Women in Film & Video New England, ELEMENT Productions, and Chelsea City Creative are proud to announce the creation of the Director Trainee Shadowing Program. This program was created in an effort to connect emerging directors from the underrepresented filmmaker communities with local area production companies.

The Director Trainee Shadowing Program provides members of WIFVNE an opportunity to “shadow” a commercial director during the pre-production process as well as potentially join the director on set. Film/TV and Commercial shadow programs can be the entrance into major careers for many TV and film professionals. Directors often state that their early days were spent at an internship or in a similar role prior to moving into a more permanent spot on a film set or at a TV/Production/Commercial house. The goal of this program is twofold. Emerging directors will experience, in real time, the director’s creative process when pitching and delivering a video for an agency or brand. The program will also introduce the emerging director to production companies in an effort to break down the industry hesitancy around hiring an “unknown director.”

“Women in Film & Video New England strives to create opportunities in this industry for those who desire and are driven to be a part of it”, says Sharon Contillo, President of Women in Film & Video New England. “This program is a way to bring parity, open doors, enhance skills, build relationships and networks that might not otherwise happen or be possible for some. We are extremely thrilled and grateful to ELEMENT Productions and Chelsea City Creative for opening their doors, their minds, and their expertise to help foster development of the director role to New England creatives.”

“ELEMENT is excited to support this initiative to promote more women in a typically male-dominated role. We hope this will be an exciting opportunity for many up-and-coming directors,” says Kristen Kearns, Executive Producer, ELEMENT Productions.

“As an agency producer I was concerned about the lack of diversity within the director community,” says Devra Sari Zabot of Chelsea City Creative. “Simply requesting a production vendor to provide equitable available director lists for upcoming projects was not the solution. I am thrilled that WIFVNE is committed to building this program and I cannot think of a better launch partner than with the extraordinary producer Kristen Kearns at ELEMENT Productions. The trainees in this program will have access to the best-in-class director and production process.”

Applications for the program open on April 19th and close on May 15th. For more information and to apply, please visit WIFVNE’s website at https://wifvne.org/Directorshadow. Please email any questions to shadowing@wifvne.org with SUBJECT: Director Shadow Program.

About Women in Film and Video New England:

Women in Film & Video New England (WIFVNE) works to “Widen the Lens” for New England filmmakers by advancing female storytellers in their craft through networking, community, mentorship, and education.

WIFVNE is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting the accomplishments of women working in the film, video and new media industries. We provide an educational forum for media professionals and a valuable network for exchange of ideas and resources. WIFVNE works to promote proactive images of women to the public and to empower all women in film and video to achieve their professional potential. Women in Film & Video New England is a member of Women in Film & Television–US (WIFT-US) and Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI). WIFT-US and WIFTI work towards bringing gender parity to the industry.

For additional information, please visit the WIFVNE website. Not a member? Sign up here.

About ELEMENT Productions:

ELEMENT Productions is a full-service video production and post company creating content for distribution across all media platforms and was founded by Executive Producer Eran Lobel. For over 20 years, ELEMENT’s collaborative team of award-winning producers, directors, and editors, as well as writers, designers, and strategists, have applied their passions to tell poignant stories. Stories brought to life in documentary films, original television programs (episodic and specials), broadcast commercials, web videos and social content. With a global network of creative professionals, ELEMENT provides best-in-breed, innovative solutions to its clients’ ever-evolving content needs.

For more information, please visit https://element.cc/

About Chelsea City Creative:

Devra Sari Zabot is a freelance producer with in-house agency experience at Hasbro, Puma and Aetna, A CVS Health Company and has a background in scripted TV development. She produces unique events under Chelsea City Creative including comedy shows, films series, music series and community initiatives.

For more information, please visit https://www.chelseacitystudio.com