The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab provides opportunities for underrepresented storytellers to connect, grow, and accelerate their career in television.
Committed to infusing new narratives and perspectives in front of and behind the camera, the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab provides a robust slate of workshops, educational resources, and professional development and networking opportunities for a cohort of diverse writers, actors, and aspiring creative executives.
The tuition-free, 6-month program grants fellows the unique opportunity to enhance their creative skillset through personalized instruction from industry professionals, creating additional pathways to bring more people from diverse backgrounds into the entertainment industry.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The Program is subject to the following requirements:
You must also agree to (1) these Submission Requirements, (2) all terms relating to the Program posted on Hillman Grad’s website, which you should review and read in full, and (3) the Submission Agreement, which governs the submission of your materials to Hillman Grad. The Submission Agreement includes important, legally binding terms and conditions, including arbitration of any disputes, which you must read in full before accepting.
You must be at least 18 years of age and not a minor in the state or country of your residence at time of submission.
You must be the sole owner of all rights in and to the materials submitted to Hillman Grad (“Submission Materials”). The Submission Materials must not in any way infringe upon the copyright of any person or entity or, to the best of your knowledge in the exercise of reasonable prudence, constitute libel, defamation or invasion of privacy or any other rights of any third party.
HILLMAN GRAD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE NO CANDIDATE FOR INCLUSION IN THE PROGRAM IF, IN THE OPINION OF HILLMAN GRAD, NO ENTRY IS OF SUFFICIENT MERIT.
PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS
CURRICULUM
The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab consists of three separate tracks: television writing, acting, and executive development.
Acting Track: The acting track will prepare mentees for jump starting their on-screen careers. Acting mentees will focus on mastering craft, gain a full and complete understanding of the business side of the industry, and be connected to guests who are leaders in their field from all parts of the industry both in front of and behind the camera. Mentees will critically explore a wide array of genres, expanding their creative capacity to successfully deliver powerful performances, understand the industry, nail their audition, and develop a process for a long-lasting career. Mentees will be instructed and mentored by Behzad Dabu.
Executive Development Track: The executive development track will prepare mentees for transitioning from working as an assistant or coordinator to a creative executive. Mentees will learn from a variety of industry executives by exploring how to track and analyze talent/material, practice pitching, and work closely with writing mentees to develop their in-program pilot script. Mentees will be instructed and mentored by Kyle Fong.
Writing Track: The writing track is designed to prepare mentees for a career in television. Writing mentees will engage in a comprehensive writing experience developing an original pilot from concept ideation to a fully polished script. Mentees will dive deep into the process of pilot writing while undertaking a series of rewrites from notes by the instructor, peers, and creative executives. Along the way, there will be industry guest speakers, a simulated writers’ room, and lots of community building. All capped off by a table read of your pilot featuring professional actors. Mentees will be instructed and mentored by Michael Svoboda.
To review the Terms and Conditions of the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab, refer to the submission form.
If you have questions about withdrawal, please contact us at mentorship@hillmangrad.com for more details.
The Mentorship Lab will begin in April 2025.
Applicants will be notified via email at the end of March regarding the status of their application.
Applicants may only apply for one track.
Writing teams are not eligible for consideration. Writing samples must be written and owned solely by the applicant.
All applicants must submit short answer questions and will complete an interview if selected as a semi-finalist. Applicants for the television writing track will be required to submit a writing sample of an original television pilot. Applicants for the acting track will be required to submit two contrasting contemporary scenes or monologues from film, television, or theatre (90-seconds max each). Executive Development applicants will submit a resume and complete coverage on two scripts provided within the application.
Applicants are not required to live in the Greater Los Angeles Area to participate in the Mentorship Lab. All classes will be offered virtually with the exception of three in-person workshops. Travel accommodations will be provided for mentees living outside of the Greater Los Angeles area.
There is no obligation for you to participate in the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab.
A maximum of eight (8) applicants will be accepted into the television writing track and a maximum of ten (10) applicants will be accepted into the acting track. A maximum of four (4) applicants will be accepted into the executive development track.
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and not a minor in the state or country of your residence at time of submission.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 9th for consideration.
