Mentorship Program: NY Diversity & Inclusion Task Force for Television & Film

NYDITF is an advocacy coalition of Television and Film professionals committed to addressing the lack of diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry in the New York/ New Jersey area.

With a focus on Black, Indigenous/Hispanic, and People of Color (BIPOC) in our industry, we work to create pathways for equity and economic empowerment for all marginalized groups and encourage a more diverse, equitable and equal workplace for the film and television industry.

The NYDITF is organizing a Mentorship Program to connect existing BIPOC film crew members with mentors in various production departments, to educate, promote and encourage upward mobility.

This program is devised as an opportunity to match existing industry members to provide support to one another as they develop career paths in the film and television industry. The goal is to build relationships which may lead to job opportunities; however, this is not a job-placement program.

How the program works: Mentees sign up via the BIPOC Crew List Opt-In Form and designate “I want a mentor.”

Each quarter the NYDITF will host a Mentor–Mentee partnering session to match mentees with possible mentors in a department of their interest. These will be virtual sessions. The mentors and mentees will be paired following this session.

The mentorship will last for a 3-month period and will include the following:

a) Weekly contact via phone, text or email.

b) Monthly meetings via zoom or in person (when deemed safe post-covid crisis)

c) Optional workshops/ educational webinars.

d) Resume building/ mock interviewing.

The mentor will discuss some of the following topics:

a) Skills needed for mentee to pursue a career in specific field.

b) Recommendations of how to gain those skills. (classes, workshops, hands-on)

c) Answer questions about how to join their union.

d) General workplace advice and/or guidance for applying to jobs in their field.

At the end of the 3-month period, NYDITF will host a “Next Steps” workshop to recommend how to apply this mentorship experience to the workplace. Both the mentor and mentee will have the option to continue their mentorship or move on.

Please direct any questions to NYDITF@gmail.com

Click here to sign up for the Mentorship Program