November 12, 2020
In 2020, we heard from you that WIF programming and membership have been lifelines in these uncertain times, allowing you to learn from and connect with one another, even from home. For 2021, WIF is revamping our membership model for the first time in years. We’re doing so in order to better meet your needs and provide more programming and networking opportunities to keep you connected to a community of women and an industry turned upside down. We have pivoted all of our programs to digital and have almost tripled the amount of programming available virtually until we are able to meet in person again. We want to offer WIF members more opportunities than ever to learn, network, and advance their careers.
By being a part of WIF, you are part of a movement. If WIF is meaningful to you, renew or join as a member, and stand with us in creating a more equitable industry as we build it back.
WHAT’S NEW:
- Part of our mission is to break down barriers that keep underrepresented stories from being told. Accordingly, starting in 2021 WIF will no longer require a letter of recommendation and amount of years working in the industry as part of the application process. By eliminating our own gatekeeping, we aim to invite more people into the WIF family and to cultivate a member base that is reflective of the boundless and diverse creative community.
- We have developed a new Code of Conduct to which we are asking all members to commit. With this in place, we can create safe and respectful spaces where we can all grow and succeed.
- Our levels have new names! Upon renewal, ASSOCIATE will become CREATIVE and CAREER will become STORYTELLER. Automatically, EXECUTIVE will become CHAMPION and ADVOCATE will become PATRON.
- You’ll see a slight price increase for the Associate (now CREATIVE) and Career (now STORYTELLER) levels starting in 2021. Executive (now CHAMPION) and Advocate (now PATRON) dues will remain the same. These price increases correlate with investments we are making to develop more programming and benefits, including specific programming for members at these levels. We are a member-supported organization, so by renewing, you are helping us to weather the storm of the pandemic.
- Select career program applications, such as the Production Program, WIF | The Black List Writing Labs, and WIF | Sundance Institute Financing Intensive (among others) will be open to non-members for a standalone application fee. As a member at the CREATIVE level and above, you will receive waivers to apply to career programs for free.
- We’re debuting a new ALLY level of membership, for any and all advocates for parity to be a part of the WIF movement—everyone working in the screen industries or invested in the stories told on-screen, should have an opportunity to be a part of the change our culture needs.
As part of our membership drive, running through December, current members can sign up for these new levels at last year’s renewal prices. Members have received detailed emails with specific details about what these changes mean for specific membership levels. (If you have not received your email, please contact Development and Communications Coordinator Toni-Marie Gallardo.) Renew today to lock in this reduced annual fee.
Thank you for your continued support of the WIF mission. There has been a lot to adapt to—in our industry and in our world—throughout 2020. We are encouraged by the way our community has come together in recent months, and invigorated to head into the new year with continued programming and support for equality in Hollywood and beyond.
Best,
Kirsten Schaffer,
WIF Executive Director