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Presenting: The Inaugural Storytellers in the Independent Lens Creator Lab
ITVS has selected six digital creators for its inaugural Independent Lens Creator Lab, funding each up to $36,000 to produce original short-form vertical video content for PBS and Independent Lens social platforms.
For Press Inquiries:
We’re thrilled to reveal our first group of digital storytellers selected for the Independent Lens Creator Lab, a groundbreaking production fund and accelerator that pushes the boundaries of public media. The Lab is a view of the vertical landscape and a signal of where storytelling is headed—and how Independent Lens, with ITVS, is evolving alongside it.
For more than 30 years, we’ve supported some of the most acclaimed documentary films in America. Now, we’re bringing that same editorial rigor, curiosity, and commitment to independent voices into a format that millions of people engage with every day: vertical video on social media.
The Scoop
The Lab funds six vertical video makers with up to $36,000 each over the course of six months. During that time, they’ll produce up to 12 original videos for Independent Lens and PBS social media platforms.
But it goes beyond funding. Participants receive:
- Workshops tailored to short-form, impact-driven storytelling
- Mentorship from experienced filmmakers and editors
- Editorial guidance grounded in Independent Lens standards
- A collaborative environment that encourages experimentation and growth
The six creators in our Independent Lens Creator Lab represent a wide range of backgrounds, lived experiences, and creative approaches. They’re rappers, artists, observers, explorers, and community-rooted storytellers—each with a distinct voice and a growing audience. Over the next six months, they’ll create original work for Independent Lens and PBS social platforms, offering audiences intimate, immediate, and deeply human stories designed for the screens we use every day.
The new PBS Documentaries YouTube channel is building an experiential hub for documentary storytelling where, despite all the noise, truth can break through. Partnering with digital native creators who want to work in the public interest mirrors what our documentary community has gotten right for decades: meet audiences where they are with stories they need to know.Lois Vossen
Independent Lens Founding Executive Producer
Meet the Creators
Our first six vertical storytellers reflect voices from every corner of the country, each offering a unique lens into the world as they see it.
Some explore identity and belonging through personal narrative. Others examine social issues through on-the-ground reporting. Some use humor, others intimacy, others experimentation. What they all share is a commitment to authenticity and craft.
Across their work, you’ll find:
- Stories rooted in community and lived experience
- Curiosity about the world and the systems that shape it
- A willingness to engage audiences in meaningful, sometimes challenging ways
- A sense of immediacy that invites viewers into real-time discovery
These creators aren’t just making content—they’re shaping the stories being told in this moment. Now, with the support of the Independent Lens Creator Lab, they’ll have the resources and editorial partnership to go even deeper.
Rida Ali
📍Mountain View, CA
Rida Ali is a curious and intentional storyteller creating content on South Asia, decolonized history, and culture. Having moved frequently, she brings an adventurous and global perspective to her work. Rida studied global studies and media at New York University and completed a master’s degree in South Asian studies in London.
Gracie J
📍Brooklyn, NY
Gracie J is a NYC-born celebrity nail artist, traditionally trained in nail tech and a self-taught artist, known for her role as lead nail stylist for TNT’s television series Claws. Gracie uses her platform to bridge the gap between creative and talent, curating conversation-worthy designs her audience and clients have grown to love.
jason chu
📍South Pasadena, CA
jason chu is a prominent voice in the national Asian American conversation, speaking on history and racial justice through music, poetry, and content. His videos on history and pop culture regularly go viral. He served on the LA Mayor’s Office 1871 Memorial Subcommittee and is the 2025-2026 guest curator at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles.
Mark Kendall
📍Atlanta, GA
Mark Kendall is the co-founder of CoolCoolCool Productions with Bill Worley, where they use comedy to encourage civic engagement and community building. CoolCoolCool’s videos were named Best Reason to Laugh by Atlanta Magazine in 2021. His comedy work has appeared on NPR, Comedy Central, HBO Max, and Adult Swim.
Fernando Hurtado
📍West Hollywood, CA
Fernando Hurtado is a journalist and the creator of In The Hyphen, a YouTube channel covering U.S. Latinos. Prior to that, Hurtado was a manager of digital video for NBCUniversal. He was named to LA TV Week’s 40 Under 40 and is an adjunct instructor of visual journalism at the University of Southern California.
Kyle Offutt
📍Wichita, KS
Kyle Offutt is a travel-focused content creator behind Kyle Goes Off, known for documenting life on the road with a mix of adventure, minimalism, and storytelling. His work often highlights van life, community, connection, outdoor exploration, and authentic experiences, blending cinematic visuals with a laid-back, introspective style.
An Innovation Incubator
We’ll always have stories, and the way we tell them will constantly evolve. The Lab embraces change while staying grounded in core values. It builds on ITVS’ growing online presence and strengthens our ability to support cutting-edge storytellers working outside traditional systems.
At its heart, this initiative is about independent voices.
- Free from commercial pressures
- Unconstrained by political agendas
- Rooted in lived experience, curiosity, and creative risk
These are the storytellers who help us understand the world—not in broad strokes, but in specific, human terms. They capture moments that might otherwise go unseen. They ask questions that don’t have easy answers, inviting us to look closer.
We’re living in a moment defined by rapid change—technological, cultural, and social. Audiences are fragmented across platforms. Attention spans are shifting. Trust in media is evolving. And yet, the need for meaningful, human-centered storytelling has never been greater.
Independent Lens has always been about connection—bringing audiences closer to the people and stories that shape our collective experience. The Independent Lens Creator Lab extends that mission.
We’ll provide creators with the production funding, editorial support, and mentorship that is synonymous with ITVS' commitment to independent storytellers. It’s vital for us to uplift and amplify their stories on vertical video platforms, where more than half of all Gen Z and millennial Americans turn for information.Royd Chung
ITVS Senior Vice President of Programming & Production
Looking Ahead
Over the next six months, we’ll be sharing the work of our Independent Lens Creator Lab storytellers across Independent Lens and PBS social channels. Each video will offer something different, whether that’s a new perspective, a new question, or a new way of seeing. Together, they’ll form a lasting collection of stories that reflect this moment in time. This is what investing in the future of storytelling looks like. And, while this is just the beginning, it’s a meaningful one.
To our funders and partners: This initiative represents our commitment to innovation—not for its own sake, but in service of our mission. We’re expanding thoughtfully, building on decades of experience while exploring new frontiers.
To our audiences: We’re excited to bring you along. These stories are for you.
And to our first six creators: Welcome. We can’t wait to experience your bold new stories.