CAMERAderie Features

Women in Media is a proactive organization. With the slowdown in the industry, we have created the CAMERAderie Features initiative to foster independent production. The initial goal is to shoot three features as a slate, as well as host the lab that was so integral to the original shorts program. The plan is scalable and replicable.

We need your help to bring about CAMERAderie Features, a plan to boost growth not just for filmmakers, but also the ancillary businesses that support the creative economy.

We have previously shot seven shorts over the course of two rounds of the CAMERAderie Initiative. Watch them, and the New Tech Initiative music video here. It is a proven program that spans development to completion to distribution and film festivals. The Lab includes networking, mentorship, and professional development for keys and crew, above and below the line. The program has been so successful, that we feel the time is now to grow it to feature production. Read more about our meeting with Burbank Assemblymember Schultz.

What We Do

At Women In Media, we empower women and gender-nonconforming filmmakers — both above and below the line in the entertainment industry. Through mentorships, workshops, and networking opportunities, we’re helping people get hired, move up in their careers, and get recognized in an industry that still has a long way to go toward gender balance. Our male friends in the business are integral to our growth and the success of our mission.

Women in Media focuses on high-quality training on top of the line gear, and inclusive, creative teams. Our members are connected to viable employers through the searchable CrewList database, our direct advocacy, and are actively contributing to the economy and culture through their creative work.

Your Contribution Is Crucial

We need you to jump in, so that WiM has the steam to get CAMERAderie Features off the ground. The current climate is challenging, but with your help, we will persevere as a community.

Recently, we received a grant termination from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The federal government has stated that our projects no longer “reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.” Which is to say that gender balance and inclusion are not what he wants to fund. We maintain that inclusion widens the talent pool, and allows the best to rise to the top without pre-conceived biases and gate keeping. Due to the loss of NEA and other government grants, Women In Media must fill the shortfall in our unrestricted funding.

Our other funding sources are shrinking too. Los Angeles County Arts & Culture, California Arts Council, and foundation grantors are experiencing extreme increases in applications and extreme decreases in their funds available. They are doing their best to share the limited resources, but here is a real example of the impact on Women in Media's ability to funding for the work we do for you.

We applied for a general operating grant of $42,000.
~ funds to keep our website running, to pay staff, subsidize valuable events, and for necessary things like insurance!
This year we were awarded $14,600, 34% of the requested amount, which will be released to us in 2026 & 2027.

So, you can see the shortfall that we are facing. We have been a major contributor to the positive change that we have seen in the industry. Now it’s our community that can help us keep that momentum going in the right direction!

By making a gift to this campaign, you understand that your donation will be used where there is the greatest need.

WIM CAMERAderie Friends Campaign!

Gender balance in the entertainment industry - above and below the line!

Team Members