Created in honor of our 50th year, the WIF Fellowships reflect our commitment to advancing the careers of women, nonbinary, and trans people across all areas of the industry. 

This year-long program assigns each Fellow an intimate cohort of those on the same career path. Each cohort is teamed up with Mentors who will help guide them through group mentoring sessions, and with Guest Speakers who will present workshops and panels aimed to demystify the more nuanced areas of the industry. Connections are made to cohorts of other disciplines through intentional networking opportunities throughout the year. 

With an eye on career advancement, each Fellow will also receive individualized career strategy sessions throughout their year in the program to identify immediate steps that can be taken to help the Fellow achieve their goals or brainstorm the best professional paths forward.

All those accepted to the Episodic Lab will become WIF Fellows with additional Writer Fellows accepted through both the Episodic Lab and Fellowship applicant pools (applicants only need to apply through one of the applications — please see the FAQs below for more information). Though our Financing Intensive is currently on hiatus, we will include many aspects of that program within our Producer Fellowship.  

It is our belief that a true culture shift includes support and community for every entertainment industry role. To that end, if you don’t see your role represented in the list of application options, we still encourage you to apply.

APPLY HERE

FELLOWSHIP SPECIFICS

Each Fellow will meet within their cohort for a year of master classes, networking, and community building. Fellows will also receive 1:1 career strategy sessions and mentoring from a professional with extensive experience in their field, either in groups or individually (depending on Mentor availability). Fellows are expected to have at least six sessions with their mentor(s) within a 12-month period. Dates and locations will be determined solely by mentors, and may continue to be virtual for the time being.

REQUIREMENTS

• You must be local to Los Angeles in order to participate.
• You must have a clear career focus that you can articulate in your application.

We anticipate the WIF Fellowship as having both virtual and in-person elements, some of which may be mandatory. In order to attend in-person events, fellows must be able to provide proof of current vaccination, subject to CDC guidelines relating to boosters, and willing to test for COVID-19 prior to events.

FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES BY DISCIPLINE

• Writers
  • Episodic Lab – all selected participants will also be Writer Fellows
  • Writer Fellowship – we will provide fellowship opportunities to a small group of applicants that are not accepted into the Episodic Lab and/or apply directly to the Fellowship. Please see the FAQs below for more information.
• Directors
  • Director Fellowship*
• Cinematographers/Directors of Photography
  • Cinematographer Fellowship*
• Independent Producers, Line Producers, Post Producers
  • Producer Fellowship
• Executives, Managers, Agents
  • Business Fellowship
• Designers, Department Heads, Crew, Post, All Other Positions
  • Artisan & Crew Fellowship
    • Final disciplines supported will be contingent on applicant interest; all are encouraged to apply

* Thanks to Netflix for their support of the Director and DP Fellowships. Additional support for WIF Fellowships is provided by Delta Air Lines.

IMPORTANT FELLOWSHIP DATES

• October 2, 2023
  Applications for Episodic Lab & Fellowships
• October 4, 2023
  2024 WIF Fellowship AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) Panel
• TBD
  Episodic Lab AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) Panel w/ The Black List
• November 13, 2023
  Applications for Episodic Lab close
• January 8, 2024
  Applications for Fellowships close
• Week of February 12, 2024
  Accepted Episodic Lab Fellows & and all other applicants notified
• March 5, 2023
  Episodic Lab begins
• Week of April 29, 2024
  Accepted Fellows and all other applicants notified
• Week of May 6, 2024
• Fellowship Virtual Orientation

FAQs

1. Which program should I apply to?
   Please see the “fellowship opportunities by discipline” listed above. You may apply to more than one Fellowship cohort, but you must submit a separate application for each cohort you would like to be considered for. 
2. How can I apply for the Writer Fellowships?
   You may either apply for the Episodic Lab — all those accepted to the Lab will automatically become WIF Fellows once the Lab is complete — or the Writer Fellowship alone. If you would like to still be considered for the Writer Fellowship even if you are not accepted to the Episodic Lab, please select that option in your application (see pdfs below).  If you do not wish to apply to the Episodic Lab, you may apply to the Writer Fellowship directly through the Fellowship application. You can apply to the Writer Fellowship with a TV pilot, feature screenplay, or both
3. How can I apply to the Feature Residency?
   The Feature Residency will not be running in 2024. We encourage all those who identify as Feature Writers to consider applying for the WIF Writer Fellowship.
4. What if I don’t see my discipline?
   Typically the Artisan &  Crew Fellowship is able to accommodate most unspecified roles. But if your specific career focus does not fit into any of the fellowships listed, please contact the programs team at programs@wif.org to discuss.
5. How do I know if I qualify for the program? Am I too early stage?
   The best way to check for qualifications is to review the program’s details on our website, including the application pdf (linked below) for the cohort you are interested in. All required experience is posted or requested within the application.
6. Do I have to have completed a Feature Film?
   Ideally, Director and Producer applicants will have completed a short film, but do not require a previously completed Feature. For our Writers, we require a complete, unproduced Feature or Episodic script for consideration. 
7. What are you looking for in a Fellow?
   Beyond the items required in the application, we are most interested in those applicants who have a clear idea of their career goals and are able to articulate these goals in their application. 
8. What is on the application?
   You can find the PDF versions of the applications for the Artisan & Crew Fellowships for Designers HERE, Editors HERE, and all other Artisan & Crew Positions HERE. 
   
   You can find the PDF version of the application for the Business Fellowship HERE.
   
   You can find PDF versions of the applications for the Producers Fellowships for Independent Fiction & Doc Producers HERE and Physical Producers HERE. 
   
   You can find the PDF version of the applications for the Cinematographer Fellowship HERE, the Director Fellowship HERE, the Writer Fellowship HERE, and the Episodic Lab HERE.