LOS ANGELES — In the landscape of modern television, few executives left as indelible or joyful a footprint as Jamie Tarses. A pioneering force who shattered glass ceilings at major networks and nurtured some of the most enduring comedies of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Tarses’s legacy was defined not only by the hits she championed on screen, but by the artists she elevated behind the scenes.
Now, that legacy is taking on a profoundly grassroots and transformative dimension. Young Storytellers, the acclaimed Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to bringing creative mentorship and storytelling programs to public school students, has officially announced the creation of The Jamie Tarses Fund. Established in memory of the late television executive and producer—who served as a founding member of the organization’s board of directors and passed away in 2021—the newly minted fund aims to secure and expand the nonprofit’s vital educational programming across Los Angeles public schools.
The announcement arrives as Young Storytellers prepares to formally celebrate the fund at its upcoming annual gala, The Biggest Show, scheduled for October 29 at the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
Main Facts: Perpetuating a Vision of Creative Advocacy
The Jamie Tarses Fund is designed to provide sustained financial support for Young Storytellers’ signature core programming in Los Angeles public schools. Through these programs, volunteer mentors work one-on-one with underserved elementary and middle school students, guiding them through the intricate process of writing original, imaginative scripts. Once completed, these student-authored stories are brought to life on stage by professional actors, granting young people the rare and validating experience of seeing their creative visions professionally performed.
At its core, the fund honors a woman who viewed storytelling not merely as commercial product, but as an essential human right and a powerful tool for self-discovery. Tarses was an early and passionate champion of Young Storytellers, joining its organizational orbit in the 1990s before stepping up as a founding board member in 2003—the pivotal year the organization officially incorporated as an independent nonprofit.
During her seven-year tenure on the board, Tarses wielded her considerable influence in the entertainment industry not for personal accolades, but for community enrichment. She famously recruited entire writers’ rooms from her hit comedies, alongside some of the biggest acting and producing stars in Hollywood, to volunteer as weekly mentors in classrooms.
Contributions to The Jamie Tarses Fund are currently open to the public and can be made directly through the Young Storytellers official website.
Chronology: A Life Dedicated to Great Stories and Mentorship
To understand the profound weight of The Jamie Tarses Fund, one must examine the extraordinary trajectory of the woman whose name it bears—a career marked by historic milestones, creative daring, and an unwavering commitment to nurturing talent.
Early Days and the Rise of "Must See TV"
Jamie Tarses began her illustrious journey in the entertainment industry as a talent executive at NBC’s legendary late-night institution, Saturday Night Live. Following her time at SNL, she honed her eye for talent as a casting director at Lorimar before returning to NBC in 1987 as an executive.
During the network’s golden "Must See TV" era of the 1990s, Tarses played an instrumental, hands-on role in developing some of the most iconic and culturally defining sitcoms in television history, including:
- Friends
- Mad About You
- Frasier
- NewsRadio
Her knack for recognizing authentic character dynamics and sharp comedic timing made her a formidable force in network television development during an era of unprecedented cultural impact.
Shattering the Glass Ceiling at ABC
In 1996, Tarses achieved a historic milestone when she was named president of ABC Entertainment. With this appointment, she became the first woman in television history to lead a major broadcast network’s entertainment division.
Despite the intense scrutiny and challenging corporate landscapes of the late-90s broadcast environment, Tarses’s tenure at ABC yielded a diverse slate of critically acclaimed and enduring television series, such as:
- The Practice
- Spin City
- Sports Night
- Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place
Independent Production and Philanthropic Leadership
Transitioning away from network executive suites in the 2000s, Tarses established herself as a prolific and respected independent producer. Her independent television credits showcased her versatility across genres, including popular cable and streaming series such as:
- My Boys
- Mad Love
- Happy Endings
- Franklin & Bash
- The Wilds
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
Concurrently, her passion for advocacy found a permanent home in the classrooms of Los Angeles. When Young Storytellers incorporated as an independent nonprofit in 2003, Tarses was there as a founding board member. For seven years, she lent her governance, operational expertise, and relentless networking energy to building the organization’s foundation.
Following her untimely passing in 2021, friends, family, and colleagues mourned the loss of a fierce creative advocate. The creation of The Jamie Tarses Fund ensures that her lifelong crusade to help writers tell their stories will endure across generations.
Supporting Data: The Impact of Young Storytellers
To fully appreciate the scope of what The Jamie Tarses Fund will support, it is essential to look at the remarkable growth and institutional footprint of Young Storytellers over nearly three decades.
Humble Beginnings
The organization was founded in 1997 by three visionary film students who simply wanted to volunteer their time in a single classroom at Playa del Rey Elementary School. Recognizing the transformative impact of creative writing and personalized mentorship on young minds, what began as an informal after-school project steadily evolved into a sophisticated, highly structured educational nonprofit.
Scale and Reach in 2025
Today, Young Storytellers stands as a cornerstone of arts education in the greater Los Angeles area. Data reflecting the organization’s current operational scope highlights its massive community footprint:
- Volunteers: 786 dedicated mentors participated in the program, donating their time, professional expertise, and enthusiasm.
- Students Reached: More than 440 students are mentored on a weekly basis.
- School Partnerships: Programs are actively deployed across 39 public schools and after-school sites throughout the Los Angeles region.
By injecting reliable funding through The Jamie Tarses Fund, Young Storytellers will be equipped to maintain, deepen, and potentially expand this infrastructure, ensuring that budget constraints in public education do not rob children of their creative outlets.
Official Responses: Tributes from Family and Leadership
The announcement of the fund has elicited deeply emotional and appreciative responses from those who knew Tarses best, both within her familial circle and at the helm of the nonprofit she helped build.
Matt Tarses, Jamie’s brother—himself an acclaimed television writer and producer whose credits include HBO’s Rooster, Bad Monkey, Scrubs, and Sports Night—shared heartfelt reflections on his sister’s dual passions for professional mentorship and community service.
"Jamie was never happier than when she was helping writers tell their stories," Matt Tarses said. "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."
Jaylene Benggon Chung, Managing Director of Young Storytellers, emphasized how deeply Tarses’s personal philosophy is woven into the organizational DNA of the nonprofit.
"Jamie understood that the most powerful thing you can tell a young person is that their ideas deserve to be taken seriously," Chung stated. "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."
Implications: Securing the Future of Creative Equity in Education
The establishment of The Jamie Tarses Fund arrives at a critical juncture for public education and arts funding. Across the United States, arts and creative writing programs are frequently subjected to budget cuts, disproportionately impacting under-resourced public school districts in urban centers like Los Angeles.
By creating a dedicated memorial fund tied to a legendary industry figure, Young Storytellers achieves several strategic milestones:
- Financial Sustainability: The fund creates a predictable, dedicated revenue stream that safeguards core mentoring programs against economic volatility and shifting public education budgets.
- Industry Engagement: By linking the fund to Jamie Tarses’s storied career, the nonprofit reinforces its pipeline to Hollywood, encouraging a new generation of showrunners, writers, and actors to follow Tarses’s lead and volunteer in local classrooms.
- Empowering Marginalized Voices: At its core, the initiative reinforces the principle that creative self-expression is not a luxury reserved for the privileged, but a fundamental developmental right for all children, particularly those in historically underserved Los Angeles communities.
As the entertainment industry gathers at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre for The Biggest Show on October 29, the celebration will serve as both a joyous commemoration of Jamie Tarses’s vibrant life and a clarion call for the future. Through this fund, Tarses’s distinctive brand of fierce advocacy, warmth, and belief in human potential will continue to echo in classrooms across Los Angeles—inspiring countless children to pick up a pen, write their own narratives, and discover that their unique voices truly matter.
