Dennis Courtland Hayes named writer-director Yule Caise, M.F.A. '07, the inaugural fellow. Caise was selected from among five finalists submitted by members of UCLA's screenwriting faculty for review by NBC and the NAACP.

"NBC is proud to join with the NAACP in sponsoring this vital fellowship that will encourage new voices within the minority community to learn valuable screenwriting skills under the guidance of such an excellent school as UCLA," Graboff said. "This involvement underscores NBC Universal's continuing commitment to promote diversity within the entertainment industry's artistic community."

The $20,000 fellowship will be awarded annually to a screenwriting graduate student, with primary consideration given to those students with unique and original voices who further the interests of underrepresented minorities in the entertainment industry.

"The NAACP has historically recognized the importance of education as a tool for advancement and is proud to be working with UCLA and NBC in this effort," Hayes said. "We applaud NBC for making this commitment to the development and support of new diverse talent in the entertainment industry."

NBC executives serve as mentors to the fellow, who is required to participate in internships at NBC and the NAACP's Hollywood bureau. Ted Frank, executive vice president of NBC Entertainment Strategy and Programs, is supervising the fellowship project in collaboration with Vic Bulluck, executive director of the NAACP's Hollywood bureau.

"Of all the fellowship and scholarship programs that serve the interests of our students, this gift is especially gratifying," said Robert Rosen, dean of the school. "It will directly further our goal of helping all our students make the difficult transition from the university to the world of professional practice."

Caise grew up working as a child actor, studying at the American Conservatory Theater and earning his undergraduate degree at Harvard. He has directed award-winning films and written numerous screenplays, including the Showtime feature film "Free of Eden" and the theatrical release "Way Past Cool." He has collaborated with such industry luminaries as Sidney Poitier, Milos Forman and Normal Lear. While earning his master's of fine arts at UCLA, he won the 2005 UCLA Screenwriters Showcase competition and the Sidney Sheldon Scholarship Award for Screenwriting and had a script selected for the 2006 Film Independent Screenwriters Lab. He recently directed "Swishbucklers," a feature-length comedy he penned earlier this year.

The NAACP/NBC Fellowship in Screenwriting is part of UCLA's Ensuring Academic Excellence initiative, a five‑year effort aimed at generating $250 million in private commitments specifically for the recruitment and retention of the very best faculty and graduate students. The initiative was launched in June 2004 and its goals include $50 million to fund fellowships and scholarships in UCLA's professional schools.

The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television offers its students a unique blend of scholarship and practical training, bringing together the highest levels of professionalism with the social mission of a public university. Its landmark integration of theater, film, television and digital media and its outstanding faculty and facilities nurture creative innovation, personal vision and social responsibility.

UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 300 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80 percent owned by General Electric and 20 percent owned by Vivendi.

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