In our Insider Sessions, Sundance Institute staff answer your questions and guide you through the process of applying to our labs, grant opportunities and the Sundance Film Festival.

The Sundance Episodic Program is an entry point for emerging scripted fiction writers that includes alumni like Katori Hall (Starz's P-VALLEY), Barry Jenkins (Amazon's UNDERGROUND RAILROAD), and Heather Rae (Amazon's OUTER RANGE). We provide artists with the tools, guidance, and industry access to move your projects and careers forward. The in-person Lab is the cornerstone of the program, an immersive six-day opportunity to develop original series under accomplished showrunners, creative producers, and development executives at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. So how will your submission cut through and bring you into the fold? This direct Q&A with the program director and recent alumni will give you all the pro tips when you're ready to apply! Submissions Open February 9th and close March 9th.


Find out more about the Sundance Institute Episodic Program here.

Jandiz Estrada Cardoso
Director, Episodic Program
Jandiz Estrada Cardoso is the Director of the Sundance Institute Episodic Program. Previously, she was the Sr. Director of Global Talent Development & Inclusion for film, TV and streaming at NBCUniversal for a decade. Jandiz spearheaded the bicoastal NBCUniversal Short Film Festival, The YA TU SABES Monologue Slam, and the national tour of StandUp NBC. In her freelance career, she has worked on dozens of pilots and features for studios including Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal, New Line, AMC, ABC, CBS, Starz, and NBC (notably on their Emmy-winning series 30 ROCK). As an instructor, she has led master classes across the US and Brazil. She is a recipient of the Golden Eagle Award for Diversity Impact in Television. more...
Hernando Cortes Watson
Episodic Lab Alum
Hernando Cortes Watson is a 2023 Sundance Episodic Program Fellow for their groundbreaking series, HORSEPOWER. Born outside Los Angeles and raised outside New York City by their Filipino mother, they were inspired by the educational paths of mavericks Francis Ford Coppola and Ang Lee. They graduated from UCLA’s renowned Theater program in Stage Directing and began their career in entertainment working on the productions of master filmmakers (Oliver Stone, Mike Nichols, Noah Baumbach). They made their feature directorial debut with A REUNION, a queer semi-autobiographical road movie shot across nine states, during their final year at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where they earned their MFA in Film and TV Production. more...
Katherine Street
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer
Katherine "Kat" Street is an LA-based award-winning filmmaker and Philadelphia native. A cinephile at heart, she writes female-driven stories with complex (oftentimes damaged) main characters, centered around self-discovery, self-love, and belonging. She has written numerous short-form projects, including original shorts, pilots, and features. She wrote and directed the dramatic short film “Cycles,” which received festival recognition in both acting and best romantic short. She also created her award-winning flagship web series "The New Adult,” which is currently streaming on Kweli TV. Kat is a Stowe Story Lab SAGIndie Fellow and a participant in the BlackMagic Collective Emerging Filmmakers Initiative. In 2021, she founded the Black Film Challenge, a project that showcases filmmakers of African descent and the movies they create. She earned her BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a concentration in Cinematography and has literary representation with Culture Creative Entertainment. more...
Tags:TV / Digital Series

Join the Discussion