Nathan Varni, EVP of Drama Development and Current Programming at ABC and Hulu, joins Dr. Victor Pineda to talk Hollywood storytelling, authentic disability representation, and what it will take to change the narrative.

In this episode of The Independent, produced by the Center for Independent Living (CIL), Nathan Varni — EVP of Drama Development and Current Programming at ABC and Hulu — joins host Dr. Victor Pineda for a conversation on storytelling, representation, and disability justice in media.

Nathan has spent more than two decades shaping network television, from How I Met Your Mother to Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, General Hospital, and Will Trent. Blind in his left eye since childhood, he spent years staying quiet about his own disability in an industry that rarely portrayed disabled characters authentically, and now uses his role overseeing drama development across ABC and Hulu to push writers and producers toward better representation. In this conversation, he and Victor discuss:

• Nathan’s path from a 13-year-old in a sitcom studio audience to EVP of Drama Development at ABC and Hulu
• The difference between authentic and performative disability representation, and why disabled characters have so often been written as the easiest punchline in the room
• How Disney uses Disability Belongs to consult with writers across ABC, Hulu, FX, Freeform, and National Geographic
• What’s next for disability representation on screen, from Being Human — the upcoming film on CIL’s origin story — to Victor and Nathan’s own pitch for a sitcom set inside an independent living center
• A community shout-out to Disability Belongs, and Nathan’s advice for aspiring disabled storytellers and executives