Juan Avella and Kantú Lentz are among directors who have been assigned NBC series to direct
NBCUniversal announced the 2020-21 the selection of seven for their scripted directing initiatives, Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program. The two programs aim to increase representation of female and ethnically diverse male and non-binary directors, respectively, by creating a pipeline into scripted television.
Both initiatives remain unique as they are the only network programs to guarantee that participating directors will helm an episode of primetime television by the conclusion of the program, according to the media company. Program directors shadow on up to two episodes of their assigned NBC scripted series before receiving an in-season assignment to helm an episode of the same series.
Following the recent announcement of Janine Jones-Clark as executive vice president, inclusion – talent and content, NBCUniversal Film, Television and Streaming, Female Forward and the Emerging Director Programs will become building blocks for a cross-functional directors initiative under the global talent development and inclusion team that will service the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, the entertainment television networks, streaming platforms and Universal Studio Group.
“Creating a unified brand for all of our directing initiatives is the first step in creating a clear and expansive approach to representation in the director’s chair across NBCUniversal’s film, television and streaming platforms,” said Jones-Clark.
The new class of Female Forward directors and the NBC series they are set to direct are Maureen Bharoocha (Superstore), Lara Everly (Good Girls), Jean Lee (New Amsterdam), Kantú Lentz (Chicago Fire), Afia Nathaniel (Chicago Med), Kay Oyegun (This Is Us) and Pratibha Parmar (Law & Order: SVU). Also, Juan Avella will direct an episode of The Blacklist as part of the Emerging Director Program.
Collectively, achievements from this group of directors include produced credits for HBO and BBC, as well as official selections and honors at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and South by Southwest (SXSW). They have been recognized on top industry lists including The Black List and Indiewire’s “Rising Female Directors of 2020.”
Due to current production constraints and safety protocols, it has yet to be determined whether all the directors will be able to shadow and direct on their respective shows this season. If they are not able to safely fulfill the program curriculum this season, they will shadow and direct an episode on an NBC scripted series in the 2021-22 season.
For the third consecutive year, an advisory council of celebrated television directors helped select the participating directors and will mentor them during the program. With critically acclaimed director Lesli Linka Glatter serving as chair, the advisory council includes Norberto Barba, Liz Friedlander, Pam Fryman, Nisha Ganatra, Peter Horton, Jaffar Mahmood, Gail Mancuso, Solvan “Slick” Naim, Ken Olin, Sharat Raju, Julie Anne Robinson, Millicent Shelton, Michael Spiller and Jason Winer.
The Emerging Director Program, now in its 11th year, was NBC’s first scripted directing program. Following the launch of Female Forward, it now focuses on ethnically diverse male and gender non-binary directors. It counts celebrated directors Kat Coiro, Hanelle Culpepper, Rashaad Ernesto Green, and Nzingha Stewart among its alumni.
To be eligible for either Female Forward or the Emerging Director Program, finalists are required to have directing experience in their respective fields of expertise, including feature films, music videos, commercials, digital content and theater. Candidates can have no more than one scripted television directing credit.
