The YDA has joined forces with The Sweetshop to
create a Mentorship Prize which will allow one lucky director access to
the skill, expertise and encouragement of the global production house.
The
prize is directly linked to the Changing the World Frame by Frame
category of the YDA and the winner of that category will receive a
12-month mentorship on their next project for social change from
Sweetshop.
Mentoring will come in the form of guidance, access to contacts, script
development, how to make the content and what to do with it afterwards,
and Sweetshop will pair the winner up with one of their established
directors and give them access to the MD/EP of the closest market to
them, plus one Skype call or one face-to-face meeting (at one of
Sweetshop's seven offices LA, London, Shanghai, Bangkok, Sydney,
Melbourne, Auckland) once a month for 12 months.
Says Wilf
Sweetland, CEO, The Sweetshop: "The winner of the Mentorship will have
the ability to develop relationships with our directors, management and
EPs globally through regular contact."
In this interview
Sweetshop CEO, Wilf Sweetland, explains the thinking behind the
Mentorship Prize and why embracing social responsibility is so important
for the advertising industry.
There's still time to enter the
YDA and this year's Changing the World Frame by Frame competition to be
in with a chance of winning this incredible Mentorship Prize.
YDA: What convinced you to be part of this year's YDA via the mentorship prize The Sweetshop is offering?
WS:
By creating the Mentorship Prize we are directly supporting upcoming
talent, creating pathways and, through the generosity our directors,
regional management and executive producers, passing on expertise,
experience and guidance to someone starting out in their career.
Over
the years, developing emerging talent has been a big focus for us and
we're delighted to be doing this in the Cannes arena in partnership with
the YDA. It's also very important to us that when we're supporting an
initiative or organisation through sponsorship, there's a tangible
benefit to both sides - rather than just a logo at the bottom of a
mailer.
YDA: What can the person who wins this category in 2018 expect from directors and staff at Sweetshop?
WS:
The winner of the Mentorship will have the ability to develop
relationships with our directors, management and EPs globally through
regular contact (in person if they are in one of the seven cities in
which we have an office). Through this contact, we can offer support and
thinking on a current project they are working on from beginning to
end, advice on skillset development, creative thinking, script analysis,
industry guidance and background. It will be a very personal mentorship
dependent upon the winner and what their needs are at this stage of
their career.
YDA: Why do you think the Changing the World Frame By Frame category is so important?
WS:
Telling a narrative, no matter how small, can have a mass effect via
today's modern communication. We believe that through the power of
storytelling and creativity, social or environmental change can happen.
As a population, we respond to emotion, and as filmmakers we can
influence and drive that response. We want to inspire emerging directors
to understand that now, more than ever, they can change the world.
This
category also relies not only on craft and ideas, but also on
collective behaviour, a social movement and a social change to make the
world a better place. These initiatives need as much collective help as
they can get. This is why we are offering a special prize to the winner
to help facilitate future initiatives for global social responsibility
ideas and content.
Continue reading on YoungDirectorAward.com...