The Black television and film collective (BTFC), a non-profit development and production center for artists of black and African descent, announced its merger with The Parity Project, a data-driven organization whose mission is to create financial and narrative equity for professional African-American writers in the television industry.

The combined organization will retain the name Black TV & Film Collective (BTFC) and facilitate increased resources for its combined member bases. This reinforces the goal of becoming the hub for the development of black content creators in all its forms. With this merger comes the announcement of an inaugural advisory board with an abundance of industry heavyweights, including veteran producer Cassian Elwes, Tanzanian and American writer / director Ekwa Musangi, showrunner / producer Ben Watkins, comedian / activist Aida Rodriguez, Gamechanger CEO Effie Brown, Illustrator / Director / Producer Peter Ramsey, Showrunner / Producer / Writer / Writer Jeff Melvoin, and Insecure HBO producer Deniese Davis, among others.

Black and African artists are systematically excluded from the American film and television industry, which has extremely negative impacts on the entire sector and on society as a whole. A recent McKinsey report shows that black creatives are systematically excluded from the positions of creator, producer, director and screenwriter; and because black content is consistently undervalued, underdistributed, and underfunded, the industry loses at least $ 10 billion each year. For over 8 years, both organizations have worked tirelessly to counter this long-term trend by providing production and career support, mentoring and networking to their respective members. The services offered by both organizations are designed to ensure that artists of black and African descent can create financially viable careers in television, film and digital entertainment. Going forward, the two organizations are excited to increase their impact as a merged organization.

In 2020, the Collective launched the Black Producers Fellowship. Through the grant, six emerging black producers each received $ 25,000 in production funding, $ 25,000 in in-kind production equipment, and additional advisory services from producer mentors to complete a short film project. The Parity Project began developing a unique mentorship program for black television writers called Each One Teach One, a program focused on pairing established black showrunners with emerging black writers as part of a mentoring program.

“We see serving Los Angeles and New York as just the beginning, and over time we will open hubs in other major cities in the United States and around the world. BTFC co-founder and board member Huriyyah Muhammad continues: We have historically kept us out.

This announcement also kicks off a strategic fundraising campaign to raise $ 1 million to fund future plans which include hiring a full-time executive director / CEO, capacity building, launching new scholarships in the areas of post-production editing and animation, and the expansion of their content. training centers to include a showrunner school and on-demand digital training courses on key production concepts accessible anywhere in the world.

The exciting joining of the two organizations as they combine their strengths will facilitate their work to achieve equity, access and inclusion on both sides of the camera for artists of black and African descent. Parity Project co-founder Ron McCants enthusiastically adds:

“Our future is bright because as black people, when we join with our brothers and sisters, we can level mountains. It is our great superpower. Together we will!