The program is aimed at discovering and incubating undeveloped talent, to support the next generation of international female franchise creators.
Media and entertainment powerhouse Banijay today launched a new global accelerator program, designed to exclusively support female creators of promising non-fiction formats.
Unveiled at a prestigious breakfast in Cannes for Mipcom 2023, Banijay Launch is aimed at discovering and incubating undeveloped talent, to support the next generation of international female franchise creators.
Initiated by Sharon Levy, CEO of Endemol Shine North America, and co-led by James Townley, Creative Director of Development at Banijay, Banijay Launch will mentor selected women from Banijay’s global collective of creatives to help them develop bold new projects, from concept to presentation and sale, thus enhancing the group’s growing project portfolio.
Conceived as an enterprise-wide strategy to address gender inequality and drive creativity, Banijay Launch will seek out undiscovered formats with international appeal, among an incredible group of undiscovered women around the world, providing a new opportunity for Banijay to further diversify plus its talent and intellectual property worldwide.
Banijay Launch was inspired by the Propelle program, a women-focused accelerator initiative created and developed in 2020 by Everywoman Studios CEO Abby Greensfelder. With Levy and Endemol Shine North America partnering for two consecutive years with Everywoman Studios and Realscreen on the program, the partners have established a long-standing working relationship. Greensfelder was an advisor during the creation of Banijay Launch and will join the panel of judges for the initiative’s inaugural year.
To support the program, Banijay Americas has commissioned a first-of-its-kind study from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, in partnership with Everywoman Studios. The institute is the only global, data-driven nonprofit researching on-screen diversity, equity and inclusion in media and entertainment to mitigate unconscious bias, while fostering inclusion and systematically reducing stereotypes. negatives. The innovative study will investigate the inclusion of women in creative leadership roles in non-fiction productions in four different territories: Brazil, the UK and the US, and one EU territory to be determined.
How does it work? First, Banijay will select three to five top finalists, who will be mentored by a local creative (names revealed in notes to editors) to develop their formats, with the goal of nurturing them for the screen. The competition will culminate with a live performance before a panel of judges led by Levy and Townley. The other judges include Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay; Pilar Blasco, executive director of Banijay Iberia; and Abby Greensfelder, founder and CEO of Everywoman Studios. A winner will be chosen during London Screenings 2024.
Sharon Levy, CEO of Endemol Shine North America commented: “As a group, Banijay is constantly exploring new ways to support the broader content community, diversify its portfolio and ultimately sharpen its creative edge. With an undisputed track record of touring intellectual property, an expansive, multi-territory network of top-tier producers, and an industry-leading nonfiction infrastructure led by Creative Networks, the company is poised to open its doors to creative minds not yet have been discovered. Through Banijay Launch and the partnership with the Geena Davis Institute, we hope to welcome female creators who may be fighting to make their voices heard, establishing a new narrative for the industry and fostering the next generation of innovative non-fiction formats.”
Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay, commented: “At Banijay we are proud that more than 50% of our management positions globally are occupied by women. However, we recognize that the landscape has not always supported this demographic of female creators in their development. With Banijay Launch, we are committed to spearheading a number of new unscripted format ideas, devised by women, and in doing so, we hope to bring new voices and talent to the market, with the potential to create the next Survivor, MasterChef or Big Brother…” .
The initiative will leverage the infrastructure and expertise of Creative Networks, Banijay’s core non-fiction content department, co-led by Townley and Lucas Green, director of operations content.
