As a part of the New Voices Interview Series, we asked our New Voices alumni to share about their writing process, their experience with mentorship, and what inspires them. Today’s interview is with New Voices Fellowship alum, Robert Axelrod.

Humanitas: What kind of characters do you love to write and why?

Robert Axelrod: I often find myself writing diametrically opposed characters who are forced to rely on one another to survive on some level. I tend to gravitate towards writing complicated characters who are trying their best in a world that they don’t necessarily fit in. My characters, much like the people in my life, are usually from queer, diverse, and/or Jewish backgrounds.

H: Why is it important for a writer to explore the human condition in 2022? How can writers use their art to make a difference?

RA: Writers can use their art to make the foreign and fringe among us more familiar. There’s a beauty in the universality of our humanity. And that humanity, when expressed through art, can often allow us to transcend the barriers of difference—and bring us all together.

H: Which writer working today inspires you?

RA: Joshua Harmon. I’m such an admirer of his work, not only for the quality of the writing, but for the themes and topics that he tackles. His characters and dialogue are so profoundly human, in ways both comedic and dramatic. I’ve seldom felt as seen, heard, and understood as I have while reading or seeing Joshua Harmon’s work. Endlessly inspired by him.

H: What are you watching right now?

RA: There are so many wonderful shows on the air right now, so I’m always juggling a few. Lately, I've been watching the final season of Better Things, and the new seasons of Barry, and Atlanta. I also just started I Love That For You, and Under The Banner of Heaven.

H: How does your identity shape your writing?

RA: I often draw upon my own intersectional identity, as a gay Jewish person, to write about the intersection of identity and culture. My writing often focuses on themes of acceptance and forgiveness, which I’d argue are both large tenets of queerness and Judaism.  

 H: What impact did Humanitas’s New Voices fellowship have on your writing/career?

RA: I’m eternally grateful for the New Voices Fellowship. I could not have dreamt of a better mentorship experience than the one I received from Winnie Holzman. It has served me in every single script I’ve written since going through the fellowship. Humanitas has given me a community and an ongoing system of support far beyond what I ever could have anticipated. I’m deeply honored to be a New Voices alumnus.

Robert Axelrod is a recipient of both the CineStory TV and Humanitas New Voices fellowships, and was a winner of the 2020 A-List, an annual competition honoring the best work by assistants in the entertainment industry. He is a recent Grand Prize Winner in the ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition, which lead to his winning play being presented as part of the IAMA Theater Company’s New Works Festival. Additionally, Robert has placed as a finalist in the Austin Film Festival, PAGE Awards, Final Draft Big Break Competition, Launch Pad Pilot Competition, and is a two-time semifinalist for the Disney Television Writing Program.

Are you an emerging, unrepresented writer? You can apply for the New Voices Fellowship right now by visiting our Coverfly portal. The deadline is Wednesday, May 18, 2022. 

New Voices is a four-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters. The program is committed to identifying and empowering five writers each year who are currently at work on a 30- or 60-minute pilot or feature film screenplay that upholds the mission of Humanitas. 

Learn more about the Humanitas New Voices Fellowship by visiting this webpage.