2022 Los Angeles Cohort
NOTE: This is an archived page from the 2022 Lab. View www.respectability.org/lab for the current year’s Lab information and application.
2019 Summer Lab Alumni visiting The Walt Disney Company Lot in Burbank, California
RespectAbility’s fourth annual innovative Entertainment Lab for entertainment professionals with disabilities is a 6-week Lab for people with experience in development, production and/or post-production, and careers as writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, animators, and other production roles. This is not a program for actors.
The Entertainment Lab aims to help develop and elevate the talent pipeline of professionals with disabilities working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while introducing them to studio executives and other decision makers who will advise Lab Fellows on various aspects of the industry and their craft. Lab alumni currently are working at Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Showtime, Nickelodeon, Disney, and more.
This year we are excited to offer both an in-person Lab and a virtual version for those who would find an in-person Lab inaccessible. Sessions for both include:
- Presentations, roundtables, and other workshops with high-level executives and talent from major studios, networks, and production companies
- Informal networking with your cohort
- Project workshops and table reads
2019 Summer Lab alumni learning from Jonathan Murray
View previous speakers by viewing past years’ programs on the Entertainment Lab 2021, 2020, and 2019 pages.
RespectAbility provides ASL interpreters and captioning for all educational and related networking events, and welcomes other accommodations requests. For questions pertaining to the Entertainment Lab, please contact Isabella Vargas at Lab@RespectAbility.org.
Important Details for Lab Applicants
- Excellent communication and organizational skills are strongly preferred, and participants should exhibit leadership skills to complete their own projects.
- A bachelor’s degree is not required as long as applicants have acquired the skills needed for their chosen career path in another way.
- Commit for 12 sessions over six weeks.
- The value of this Lab is thousands of dollars. However, there is no cost to apply for or participate in this competitive program.
- While people at all income levels are encouraged to apply, extra consideration will be given to people on SSI, SNAP, and TANF.
- Up to 20 candidates will be selected for each Lab.
- Your application materials will be evaluated by RespectAbility staff members as well as faculty advisors who are experts in each field.
RespectAbility’s Labs are supported in part by:
A+E Networks, Final Draft, The Harnisch Foundation, Murray/Reese Foundation, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Pop Culture Collaborative, Sony Pictures Entertainment, ViacomCBS, The Walt Disney Company
Recipient of The Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award
Entertainment Lab Programmatic Team
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| Lauren Appelbaum SVP, Communications and Entertainment & News Media Lab Founder & Program Director |
Vanni Le Entertainment Outreach Program Manager |
Lesley Hennen Entertainment Media Associate |
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| Jacquill Moss Entertainment Media Program Coordinator |
Isabella Vargas Entertainment Media & Lab Apprentice |
2022 Faculty Advisors
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| Nasreen Alkhateeb RespectAbility Senior Production Advisor and 2019 Lab Alum Cinematographer & Director |
Cheryl Bedford Founder, Women of Color Unite |
April Caputi 2019 Lab Alumna Casting Coordinator, Lucasfilm Animation |
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| Nicole Go Producer and Director, Business Development – Diversity and Inclusion, Staff Me Up |
Kathy Le Backes Director, Content Advisement – Representation, Inclusion, Strategies & Engagement, The Walt Disney Studios |
Noriko Louison Sr. Research and Curriculum Manager, 9Story Media Group |
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| Marc Muszynski 2019 Lab Alumnus TV Writer |
Sue Obeidi Director, MPAC Hollywood Bureau |
Andrew Reid RespectAbility Entertainment Media Apprentice and 2020 Lab Alumnus Director |
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| Leah Romond RespectAbility Senior Production Advisor and 2019 Lab Alumna Producer, Best Summer Ever |
Diana Theobald Director, Equity & Inclusion, Content, Warner Bros. Discovery |
Nathan Varni Executive Director of Current Programming, ABC |
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| Brian Walker CEO, Picture Motion Campaigns |
Delbert Whetter Lab Co-Founder & RespectAbility Board Vice Chair COO & Head of Business Affairs, Exodus Film Group |
View 2021 Faculty Advisors and Speakers, 2020 Faculty Advisors and Speakers, and 2019 Faculty Advisors and Speakers.
More Background Information
Just 3.1 percent of primetime scripted television characters have disabilities, compared to 25 percent of adults in the U.S. having a disability. Almost all portrayals of people with disabilities are white, despite the fact that disability impacts all. Furthermore, actors without disabilities play the majority of all characters with disabilities.
Entertainment contributes to our values and ideals. What we see and feel impacts how we act. RespectAbility works with entertainment leaders to promote authentic, accurate, diverse and inclusive media portrayals on TV and in film.
Opening the inclusion umbrella is the right thing to do as well as economically smart: The disability market is valued at more than $1 trillion.
