Bristol-based conservation charity, Wildscreen, has launched its latest flagship initiative, the inaugural Wildscreen Storytelling Internship Scheme.
The scheme, which has the backing of WWF-UK, will provide paid internship opportunities for six UK-based and six internationally-based 18-25 year olds, wanting to pursue careers in natural world storytelling and content creation within the TV and Conservation sectors.
From Autumn 2022, 12 internationally renowned wildlife TV production companies and Conservation NGOs will open their doors to aspiring storytellers and content creators, providing paid, practical experience across a variety of roles spanning camera operating to editing, from story development to scriptwriting.
As well as being provided with the opportunity to gain valuable ‘hands-on’ professional skills and experience, the cohort will also benefit from one-to-one mentoring within the host organisations and one-year's membership to the Wildscreen Network, the world’s biggest professional community for the wildlife film and TV genre, to help launch their careers in the natural world storytelling industries.
The scheme aims to tackle systemic barriers to entry into the wildlife TV and Conservation sectors, which disproportionately impact groups which are already underrepresented, including ethnically diverse individuals, in-country talent, LGBTQIA+ individuals, those living with disabilities, women, individuals who identify as neurodiverse, and individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds. The international internships will be predominantly located within the global south.
Lucie Muir, Wildscreen’s CEO said: “We are so grateful to the host production companies and NGOs for supporting this ambitious global storytelling internship scheme and to WWF-UK for being so supportive in the development of this latest and important Wildscreen initiative. Together, we hope to understand and address barriers to young people from underrepresented backgrounds seeking careers in natural world storytelling within the TV industry and conservation NGOs globally.!
"To grow and diversify audiences watching wildlife content and engaging with conservation organisations campaigns, it’s critical we address the lack of representation in those creating the content. We hope this scheme will demonstrate the huge benefits of democratising who tells nature’s stories."
Planta Alta based in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Big Wave Productions, based in Brighton, UK, will be the first production companies to host interns as part of the scheme, with an additional 10 internships launching over the coming months.
Applications to the internships with Planta Alta and Big Wave Production open on 17 August via the Wildscreen website.
To find out more about the Wildscreen and WWF-UK Storytelling Internship Scheme, visit https://wildscreen.org/industry/talent-schemes/
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