Resources
Sundance-created and curated resources to expand your creative practice
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The Hollywood Commission
The Hollywood Commission resources for producers were created to provide all productions with access to state-of-the-art practices, resources, and guidance, including a sample policy to promote safe, equitable, and harassment-free workplaces. Additional resources include minimum system requirements and employer checklists, and template policies and procedures for managing high-risk situations.
View NowFree Safety Training & Legal Services for Your Independent Production
Paths to Becoming a Professional Screenwriter
A ScreenCraft guide on making your way in your screenwriting career.
Behind the Scenes: The State of Inclusion & Equity in TV Writing
Four years ago, Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity (TTIE) began examining the state of inclusion and equity in TV writing. In this report, TTIE identifies the barriers to entry and career advancement for historically excluded¹ writers, as well as obstacles to authentic, inclusive, and responsible storytelling. The report digs deeper into how these persistent barriers and seismic shifts in the industry (e.g., the rise of streaming platforms, the proliferation of mini-rooms, the impact of a global pandemic) affect hiring and, ultimately, storytelling on a profound level.
The Hollywood Disability Inclusion Toolkit
From RespectAbility, this toolkit is a guide on disability inclusion in the entertainment industry. Storytellers often make glaring, yet easy to avoid, errors when covering the disability community, America's largest minority (one-in-five Americans have a disability) and third largest market (valued at more than $1 trillion). The purpose of this toolkit is to help entertainment professionals ensure their stories are as inclusive of people with disabilities as possible.
SUSTAIN is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts
California Lawyers for the Arts
California Lawyers for the Arts helps artists find qualified legal counsel to assist with the legal matters they may encounter as artists.
Creative Capital: A Cheat Sheet on Financial Literacy for Artists
A critical understanding of artist finances is key to building a sustainable creative career. From Creative Capital, this cheat sheet helps artists navigate the financial landscape and considerations of freelancing and consulting.
Filmmakers Legal Clinic (Formerly Indie Film Clinic)
The Filmmakers Legal Clinic (FLC), formerly known as the Indie Film Clinic, provides free transactional, intellectual property, and First Amendment legal services to visual advocates, filmmakers and video journalists working to move the social justice needle and diversify the stories that are told through media.
The Whole Picture Toolkit: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Mentally Healthy Production
From The Film and TV Charity, this step-by-step guide helps filmmakers create mentally healthy productions.
We Make Movies: Mental Health Tips For Filmmakers
Head Above Water: A Filmmaking & Mental Health Podcast
CineLink Talks: Mental Health in the Film Industry (presented by Documentary Campus)
What does our industry need to do to make sure those employed within it enjoy good mental health? In this panel presented by Documentary campus, two filmmakers and two qualified therapists working in film discuss strategies and suggestions for a healthier industry.
NFT Financing: How to Use NFTs to Fund and Distribute Your Projects
The Writers Guild Foundation with The Business of Creating bring this dynamic panel and Q&A with seasoned entertainment professionals on how filmmakers can raise money for their projects with NFTS.
VC Workshop: Grant Writing to Get Noticed
From Video Consortium, this workshop "Doc Grant Writing: Writing to Stand Out," features filmmakers and funding gurus Gabriella Garcia-Pardo (TIME, 2020 Sundance Creative Producing Lab Fellow), Heidi Reinberg (93QUEEN, HOT ZONW), and Shaleece Haas (REAL BOY, THE GENIUS OF MARIAN) as they share strategies to get your independent documentary funded with VC Education Committee member Julia Pontecorvo.
Our Professional Everest: A Panel Recap on the State of Indie Producing
A recap of Dear Producer's panel on the state of indie producing moderated by Avril Speaks (producer, JINN) with panelists Amanda Marshall (producer, SWISS ARMY MAN), Kim Roth (producer, BLUE BAYOU), Rachel Shane (producer, THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE) and Lizzie Shapiro (producer, SHIVA BABY).
Filmmaker Joshua Sanchez (FOUR) On How To Stay Sane and Healthy While Making a Film
YEA! Mental Health Toolkit for Filmmakers
From Young Entertainment Activists, this toolkit is an actionable, community sourced compilation of resources and information. Find everything from therapeutic services to storytelling techniques that address mental health through an accessible and inclusive approach.
"The Future of Independent Film in the Age of the Corporate Streamers" Interviews with Filmmakers, Programmers, Distributors, Exhibitors & More
From The Film Collaborative, a video interview series of informal 20-minute chats with filmmakers, programmers, distributors, exhibitors, distribution experts, and other industry professionals on pressing film-distribution-related topics in this these tumultuous and unpredictable times.
Black Film Space Podcast: Tiffanie Young On Running A Production Company
The Black Film Space Podcast is a resource for emerging filmmakers to learn the ins and outs of production from the world’s top Black TV & Film industry professionals. In this episode, Tiffanie Young, Senior Vice President at Rock Shrimp Productions, is interviewed about her experience starting and running a production company, navigating the industry as a black woman, taking responsibility as a leader, and much more.
Green Production Guide
Sustainability matters. Created by studios and industry professionals, the Green Production Guide is a set of tools and resources to help filmmakers plan, communicate, implement and track sustainable production practices and reduce the environmental impact of their projects.
Musician Otura Mun On Being Unafraid to Try New Things
2021 Hollywood Climate Summit: Hollywood's Footprint Panel
In this panel discussion, policy leaders, scientists, and activists weigh in on what it would take for the Hollywood film industry reach net zero status and how Hollywood can use its global power to infuse policy and scientific innovation into storytelling.
A Guide to Creating and Maintaining Email Newsletters for Artists
Email newsletters are by no means a new concept, but in the last year, it seems like everyone has one. In this article, Creative Capital talks to four artists about what goes into making email newsletters, what to know about managing them, and some tips about how to be successful with limited time.