Applications are now closed. Applicants will be notified by early May 2025 of the status of their application.
Program Dates: Monday, June 16, 2025 – Friday, August 1, 2025
Application Fee: Members $20 | Non-Member $25
Application Deadline: SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2025
Watch Recording of Info Session
About
The Gotham EDU Film and Media Career Development Program provides students and recent graduates from across the country opportunities to learn directly from industry professionals and aims to provide the resources and conversations needed to make informed and strategic decisions as they look to start their career in the film and media industry.
During this 7-week virtual program, students will:
- — Attend industry-led conversations
- — Develop a film/media project, culminating into a verbal and visual pitch
- — Receive mentorship + feedback from industry professionals
- — Build their network of potential collaborators
In its 2025 edition, the program invites students to focus on one of six Industry Tracks:
- — Sidney Poitier Initiative Track for Multi-Hyphenates
- — Executive Leadership and Ambassador Track
- — Television/Episodic Creator Track
- — Documentary Filmmaker Track
- — Narrative Filmmaker Track
- — New Media/Entrepreneurship Track
The cohort of 30 students will be required to attend their Track-specific sessions as well as a weekly all-cohort session. We also invite and encourage all students to engage with other tracks of their interest during the program.
Previous industry speakers include professionals from Netflix, MGM, MACRO, UTA, ColorCreative, NBCU, Blumhouse, NEON, SFFILM, Kinema, and WILLA, as well as independent producers, television writers, and directors.
Student alumni of the program, launched in 2020, have gone on to work with companies such as A24, Apple, Amazon Studios, CBS News, HBO Documentaries, PBS Kids, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Showtime Networks, Nickelodeon, Nike, NBC Universal, Paramount, and the United Talent Agency (UTA).
Questions? Please contact [email protected]
Eligibility
Eligibility Criteria:
- — Must be currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program.
- — OR have graduated from an academic institution in or after Spring 2024.
Requirements:
- — Completed Application
- — Letter of Recommendation
- — Resume
- — Application Fee ($20 for Gotham Members / $25 for non-members)
Application Form:
Application can be found here.
There is an application fee to submit to the program, which can be paid here (20% off for Gotham Members). If you require a need-based fee waiver, please reach out to [email protected]
This program is supported by partners of The Gotham. If your college or university is interested in partnering with The Gotham, please reach out to [email protected]
For more information, contact Yoko Kohmoto at [email protected]
The application deadline is SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2025.
Program Components
All-Cohort Sessions: Weekly workshops, lectures, and conversations on topics such as networking, the state of the industry, and career sustainability.
Track-Specific Speaker Sessions: Moderated sessions in which students hear about an industry professional’s career path, current role, and the future of the media sector/ecosystem from their perspective. While students are required to attend their own Track-Specific Session, they are invited and encouraged to attend other Speaker Sessions.
Mentorship: One-on-one sessions with Gotham staff and track-specific mentors regarding career and/or creative projects.
Pitch Feedback Sessions: Over the course of the program, students will develop and present a project pitch and receive feedback from industry professionals.
Tracks
Sidney Poitier Initiative Track for Multi-Hyphenates
This track is for creators who identify as filmmaking multi-hyphenates, combining two or more focuses including but not limited to: directing, writing, producing, cinematography, editing, and acting. The program emphasizes support of undergraduate students consistent with the legacy of Sidney Poitier.
The Sidney Poitier Initiative’s mission is to honor the legacy of the groundbreaking actor, director, and activist by supporting inclusive programs that further the film and media careers of students, professionals, and organizations from underrepresented backgrounds. Students participating in this track will have the opportunity to gain knowledge on how to best tackle a career as a multi-hyphenate.
Executive Leadership and Ambassador Track
If you are interested in this track, you will be sorted into one of the two below tracks based on the year of studies you are entering.
- — The Executive Leadership Track: This track is for students entering their fourth year of undergraduate or early in their graduate studies who are focused on building film executive careers in the field of PR + marketing, development and distribution. The program emphasizes support of students that identify as women or non-binary undergraduate students who are members of underrepresented communities.
- — The Sidney Poitier Initiative Executive Ambassador Track: This track is prioritized for students who are entering their second or third year of undergraduate studies who are focused on building film executive careers in the field of PR + marketing, development and distribution.
Students participating in this track will have the opportunity to intern and/or shadow in New York with Communications + Marketing, Development, and Distribution professionals. To participate in this track you must be NYC-based for the summer.
The Sidney Poitier Initiative’s mission is to honor the legacy of the groundbreaking actor, director, and activist by supporting inclusive programs that further the film and media careers of students, professionals, and organizations from underrepresented backgrounds.
Television/Episodic Creator Track
This track is for students who are interested in creating narrative episodic work as television writers and episodic creators. Participants in this track will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the television industry, including various ways that episodic content gets made, the infinitely different paths one can take to becoming a TV writer, and the current state of episodic content and the TV industry.
Documentary Filmmaker Track
This track is for students interested in creating Documentary work. Participants in this track will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the documentary field in both TV and film, hearing from directors, producers, and executives about their experiences creating and supporting documentaries. We will also aim to shed a light on the current status of the everchanging documentary landscape.
Narrative Filmmaker Track
This track is for students interested in creating narrative short and feature films. Participants in this track will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of narrative filmmaking by hearing from writers, directors, and producers of narrative films about the process of creating their recent and iconic projects, as well as to learn from executives and nonprofits who support narrative filmmaking.
New Media/Entrepreneurship (AI, Branded Content, Video Games) Track
This track is for students interested in learning about digital storytelling beyond traditional film and television and/or starting their own company. Participants in this track will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the new media sector, hearing from experts in branded content, video games, the role of AI, and entrepreneurial skill-building.