Frustrated by the lack of diversity we were attracting for new hires, All is Well started the Film Internship Program for emerging BIPOC talent. We knew partnerships would be needed to do it right. We found those partners in Fujifilm America and Africatown Land Trust. As a corporate sponsor, Fujifilm financed two full-time positions for the year as well as gear and relevant technical training. ACLT helped source emerging talent, and offered guidance in identifying racial bias and blind spots that could undermine the goals of the Film Internship.

The result was a year-long paid internship for six BIPOC filmmakers across three, three-month cohorts. We mentored the interns through conceptualizing, writing, developing, directing, and editing their own one-minute short film. To hone their skills and further develop their creative voices, interns also worked on our commercial sets, assisted in client pitches, and collaborated on a series of film school style exercises.

We are currently putting together a small “how to” book for other creative agencies looking to start their own DEI apprenticeship program. If you’re interested, we love to talk about all we learned through our painful stumbles as well as our successes throughout the process.