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Application Instructions
2023-24 DISNEY ENTERTAINMENT
DIRECTING PROGRAM
Before completing an application, or posting any questions, please carefully read the following
application instructions, as well as our FAQs. If you have applied in a previous year, please be
sure to read this new information. Thank you.

ABOUT THE DE DIRECTING PROGRAM

The Disney Entertainment (DE) Directing Program connects directors to opportunities on DE
scripted primetime and daytime series, as well as unscripted/alternative series. Launched in
2001, the Program has evolved from a shadowing program to one that guarantees episodes to
first-time scripted television directors. The unscripted program guarantees directing segments
on select unscripted DE series. The program provides selected participants on-set
shadowing/immersion prior to directing; access and exposure to DE creative executives,
producers, showrunners, and alumni; and mentorship and limited professional development.

REQUIREMENTS
This professional Directing Program is open to all individuals who are at least twenty-one (21)
years of age and who possess evidence of identity and United States employment eligibility for
the duration of the program. Directors with Directors Guild of America (DGA) credits and/or
Guild membership are also eligible. Previous professional experience working in television
production is strongly preferred, but not required. Applicants who have directed digital
episodes (i.e., web series), short form episodes (i.e., Quibi, Snapchat), or original pilots that
have not been distributed on a mainstream broadcast, cable, or streaming platform are
welcome to apply. However, applicants who have directed an episode or pilot distributed by a
major broadcast, cable, or streaming platform are ineligible for this program.

To apply, the following items must be submitted along with a completed application form:

SCRIPTED PRIMETIME AND DAYTIME:

RESUME: A detailed summary of professional employment history for the past ten plus (10+)
years. Applicants can list projects officially selected at major film festivals. Please include
relevant industry credits, e.g., commercial directing, brand directing, original material, crew
work, etc. You may list shadowing experience if space permits, but please note that there will
be a separate area on the application form (for scripted applicants) to list up to five (5) previous
shadowing experiences.

SERIES CONSIDERATION PITCH: Pick a Disney Entertainment (DE) series airing during the 2022-
23 season, or a DE series that is currently airing/streaming, and briefly pitch why you would
best direct an episode of it.
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SAMPLE: A single project directed solely by the applicant. Material directed by directing teams
will not be accepted. Examples of appropriate directing samples include: short films,
independent feature films, documentary features, documentary shorts, narrative digital
episodes. Must be final sweetened cuts. Rough cuts, directing reels, commercial reels, music
videos, animation and/or stage productions will not be accepted. A linear storyline
incorporating a beginning, middle and end is encouraged. Material should tonally translate to
the type of programming broadcast on DE.

TARGETED REEL: A two-minute “targeted” director’s reel in a specific genre which showcases
your ability to direct narrative content. Include at least two scenes from a narrative project (the
scenes may be from the same project).

UNSCRIPTED/ALTERNATIVE:

RESUME: A detailed summary of professional employment history for the past ten plus (10+)
years. Applicants can list projects officially selected at major film festivals. Please include
relevant industry credits, e.g., commercial directing, brand directing, original material, crew
work, etc. You may list shadowing experience if space permits.

BIOGRAPHY: Write a third-person professional bio that lists any relevant experience in
directing, DP/cinematography, assistant directing, segment directing or shadowing that might
not be overly obvious from your resume. The bio should not be longer than one (1) paragraph.

OPTIONAL LINK TO REEL:

PERSONAL ESSAY:

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION:

SUBMISSION PERIOD
The DE Directing Program will accept applications from insert time period tbd]. There is no
application fee. Carefully follow all application instructions and file naming conventions. We ask
that applicants submit only a single application to avoid confusion.

NOTIFICATION
Participants who advance to interview rounds will be notified no later than Summer/Fall 2023.
The program will begin late Summer/early Fall 2023. No telephone calls or email inquiries
please. Due to the high volume of applicants, we are not able to give feedback on submissions
or provide information on application status. Please visit Creative Talent Development and
Inclusion’s Facebook page for occasional updates.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
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Complete only one online application per individual applicant. We will not accept submissions
from directing teams. Incomplete applications will be disqualified without notification.
1. Review all application materials carefully.
a. Instructions
b. FAQs
2. Assemble required documents:
a. Internet connection/browser (no faxed, mailed, or emailed apps allowed)
b. A professional resume/credits list
c. One original sample
d. One targeted director's reel
e. Essay
f. Letters of recommendations (for Unscripted/Alternative only)
3. Compile information needed for the Application Form:
a. Personal contact information (name, physical mailing address, phone and email)
b. Optional personal information (gender, ethnicity)
c. Employment information (Current employment info, employer, title, duration of
employment)
d. Director-specific information (primary genre, DGA affiliation – if applicable, prior
directing program/fellowship experiences)
e. Social media information (professional website, LinkedIn, IMDb)
f. Shadowing information (up to 5 previous shadowing experiences on a
mainstream broadcast, cable, or streaming scripted series)
g. Sample uploads
i. Original sample
ii. Targeted director’s reel
h. Recommender information/letters (Unscripted/Alternative only)

Now that you have compiled the above required information, please read the below step-by-
step process for completing an application for the 2023-24 DE Directing Program.

APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Open 2023-24 DE Directing Program Application Form in your web browser.

2. Indicate which program you are applying for: Scripted Primetime, Scripted Daytime, or
Unscripted/Alternative.
3. Fill out the required personal contact information, personal information, employment
information, and social media information.
4. Director-Specific information:
a. Indicate whether you are currently a member of the DGA.
b. Director Type: Indicate your director type. Please note, your body of work and
previous directing/shadowing/work experiences should align with the “type” of
director you select. You may only choose one:
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i. Single-Cam Comedy: Linear or streaming comedies, not limited to a

particular setting or location, and featuring a wide tonal range of comedic
stories and characters.
ii. Multi-Cam Comedy: Traditional broadcast or cable comedy sitcoms, which
feature heavy dialogue, limited locations or settings, and character-
driven, often “broad,” comedy.
iii. Drama: Any broadcast, cable, or streaming dramatic content.
iv. Alternative: Any unscripted series – competition, live, et cetera.
c. Prior Major Network/Studio Directing Programs:
i. Select all of the programs you’ve participated in. We are interested only in
directing programs or fellowships run by major networks, studios, or
media companies. Please feel free to provide other directing
programs/fellowships not listed in the dropdown menu on your
resume/credits list.
5. Shadow experience (for Scripted only):
a. List up to five shadows you've done on broadcast, cable or streaming dramas,
comedies or dramedies.
b. Please format as: SHOW NAME - Network - Studio - Episode #(s) - Director
Shadowed - Year of Shadow. (Example: STATION 19; ABC; ABC Signature; Episode
#310; Director Shadowed: John Smith; 2019).
c. Please separate each section above with a semicolon.
d. Press “Enter” to create a space and a new line for subsequent shadowing
experiences.
e. DO NOT list shadows on any projects other than broadcast, cable or streaming
dramas, comedies or dramedies.
6. Samples (for Scripted only):
a. Sample #1:
i. Provide the name of the original sample being submitted.
ii. Indicate type of sample being submitted:
1. A short film is a film with a general running time of less than 30
minutes.
2. An independent feature film is a feature-length narrative movie
that has not been developed, produced, or commercially
distributed by a major production company or studio.
3. A digital episode is also a web series or webisode, typically
developed, produced, or distributed by a digital platform
(Youtube, Facebook, Crackle, etc).
4. A short form episode is an episode that is byte-sided or short in
length, typically less than 15-20 minutes long (Snapchat, Quibi,
etc).
5. A documentary feature is an unscripted, feature film-length piece
of material with a narrative focus, at least 90 minutes long.
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6. A documentary short is an unscripted short film with a narrative

focus, at least 10 minutes long.
7. An original (undistributed/indie) pilot episode is an original pilot
that has not been developed, produced, or distributed by a major
production company, network, or studio.
iii. Copy and paste a clean link to your original sample. We suggest a vimeo
link. It must begin with http: or https:
iv. Include any passwords for Sample #1.
v. Include running time (in minutes) for Sample #1.
vi. Include completion date for Sample #1 (e.g., year the material locked in
post, etc).
b. Sample #2: We are looking for a targeted directors reel that showcases your
ability to direct a specific type of genre. The tone of the reel must be consistent
from beginning to end (e.g., if you are submitting a Drama reel, with a Sub-genre
of “Procedural,” the reel must be tonally consistent with a dramatic procedural:
action, actors, shots, camera work, production values, dialogue, location, set ups,
etc).
i. Indicate reel type (drama, comedy).
ii. Indicate reel sub-genre.
iii. Copy and paste a clean link to the reel (we suggest a vimeo link).
iv. Include any passwords for Sample #2.
7. Referred By: This is an optional section for you to provide a recommender’s information.
Include their name, title, company (or show), and email address. Please note, the
information provided in this section is voluntary and will not affect your eligibility for
the program.
8. Documents to Upload:
a. A professional resume/credits list:
i. Add relevant entertainment industry experience, including: paid or
voluntary work for directing commercials, branded content, music videos,
promos, docs, episodic content, features, shorts, etc.
ii. Include any paid or voluntary work as a crew member on a production,
e.g., 1st AD on music video, Camera Operator on GENERAL HOSPITAL, etc.
iii. Be specific when mentioning your title and show/production you’ve
worked on.
iv. Include voluntary or unpaid shadowing assignments if space permits
(include specific details about shows, episode numbers, directors
shadowed, and years shadowed).
v. Training, production/directing-specific education, programs, fellowships
should be included, space permitting.
vi. Festival or competition recognition should be included, space permitting.
vii. Upload as a single PDF. firstname_lastname_dp23-24_resume.pdf
b. Series Consideration Pitch (for Scripted only)
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i. Choose one Disney Entertainment (DE) series from the 2022-23 season,
or a DE series that is currently airing/streaming, and pitch why you would
be a good fit to direct an episode.
ii. Limit to 1-2 paragraphs.
iii. Envision the series. From a craft perspective, why do you think you are
best suited to direct an episode? Consider your ability to execute shots,
direct actors, handle set pieces, etc. based on your previous experiences
on set.
iv. From a personal standpoint, how and why do you connect to the series?
v. Upload as a single PDF. firstname_lastname_dp23-24_pitch.pdf
c. Biography (for Unscripted/Alternative only)
i. A paragraph-long third person bio listing any relevant experiences in
directing, DP/cinematography, assistant directing, segment directing or
shadowing that might not be overly obvious from your resume.
ii. Upload as a single PDF. firstname_lastname_dp23-24_bio.pdf
d. Personal Essay (for Unscripted/Alternative only)
i. Why do you want to be an unscripted director and how will your
background add a unique perspective to the alternative landscape?
ii. Upload as a single PDF. firstname_lastname_dp23-24_essay.pdf
e. Personal Statement (for Unscripted/Alternative only)
i. Why do you want to be an unscripted director and how will your
background add a unique perspective to the alternative landscape?
ii. Upload as a single PDF. firstname_lastname_dp23-24_statement.pdf
f. Letters of Recommendation (for Unscripted/Alternative only)
i. Upload 1-2 letters (as a single PDF). firstname_lastname_dp23-
24_lettersofrec.pdf
CLICK SUBMIT: You will receive a confirmation email once you click
submit. Please be sure to check your spam or junk folder.

For additional information and details, please read the Directing Program FAQs.