Producers To Compete for Up To $150,000 in Funding for TV, Web Pilots

On the heels of the successful launch of its incubator and fund, National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) issued an open call for producers for year two of its initiative, which is designed to harvest and pipeline nonfiction, multipart (two to three parts) programs for broadcast as well as web series and interactive/transmedia about the Black experience. Participants in the sophomore class of the 360 Incubator, which commenced on Monday, will compete for between $50,000 and $150,000 in funds and the chance to work with veteran producers to develop their series pilots.

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A Harlem-based nonprofit media arts organization, NBPC has been presenting stories about the Black experience on the public airwaves since 1979, while funding films and training the next generation of storytellers.

 

Its development initiative, the 360 Incubator and Fund, is seeking creative series and transmedia on travel, current affairs, lifestyle and do-it yourself projects as well as contemporary stories on social issues of importance to African-Americans — projects that put the spotlight on larger-than-life, unforgettable subjects with unique points of view.

The 2016 application open call launched online February 1 and closes on March 28 at 11:59 p.m. PST.  The 360 guidelines and applications are available at www.bit.ly/NBPC360-2016.

“The incubator model is based on a holistic, 360 degree approach to nurturing and accelerating worthy broadcast and web content delivered on last year’s investment. For example, ‘My Africa Is,’ which was previously a web series, will have its broadcast premier on AfroPoP on February 15,” said Kay Shaw, NBPC director of programs and acquisitions. “We are looking forward to seeing the exciting new stories and innovative transmedia projects that producers from throughout the country are working on to submit to the 360 Incubator this year.”

Nosarieme Garrick, producer of the broadcast TV series “My Africa Is,” a documentary series tapping into the dynamic and diverse stories of African youth culture and offering a balanced view of Africa, said, “NBPC 360 is a chance to be welcomed into a family that genuinely roots for your success. It gave me as a producer a foot into a tightly closed door, and helped me to truly pronounce the value of my work through various pitch sessions. This is the one program that I’ve encountered that genuinely wants to give public television access to a diverse and global Black experience.”

“NBPC 360 is an invaluable resource,” said Garland McLaurin, another winner in 2015, whose documentary Web series “POPS” explores fatherhood as experienced by three African-American men. “It helped me develop the skills I needed to create an opportunity to tell my stories.” McLaurin recently won a $25,000 grant from ITVS Digital for his project.

To assist in the application process, NBPC has available online a series of informational webinars by industry professionals and the NBPC staff that will provide producers with important information they need to strengthen their submission.

Webinar sessions are on such topics as audience research tactics, marketing considerations, turning long-form stories into multipart content, preparing episodic Web content for television broadcast and general guidelines for preparing the best application possible. On Wednesdays at 7 p.m. EST from February 17 to March 23, the NBPC team will also hold “digital office hours” to allow producers to get their questions answered in a one-on-one setting.

Up to 10 people will be selected as NBPC Fellows through the open call. Fellows will be invited to a three-day boot camp orientation retreat in September 2016 leading up to a six-week incubator during which they will work with a mentor to fine tune their project concept in preparation for Pitch Black.

In October 2016 at the Pitch Black Forum, fellows will present their projects before a panel of industry executives and an audience of public media, cable, commercial and VOD professionals in New York City.

A panel of technologists, distributors, and industry professionals will select three or four projects to move on to the pilot stage. Those selected will receive $50,000 to $150,000 in development funds for their pilots and return to their home base to produce them over the next six months.

Interested producers can view webinar sessions, sign up for digital clinics, or start their application at http://blackpublicmedia.org/nbpc.

For more information on NBPC, visit www.blackpublicmedia.org or follow the organization on Twitter @BLKPublicMedia or Facebook.

ABOUT NBPC:

The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) is committed to enriching our democracy by educating, enlightening, empowering, and engaging the American public. The nonprofit supports diverse voices by developing, producing, and distributing innovative media about the Black experience and by investing in visionary content makers.

NBPC provides quality content for public media outlets, including PBS, PBS.org, and BlackPublicMedia.org as well as other platforms while training and mentoring the next generation of Black filmmakers.

Founded in 1979, NBPC produces the “AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange” documentary series and manages the 360 Incubator and Fund, a funding and training initiative designed to accelerate the production of important Black serial and interactive content.

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