Unscripted Producers’ Lab
In Partnership with Bell Media
KEY DATES
Call for Applications: Fall 2023 (Closed)
Lab Dates: May 6-10, 2024 at Bell Media Studios in Toronto
The Unscripted Producers Lab is a one-week intensive for emerging producers and aspiring showrunners working in unscripted, factual, and reality TV content production.
Developed in partnership with Bell Media senior production executive Tina Apostolopoulos and 2023 lead facilitator Andrea Griffith, the lab will focus on producing an unscripted series from start to finish, covering a range of topics: unscripted storytelling, management skills, casting, production and post-production workflows, financing and scheduling, and career development.
Following the lab intensive, participants will be matched with a mentor for individual support for six months.
Eligibility Criteria
The BIPOC TV & Film Unscripted Producers’ Lab in partnership with Bell Media is open to Canadian residents who are Black, Indigenous, and/or racialized Persons of Colour. To be eligible, you must also meet at least one of the following criteria:
You have/had an unscripted, factual, or reality series in development with a Canadian or US broadcaster or production company; OR,
You have attained a producer-level credit on at least one season of a Canadian or US unscripted, factual, reality or documentary series; OR,
You have a producer credit on a feature-length or broadcast documentary. Note: associate producer credits are eligible.
Topics to be explored
Unscripted Storytelling: Building the vision for your series
Building and Leading an Unscripted Team
The Ins and Outs of Casting
Production and Post-production
Financing, Budgeting and Scheduling
Building Your Relationship with Your Broadcaster/Network
Building and Evolving Your Career
MEET THE 2024 COHORT
Jason Bailey
Kerriann Cardinal
Jermaine Bagnall
Temo Primrose Gare
Jonah Lee-McNamee
Ryan Lindsay
Tamiko Potts
Matt Rubio
David Trang
2023 Unscripted Producers Lab Participants
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Vatsala Aron
Select Credits: Indian Predator, Better Life Foundation
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Sabine Daniel
Select Credits: Sunny’s Quest, Suivez-Moi
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Priyanka Desai
Select Credits: Red Chef Revival, Not Your Butter Chicken
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Jonathan Jude
Select Credits: Employable Me, Canada’s Got Talent, The Ultimate Challenge Canada, Holmes Family Effect, Spice Girl Eats: India
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Derek Kwan
Select Credits: Me, Maundy
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Camille Lawrence
Select Credits: The Amazing Race Canada, Canada’s Got Talent, Best In Miniature, The Umbrella Academy
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Oswald (Ozzy) Quiroz
Select Credits: Pizza Town, Stuff the British Stole
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Amita Zamaana
Select Credits: The Great Canadian Baking Show, Dhaliwal ‘15
Ozzy Quiroz, 2023 Unscripted Producers Lab
“These past 5 days have been a blast and forever memorable! No words can describe how grateful I am to Andrea Griffith, Tina Apostolopoulos, Kadon Douglas, Bell Media, BIPOC TV & Film and to all the amazing guests that stopped by to layout the game plan in development, production, distribution in unscripted/formats. I was tremendously impressed with all my fellow participants and now new friends—top-notch talent. This group is the next wave of Canadian producers, directors, and showrunners in unscripted.”
Vatsala Aron, 2023 Unscripted Producers Lab
