BIPOC TV & Film has announced the nine participants for this year’s Unscripted Producers Lab.

The program supports mid-career producers and showrunners in developing and producing an unscripted series, in addition to focusing on management, financing and career development skills. The lab, now in its second year, is presented by Bell Media.

The cohort includes six producers from Ontario and one each from Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.

The Ontario-based participants include field camera operator, director, host and producer Jermaine Bagnall (Ice Road Truckers); Temo Primrose Gare, creator and executive producer of Bell Fibe TV1’s Our Stories; and Japanese-Canadian TV producer and indie filmmaker Tamiko Potts (Arthur).

The other participants from Ontario are Salvadoran-Canadian producer Matt Rubio (Big Brother Canada); Ryan Lindsay, creator, writer and showrunner of Crave’s The Trades; and producer Jason Bailey (Bachelor in Paradise Canada).

Rounding out the list are Alberta-based Métis producer Kerriann Cardinal, who is currently working on Water Worlds, a Cree-language series that is in development with APTN; B.C.-based director and producer Jonah Lee-McNamee; and Quebec-based Cambodian-Canadian digital producer David Trang.

The program kicked off on May 6 with a one-week lab that includes interactive workshops, panels and case study presentations.

Speakers and presenters include Nicole Butler (Pier 21 Films), Trevor Boris (Canada’s Drag Race), Joey Case (Underground Railroad: The Secret History), Kadon Douglas (executive director of BIPOC TV & Film), James Farr (Cream Productions), Andrea Griffith (Sphere Media), Manny Groneveldt (Etalk), Jeffrey Hirschfield (Cream Productions), Alexandra Lazarowich (Fast Horse), Nanci Maclean (McGillivray Entertainment Media [MEM]), Boman Martinez-Reid (Made for TV with  Boman Martinez-Reid), Natalie Metcalfe (The Second City), Chris Perez (MEM), Jennifer Pratt (Top Chef Canada), Justin Stockman (Bell Media), Jade Tynes (Big Brother Canada) and Li Yeh (Bell Media).

The lab will be followed by one-on-one mentorships for six months, during which the participants will be paired with an industry expert.

The cohort will also join BIPOC TV & Film’s alumni network, receiving additional career development support and access to key stakeholders.

The lab is developed in collaboration with BIPOC TV & Film and Bell Media’s Li Yeh, director of strategic planning, and production executive Kelsey-Ann Maria.

Photos courtesy of Bell Media; (pictured (L-R) Jermaine Bagnall, Jason Bailey, Kerriann Cardinal (top); Temo Primrose Gare, Jonah Lee-McNamee, Ryan Lindsay (middle); Tamiko Potts, Matt Rubio, and David Trang (bottom)