The Realness Institute, in collaboration with Netflix, the world’s leading streaming entertainment service, has announced that it is assisting screenwriters and mid-career industry professionals from Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya in developing their original story ideas.
This will be accomplished through its 2022 Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship (DET) programs, according to the company.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the support is available across all genres and is also available to screenwriters and mid-career industry professionals looking to improve their skills as story consultants.
At the end of the program, millions of talented and creative Africans, the Episodic Lab, will have the opportunity to pitch their incubated stories to Netflix executives.
“The program will also provide DET participants with a deeper understanding of the story development process as well as exposure to a more nuanced approach to writer support.”
“While simultaneously holding writers accountable for their creative work, DET participants will collaborate on the development of their concepts and series pitch decks with creative producers and story experts.”
“They will also engage with international and local guest speakers each week for the duration of the program,” the institute said in a statement on Friday.
The program was discussed by Mehret Mandefro, Director of Development and Partnerships at the Realness Institute.
“What we’ve seen from the first Lab and Traineeship is that Africans have a strong desire to create their own narratives.”
“This bodes well for a growing African and international audience.” We are thrilled to be a key player in igniting the fires of our incredible continental creatives.
“I’d also like to hear from last year’s participants about how they were able to apply everything they learned in the incubator to their current work and other projects, as well as the impact we had on their lives and creative processes.”
According to the statement, the Realness Institute is not only developing the participants but also going above and beyond by providing each participant with a monthly stipend of US 2,000.00 during the incubation period.
The period will run online from May 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022, with the stipend covering living expenses while they focus on concept development while being mentored.
While there was no guarantee that any proposal would be developed further by Netflix, the statement noted that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with Netflix executives at key milestones.
It will also give you the chance to pitch.
Interested participants should apply for the Episodic Lab program at https://www.realness.institute/episodic-lab.
Also, apply at https://www.realness.institute/det for the Development Executive Traineeship program and wait to be shortlisted.
The deadline for application submissions is January 14, 2022.
The 2021 Episodic Lab alumnus, Zimbabwean-South African Kudi Maradzika, was said to have pitched an idea for a comedy-drama that was chosen for further development.
Maradzika said of her story idea, “This is an incredible opportunity, and I am grateful to the Realness and Netflix Grow Creative teams for assisting in making young writers’ dreams a reality.”
“The Episodic lab is challenging, but it pushes you to be your best.” “I’m a better writer because of it,” Maradzika said.
Maradzika is now turning her attention to next steps, which include Writers’ Room planning, for her project, which is tentatively titled Bad Influencer (co-created with Justin Oswald).
Allison Triegaardt, Netflix Manager for Grow Creative Africa, praised the collaboration between Netflix and Realness Institute.
“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with the Realness Institute for the 2022 Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship” (DET).
“The creation, nurturing, and support of talent pipelines allows new voices to be heard.”
“This is critical for Netflix as we contribute to the growth of the film and television industries and honor our commitment to the African creative community,” says CEO Reed Hastings. According to Triegaardt.