Exclusive: Hillman Grad announces its new class for the 2023 Mentorship Lab.
Organized by three distinct tracks, this year’s emerging creatives include Aj Dinsmore, Dralla Aierken, Dylan Correa, Jair Majid Kornegay, MenuEtte Silver, Naki Franklin, and Omar Nava for the writing track; Elle Yun, Janis Peebles Valdez, Jason Armani Martinez, Josca Moore, Mark Antony Howard, Priscilla Walker, Shawn Roundtree Jr., and Simran Jehani for the acting track; and Christine Murrain, Jason Young, Reese Dizon, Sharon Xiang, and Victoria Garabedian for the executive track.
Mentorship Lab instructors Carolyn Michelle Smith (co-Director of Acting Track), Behzad Dabu (co-Director of Acting Track), and Michael Svoboda (Director of Writing Track) said, “The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab is different because we believe that community comes first. Yes, we strive to help our mentees hone their craft and expose them to people in the industry, but at the end of the day it’s the people...
Organized by three distinct tracks, this year’s emerging creatives include Aj Dinsmore, Dralla Aierken, Dylan Correa, Jair Majid Kornegay, MenuEtte Silver, Naki Franklin, and Omar Nava for the writing track; Elle Yun, Janis Peebles Valdez, Jason Armani Martinez, Josca Moore, Mark Antony Howard, Priscilla Walker, Shawn Roundtree Jr., and Simran Jehani for the acting track; and Christine Murrain, Jason Young, Reese Dizon, Sharon Xiang, and Victoria Garabedian for the executive track.
Mentorship Lab instructors Carolyn Michelle Smith (co-Director of Acting Track), Behzad Dabu (co-Director of Acting Track), and Michael Svoboda (Director of Writing Track) said, “The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab is different because we believe that community comes first. Yes, we strive to help our mentees hone their craft and expose them to people in the industry, but at the end of the day it’s the people...
- 3/24/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
How Two Sundance-Winning Films Forecast the Future for Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Production Company
Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad has much to celebrate in just the first few months of the new year: with two films, “A Thousand and One” and “Kokomo City” winning big at Sundance; the family film “Chang Can Dunk” launching March 10 on Disney+ ; a documentary about Mary Tyler Moore premiering at SXSW; and a sixth season of “The Chi” on the way.
The company, founded by the actor, producer and Emmy-winning writer in 2015, is at a pinnacle moment, but it’s also just getting started.
“Here’s the really interesting part about the next three months, it’s not like we snapped our fingers and got here,” Hillman Grad CEO Rishi Rajani says, as he and Waithe joined Variety for a discussion over Zoom following the announcement of their Sundance wins. “This next three months is the culmination of the last few years of what Hillman Grad has built.”
He...
The company, founded by the actor, producer and Emmy-winning writer in 2015, is at a pinnacle moment, but it’s also just getting started.
“Here’s the really interesting part about the next three months, it’s not like we snapped our fingers and got here,” Hillman Grad CEO Rishi Rajani says, as he and Waithe joined Variety for a discussion over Zoom following the announcement of their Sundance wins. “This next three months is the culmination of the last few years of what Hillman Grad has built.”
He...
- 2/3/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Hillman Grad said Wednesday that its Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab, the eight-month, tuition-free program that has offered support and opportunities to marginalized creatives for the past two years, will return for a third year.
A program of the Hillman Grad Foundation, the lab was founded by Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani and Justin Riley in 2021. The one-of-a-kind program offers mentees the opportunity to enhance their creative skill-set through personalized instruction from entertainment professionals, creating pathways to bring more people from diverse backgrounds into the industry.
Committed to infusing new narratives and perspectives in front of and behind the camera, the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab provides a slate of workshops, educational resources, professional development, and networking opportunities for a cohort of diverse writers, actors and aspiring creative executives. Tracks include television writing, screen acting and executive development, with instructors including Carolyn Michelle Smith and Behzad Dabu (co-directors of Acting Track) and Michael Svoboda...
A program of the Hillman Grad Foundation, the lab was founded by Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani and Justin Riley in 2021. The one-of-a-kind program offers mentees the opportunity to enhance their creative skill-set through personalized instruction from entertainment professionals, creating pathways to bring more people from diverse backgrounds into the industry.
Committed to infusing new narratives and perspectives in front of and behind the camera, the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab provides a slate of workshops, educational resources, professional development, and networking opportunities for a cohort of diverse writers, actors and aspiring creative executives. Tracks include television writing, screen acting and executive development, with instructors including Carolyn Michelle Smith and Behzad Dabu (co-directors of Acting Track) and Michael Svoboda...
- 12/14/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Hillman Grad, the multi-platform entertainment company founded by actor, producer and Emmy-winning writer Lena Waithe, has bolstered its executive ranks with a new round of promotions: Naomi Funabashi has been named president of film and television at Hillman Grad Productions, with Justin Riley as vice president of operations and business development; Lacy Lew Nguyen Wright is now executive director of the Hillman Grad Foundation; and Marquis Phifér is head of cultural marketing.
The executive appointments comes after Rishi Rajani, who joined the company in 2018 as president of film and television, was elevated to CEO earlier this year.
Since its inception in 2015, and under the leadership of Waithe and Rajani, Hillman Grad has grown to include six divisions and 20 employees, rising to become one of the most prominent companies in entertainment, with a focus on amplifying and celebrating the stories of diverse, historically marginalized communities and developing a new generation of underrepresented creatives.
The executive appointments comes after Rishi Rajani, who joined the company in 2018 as president of film and television, was elevated to CEO earlier this year.
Since its inception in 2015, and under the leadership of Waithe and Rajani, Hillman Grad has grown to include six divisions and 20 employees, rising to become one of the most prominent companies in entertainment, with a focus on amplifying and celebrating the stories of diverse, historically marginalized communities and developing a new generation of underrepresented creatives.
- 7/14/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Starz has unveiled the trailer and key art for “Gaslit,” its limited series that tackles the Watergate scandal. The show focuses on the perspective of Martha Mitchell (Julia Roberts), the wife of Richard Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell (Sean Penn). “Gaslit” will debut on Starz’s digital platform at midnight on April 24, with a linear debut the same day at 8 p.m. Et.
Roberts is on fire in the trailer, Arkansas accent and all, as a political storm swirls around her, and Penn is nearly unrecognizable in his prosthetics and hair pieces. At one point, John slaps Martha across the face, to which she responds by slapping him back, adding, “My momma slapped me harder than that.”
Martha was the first person to publicly blow the whistle on Nixon’s involvement in the infamous scandal, which kicked off an avalanche of political and personal consequences. John was Nixon’s close advisor and friend,...
Roberts is on fire in the trailer, Arkansas accent and all, as a political storm swirls around her, and Penn is nearly unrecognizable in his prosthetics and hair pieces. At one point, John slaps Martha across the face, to which she responds by slapping him back, adding, “My momma slapped me harder than that.”
Martha was the first person to publicly blow the whistle on Nixon’s involvement in the infamous scandal, which kicked off an avalanche of political and personal consequences. John was Nixon’s close advisor and friend,...
- 3/16/2022
- by Sasha Urban, Wilson Chapman and Wyatte Grantham-Philips
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Hillman Grad Productions has named the 22 creatives selected for its second annual Mentorship Lab, geared toward uplifting marginalized creatives in film and television, which launches in Los Angeles on March 18, and will wrap up with a showcase event in October.
Those participating include creative executives Andy Park, Franco Chacon, Geralyn Smith, Jocelyn Waddell and Wai Wing Lau; writers Abi Rich, Blake Williams, Charlene Little, Cydney Fisher, Emily Teerasuphaset, Luveza Mubashar, Rubén Mendive, Van Newman and Victoria George; and actors Donnevan Tolbert, Jonny Williams, Kashayna Johnson, Lanora Terraé Hayden, Lee Hubilla, Lynnese Page, Michaela Obro-Ababio and Tj Chester.
The eight-month, tuition-free program funded by Hillman Grad’s CEO and Founder Lena Waithe offers mentees the opportunity to enhance their creative skillset through personalized instruction from industry professionals, creating additional pathways to bring more people from diverse backgrounds into entertainment, both in front of and behind the camera. It provides a...
Those participating include creative executives Andy Park, Franco Chacon, Geralyn Smith, Jocelyn Waddell and Wai Wing Lau; writers Abi Rich, Blake Williams, Charlene Little, Cydney Fisher, Emily Teerasuphaset, Luveza Mubashar, Rubén Mendive, Van Newman and Victoria George; and actors Donnevan Tolbert, Jonny Williams, Kashayna Johnson, Lanora Terraé Hayden, Lee Hubilla, Lynnese Page, Michaela Obro-Ababio and Tj Chester.
The eight-month, tuition-free program funded by Hillman Grad’s CEO and Founder Lena Waithe offers mentees the opportunity to enhance their creative skillset through personalized instruction from industry professionals, creating additional pathways to bring more people from diverse backgrounds into entertainment, both in front of and behind the camera. It provides a...
- 3/16/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Pan Pacific Park is located in a family-friendly area of Los Angeles, filled with local shops and across the street from Park La Brea known for being home to Angeleno newbies. Right next door to the park is The Grove, an outdoor mall that is adjacent the iconic Original Farmers Market, an L.A. institution that attracts locals and tourists alike. The area is fairly lively on a regular basis, but on May 30, 2020, the park served as a location that was part of a bigger movement for the protection of Black lives.
As the nation and the world reeled from the death of George Floyd as well as Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others due to police brutality and racism, thousands gathered in the park that Saturday to peacefully mourn their deaths and fight against racism. I was one of them. It was a call for change to systemic...
As the nation and the world reeled from the death of George Floyd as well as Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others due to police brutality and racism, thousands gathered in the park that Saturday to peacefully mourn their deaths and fight against racism. I was one of them. It was a call for change to systemic...
- 6/4/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Ian Alexander (The Oa), Vivien Ngô (Queen Sugar), Elyse Dinh (Watchmen) and Megan Le (Medical Police) have joined the indie thriller Daughter from writer and director Corey Deshon.
Marking the feature film debut for Deshon, Daughter is described as dark and surrealistic and follows a young woman who is inducted into a bizarre family to live as their new surrogate daughter.
Daughter is a co-production between Deshon’s Thirteenth Floor Pictures and the recently launched Paris and La-based production company, OneWorld Entertainment (Owe). Deshon and Ngô also produce alongside Tracy Chitupatham, Lacy Lew Nguyen Wright and Jes Vu. Matt Bradley and Laurent Fumeron will serve as executive producers.
Deshon’s script By Any Other Name was an Academy Nicholl Fellowship Semi-Finalist. His script When the Desert Was Home was also a Semi-Finalist in the Austin Film Festival Script Competition.
In addition to the cult...
Marking the feature film debut for Deshon, Daughter is described as dark and surrealistic and follows a young woman who is inducted into a bizarre family to live as their new surrogate daughter.
Daughter is a co-production between Deshon’s Thirteenth Floor Pictures and the recently launched Paris and La-based production company, OneWorld Entertainment (Owe). Deshon and Ngô also produce alongside Tracy Chitupatham, Lacy Lew Nguyen Wright and Jes Vu. Matt Bradley and Laurent Fumeron will serve as executive producers.
Deshon’s script By Any Other Name was an Academy Nicholl Fellowship Semi-Finalist. His script When the Desert Was Home was also a Semi-Finalist in the Austin Film Festival Script Competition.
In addition to the cult...
- 3/10/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
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