Producers Vie for Up to $150,000 at the PitchBLACK Forum Starting Wednesday

NEW YORK, April 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten producing teams will vie for up to $150,000 in project funding at the Black Public Media (BPM) PitchBLACK Forum, an interactive pitching competition before public television and commercial distributors and funders. The event culminates BPM's fourth 360 Incubator+ fellowship, a professional development program designed to identify quality Black content. The virtual PitchBLACK Forum, hosted by veteran producer Sandy Rattley, will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. This year's event also includes a new BPMplus Showcase on Friday, Winners of the PitchBLACK Forum will be announced at the PitchBLACK Awards on Friday at 7 p.m., a virtual ceremony where documentarian Marco Williams will receive the BPM Trailblazer Award.

Presented by BPM, PitchBLACK is a major platform where industry executives and funders can identify rising talent and stories. Past attendees have included: American Documentary Inc. / POV, BET, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, ITVS, MacArthur Foundation, PBS, Sundance Institute, WNET/Thirteen and Women Make Movies, WORLD Channel and private investors. Up to three (3) projects will be awarded a license agreement ranging from $50K to $150K.

Fellows in the 360 Incubator+ have taken part in virtual workshops on pitching, grant writing and more. Rattley and the BPM team, along with project mentors including acclaimed media makers Jaad Asante, Joe Brewster, Rachel Falcone, Sonia Gonzalez-Martinez, Chris Hastings, Byron Hurt, Sam Pollard, Michael Premo, Yoruba Richen, Sreedevi Sripathy and Christine Turner, guided the fellows in the development in their projects and pitches.

"The strength of BPM's 360 Incubator+ is the collaborative effort of our mentors, workshop leaders and fellows. That sense of community was felt even in a virtual environment" said BPM Director of Program Initiatives Denise Greene.

The 10 projects competing for a license agreement for public media distribution and funding include works Before We Wrap, Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts, Fighting for the Light, Higher 15, Inner Wound Real, Listen to Me, Storming Caesars Palace, The Food Griot Chronicles (working title), The Ride, and What's in a Name?  

The PitchBLACK Awards celebrate Black media storytellers, honoring the past (Trailblazer Award), the present (Forum Awards) and the Future (Nonso Christian Ugbode [NCU] Award). The BPM Trailblazer Award will be awarded to Williams, an acclaimed filmmaker, an Emmy nominee and Peabody Award winner. Entertainment industry executives and funders wishing to attend the PitchBLACK Forum may request access at https://bit.ly/3uuK10l. 

The first-ever BPMplus Showcase will take place on Friday at 1 p.m., featuring emerging tech film and art projects by Black creatives. 

The 360 Incubator+ and PitchBLACK are funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Netflix, PBS, the MacArthur Foundation, Acton Family Giving, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and SHIFT.

For more information on BPM or to register for the PitchBLACK Awards, which is free and open to the public, visit the website blackpublicmedia.org. 

ABOUT BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA:

Black Public Media (BPM) is committed to enriching our democracy by educating, enlightening, empowering and engaging the American public about the Black experience. Founded in 1979, the nonprofit pursues its mission by developing, producing and distributing innovative Black media content through public media outlets and by investing in visionary Black content makers. For more information, visit blackpublicmedia.org.

SOURCE Black Public Media

Related Links

https://blackpublicmedia.org