Realness Institute Opens 2922 Submissions: Episodic Lab & Development Executive Traineeship in partnership with Netflix

22 November 2021: Realness Institute, a non-profit organisation which aims to empower Africans to tell their stories from an unapologetically African point of view, is excited to announce the opened submissions for the 2022 Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship (DET) in partnership with Netflix, the world’s leading streaming entertainment service. Submissions open today (22 November 2021) on https://realnessinstitute.awardsplatform.com/  and close on 14 January 2022.

This follows the overwhelming interest in the inaugural editions, having received 425 submissions for the 2021 Episodic Lab and 79 applications for the 2021 DET.

The Episodic Lab is a development programme that gives screenwriters from South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria an opportunity to develop their original story ideas, in any genre. The participants have the opportunity of pitching these incubated stories to Netflix executives  at the end of the programme.

The DET, which is open to applicants from across Africa and the Diaspora, is aimed at mid-career industry professionals who are looking to enhance their skills as story consultants. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the story development process, and will be exposed to a more nuanced approach in the support of writers whilst simultaneously holding writers accountable for their creative work. DET participants will work alongside creative producers and story experts in the development of their concepts and series pitch decks. They will also engage with international and local guest speakers every week for the duration of the programme.

While there is no guarantee that any proposal will be developed further by Netflix, it is a unique opportunity to interface at key milestones with the Netflix executives, and be afforded the opportunity to pitch. 2021 Episodic Lab alumnus Kudi Maradzika (Zimbabwean-South African) pitched an idea for a comedy-drama that has been selected for further development. Provisionally entitled Bad Influencer (co-created with Justin Oswald) Maradzika is now starting to turn her attention to next steps, which include Writers’ Room planning.

Kudi Maradzika

“This is an incredible opportunity and I’m grateful to the Realness and Netflix Grow Creative teams for helping make young writers’ dreams a possibility. The Episodic lab is tough but pushes you to be your best. I’m a better writer for it,” says Kudi Maradzika.

The 2022 Episodic Lab and DET are set to take place online from 1 May to 31 July 2022.

Each of the twelve participants (six per programme), will receive a monthly stipend of USD 2,000 during the incubation period. This is to cover living expenses as they focus on their concept development while being mentored.

Mehret Mandefro, Director of Development and Partnerships at the Realness Institute

Mehret Mandefro, Director of Development and Partnerships at the Realness Institute says, “What we have witnessed from the first Lab and Traineeship is that there is a deep desire for Africans to create their own narratives. This bodes well for a growing audience, based in Africa and abroad. We are so pleased to be a major player in lighting the fire of our amazing continental creatives. Also to hear from last year’s participants how they have been able to transplant everything they learnt in the incubator into their current work and other projects, as well as the impact we had in their lives and creative process.”

Allison Triegaardt, Netflix Manager for Grow Creative Africa

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Realness Institute for the 2022 edition of the Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship (DET). The development, nurturing and support of talent pipelines gives new voices a chance to be heard. This is key for Netflix as we contribute to the growth of the film and TV industry and honour our commitment to the African creative community,” says Allison Triegaardt, Netflix Manager for Grow Creative Africa.

For information on eligibility and application process please visit the following:

●      Episodic Lab - https://www.realness.institute/episodic-lab

●      Development Executive Traineeship - https://www.realness.institute/det

Further enquiries about the programme and application process can be directed to email submissions@realness.institute.

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Triggerfish Launches Netflix-Sponsored Pan-African Story Artist Lab

TRIGGERFISH LAUNCHES NETFLIX-SPONSORED PAN-AFRICAN STORY ARTIST LAB

• Three months of paid skills development 

• Mentored by a story artist from Oscar-winning animated feature films

• Open to African citizens; deadline 23 July 2021

Cape Town, South Africa - June 22 2021 - Triggerfish today announced their call for entries for a pan-African Story Artist Lab sponsored by Netflix. 

Shortlisted applicants will have three months of paid skills development with international industry experts. Nathan Stanton, a story artist on Oscar-winning features like Brave, Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc, will lead the training program. 

Sponsored by Netflix and produced by Triggerfish, The Story Artist Lab builds on the success of their Mama K’s Team 4 all-female writers lab, which saw nine African women placed in the writing room for the first animated Netflix series from Africa. 

“Story artists translate screenplays into animatics, the loose first version of the movie that then shapes every step of animation that follows,” says Tendayi Nyeke, Triggerfish’s Zimbabwean-born development executive. “So having skilled story artists from the continent in control of how their stories are told is a gamechanger, not only in grooming the next African directors but also in giving pre-production artists the opportunity to establish their own voice as they bring African stories to life.”  

African citizens with concept art and/or storyboarding portfolios can apply from Tuesday, 22 June until Friday, 23 July 2021 at https://www.triggerfish.com/storyartistlab/. They must be available full-time for three months from August 2021; remote working is encouraged. 

Triggerfish featured prominently at Annecy International Animation Film Festival last week, winning the 2021 Mifa Animation Industry Award for the “pioneering role that the company has played in animation in South Africa, and Africa most widely.” 

Recent initiatives to develop the African animation industry include the Triggerfish Story Lab, a pan-African talent search that has already seen two series greenlit for the world stage: Mama K’s Team 4 for Netflix and Kiya for eOne, Disney Junior and Disney+, as well as the free Triggerfish Academy online training course. 

ABOUT TRIGGERFISH
Triggerfish is a premium content animation studio based in Cape Town and Galway, home to crew with a love for animation and a drive to keep improving. 

The 25-year-old studio is currently producing three Africa-set TV series: Mama K’s Team 4 for Netflix; Kiya for eOne, Disney Junior and Disney+; and the anthology Kizazi Moto, for Disney+. 

Triggerfish’s first two films, Adventures in Zambezia and Khumba, sold nine million cinema tickets globally. Triggerfish also produced the upcoming feature Seal Team, starring Oscar winner J.K. Simmons and Emmy winner Matthew Rhys; and animated the Academy Award®-nominated Roald Dahl adaptation Revolting Rhymes as well as much-loved Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler adaptations such as the 2021 Annie Award winner The Snail and the Whale, 2020 International Emmy-winning Zog, the BAFTA-nominated and Annecy-winning Stick Man, and the Rose d’Or-winning The Highway Rat, all produced by Magic Light Pictures. 

Triggerfish also services AAA-rated and mobile games for the likes of Electronic Arts, Unity and Disney Interactive, and is also developing a diverse slate of film and television projects for most of the world’s biggest studios. 

ABOUT NETFLIX

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 208 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

 MEDIA QUERIES TO:

Joy Sapieka

Publicist
Triggerfish Animation 

https://www.triggerfish.com/