#YourBigBreak

#YourBigBreak: Netflix’s “The Get Down” Is Casting for Season 2

Netflix (Twitter)
Netflix (Twitter)

The Get Down, Netflix’s hit show set in the 1970s Bronx amid the collision of hip hop and disco, has taken the viewing public by storm. Now that the show is set for a second season, they have issued a casting call for speaking lead character roles!

Project Casting wrote about the casting call Sunday, stating that The Get Down‘s producers are now accepting video auditions.

Here’s what they’re looking for:

MALES 18-21 YEARS OLD, AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR HISPANIC/LATINO

FEMALES 18-21 YEARS OLD, AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR HISPANIC/LATINO

YOUNG BOY 11-14 YEARS OLD, AFRICAN-AMERICAN. IRRESISTABLE, WISECRACKING, STREET-SMART, ALWAYS TAGGING ALONG WITH HIS OLDER BROTHER

RAPPERS MALE/FEMALE, ALL AGES, TYPES

HIP-HOP DANCERS MALE/FEMALE, ALL AGES, TYPES

The casting directors are also looking for extras as well. The casting directors are auditioning speaking roles via video audition. Visit ProjectCasting for more information and the links to send in your video auditions.

#YourBigBreak: A Truckload of Filmmaking Grants

It’s been a while since I’ve highlighted a #YourBigBreak opportunity. Lately, I’ve been retweeting opportunities on Twitter (so follow me!) but here we go; a post on a smorgasbord of filmmaking grants.

No Film School has posted a huge resource post of grants. Some of them have already past as of the writing of this article, but there are still tons of grants that extend throughout July, August, and September. Some of the open grants include the Sundance/Sloan Commissioning Grant & Fellowship, BlueCat Screenwriting Competition, Disney|ABC Writing Program, The Jerome Foundation’s Film and Video Grant Program, Digital Bolex Grant for Women Cinematographers and more.

So if you want to get your grant-writing on, click here to get more information! Good luck!

#YourBigBreak:”Lovers In Their Right Mind” Looking for Black/Persian Couples

You might have seen Lovers In Their Right Mind promoted on JUST ADD COLOR before (in case you haven’t, check out the interview with journalist and co-screenwriter Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn). I’ve gotten an update from Littlejohn about the project, and this update is one in which you could get #YourBigBreak.

Littlejohn, her co-screenwriter Barrington Smith-Seetachitt, and their production team are looking for interracial couples for their upcoming video series. But the casting is specifc, since the film focuses on black/Persian relationships. Here’s the official rundown:

CASTING CALL: The producers of Lovers in Their Right Mind, a feature film (in development) about the romance between a black woman and a Persian man, are casting black/Persian couples (and black women in other cross-culture marriages) to tell us your stories in on-camera interviews. The videos will be exploring themes from the narrative film, and will be platformed as part of the crowdfunding campaign for the project. If you’re interested, or know someone who might be–write to us at LoversInTheirRightMind@gmail.com, and we’ll connect with details!

Do you think you fit the bill? If so, email Lovers In Their Right Mind as soon as possible!

#YourBigBreak: NHMC TV Writers Program & the WIF Black List Episodic Lab

You might have heard me speak on the latest Black Girl Nerds podcast about the horrific Sleepy Hollow ending (which resulted in the much controversial death of Abbie Mills). I said in the podcast that the entire trajectory of Sleepy Hollow and its fan interaction is a masterclass in what not to do when creating a show, and that future showrunners, writers, directors, and even actors can learn from it. That leads me into another point, a point I forgot to say in the podcast, but have said in my Sleepy Hollow takedown article, so let me quote myself right here:

…[M]y anger has spurred me to write my own pilot. Do I know when my idea will become a show? Nope. But anger can be a great motivator, and I hope that other POC writers who are mad beyond belief will use their anger to create their own projects. It’s clear that diversity doesn’t start from the top down; it starts from the bottom up. We’ve got to be disruptions if we want the top brass to hear what we’ve got to say. Remember how wrongly Abbie, Tara, Lexa, Lincoln and countless others have been treated on these shows, and get to creating.

You might be reading this thinking, “YES, I AM ONE OF THOSE ANGRY VIEWERS! But where can I get my big break!? I don’t know anyone in the business or where the opportunities are, and I can’t just drop my stuff and move to California in the hopes of making it big!” I get you. I can’t move to California right now either. But what you can do is take a look at some of these workshops. If you’re already at the point where you’ve got a polished script collecting dust and want an in, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) TV Writers Program and the Women in Film (WIF) Black List Episodic Lab might be for you.

NHMC TV Writers Program

Submission deadline: August 7

Program dates: October 3-November 4

Application rules/Submission guidelines

The NHMC TV Writers Program is, as the NHMC websites states, “an intensive scriptwriters workshop that prepares Latinos for writing jobs at major television networks.” The program is modeled after the Hispanic Film Project and “is a direct response to the lack of diverse writers in primetime network TV.” For those writers who finish the program and want to take their craft even further, NHMC also has the Latino Scene Showcase.

Some important stats about the NHMC TV Writers Program:

Since its inception 12 years ago:

120 writers have completed the NHMC TV Writers Program
28 writing careers have been launched
25% of NHMC Writers have been staffed on shows at the following networks: ABC/Disney, NBC, CBS, FOX, Nickelodeon, CW, BET, LATV, VH1 and NUVOtv.

Some of the shows graduates of the program write for include East Los High, Devious Maids, Elena de Avalor, Rosewood, Superstore, Hot and Bothered, NCIS, The Catch and Jane the Virgin. 

Women in Film Black List Episodic Lab

Evaluations deadline: May 1

Submission deadline: May 15 (WIF members), June 1 (Black List members)

Program dates: August 2016 (specific dates not listed as of this post)

Application rules/Submission guidelines

FAQ

If you’re into film and/or screenwriting, then you already know how influential the Black List is. If you get your script listed on the Black List, then that means you’re considered the cream of the crop of upcoming screenwriters and, more than likely, you’ll get tapped to write a script for major studio. However, the Black List wants to do more than just showcase awesome scripts; it also wants to help bring new voices, voices who are often marginalized, into the fold.

The WIF Black List Episodic Lab will bring in eight writers who identify as women to Los Angeles to take an eight-week course in script development and script workshopping. The eight weeks will also include master classes with industry execs and veteran writers in the biz. Best of all, participants in the lab will have their final pilots read by networks and agencies.

More opportunities will be listed at JUST ADD COLOR when I see them online, so keep coming back to find the right opportunity for you!

#YourBigBreak: Help The Huffington Post Highlight Disability Issues for Election 2016 Video

The Huffington Post is looking for YOU to help them with their Election 2016 coverage! The news service and Disability Visibility Project’s #CriptheVote are collaborating to bring the everyday issues of the disabled to the forefront of this election cycle.

“The Huffington Post is seeking passionate and opinionated people with disabilities to speak about issues they would like to see addressed by candidates during the 2016 Presidental campaign,” states the release. “You will be a part of a viral video to raise awareness about what matters to people with disabilities and what’s left out of the national conversation.”

Keep in mind that filming will happen at the Huffington Post’s studio in NYC. The studio is also wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant.

Read all of the details at the Disability Visibility Project! Good luck to all who apply!

#YourBigBreak: Is Your Web Series a Fit for Issa Rae Productions?

One of the most common things in the media is the focus on the difficulties finding opportunity. Much of this is on Hollywood’s end, what with its bad, antiquated, stereotype-steeped practices. But a lot of difficulty also comes from not knowing where to look, for from people not giving others a leg up. Here at JUST ADD COLOR, I’ll do my best to highlight opportunities for those who are looking for that big break. This article is highlighting just one of those opportunities.

Issa Rae made a name for herself with her hilarious The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl web series, and now her production company, Issa Rae Productions, is looking for new talent. Check it out:

issa-rae-productions-partnership

Good luck to all who apply!