Firelight Media participated in the Wyncote Fellowship program at this year’s PBS Annual Meeting, which took place on May 11–12 and May 17–20. On hiatus last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program resumed this year with a virtual format focusing on providing fellows with a greater understanding of the PBS ecosystem and positioning independent filmmakers as a vital part of the future public media in our democracy. The Wyncote Fellowship was a collaboration between PBS Indies partners Firelight Media, POV, ITVS, Reel South, and America ReFramed on WORLD Channel.

“Wyncote was proud to support another cohort of independent makers attending PBS Annual Meeting” said David Haas, vice chair of Wyncote Foundation. “Providing these fellowships for filmmakers, along with a similar program for PBS station staff to attend the biennial IDA Getting Real conference, bolsters public media’s mission to amplify diverse voices, by strengthening relationships and deepening awareness of the challenges and opportunities in the system.”

Over two weeks, the Wyncote Fellows participated in closed sessions and met with PBS leadership and station staff. Consultants Artemis Independent scheduled one-on-one meetings between filmmakers and stations in over 20 key markets that were tailored to program-specific goals and objectives. Half of the fellows have received support from Firelight Media, including Ashley O’Shay, Ursula Liang, Julianna Brannum, Li Lu, Emily Cohen Ibañez, Sian-Pierre Regis, Jasmín López, CJ Hunt, Dilsey Davis, and Amman Abbasi.

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Read more on Firelight Media's Medium page.

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