Starz and the Alliance of Women Directors are expanding their partnership with the launch of Creative Leadership Lab, a new four-week program designed to help women and gender-expansive directors advance in episodic television.
This initiative is aimed at filmmakers who are at a critical transition point in their careers, between first landing an episodic directing opportunity and stabilizing re-employment within the industry. The program provides leadership development, mentorship and professional tools aimed at helping directors build sustainable careers in television.
The Creative Leadership Lab is part of Starz’s #TakeTheLead initiative, the network’s commitment to amplifying stories by and about women and underrepresented audiences, both on screen and behind the camera.
The Women Directors Alliance will select six participants from among its members through an independent evaluation process. Eligible candidates include directors with experience directing single episodes of television, independent features, documentaries, or featured shorts, commercial or digital projects, and who have a strong creative vision and readiness for episodic leadership.
Participants will participate in mentorship and leadership training aimed at strengthening communication skills, field authority, and other tools needed for episodic television production.
The program will also expand its reach through a public panel hosted by Starz on the Women Directors Alliance’s production intensive “Back to Set,” which returns for a second year.
Applications for the Creative Leadership Lab will open later this month. For more information, please visit the Women Directors Alliance website.
The announcement was made during Women’s History Month and ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8th.
