Movikarma and InventTV Launch Groundbreaking Inclusive TV Development Fellowship Program
Innovative program will provide paid opportunities for underrepresented talent to gain hands-on experience in unscripted TV development
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 23, 2022) – Today, Movikarma, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that fosters diversity, equity and inclusion in Hollywood, and InventTV - a full-service production company with original content nominated for a Television Critics Award, Primetime Emmy Award, and People's Choice Award - announced a groundbreaking inclusive TV Development Fellowship Program that will provide paid, hands-on learning opportunities for underrepresented talent.
The innovative initiative is a first-of-its-kind, paid equity and inclusion Program that will initially place 12 underrepresented talent - including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and economically disadvantaged individuals - as Inclusive Pathways Fellows with InventTV to gain unique hands-on experience, actively working on the TV development process over a 10-week period. Experience gained during the Program will include exposure to the casting process, graphic design, formatting, editing, pitching, and more. Movikarma and InventTV launched the Program on February 22, 2022 and will continue it through the Spring.
To ensure that the Inclusive Pathways Program is an equitable, financially feasible opportunity for low-income and economically disadvantaged individuals, participants will be paid a living wage by InventTV to participate in the Program, and all work will be done remotely.
“I am delighted that InventTV is partnering with Movikarma to provide transformative learning experiences for underrepresented talent to work in TV development,” said Jared Milrad, Founder and President of Movikarma. “I know from my own journey that education and opportunity change lives. I’m thrilled that talented individuals from historically excluded backgrounds will be able to learn the creative development process from A-Z in our new Program.”
“When I met Jared last year, we discussed the importance of taking action to close the opportunity gap for underrepresented talent in Hollywood,” added Sergio Alfaro, CEO of InventTV. “I’m so glad that we’re launching this exciting program with Movikarma to offer paid, hands-on learning experiences for individuals who historically lack these opportunities - and I hope that many networks and studios will help us expand this Program industrywide.”
Mentored and trained by Movikarma and InventTV, Inclusive Pathways Fellows will gain hands-on, practical experience developing unscripted content from start to finish. Movikarma aims to expand this pilot phase of the Inclusive Pathways Program to include numerous projects in development with network and studio partners.
Talent for the Program will be in part sourced by First Peoples Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that honors and supports the Collective Spirit of First Peoples artists and culture bearers. “First Peoples Fund is proud to support Movikarma’a Inclusive Pathways Program and provide exciting opportunities for Indigenous creative talent on upcoming productions,” said Maya Austin, Director / Program Weaver at First Peoples Fund. “We are thrilled that Movikarma is partnering with InventTV on this important initiative, and we look forward to empowering Indigenous voices to build a more inclusive, equitable and representative Hollywood.”
This groundbreaking initiative is also supported by industry leaders, including acclaimed actor/producer Kal Penn, who stars in the upcoming FX comedy series BELATED. "I was so excited to hear that my friend Jared Milrad's nonprofit, Movikarma, is launching their Inclusive Pathways Program,” said Kal. “Back in the day, there were only a handful of initiatives to help expand access and opportunity for underrepresented talent. Today, there are groundbreaking programs like his, designed to make the industry we love become even more inclusive. It's wonderful."
While all 12 Fellows for the pilot program have now been selected, those interested in future opportunities through Movikarma’s Inclusive Pathways Program can apply at https://www.movikarma.org/inclusivepathways
Movikarma is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Greater Los Angeles that empowers underrepresented talent and fosters inclusion, equity, representation, and social impact in Hollywood. Supported by WarnerMedia, Lionsgate and others, Movikarma has built high-level, inclusion-focused relationships across the industry, including with Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount, Disney Studios, Snapchat, Amazon Studios, Apple TV+, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Ryan Murphy Productions, Legendary Entertainment, MRC Entertainment, Shondaland, and other leading companies, organizations, and award-winning underrepresented talent. Through its many initiatives, Movikarma provides holistic career opportunities for underrepresented talent, serves as an inclusive teaching and training partner for industry leaders, spotlights underrepresented talent globally, and advocates for systemic change to make Hollywood more inclusive, equitable, and representative than ever before.
InventTV is a full-service production company in Burbank, CA, that specializes in producing scripted and unscripted television series, specials and live events. With original content nominated for a Television Critics Award, Primetime Emmy Award, and People's Choice Award, InventTV’s notable projects include reality series such as Preaching Evil (premiering this Spring on Peacock), Southern Charm: New Orleans, Into Alaska, Bringing Up Bhabie, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and Twenties After-Show With B. Scott, which featured media personality B. Scott as the first out, trans non-binary host and executive producer in BET history. InventTV has a wealth of experience in television production and longstanding relationships with the world’s best networks and brands. Co-owned by Los Angeles Media Fund, InventTV focuses on creating compelling content and delivering groundbreaking, diverse stories to a multicultural world.
InventTV is represented by United Talent Agency (UTA) (Josh Levenbrown) and by Loeb & Loeb LLP (Marc Chamlin, Anne McGuire and Rachel Kiwi).
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TV Development Fellows
Winter-Spring 2022
Mato James Abourezk is a Native American from South Dakota and a member of the Yankton Sioux tribe. Mato was born with Cerebral palsy and found writing as a way to deal with recovery from his surgeries. He has worked with groups of other artists at multiple film camps, including in Seattle and on the Kyle reservation in South Dakota. Mato is currently writing a novella and aspires to be a writer/director in the TV and film industry.
Devin Bienvenido has always had a subconscious connection with television. He aspires to become a television producer who will provide outstanding contributions to the industry of television and inspire others to chase their dream. In his spare time, Devin enjoys researching and studying his favorite television and movie producers, watching documentaries on the Golden Age of Hollywood, reading scripts, and writing television synopses and treatments of shows that he created. Devin is also training to be an amateur bodybuilder and enjoys volunteering.
Karen Chen was raised in Arkansas and came to California to further pursue filmmaking. She graduated from UCR where she majored in Film and Digital Production and minored in Media Cultural Studies. Since then she has worked in various roles in the industry, such as a Videographer at a non-profit where she would create videos highlighting organization and ongoing initiatives in California’s Inland Empire and as an Assistant Editor where she is involved in editing documentary projects. She is passionate about the work she does and in the future strikes to seek opportunities to share impactful stories through film and media.
Hayden Johnson is a trans comedian and writer currently based in Los Angeles. In 2021 they graduated from Ohio University and since then they’ve worked on a number of unscripted shows including Legendary, The Voice, and The Kelly Clarkson Show. They are currently producing a monthly sketch comedy show in Frogtown. Hayden hopes to create comedy that is authentic to the queer experience and to provide the next generation with the representation they need to be confident in their identity.
Janki Parekh is a New York-based comedy writer. Having lived in India, New Jersey, Mississippi, and Los Angeles, she enjoys highlighting social issues in her scripts and presenting them through comedy. She is also an alumni of UCLA’s prestigious TV Writing Program. Her social sci-fi short, Coming Out With The Help Of A Time Machine, is currently playing in festivals with Karan Soni as the lead. She is also developing an international TV series about fathers and their sacrifices and writing an original half-hour comedy pilot.
Nicolas Perez-Carreño is a writer based in Atlanta, Georgia. A recent graduate from the University of Georgia, Nicolas has written a series of short films and is currently writing a comedy pilot. He hopes to become a humanistic storyteller in television and empower his community as a queer Latinx writer. Nicolas works part-time as a production assistant and background actor on local productions and spends his free time enjoying tea, reading, sketching and is currently working on his carpentry skills.
Edward Rodriguez is a Los Angeles-based comedy writer who has written sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, a spec script for the animated show Bob’s Burgers, and is currently writing an original 30-minute comedy pilot. In his free time he likes to perform stand up comedy, watch TV, surf, and play/watch basketball. He is a first generation American, born in Long Beach, California to Salvadoran parents. After graduating from California State University, Long Beach, he worked in social media content marketing for the T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile brands and aspires to take his creativity, unique cultural background, and comedy writing into the world of TV.
Branden Lee Roth was born and raised in Worthington, Minnesota and attended the American Musical and Dramatics Academy, where he studied musical theatre and film. After graduating, Branden auditioned and booked work as an actor, including working on a major pilot for HBO. He has since written and produced four short films, three spec commercials, and one music video. Branden’s short horror film “Hawaiian Snap,” won “Best New Innovative Content” in 2017. His short film “Tom Cat” placed Top Five at the Marietta International Film Festival as part of the Twenty-Four Hour Film Race. The following year his short horror film “Mary” placed in the Top Ten. Two of his short films are streaming on the LGBTQ+ streaming platform REVRY. Branden also licensed and produced the pilot episode for a popular Queer book series, “Boystown.” Branden has taken classes for Short Film Writing at Playhouse West and is currently taking their Feature-Length Film Writing class. Working in the Indie Film world, Branden also discovered his other talents, including directing, editing, casting, and even sound supervising. He is currently in pre-production for another short horror film he wrote and is writing a gay comedy feature film.
Since his graduation from Pacific Lutheran University, Liam Sigman started his career as an Assistant Director on commercials before transitioning into film and television. His most recent credits include: Production Coordinator and Unit Manager on Unexpected (TLC) and Associate Producer on an upcoming Untitled Half Moon Bay documentary (Imagine Entertainment). Liam has also worked in digital media (YouTube), where he Produced for YouTuber and TV personality Mark Rober. Liam is passionate about compelling stories and people, in his free time, you can find him writing/directing short films.
Allen Simpson is a proud Florida native and graduate from Full Sail University. His early works include many short films and documentaries that he shot and made with friends in his hometown Pensacola. Allen's goal is to become a TV director, showrunner, and tv scriptwriter.
Tyrah Sweeting is a recent graduate of Media, Journalism and Film with a concentration in film at Howard University from Miami, FL. She was also a playwriting minor. She aspires to write and produce coming of age films and television shows.
JoiAshanti Watkis is a Hofstra University alumni with a B.A in Video/Television and a double minor in Creative Writing & Psychology. She has a diverse freelancing resume including roles where she is a writer, production coordinator, camera operator, video editor, producer and she has worked in casting. Currently she is a producer of a roundtable series, a casting assistant for a limited series, and a freelance writer & video editor. Still early in her career, JoiAshanti continues to try different production avenues. She wants to continue her Jane of many trades journey and looks forward to adding unscripted TV development knowledge to her repertoire.