Young Storytellers Announces The Jamie Tarses Fund to Honor the Legacy of the Trailblazing Television Executive

The Los Angeles-based nonprofit Young Storytellers, a cornerstone organization dedicated to fostering creativity and mentorship in public school education, has officially announced the establishment of The Jamie Tarses Fund. This new philanthropic initiative serves as a permanent tribute to the life and career of Jamie Tarses, the pioneering television executive and producer who passed away in 2021. As a founding board member of the organization, Tarses played an instrumental role in shaping the nonprofit’s mission, which centers on pairing professional industry mentors with students to transform original student-written scripts into live stage performances.

The formal inauguration of the fund is scheduled for October 29 at The Biggest Show, the organization’s flagship annual event, which will be hosted at the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. This gathering will not only serve as a celebration of the students’ achievements but will also highlight the lasting institutional impact Tarses had on the entertainment community’s philanthropic culture.

A Legacy Defined by Must-See Television

To understand the weight of the fund being established in her name, one must consider the historical gravity of Jamie Tarses’ professional career. Tarses occupied a singular space in the history of the medium, acting as a bridge between the creative output of the late 20th century and the evolving standards of modern network television.

Her career trajectory began in the trenches of production, starting as a talent executive at Saturday Night Live and a casting director at Lorimar. However, it was her move to NBC in 1987 that cemented her reputation as a formidable force in the industry. During the height of the network’s "Must See TV" era, Tarses was a key architect in the development of iconic sitcoms that defined the 1990s, including Friends, Mad About You, Frasier, and NewsRadio.

In 1996, Tarses achieved a historic milestone when she was appointed president of ABC Entertainment, becoming the first woman in history to lead an entertainment division at a major broadcast network. Her tenure at ABC oversaw the development of a diverse slate of programming that included The Practice, Spin City, Sports Night, and Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. Following her executive career, Tarses transitioned to independent production, bringing projects such as My Boys, Mad Love, Happy Endings, Franklin & Bash, The Wilds, and The Mysterious Benedict Society to screens, demonstrating a consistent eye for narratives that resonated with broad audiences.

Chronology: From Classroom Project to Institutional Pillar

The history of Young Storytellers mirrors the collaborative spirit Tarses championed. The organization began in 1997 as an informal volunteer project initiated by three film students at Playa del Rey Elementary School. The concept was simple yet radical for its time: give students the tools to express their own stories and provide them with the professional support necessary to see those stories realized.

• 1997: The initial volunteer pilot program is launched in a single classroom.
• 2003: Young Storytellers formally incorporates as an independent nonprofit organization. Jamie Tarses joins the inaugural board of directors.
• 2003–2010: Tarses serves a seven-year term on the board, during which time she actively recruits industry professionals—including entire writers’ rooms and A-list talent—to volunteer as mentors.
• 2021: Jamie Tarses passes away, prompting a movement within the entertainment community to preserve her legacy through philanthropic efforts.
• 2025: The organization reports that 786 volunteers provided mentorship to more than 440 students weekly across 39 public school sites and after-school programs.

The Human Element: Mentorship and Professional Integration

The fundamental success of Young Storytellers lies in its one-on-one mentorship model. By pairing students with professional writers and actors, the program bridges the gap between traditional academic writing and creative professional application. This model, which Tarses championed, is designed to instill a sense of agency in students, teaching them that their creative voices are not only valid but powerful.

Matt Tarses, a notable writer and producer in his own right, reflected on his sister’s commitment to the program. "Jamie was never happier than when she was helping writers tell their stories," he 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."

His statement underscores a specific aspect of Tarses’ leadership: she viewed mentorship not as a secondary professional obligation, but as a core component of being an artist. By leveraging her network to populate the mentor pool, she created a sustainable pipeline of talent, ensuring that students were exposed to the realities of the craft from those currently working at the highest levels of the industry.

Institutional Perspective: The Impact of the Fund

For the leadership at Young Storytellers, the Jamie Tarses Fund represents more than just a financial endowment; it is a pedagogical anchor. Jaylene Benggon Chung, the organization’s Managing Director, noted that the fund serves as a testament to the core philosophy Tarses instilled in the organization during its early years.

"Jamie understood that the most powerful thing you can tell a young person is that their ideas deserve to be taken seriously," Chung said. "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."

The creation of the fund comes at a critical time for arts education in Los Angeles public schools. Data from the California Department of Education and local district reports have frequently cited the correlation between robust arts programs and improved student engagement and graduation rates. However, funding for such extracurricular initiatives often fluctuates, making the role of private nonprofits like Young Storytellers increasingly vital to maintaining parity in educational opportunities across different neighborhoods.

Broader Implications for Industry Philanthropy

The establishment of this fund highlights a growing trend of "legacy-based philanthropy" within the entertainment industry. Rather than broad, non-specific donations, industry leaders are increasingly creating funds that institutionalize the specific values of deceased colleagues. In the case of Jamie Tarses, the focus is on early-career development and literacy, areas that directly benefit the next generation of potential screenwriters and content creators.

From an analytical standpoint, the longevity of the Young Storytellers model—now nearly three decades old—suggests that it has moved beyond the "pilot project" phase and into a sustainable institutional framework. By formalizing this support under the Tarses name, the organization is signaling to potential donors and industry partners that the program is a long-term investment in the creative capital of Los Angeles.

Looking Ahead: The Future of the Fund

As the organization prepares for the October 29 event at the Wilshire Ebell, the focus remains on the scalability of the model. With nearly 800 volunteers currently engaged, the infrastructure is in place for further expansion. The Jamie Tarses Fund will likely be utilized to subsidize the administrative costs of matching students with mentors, providing materials for student productions, and potentially expanding the program into underserved regions where arts education has been historically under-resourced.

For those interested in contributing to the initiative, Young Storytellers has provided a dedicated portal on their website. The fund is structured to accept both one-time donations and recurring contributions, ensuring that the legacy of one of television’s most influential figures remains active in the classrooms where it first took root.

In summarizing the significance of this development, industry analysts point to the unique nature of the partnership. By aligning the memory of a woman who helped build the modern television landscape with an organization that cultivates the writers of the future, Young Storytellers has created a feedback loop of creative inspiration that is rare in the nonprofit sector. It ensures that while the specific shows Jamie Tarses worked on will continue to exist in the cultural canon, the spirit of her mentorship will continue to manifest in the next generation of storytellers.