Thursday, March 28, 2024

Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Production Launches The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab

Lena Waithe
Lena Waithe / Photo Credit: Shayan Asgharnia

*Lena Waithe’s production company, Hillman Grad Productions, is now accepting applications for The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab.

The Lab provides opportunities for marginalized storytellers to connect, grow, and accelerate their careers in television and film. While Hillman Grad has already worked with many aspiring creatives to help train and place them professionally throughout the industry, the 2021 Class will be the first group to go through the official Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab.

The tuition-free, 10-month annual program, grants 25 fellows the unique opportunity to enhance their creative skillset through personalized instruction from industry professionals.  The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab consists of three separate tracks: television writing, screen acting, and executive development.

Quote from Waithe: “Mentorship has always been important to me. The hope is to populate the industry with people that otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. Our focus will be on craft, how to navigate the industry, and how to build community. We’re looking forward to meeting the next generation of storytellers!”

Committed to infusing new narratives and perspectives in front of and behind the camera, the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab provides a robust slate of workshops, educational resources, professional development, and networking opportunities for a cohort of diverse writers, actors, and aspiring creative executives.

Applications are currently open and are due January 10, 2021.  Finalists will be notified end of January/early February.  The mentorship lab will begin mid-February.

To submit an application to The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab please visit:

https://www.hillmangrad.com/mentorship-labs

Mentorship Labs – Hillman Grad

David is a Mexican-American writer/director from Los Angeles, CA and studied Film and Television Production at Loyola Marymount University. As a mentee in Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Mentorship program he has produced and directed two commercials for the Los Angeles Tourism Board featuring Diego Boneta and Sonam Kapoor.

www.hillmangrad.com

ABOUT HILLMAN GRAD PRODUCTIONS

Hillman Grad Productions is a development and production company committed to creating art that goes against the status quo and gives a platform to marginalized peoples by providing a platform for diverse voices across all mediums. Founded by Emmy-Award-winning writer Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani, the company currently has projects at Netflix, Disney, BET, Showtime, HBO, Universal, MGM and Amazon.  Their comprehensive slate includes the Sundance Film Festival 2020 award-winner The 40-Year-Old Version, Radha Blank’s groundbreaking film, which blends real life and fiction to follow its protagonist, a down-on-her luck New York playwright, who decides to reinvent herself and salvage her artistic voice by becoming a rapper at age 40.  Netflix released the film globally on October 9th to rave reviews and it was nominated for 2 IFP Gotham Awards.  Their first film released under this banner was Queen & Slim, which Waithe wrote and was directed by Melina Matsoukas; Universal Pictures released the film in November of 2019.  Current projects include BET’s hit comedy series Twenties, which was picked up for a second season. Currently in development is a Sammy Davis Jr biopic based on his daughter Tracey Davis’ book Sammy Davis Jr.: My Father.  The screenplay will be written by David Matthews with Waithe & Rajani producing alongside Sight Unseen Pictures.  Additionally, it was recently announced Waithe penned the script for Universal’s forthcoming Talent Show. Cynthia Erivo is set to star in the drama with Waithe serving as an executive producer alongside State Street Pictures and Rajani will oversee for Hillman Grad Productions. Focus Features just announced it has teamed with Sight Unseen, Makeready and Hillman Grad Productions on the feature directorial debut of A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One. Other projects currently in various stages of production and/or development include: Them for Amazon; Untitled Kid Fury Project for HBO and Reawakening, Neil Paik’s Six by Eight Press short story for Amazon Studios.

source: Team ID

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