Seed&Spark, the independent film crowdfunding platform, announced on Thursday that pilots for 27 television series developed by creators of color were funded as part of a special month-long “Keep It Colorful” crowdfunding effort.
According to Seed&Spark, approximately 50 content creators of color entered the crowdfunding rally with 27 pilots meeting their financial goal and moving forward into production. The television pilots consisted of a variety of programming in genres including comedy, drama, sci-fi and animation, many centering around themes involving women, race, and LGBTQ. It was also reported that a total of 12 pilots reached an additional goal of gathering 500 or more audience members which qualified them for grants and mentorship.
Seed&Spark reported that two pilots were selected for additional grants and development deals. “Pink,” an hourlong drama series about a group of 10-year-old African-American girls living in the inner city, received a development deal and additional $10,000 grant from Color Farm Media; and “Black Girl Training,” a drama series about a 21-year-old African-American girl who lives in the Midwest, received a development and production deal and an additional $15,000 grant from Black&Sexy TV.
Meanwhile, the remaining 10 finalists have also been given the opportunity to work with entertainment industry mentors. Among those serving as mentors are actress Erika Alexander (Living Single, Get Out), Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), producer and writer Steven Rogers (I, Tonya), Mary Ann Marino (head of physical production for Amazon Studios Original Movies), Jennifer Levine (president of production and literary management for Untitled Entertainment), Rashonda Joplin (director of development at MGM), Paul and Tammy Garnes (Selma, Queen Sugar), and Brian Dukes (director of creative development and production for Sony Screen Gems).
Speaking about the crowdfunding effort, Emily Best, founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, went on to add:
“We are showing the industry there is a very solid and viable pipeline of talent and projects from creators of color even if they are not yet represented by agencies or don’t have deals with studios. We are going beyond the notion of ‘inclusion’ to just change the entertainment industry to reflect the world in which we actually live by getting work made and seen.”