Development Executive Traineeship – The Second Partnership Between Netflix And The Realness Institute
The deadline for submissions for the Realness/Netflix Development Executive Traineeship (DET) has been extended to 7 March 2021.
The DET is the Realness Institute’s latest initiative, presented in partnership with Netflix, with the Episodic Lab offering the 6 selected trainees a monthly stipend of U$ 2,000.00 for three months to fully immerse themselves in the experience, accompanying the development of 6 potential Netflix African Original series.
The purpose of this traineeship is to foster this integral role and expand this expertise across the continent. Creative development is a skill that broadens opportunities for film professionals to work with national film bodies, film commissions, funders, story consultants and critics.
The programme was piloted in 2020 in conjunction with the Realness African Screenwriters’ Residency. Producers, Cait Pansegrouw and Ayanda Halimana were part of a group that shadowed the Story Consultants, Selina Ukwuoma and Mmabatho Kau, and contributed to story discussions and one to one sessions with writers. They also had sessions together without the writers, to debrief on the different creative processes and approaches in order to carve a way forward in the development of each project in the residency.
“It was refreshing to be exposed to different methods of assisting storytellers to find solutions to some problems in their development process. I particularly enjoyed that we were not only exposed to the usual stories told in the country but to have access to filmmakers from other contexts and countries.” - Ayanda Halimana, Script Consultant and DET pilot programme participant.
“As a creative producer who is passionate about working closely with writer-directors, it was really meaningful for me to actively track the development journeys of various projects, engage with several creatives at once and be able to share perspectives and techniques with my peers. I left the experience feeling even stronger in my ability to champion the development of my slate.” - Cait Pansegrouw, Producer and Head of Artistic Operations, Urucu Media and DET pilot programme participant.
“The deadline for the Episodic Lab closed with a total of 425 submissions from the three participating countries, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa,” says Asanda Biyana, Project Manager of the Lab. “The volume and quality of these submissions show that there is a wealth of African stories needing to be told. Story development is a vital part of bringing these films to life. “
DET is now open to film professionals from ALL African countries with experience in story development, including but not limited to story/ script consultants, creative producers, commissioning editors or working for a funding body.
For more information and to apply, visit realness.institute/det
All enquiries can be sent to submissions@realness.institute
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