Vision Maker Media’s mission is empowering and engaging Native people to share stories.
We envision a world changed and healed by understanding Native stories and the public conversations they generate.
THE PREMIER SOURCE OF PUBLIC MEDIA BY AND ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS SINCE 1976
Vision Maker Media works with VMM funded producers to develop, produce, and distribute programs for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). We support training to increase the number of Native Americans and Alaska Natives producing public broadcasting programs. A key strategy for this work is in partnerships with Native Nations, organizations, and Native communities.
Welcome! Below you will see all of our current opportunities.
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Vision Maker Media is seeking public media film and television programs that represent the cultures, experiences, and perspectives of Native Americans and Alaska Natives; and are intended and appropriate for PBS Television Broadcasting, including Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) digital and streaming platforms.
Proposed film and television programs must be intended for exclusive premiere PBS broadcast, and its digital and streaming platforms, and have effective outreach/community engagement activities to reach audiences beyond a PBS broadcast. Included in the required Vision Maker Media Producer's License Agreement (contract) for a public media funded film or television program, is the assignment of exclusive PBS broadcast rights for four years and one-year off-air recording rights for educators. All public media funded and completed film and television programs are required to meet the PBS Technical Operating Specifications and Production Guidelines as outlined in the PBS Red Book, online at https://www.pbs.org/about/producing-pbs/.
At times, Vision Maker Media may offer additional distribution opportunities to funded film and television programs such as educational and home, as well as possible theatrical, non-theatrical, television (free, pay syndicated and video-on-demand), multimedia and internet broadcasting (including podcasting and streaming) in a separate agreement.
For the complete list of guidelines, please click here.
The Creative Shorts Fellowship supports Emerging Native filmmakers to produce a short film: documentary, drama, experimental, or animation piece; and supports a mentorship with a career professional film producer or director.
Emerging Native filmmakers find their own mentor for their project. Film professionals, Native or non-Native, may also submit a proposal—following criteria and eligibility—to mentor an Emerging Native filmmaker in the production of that emerging filmmaker’s short film. Emerging Native filmmakers must choose their mentor prior to applying and film professionals must choose their mentee prior to applying. Topic ideas may be about Native cultures, values, histories, contemporary life, environmental justice, youth, elders, and/or Native empowerment. All applications must additionally have a social justice theme.
Guidelines: https://visionmakermedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023_CSF_Guidelines.pdf
Vision Maker Media (VMM) invites proposals for the Creative Shorts Fellowship. We are seeking creative short film format proposals by and about Native Americans and Alaska Natives for production funding that nurtures and encourages new and creative innovative storytelling. We want you tell your story in a uniquely imaginative, inventive, and artistically experimental way to represent the cultures, experiences and values of American Indians and Alaska Natives. At VMM, we empower and engage Native People to tell stories. Founded in 1976, Vision Maker Media, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), receives major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. All aspects of our programs encourage the involvement of young people to learn more about careers in the media—to be the next generation of storytellers. For more information, visit www.visionmakermedia.org. For more information or questions, contact visionmaker@unl.edu or 402-472-3522.
The Creative Shorts Mentorship supports Emerging Native filmmakers to produce a short film: documentary, drama, experimental, or animation piece; and supports a mentorship with a career professional film producer or director.
Emerging Native filmmakers find their own mentor for their project. Film professionals, Native or non-Native, may also submit a proposal—following criteria and eligibility—to mentor an Emerging Native filmmaker in the production of that emerging filmmaker’s short film. Emerging Native filmmakers must choose their mentor prior to applying and film professionals must choose their mentee prior to applying. Topic ideas may be about Native cultures, values, histories, contemporary life, environmental justice, youth, elders, and/or Native empowerment. All applications must additionally have a social justice theme.
Guidelines: https://visionmakermedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023_CSF_Guidelines.pdf
Vision Maker Media (VMM) invites proposals for the Creative Shorts Mentorship. We are seeking creative short film format proposals by and about Native Americans and Alaska Natives for production funding that nurtures and encourages new and creative innovative storytelling. We want you tell your story in a uniquely imaginative, inventive, and artistically experimental way to represent the cultures, experiences and values of American Indians and Alaska Natives. At VMM, we empower and engage Native People to tell stories. Founded in 1976, Vision Maker Media, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), receives major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. All aspects of our programs encourage the involvement of young people to learn more about careers in the media—to be the next generation of storytellers. For more information, visit www.visionmakermedia.org. For more information or questions, contact visionmaker@unl.edu or 402-472-3522.
https://visionmakermedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023_NYMP_Guidelines_FINAL-4.pdf
Vision Maker Media invites proposals for projects intended for Public Media that represent the cultures, experiences, and values of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Founded in 1976, Vision Maker Media, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) which receives major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, nurtures creativity for development of new projects, partnerships, and funding. Vision Maker Media is the premier source for quality Native American and Alaska Native educational and home videos. All aspects of our Projects encourage the involvement of young people to learn more about careers in media—to be the next generation of storytellers. Located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we offer student employment and internships. For more information, visit www.visionmakermedia.org.
This is a rolling deadline. Please take a moment to read all of the Acquisitions Proposal Information (https://visionmakermedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Finished_Acq_Guidelines.pdf) before completing this form.
Please be sure that your application is complete before submitting. Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed. After submitting, no further edits can be made to your application. Please allow 3-6 months for review.