Adobe and the Adobe Foundation have recently announced the launch of the Adobe Film & TV Fund. The fund has pledged $6 million to support underrepresented creators and filmmakers in the film and TV industry. The initiative aims to foster greater representation in the film sector by providing resources, community, and support to underrepresented creators on-screen and behind the camera.
The Adobe Film & TV Fund will contribute to existing nonprofits serving historically excluded communities. The first cohort of grantees includes Easterseals, Gold House, Latinx House, NAACP, Sundance Institute, and India youth-focused Yuvaa. The fund will mainly focus on bolstering these organisations’ fellowships, apprenticeships, mentorships, and other programmes that provide hands-on industry exposure. Additionally, the fund will directly finance the projects of the constituents associated with these organisations.
In a statement, Stay Martinet, Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Communications at Adobe and a member of the Adobe Foundation board, said that diversity in front of and behind the camera is essential to unlock more diverse and inclusive storytelling across TV and film. The Adobe Film & TV Fund aims to leverage Adobe’s leadership position in the creative industry to open new opportunities for underrepresented creators.
The first programme supported by the fund is the NAACP Editing Fellowship. It is a 14-week experience encompassing post-production training through masterclasses, mentorships, workplace rotations, and access to Adobe Creative Cloud. Applications for the fellowship will open on January 18 on the NAACP site, and the selected fellows are set to begin in May.
Adobe has been committed to diversifying the industry. It has partnered with Sundance and USC to support various initiatives to advance diversity and inclusion in the film and TV industry.