OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC) and the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), in partnership with Dark Slope, are calling on founders of Black-owned content creation companies to apply for Cohort 3 of OBAC Scale Up Immersive, an immersive accelerator for aspiring Black creatives and production companies interested in developing spatial content, including virtual and augmented reality story experiences. Applications for Cohort 3 open on Tuesday, August 1st and the deadline to apply is Thursday, August 31st.
Participants will benefit from intensive programming led by global industry experts, hands-on mentorship, networking opportunities, and a group rapid prototyping component that will allow cohort teams to build a working prototype with resources valued at up to $50,000. Dark Slope’s state-of-the-art production facilities and virtual production team will also support team prototype development.
“The third year of OBAC Scale Up Immersive Program is poised to have a profound impact on the Canadian VR/AR/XR landscape,” shared Ngardy Conteh George, Co-Founder of OYA Black Arts Coalition. “By nurturing the capacity for more Black Canadian creatives to join the larger Immersive Media production pipeline, we are actively amplifying diverse voices and reshaping the industry. Building upon the talent and experiences of the alumni from our first and second cohorts, we eagerly embrace the opportunity to empower a third cohort, fostering innovation and driving the future of immersive media forward.”
“With each new cohort, OYA Scale Up Immersive continues to empower Black creators and producers and fuel our industry with much-needed diverse voices, stories and new immersive narrative forms,” shared maxine bailey, Executive Director, Canadian Film Centre. “We’re grateful to be part of a partnership that is building up community and capacity for Black content creators and producers in immersive media – and we can’t wait to see the successful outcomes of cohort 3.”
OBAC Scale Up Immersive is funded by the Government of Canada through the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) Ecosystem Fund delivered by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario)
“OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC) and Canadian Film Centre (CFC) are pushing boundaries to advance the participation of Black creators and artists in the digital media industry. Our government is committed and is pleased to support OBAC, CFC and other organizations as they work to support Black entrepreneurs to reach their full potential. We look forward to seeing the next cohort of participants for this program,” said the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
For more information and to apply, visit https://www.oyablackarts.org/scale-up/immersive.
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