Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Young Storytellers has officially announced the creation of The Jamie Tarses Fund, a dedicated financial resource designed to sustain and expand its signature mentorship and creative writing programs across public schools in the greater Los Angeles area. Named in cherished memory of the pioneering television executive, producer, and foundational board member who passed away in 2021, the newly established fund will directly support initiatives that pair volunteer industry professionals with public school students. Through this one-on-one mentorship, children are guided through the process of writing original scripts, which are subsequently brought to life on stage by professional actors.
The formal introduction of the fund will be celebrated on October 29 during The Biggest Show, Young Storytellers’ high-profile annual gala hosted at the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. This gathering will bring together prominent figures from across the entertainment industry, educational advocates, and supporters of the arts to commemorate Tarses’ enduring legacy and ensure that her passion for championing authentic voices continues to impact students for generations to come.
A Transformative Legacy in Television History
To fully understand the profound significance of The Jamie Tarses Fund, one must examine the extraordinary career of its namesake, whose fingerprints are deeply embedded in modern television history. Tarses entered the entertainment industry with an eye for compelling talent, beginning her professional journey as a talent executive for the cultural juggernaut Saturday Night Live. Following her tenure at SNL, she transitioned into a casting director role at Lorimar before securing a pivotal position at NBC in 1987.
During NBC’s legendary "Must See TV" era of the 1990s, Tarses played a fundamental role in developing some of the most enduringly popular and critically acclaimed sitcoms in television history. Her creative vision and executive oversight helped shape landmark television series such as Friends, Mad About You, Frasier, and NewsRadio. Her acute understanding of character-driven comedy and audience appeal helped cement NBC’s dominance in Thursday night television.
In 1996, Tarses shattered a major glass ceiling in the entertainment industry when she was appointed president of ABC Entertainment. With this historic appointment, she became the first woman ever to lead a network entertainment division. During her tenure at ABC, she oversaw the development and launch of a diverse slate of acclaimed programming, including The Practice, Spin City, Sports Night, and Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place.
Following her executive network leadership, Tarses transitioned into a successful career as an independent producer. Her independent slate included acclaimed television series such as My Boys, Mad Love, Happy Endings, Franklin & Bash, The Wilds, and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Across every phase of her multifaceted career, Tarses was widely recognized and deeply respected for her unwavering support of writers, her collaborative spirit, and her dedication to nurturing creative talent.
Deep Roots and Founding Commitment to Young Storytellers
Tarses’ relationship with Young Storytellers began quietly in the 1990s, long before the organization achieved its current scale and institutional footprint. Her dedication to the nonprofit culminated in 2003 when the organization officially transitioned into an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity. Recognized for her visionary leadership and steadfast commitment to community engagement, Tarses served as a foundational member of the organization’s inaugural board of directors, dedicating seven years of active service to its growth.
During her time on the board, Tarses leveraged her extensive network and immense professional standing to benefit the organization. She famously recruited entire writers’ rooms from her various comedy productions, as well as some of the most recognizable and successful actors in the entertainment industry, to volunteer as classroom mentors. By bridging the gap between Hollywood’s creative elite and underserved public school classrooms, Tarses helped establish a sustainable volunteer pipeline that remains a cornerstone of the organization’s operational model today.
Reflecting on his sister’s profound dedication to storytelling and mentorship, Matt Tarses, co-creator of HBO’s Rooster, executive producer of Bad Monkey, and a veteran writer whose credits include Scrubs and Sports Night, shared heartfelt recollections of her influence.
“Jamie was never happier than when she was helping writers tell their stories,” Matt Tarses stated. “She had a gift for it, and everyone who worked with her benefited tremendously from her guidance. In return, she bullied us into doing the same thing for the kids at Young Storytellers. Of course, it became one of the most joyful and rewarding things I’ve done, as she surely knew it would be. When we were trying to come up with ways to honor her memory, Young Storytellers was the obvious choice.”
This sentiment was echoed by Jaylene Benggon Chung, Managing Director of Young Storytellers, who emphasized the foundational philosophy that Tarses helped instill within the nonprofit’s administrative and educational framework.
“Jamie understood that the most powerful thing you can tell a young person is that their ideas deserve to be taken seriously,” Chung remarked. “She built that belief into this organization, and it is still at the center of everything we do. Because of this fund, the kids who come through our doors will keep feeling her generosity, whether or not they ever learn her name.”
Evolution and Impact of Young Storytellers
The establishment of The Jamie Tarses Fund arrives at a pivotal moment in the history of Young Storytellers, an organization that has experienced significant expansion since its modest inception. The nonprofit was founded in 1997 by three visionary film students who sought to pilot a volunteer storytelling project inside a single classroom at Playa del Rey Elementary School. Recognizing the transformative power of creative writing and personal expression on elementary and middle school students, the founders formalized the curriculum and expanded its reach.
Over the ensuing decades, Young Storytellers has evolved into a premier arts education nonprofit in the Los Angeles region, operating with a structured framework that pairs public school students with vetted, passionate industry professionals. The core curriculum focuses on narrative structure, character development, and self-advocacy, culminating in live theatrical performances where professional actors breathe life into the children’s imaginative scripts.
Data from the organization’s recent operational cycles underscores the immense scale and community impact of these programs. During the 2025 program year, Young Storytellers mobilized 786 active volunteers who provided direct, one-on-one mentorship to more than 440 students every single week. These mentoring sessions were deployed across 39 distinct public schools and after-school community sites spanning the vast geographical expanse of Los Angeles.
By targeting schools in historically underfunded and marginalized communities, the organization provides vital access to arts education, creative outlets, and confidence-building exercises that are frequently omitted from standardized public school curricula due to budgetary constraints.
The Broader Implications of Arts Education Funding
The launch of targeted philanthropic initiatives like The Jamie Tarses Fund highlights a broader, ongoing reliance on private sector philanthropy to sustain arts education within public school systems. Educational researchers and arts advocates have long documented the cognitive, emotional, and social benefits of creative writing and performance arts programs for developing youth. Participation in structured storytelling initiatives has been linked to improved literacy rates, enhanced emotional regulation, increased classroom engagement, and heightened self-esteem among participating students.
However, public school districts across California and nationwide continually face severe fiscal pressures, often resulting in the reduction or complete elimination of dedicated arts and humanities funding. Nonprofit organizations such as Young Storytellers play an indispensable role in bridging this systemic resource gap. By securing endowed funds and recurring philanthropic contributions—such as those generated by the newly formed Jamie Tarses Fund—these organizations can insulate their educational programming from economic volatility, ensuring long-term operational stability and continuous service delivery to vulnerable student populations.
Furthermore, the involvement of industry leaders, writers, producers, and actors creates a unique vocational pipeline. For many participating students, interacting directly with successful creative professionals demystifies the entertainment industry, illustrating that creative careers are attainable regardless of socioeconomic background. In this way, the fund not only honors Tarses’ professional legacy of nurturing writing talent but also actively democratizes access to the creative economy.
Event Details and Future Outlook
The celebration of The Jamie Tarses Fund at The Biggest Show on October 29 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre is anticipated to draw significant attention from leaders across the media, entertainment, and philanthropic sectors. The annual gala serves as both a celebration of student achievement and a critical fundraising vehicle for the nonprofit’s upcoming operational calendar.
As Young Storytellers looks toward the future, leadership intends to utilize the resources generated by the fund to deepen its presence within existing partner schools and explore strategic expansion into additional districts that lack adequate arts infrastructure. Through targeted investments in volunteer training, curriculum development, and program administration, the organization aims to scale its impact without compromising the personalized, intensive nature of its one-on-one mentorship model.
Contributions, donations, and memorial tributes to support The Jamie Tarses Fund can be submitted directly through the official Young Storytellers website at www.youngstorytellers.com/jamie-tarses/. Through the collective generosity of the entertainment community and the enduring spirit of Jamie Tarses, the organization remains steadfast in its mission to ensure that every child learns the fundamental truth that their voice matters, their stories are valuable, and their creative ideas deserve to be taken seriously.
