Cherokee Nation Film Office Partners With Green Pastures Studio And SeriesFest To Present The Season 8 Storytellers Initiative

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The Cherokee Nation Film Office recently partnered with Green Pastures Studio and SeriesFest to present the Season 8 Storytellers Initiative, specifically aimed at increasing Native representation within the television industry.The annual competition offers writers the opportunity to submit a pilot script, participate in a writing workshop with industry experts and a live read with professional actors, as well as secure a yearlong development deal with the winning script.

In an ongoing effort to address the need for more Natives on and off screen, this year’s winning submission must include a Native American screenwriter or actor.“Since the beginning of television, film and traditional media, Native Americans have been grossly underrepresented and currently comprise less than 1% of these industries,” said Jennifer Loren, director of the Cherokee Nation Film Office and Original Content. “The Cherokee Nation and our incredible partners, such as those who joined us at SeriesFest, are doing our part to create more opportunities for proper representation and accurate portrayals of Natives in television and film.”The tribe’s film office also presented “Changing the Narrative: Focus on Indigenous Representation in Television” at SeriesFest on Saturday, May 7, in Denver, Colorado.

The panel included Loren, actor Kaniehtiio Horn and “Rutherford Falls” showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas discussing the welcome change of modern Native American characters, with other creators, writers, executive producers, actors and casting directors in attendance.“We created the Storytellers Initiative in 2015 to help support emerging writers break through,” added Randi Kleiner, co-founder and CEO, SeriesFest. “We’re thrilled to partner with the