NBC kicks off female directors' initiative, is accepting applications for program
NBC is walking the walk after talking the talk.
The network announced Tuesday that it is accepting applications for its Female Forward directors' program. Announced in August, its goal is to give emerging female directors the opportunity to break into scripted television
Participants will be matched with an NBC series where they will shadow a director for up to three episodes, and an in-season commitment to direct at least one episode of that series. The initiative will begin with 10 NBC series during the 2018-19 season with the intent of expanding later on.
Female Forward, led by NBC President Jennifer Salke in partnership with multi-Emmy Award-nominated TV director Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland, Mad Men, The West Wing, Gilmore Girls), will select eligible female directors for 10 slots in the program’s initial 2018-19 season. Applications will be accepted at NBCFemaleForward.com for one week, closing Jan. 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
“It’s clear our industry needs to take it to the next level,” Salke said in a statement. “It’s incredibly exciting to know that we will add 10 working females a year to the currently very unbalanced pool of working television directors. The guaranteed commitment to helm an episode, coupled with our incredible council of mentors, will make such a meaningful difference in reaching our goals to create gender parity in the director’s chair.”
Among the directors who will help select the first class and serve as advisors and mentors: Gail Mancuso(Modern Family), Ken Olin (This Is Us), Norberto Barba (Mayans MC), Ruben Fleischer (Superstore), Liz Friedlander (Conviction), Pamela Fryman (How I Met Your Mother), Nisha Ganatra ( Transparent), Peter Horton (Electric Dreams), Julie Anne Robinson (Castle Rock), Millicent Shelton (Marvel’s Runaways) and Michael Spiller (The Mindy Project).
“Our hope is that the impact of Female Forward is felt past the director’s chair and creates a ripple effect on other behind-the-camera roles where we’re still struggling to see gender parity,” NBC's head of Programming Talent Development & Inclusion Karen Horne said in a statement.
According to an NBC statement, candidates should have directing experience in their respective fields, including, but not limited to, feature films, music videos, commercials, digital content and theater. Also, an applicant can have no more than one scripted television directing credit for eligibility.
Visit NBCFemaleForward.com. for more information.
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