The first fellowship is a collaboration with the NAACP, designed to increase representation in post-production.
Adobe and the Adobe Foundation have announced the first-ever Adobe Film & TV Fund, pledging $6m to champion underrepresented creators and filmmakers in their pursuit of career opportunities within the film and TV industry. This initiative aims to foster greater representation in the film sector by providing resources, community, and support to underrepresented creators both on-screen and behind the camera.
The Adobe Film & TV Fund will specifically contribute to existing nonprofits dedicated to serving historically excluded communities. The inaugural cohort of grantees comprises Easterseals, Gold House, Latinx House, NAACP, Sundance Institute, and the India youth-focused Yuvaa. The primary objective is to bolster these organisations’ fellowships, apprenticeships, mentorships, and other programmes that provide hands-on industry exposure. Additionally, the fund will directly finance the projects of the constituents associated with these organisations.
In a statement, Adobe vice president of marketing strategy and communications Stay Martinet, who also is a member of the Adobe Foundation board, said: “Diversity in front of and behind the camera is key to unlocking more diverse and more inclusive storytelling across TV and film. 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 programme supported by the Adobe fund is the NAACP Editing Fellowship, a 14-week experience encompassing post-production training through masterclasses, mentorships, workplace rotations, and access to Adobe Creative Cloud. Applications for the fellowship will open on January 18 on the NAACP site, and the selected fellows are set to begin in May.
NAACP Hollywood Bureau senior vice president Kyle Bowser added: “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. It’s an honour to work with a like-minded partner in Adobe, who shows up at the table with ideas and resources that make a tangible impact.”
Adobe’s commitment to diversifying the industry is evident in other partnerships, including those with Sundance (Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship since 2015 and the Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellowship initiated in 2020) and USC (supporting the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Inclusion List and funding short films in the MFA acting programme).
