Producer Dan Lin is launching a new nonprofit accelerator to help cultivate the next generation of BIPOC creators and entrepreneurs.
Rideback Rise – a registered 501(c)(3) – already has secured more than $1 million in commitments from the Ford and MacArthur foundations, the Zelnick Belzberg Charitable Trust, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and UTA Foundation, in addition to Rideback’s own $150,000 contribution. The program is now looking for additional funders to meet its 2022 funding goal.
The accelerator will operate separately from Lin’s Rideback production banner, although Rise participants will receive access to the company’s campus and performance space in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown neighborhood. Rideback executives, who already have spent more than a year building the nonprofit, will continue to operate it until dedicated staff for Rise are hired.
Last Oct. 17, Rideback Ranch held a Rise pre-launch event (a comedy masterclass featuring Hasan Minhaj and his producing partner Prashanth Venkataramanujam) to serve as a pilot for the type of programming the accelerator will provide.
Courtesy of Jenna Kim Photography
“When I started my career, first as a creative executive and then as an entrepreneur, I benefited from the mentorship and generosity of leaders in both a formal and informal way,” said Lin, one of Hollywood’s most successful Asian American producers (The LEGO Movie, It), in a statement. “Industry leaders such as Alan Horn, Lorenzo DiBonaventura, Jeff Robinov and Peter Roth guided me in an era long before the industry’s recent racial reckoning. They took a bet on helping a 25-year-old intern from Taiwan who had no connections in Hollywood. With Rideback Rise, we are building a system of support and mentorship for creators and entrepreneurs alike, to help the next generation of leaders who are creating content and businesses that will help build bridges and advance racial equity.”
Rise will feature two groups: the Rise Circle, a community of 500-plus creatives from a variety of backgrounds who will partake in various programs and career networking events, and the Rise Fellowship. Rise Fellows will receive a $50,000 stipend for the year as well as eligibility to access two key funds: an IP fund to obtain intellectual property rights, and a visuals fund to help create promotional and pitch material for their projects, which should be market-ready film, television, digital or audio content. The cohort of fellows will work closely with one another as well as with senior executives and creatives in the Rideback network.
“At Rideback, we’ve built a strong community of like-minded creators who believe in giving back and helping the next generation,” Lin said. “It’s a natural next step to contribute all that we’ve learned and to partner with the nonprofit sector to establish Rise.”
After completing the program, the Fellows are free to set their projects up with any production and financing companies, with Rise retaining passive participant status. All of its fees from such projects will be reinvested in Rise, to create a self-sustaining program in which alumni profits help support future cohorts.
Applications for the Rise Fellowship will open Sept. 1, and the inaugural cohort will be unveiled Oct. 15.
“Though we’ve seen an incremental improvement for diversity on and off-screen, people of color remain massively underrepresented, and this inequity perpetuates the racial divide in American society,” said Lin, who will serve as chair of Rise’s board of directors, which includes Blackhouse Foundation founder Brickson Diamond, Skoll Foundation chief communications and partnerships officer Alice Rhee and Take Two Interactive chair and CEO Strauss Zelnick. “Our goal is to empower these creators to make popular entertainment that reflects our multicultural society, so we can help improve racial equity in America.”