OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC) and the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab), in partnership with Dark Slope Studios (motion capture, etc. for Peacock and Nickelodeon), offer an opportunity for founders of Black-owned content creation companies to receive hands-on mentorship and networking opportunities in the Canadian VR/AR/XR industry with their OBAC Scale Up Immersion Lab. 10 founders will be chosen. The deadline for the second Cohort of this unique accelerator lab is October 7th, 2022. This accelerator lab aims to increase the capacity of Black content creators and/or producers working in the immersive media space.
OYA Black Arts Coalition is a non-profit organisation started by founders Alison Duke, Ngardy Conteh George, and Dr Notisha Massaqui to support Black artists, creators and entrepreneurs in the Canadian Entertainment Industry. Their goals are met by providing support, equipping and empowering Black creatives with skills and the resources necessary for them to succeed.
The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab is an internationally recognised spearhead in transformative technologies, businesses, and entrepreneurs. CFC Media Lab operates as a think tank, training institute, and business accelerator for hundreds of budding digital content creators, practitioners, entrepreneurs and companies.
OBAC’s Scale Up Immersive Lab will begin in mid-November 2022 and span five months of expert consultations, intense workshops, and case studies; by the end of the program, founders will have completed a group rapid prototyping component valued at $50,000. The program includes access to Dark Slope’s state-of-the-art immersive media production facilities and technologies in Toronto.
Dark Slope is a Toronto-based studio that experiments and shocks with its ingenious multi-sensory entertainment centre spectacles, virtual reality experiences, immersive games, and motion capture-driven virtual production for television. Their warehouse-scale virtual production stage with state-of-the-art tools and technologies will give the ten founders chosen for this Lab incredible experiences and new skills.
“Having a second cohort join OBAC’s Scale Up Immersive Lab will have a deep industry impact in the Canadian VR/AR/XR landscape. Based on our talent and experiences of the first cohort’s alumnus, we welcome the opportunity to nurture the capacity for more Black Canadian creatives into the larger Immersive Media production pipeline,” shared Ngardy Conteh George, Program co-lead and co-founder, OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC). “Equally, we are grateful to our program partners at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Dark Slope Studios, who understand the importance of diversifying Canada’s immersive media spaces.”
“With Cohort 1, we’ve seeded a community that was almost non-existent in Canada – a community of Black content creators, skilled and future-ready with new immersive narrative forms and exposure to emergent technology with hands-on prototyping,” added Nataly De Monte, Director, CFC Media Lab. “During the program, guest speakers like Young Guru, Lisa Jackson and Alton Glass spoke about their creative process and shared their insights. We took field trips in VR to group immersive experiences. All to maximise exposure and expand their storytelling canvases. We’re already seeing successful outcomes – it’s inspiring, and I can’t wait for Cohort 2!”
If you’re a Black creator and producer in the immersive media space, apply now or by October 7th for the incredible opportunity to participate OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC) Scale Up Immersive lab. For more information, go to oyablackarts.org or click here.
