Films need someone as professional and senior as their production producer to design and run a their social engagement campaign and we are finding, in our work, that there are not enough of these people available. This lab aims to create a cohort of new professionals ready to roll.
It's not an Impact Producer who is Queer (although you might be); it's someone who would like to become an Impact Producer specializing in work with LGBTQ films in the US or globally. There are many films with queer themes being finished that would benefit from an Impact Producer who knows the films that have come before, what they achieved and how, as well as what they failed to do and why. Someone who knows the right networks to get films shown, funds raised and partners on board. Someone who knows how similar and how different it is to work with the community, the public and the press in Atlanta, Georgia and in Nairobi, Kenya.
It will be a three-day residential course in New York for eight candidates. We will come together to learn from each other and from the smartest leaders we know from the fields of campaigning, film, distribution, advertising and PR. We want to impart everything that is already known about how to create a highly successful change strategy, how to create a complementary distribution strategy, how to timeline and plan, how to budget and fundraise, execute and evaluate.
The course will be hard work and there will also be a lot of required pre-reading and pre-watching.
The course will be held in English although we may, in certain circumstances, be able to provide translation.
We are particularly interested in supporting filmmakers and advocates from communities around the world where LGBTQ rights are under pressure. We’re looking to bring eight trainee impact producers together - four from the US, and four from anywhere in Africa. Inside the United States, we are prioritizing LGBTQ persons of color.
We welcome applications from candidates with a range of previous backgrounds - from film, campaigning, journalism, law, marketing, technology, organising - since we know that each will bring unique perspectives to the group. We just want people united in their commitment to the greater good and in their interest in the role film can play in bringing change to people's lives, communities, and cultures.
We need to receive your application by November 7th, 2016.
The course is free thanks to our supporters and we will pay for your travel and accommodation in NYC if needed. We may also, depending on your circumstances, be able to pay your daily expenses to make it possible for you to attend.