POV and the Comweb Foundation have announced a five-year agreement that will see the foundation invest $250,000 towards the charity’s mission of assisting Black, Indigenous and people of colour creatives with the access needed for careers in media production through technical training, career development, mentorship as well as paid jobs and internships.

“We are deeply committed to building a diverse and skilled media production workforce,” said Comweb founder and CEO Paul Bronfman in a statement. “With our multi-year commitment to support POV, we will help establish strong economic access and professional success for underrepresented young creatives across Canada.”

Of note, since 2007, POV has worked to spotlight rising talent from diverse communities, providing technical training and assisting creatives with launching their careers in the content production industry.

“At POV, we see our work playing a critical role in supporting diverse creatives in reclaiming their narratives and producing content that is accurate, fair and authentic to their experiences,” POV executive director Biju Pappachan also noted in a statement. “This donation will help POV to champion diverse, BIPOC talent while transforming their lives and changing the face of content production across Canada.”

This news also follows the recent creation of the 2020 Pathway Discovery Bursary from POV, the Toronto Film School, Bell Media, RedLabTO, William F. White International Inc. and prodco Project 10 Productions.

Focused on providing diverse and racialized creatives from the charity with scholarship with opportunities that allow them to break into the industry, the bursary offers creatives access to year-long scholarships and paid internships at partner production companies. The program’s three recipients include: Husam Alaghbari; Kimberly Miller-Pryce; and Anne Vo.

Image courtesy of Unsplash