Big Light Productions welcome Drishya Gautham as part of writers’ apprenticeship programme

Big Light Productions, the producer behind Leonardo and The Man in the High Castle led by award-winning writer/producer Frank Spotnitz, has announced the recipient of its annual writers’ apprenticeship programme, which is designed to support emerging screenwriters.

Drishya Gautham, a writer-director-creative producer from Goa, India, will join Big Light Productions for a two-month placement from January 2025.

Gautham was selected having completed the prestigious Serial Eyes postgraduate television training programme for television writers at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB), where Spotnitz is a founding tutor. She was the programme’s first Indian participant.

Prior to joining the Serial Eyes programme, Gautham held various roles in the industry including as a development producer for Prime Video, where she was instrumental in commissioning the first slate of series and films in all four South Indian languages. She also spent several years working with leading Indian production companies developing and supervising series in-house, and is currently a partner at Stray Factory, an award-wining boutique production house best known for international co-productions such as Nasir. Her credits include comedy series Meme Boys for SonyLiv and award-wining short film B. Selvi & Daughters, which was recognised at the Indian Critic’s Choice Awards.

Through her placement on Serial Eyes and Big Light’s Writing Apprenticeship programme, Gautham is extending her ties with the European screen industry and is currently developing Kurkuma a Berlin-based elevated horror short about immigrant alienation with the Midpoint Shorts program.

Her work is driven by her intersectional feminist, queer, and anti-caste lens, blending realism with witty comedy, heightened genre and “a good ol’ dash of Indian masala”. The placement on the Big Light Writers Apprenticeship will enable to her hone her writing and development skills working alongside globally recognised seasoned industry executive Frank Spotnitz and his team.

Drishya Gautham:

“I’m thrilled and honoured to be selected for this year’s Big Light apprenticeship. As someone who’s always been a nerd about the craft of screenwriting, being mentored by Frank Spotnitz during Serial Eyes was a career highlight. I believe that it is the perfect time for storytellers from all over the world to bring their unique perspectives to the global zeitgeist. This apprenticeship gives me an invaluable opportunity to understand the UK series industry and establish my voice there. I’m sincerely grateful to the teams at Big Light and Serial Eyes.” 

Big Light Productions’ Writing Apprenticeship Programme helps emerging writing talent master their craft and gain insight into the industry.

The programme provides practical experience in a writers’ room, collaborating on local and international projects and new series development and is aimed at aspiring screenwriters who have already made a considerable commitment to the development of their practice and would benefit from a placement alongside experienced international drama executives.

Frank Spotnitz

During the placement, Gautham will have the opportunity build on her craft and learn from Spotnitz (Devils, The Man In The High Castle, Leonardo, Medici, The X-Files) and the wider Big Light team across a range of scripted television and feature film developments.

Frank Spotnitz:

“Each year we look forward to welcoming a new apprentice to our programme.  Now more than ever it is vital to the lifeblood of our industry that we continue to support new voices and give them opportunities to hone their craft working alongside experienced writers and executives.

“These opportunities across the industry have been diminishing as mid-budget shows and returning dramas, which are key learning grounds, have been disappearing from our schedules. We’re proud to be doing our part to help establish new talent. Drishya is one of those exceptional new talents with a distinctive and exciting voice, and one that represents how global our industry now is.

“We are delighted to welcome her to the Big Light team as our 2025 recipient and hope the programme helps to support the next step in her career.” 

Serial Eyes is Europe’s premier postgraduate training programme for television writers, ran by the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). Currently in its twelfth edition, the Berlin-based programme prepares the next generation of European TV writers to bring first-class storytelling to television screens, having over 100 successful Alumni currently working in the industry.

With the writers’ room experience at the core of the programme, twelve participants are given the opportunity to learn from industry experts and develop a European model of show running through its carefully curated curriculum and networking activities.

Frank Spotnitz has been tutoring at Serial Eyes since the programme started in 2013 and began the Big Light Productions apprenticeship programme, partnering with Serial Eyes, eight years ago as a way to deepen the company’s commitment to supporting upcoming writers. Applications to the 2025 Serial Eyes programme are now open at https://serial-eyes.com/programme/admissions.

Katrin Merkel, Head of Studies at Serial Eyes:

“During her time at Serial Eyes Drishya showed enormous creative energy and talent for storytelling wrapped in a great sense of humour. We are very happy that she is getting the wonderful opportunity to showcase and nurture her talent through the Big Light apprenticeship.”

Over the last decade Big Light Productions has since firmly established a reputation for supporting emerging writers through its apprenticeship programme. Previous apprentices have gone on to enjoy success in the industry, with alumni creating and writing TV series and feature films in France, Germany and across Europe, including 2022 recipient Anna-Lena Theobald, who has created, written and directed the forthcoming drama series TAMIM for SWR and Arte.