NBCU’s new Female Forward directors class aims to give a fair platform to women directors of color
While gender parity on American mainstream television is no surprise, in an attempt to bridge this gap and to give a more fair platform to women directors of color, American entertainment conglomerate, NBCUniversal (NBCU) has announced its new Female Forward directors class.
Launched in 2017, Female Forward is the first scripted directing initiative in the television industry to guarantee that participants will direct an episode by the culmination of the program.
The initiative gives experienced female directors their break into scripted television aiming to reach gender parity. And for the first time, the new class includes directors who will helm a Telemundo scripted series.
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This year’s class includes directors who will helm a Telemundo scripted series as a new combined effort between NBCU Launch and Telemundo’s Mujeres Imparable (Unstoppable Women), an award-winning company-wide initiative that seeks to champion and support Latina advancement in all walks of life. This is part of NBCU’s efforts to increase the number of experienced Hispanic female directors in scripted television.
The 2022-23 class and the NBCU shows they will direct are: Tayo Amos (“Chicago Fire”), Melanie D’Andrea (Telemundo Global Studios-produced series), Kryzz Gautier (Telemundo Global Studios-produced series), Saray Guidetti (“The Blacklist”), Gia-Rayne Harris (“Chicago P.D.”), Elisabeth Rohm (“Law & Order”) and Nicole Taylor Roberts (“Chicago Med”).
The NBCU launch TV Directors Program and Female Forward are NBCU’s groundbreaking scripted directing initiatives created to systemically increase the number of experienced directors of underrepresented backgrounds, with Female Forward specifically focusing on increasing representation of women in the directors’ chair.
Together they are the first scripted directing initiatives in the television industry to guarantee that participants will helm at least one episode by the culmination of the program.
During the 2022-23 program, veteran TV directors Mary Lou Belli and Bethany Rooney will lead the new class through curated workshops to prepare them to shadow and gain the necessary tools for their assignments.
Additionally, NBCU Launch will help participants build their professional networks in order to create a successful career in episodic television directing.