7th Annual Entertainment Lab
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Applications Close: January 19, 2025
Our thoughts are with those affected by the LA Fires. A one-week extension will automatically be granted for anyone affected by the fires. If folks need additional time beyond that, please email [email protected] or call 323-315-5718.
Since 2019, the Disability Belongs™ Entertainment Lab elevates disabled creatives, focusing on building community, networking, and career advancement.
We are excited to announce some new changes to our Lab programs for 2025! Please read all details carefully below before applying, as timing and formats have changed from previous years.
2025 Entertainment Lab Dates:
Virtual Lab: May – September 2025 (Tuesdays)
To better support our growing alumni network of 228 Fellows, we also are offering two intensives that are exclusively open to Lab alumni and other disabled creatives by recommendation:
- TV Writing Intensive (June 2025)
- Unscripted Intensive (August 2025)
Learn More at our Virtual Information Session
Date: January 14, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT
Register Online
Speakers:
Lawon Exum, Entertainment & Media Director
Lesley Hennen, Senior Associate of Entertainment Pipeline Programming and 2020 Lab Alumna
This information session will include ASL interpreters and CART. Please let us know of any additional accommodation requests when you register.
2025 Virtual Lab
The 2025 Virtual Entertainment Lab is a five-month program (May – September 2025) where up to 20 Fellows will meet weekly on Tuesday afternoons. In between sessions, Lab Fellows will have time to put the information they are learning into practice. There will be optional sessions on Thursdays that will cover additional topics that may be of interest to smaller groups of Lab Fellows.
The Disability Belongs™ Entertainment Lab is for disabled creatives working in development, production and/or post-production, and careers as writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, animators, and other production roles.
During the Lab, Fellows will enjoy:
- Interactive presentations, roundtables, and other workshops with high-level executives and talent from major studios, networks, and production companies
- Informal networking with your cohort and alumni from previous cohorts
- Opportunity to pursue an independent creative pursuit (script, short film) and receive feedback through mentorship, project workshops, and table reads
Since 2019, the Disability Belongs™ Entertainment Lab has been achieving two goals:
- Create an ecosystem of disabled creatives supporting each other by developing and elevating a community of disabled entertainment professionals working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming.
- Connect disabled creatives to studio executives and other decision makers who will provide mentorship leading to higher employment rates among the talent pipeline of alumni. No one should have an excuse that they could not find a disabled writer, director, producer, or any other creative professional.
Lab alumni currently are working at Disney, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and more.
View previous speakers by viewing past years’ programs on the Entertainment Lab 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 pages.
Disability Belongs™ provides ASL interpreters and captioning for all events, and welcomes other accommodations requests.
For questions pertaining to the Entertainment Lab, please contact Isabella Vargas at [email protected] or 323-315-5718.
Important Details for Lab Applicants
- Fellows should exhibit leadership skills to complete their own projects.
- A bachelor’s degree is not required.
- Commit attendance for all Lab sessions, with exceptions for medical reasons.
- The value of this Lab is thousands of dollars. However, there is no cost to apply for or participate in this competitive program.
- While people at all income levels are encouraged to apply, extra consideration will be given to people on SSI, SNAP, and TANF.
- Up to 20 candidates will be selected for the Virtual Lab. Up to 5 candidates will be selected for each LA-based intensive.
- Your application materials will be evaluated by Disability Belongs™ staff members as well as industry advisors who are experts in each field.
