When Abraham Martinez-Peña enrolled at California State University, Northridge as a film major, he knew the path he set out for himself, to be a professional comedy writer for film and television, would not be an easy one. Hollywood’s hiring reputation was more “who you know,” than “what you can do.”

But in his last semester, Martinez-Peña, who graduated from the university in May 2024, was paired with legendary Latina television writer, producer and actress Luisa Leschin, one of six inaugural mentors in the new Cinema/TV Comedy Writing Mentorship Program in CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts.

“When I first met Luisa Leschin, she was this really sweet lady,” Martinez-Peña said. “But she was more than that. I’m not sure how often we were supposed to meet, but she was there for me all the time. She would ask to see my work and be honest about whether it was good or not and had real advice on how to improve it. I learned so much from her. When the mentorship was done, she made it clear that she would always be there for me. And she has been. The mentorship program, her mentorship, has prepared me for what’s ahead, and I know I am up to it.”

The Cinema/TV Comedy Writing Mentorship Program was the brainchild of alumnus Dave Caplan, an award-winning television writer and producer who is currently writer, executive producer and co-showrunner of ABC’s “The Conners” and previously wrote the acclaimed “Rosanne” revival, the highest-rated scripted show in a decade.

“It really started with me trying to figure out how to get more diverse voices in the writing room,” said Caplan, who graduated from CSUN in 1984 and whose credits include “George Lopez,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Anger Management,” “Norm” and the police drama “Rizzoli and Isles.”  “If everyone in the writers’ room all went to Harvard or another elite university, then what you see on screen will not represent who the audience truly is nor create experiences that they can relate to.”

What Caplan, who also holds a Ph.D. in media-related psychology, was looking for, he said, “was young writers who fully understood their own voices and their own uniqueness and could contribute early on. As far as I was concerned, that wasn’t happening. I wasn’t finding that pool of young writers to draw from to create staffs.”

Caplan reached out to his alma mater, in particular screenwriting professor Jon Stahl and cinema and television arts chair Jared Rappaport, for help.

“Dave said he had had this successful career, and he wanted to give back,” said Stahl, who teaches in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication. “He wanted to nurture and support a diverse generation of comedy writers, to help them find their voices and ensure that they are heard.”

After a series of conversations, the CSUN Cinema/TV Comedy Writing Mentorship Program launched in spring 2024 with six acclaimed, veteran comedy writers serving as mentors to six students, mostly seniors about to graduate, selected through an application process that included writing samples.

The mentors critique and offer advice on the students’ work, serve as sounding boards for ideas and provide guidance as the college students prepare to launch their careers.

“This is an extraordinary pre-professional experience, and extraordinary opportunity for our students to receive one-on-one mentorship from topflight industry professionals who can help them prepare for their futures,” Stahl said.

Rappaport agreed, pointing out that many of CSUN’s students are first-generation college students with little or no connections to entertainment industry professionals.

“This program not only boosts their confidence that they do belong in the industry,” Rappaport said, “but they are also working with professionals who know what’s needed to succeed and are willing to share their insights in a meaningful way that could truly transform these students’ lives.”

The original six mentors included Caplan and Leschin, who has written for television and movies for more than 20 years, including “The Brothers Garcia,” “George Lopez,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Are We There Yet?,” “Austin & Ally,” “From Dusk till Dawn” and “Head of the Class.” The other original mentors were Jana Hunter, executive producer on “The Conners,” whose credits include “The Drew Carey Show,” “According to Jim” and “Notes From The Underbelly;” Russ Woody, an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning television writer who has written and produced “Murphy Brown,” “Mad About You, “Cybill,” “Becker,” “The Slap Maxwell Story,” “The Middle” and “The Drew Carey Show;” Linda Teverbaugh, who has spent more than 30 years writing, producing and developing television comedy, including FOX’s “Last Man Standing” and DreamWorks’ “Dragons;” and Brett Baer, an Emmy-, BAFTA- and WGA-award winning writer and producer who most recently executive produce that Apple+ series “Bad Sisters” and served as showrunner for “New Girl” and “United States of Tara.”

Four of the original mentors — Hunter, Woody, Caplan and Leschin — have returned this spring for the program’s second year. Joining them are Bob Kushell, whose credits include “The Simpsons,” “3^rd Rock from the Sun,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “American Dad,” “Samantha Who?,” “Grounded for Life” and “Anger Management,” and Cindy Caponera, whose credits include “Saturday Night Live,” “Shameless,” “Nurse Jackie” and “The Conners.”

Caplan said that when he grew up, he knew that he wanted to write sitcoms, “but Hollywood felt a million miles away from me.”

“To have someone tell me that the things that I was writing showed promise and that I could make it was really all I needed,” he said, recalling support he had received from the late CSUN film professor Alan Armer, who also was an Emmy Award-winning television producer whose work included “The Fugitive” and “The Untouchables.” “If I hadn’t gotten that, I’m not sure what would have happened, but it made all the difference for me. I want to do the same for the generations that follow me.”