Black Public Media 360+ Incubator
Three-month holistic development and fellowship program from Black Public Media helping Black filmmakers develop, pitch, and produce content for public media broadcast.
Overview
The Black Public Media 360+ Incubator is a three-month holistic development and fellowship program designed to help Black filmmakers develop, refine, and pitch original content for public media broadcast. Administered by Black Public Media (BPM), a Harlem-based nonprofit dedicated to media content about the global Black experience, the Incubator was created in 2014 to identify quality and innovative content by Black creators and connect those creators to the public media ecosystem.
The program selects up to ten projects per cohort and provides each team with mentorship, skill-building workshops, pitch training, networking with funders and distributors, and the culminating PitchBLACK forum -- BPM's dynamic live pitch event where fellows present their projects to a panel of media professionals, funders, and industry leaders. The combination of structured development and a high-stakes live pitch creates a compressed but comprehensive pathway from project concept to production-ready pitch.
What It Funds
The 360+ Incubator provides development support rather than direct production funding. Selected fellows receive three months of intensive programming including one-on-one mentorship from accomplished media makers, workshops on pitching, financing, and audience engagement, tools for building a competitive pitch package, and participation in the PitchBLACK pitch forum.
At PitchBLACK, fellows pitch live to a panel of media professionals in front of an audience that includes funders, distributors, and industry leaders. Projects that succeed at PitchBLACK may be considered for BPM production grants and co-production support, making the Incubator a gateway to the broader BPM funding ecosystem including the AfroPop series and BPM's direct grant programs.
Eligibility
The 360+ Incubator is open to Black filmmakers in the United States. Both documentary and narrative projects intended for public media broadcast are eligible. The applicant plus one additional member of the core production team may attend the Incubator together. Projects must be at the development or pre-production stage.
BPM accepts applications on an annual cycle. Filmmakers should consult the Black Public Media website for current application windows and any updates to the program structure, as the Incubator has evolved across its cohorts since 2014.
The BPM Ecosystem
The 360+ Incubator sits within a broader BPM ecosystem that includes the AfroPop documentary series, direct production grants, and BPM's public media distribution network. Filmmakers who complete the Incubator gain familiarity with BPM's standards and relationships, making them stronger candidates for subsequent BPM funding opportunities and for public media distribution more broadly.
Who Should Apply
Black filmmakers in the US who are developing documentary or narrative projects intended for public media broadcast and who want both structured pitch development support and direct access to funders, distributors, and public media professionals through the PitchBLACK forum. The 360+ Incubator is particularly valuable for filmmakers who have a strong project concept but who need guidance on shaping it for the public media landscape.
See Also
For the AfroPop series that provides broadcast and co-production opportunities for Black filmmakers targeting public media, see the AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange directory entry. For building a documentary financing strategy that incorporates public media development programs, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack.
