Adobe and the Adobe Foundation commit $6M to support underrepresented and emerging creators find careers in film and TV

Today, Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) and the Adobe Foundation announced the first-ever Adobe Film & TV Fund committing $6M to support underrepresented creators and filmmakers in finding career opportunities in the film and TV industry. Through this new initiative, the company and Foundation are committed to driving greater representation in the film industry by providing resources, community, and support to underrepresented creators on-screen and behind the camera.

The Film & TV Fund aims to address the inequity in funding and career and training opportunities across multiple communities in the industry with grants, contributions, and fellowships. In the first year of the Fund, Adobe and the Adobe Foundation committed to $6M in grants, contributions, and Adobe Creative Cloud product donations with the goal of tracking inclusion in the industry and directly accelerating the careers of thousands of global creators, and ultimately increasing inclusion in film and TV series, that reach millions worldwide.

Adobe and the Adobe Foundation will collaborate with a cohort of global organizations that are committed to empowering underrepresented communities and making a significant shift in representation for multi-hyphenate creators in film and TV. The initial organizations include Easterseals, Gold House, Latinx House, NAACP, Sundance Institute and Yuvaa, and will focus funding on fellowships and apprenticeships that offer direct, hands-on industry access through mentorships and networking with production houses, studios and distributors to support filmmaking. The grants and contributions will also enable organizations to directly support creators in their communities with funding for short and feature films.

“Diversity in front of and behind the camera is key to unlocking more diverse and more inclusive storytelling across TV and Film,” said Stacy Martinet, VP Marketing Strategy and Communications, Adobe, and member of the Adobe Foundation board. “Through our new Film & TV Fund, Adobe is looking to leverage its leadership position in the creative industry to unlock new opportunities for underrepresented creators.”

The first fellowship program will kick off with NAACP, specifically designed to increase diverse representation in the post-production industry. The 14-week fellowship program will focus on education and training, career growth and workplace experience and will include access to Adobe Creative Cloud to further set up emerging creators with the necessary tools they need, as well as training, industry mentorships, masterclass lectures, workplace rotations and more. Applications for the NAACP fellowship will open on January 18 for four fellows, with the program starting in May of this year. For more info and/or to apply, visit the NAACP Editing Fellowship site.

“Equity matters, and it is incumbent upon those of us who sit in positions of power and authority to help identify solutions to advance diversity and inclusion both in front of and behind the lens,” said Kyle Bowser, senior vice president of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau. “It’s an honor to work with a like-minded partner in Adobe, who shows up at the table with ideas and resources that make a tangible impact.”

The Film & TV Fund Adobe announced today builds on its long-standing collaboration with the Sundance Institute and the continued support and momentum the company has achieved for inclusivity, access, opportunity and creativity for all. Since 2015, Adobe has been proud to work alongside Sundance through the Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship – a year-round artist development program inspiring creativity and supporting emerging filmmakers ages 18 to 25.

Over the last seven years Adobe’s collaboration has supported more than 90 Fellows with the necessary tools, mentorship and resources needed to tell their stories. The company also introduced the Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellowship in 2020, a year-round program designed to foster community, further craft and offer support to female artists who are creating bold new work in film and media. Adobe Foundation has also supported work in this area, most recently through the establishment of The Inclusion List with USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, and support of the USC School of Dramatic Arts MFA Acting Program, to directly support the production of short films for underrepresented students.

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