RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab, Summer 2019
Tyler Hoog
Tyler Hoog is originally from Colorado, where he enjoyed the full range of outdoor activities that his home state has to offer. Additionally, he was a varsity baseball player in high school. However, after a car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, he decided to hang up his cleats and hiking boots. As one would imagine, his accident changed his trajectory in life in a way he never expected. Tyler has always been a storyteller. Whether he was telling his own stories or repeating every line from a movie, he has always been drawn to storytelling. During his three month stay in inpatient rehab, he discovered a new passion for film and television. He began to channel this new found passion and combined it with his natural affinity for storytelling to pursue a career as a screenwriter.
That passion took Tyler to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he majored in Communications with a focus in Media Production and a minor in Writing for the Screen and Stage. After graduating from UNC, he attended the University of Southern California’s John Wells Division of Writing for Film and Television and completed his MFA in May of 2019.
Tyler enjoys writing characters confronted by a world so big and scary the only thing they can do is laugh in the face of it. Life as a teenager can be rather intimidating as it is. Add to that dealing with a life-changing disability at the age of 17, you’ve got a recipe for a challenging journey through life. From the outset, Tyler has done the only thing that made sense to him: laugh often, derive joy from the people and experiences in his life, and take note of the absurdities and incongruities around him. This has helped cultivate a unique perspective that allows him to create and explore characters that do the same.
LEARN MORE
After an extensive search and interview process, 22 individuals were invited to participate in RespectAbility’s Summer 2019 Lab for Entertainment Professionals. This 5-week, nine-session innovative summer lab series for people interested in – and with experience in – development, production and post-production, including careers as writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, animators and other production roles, takes place June 18 – July 18, 2019. Participants include diverse people with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health and other disabilities. Learn more: www.respectability.org/respectability-la-lab.
This program, which continues building the talent pipeline of young professionals with disabilities looking to work behind the scenes, is made possible with support by: Comcast NBCUniversal, Jonathan Murray and The Walt Disney Company.
