Independent Lens Creator Lab

The Review Process

After you submit your application, you’ll receive notification of your status by April 2026. 

1. Eligibility review: We review applications for eligibility criteria. If you’re unable to be considered for funding, we’ll notify you that it’s ineligible.
2. Application review and notification of advancement: Each eligible application is reviewed by ITVS staff and the top creators are chosen to advance as finalists. You’ll receive an email letting you know if you’ve been selected.
3. Feasibility review: Selected creators will be asked to answer additional questions, submit a short video based on prompts provided, and agree to a background check.
4. Panel review and invitation to join:  Our team reviews the newly submitted materials and discusses the Independent Lens brand alignment. The top six creators are invited to join the Independent Lens Creators Lab.

Lab Participation, Production, and Distribution

The Independent Lens Creator Lab does more than just pay you to make videos—it’s a six-month accelerator designed to help you grow as a storyteller and as a professional creator while meeting a community of makers. 

At the Lab, you’ll join a small cohort of six creators who meet regularly and virtually for workshops, skill sharing, and development of skills for creative, production, and post-production.

The video content you produce for Independent Lens will be posted on social media accounts managed by Independent Lens and PBS, which may include YouTube Shorts, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. 

We will support you at every step—developing concepts, providing feedback on scripts and video drafts and managing all aspects of uploading and community management. We will share content performance analytics with creators to help improve their videos’ audience reach and engagement. 

Creators will follow the Independent Lens publicity protocols and PBS Editorial Standards and Practices, and will submit legal documentation such as contracts and release forms as needed. All commissioned videos produced for Independent Lens during the Lab will be owned by ITVS.