Grierson DocLab: Development is an industry-led training programme for creatives with strong ambitions to work in documentary development. The programme will provide up to eight creatives with intensive training to build and develop their skillset, together with mentoring from an industry professional, networking opportunities, and an eight-week paid work placement within a production company.

The training will cover developing stories, gaining access, responding to a brief, research methods, conceptualisation, treatment writing, creating pitch materials, casting, working with talent, pitching and ethics in documentary filmmaking.

Applicants should have three to five years’ experience across documentary production and/or editorial roles, with exemplary knowledge of the documentary landscape and demonstrable passion for the genre. This programme will focus on prioritising applicants from under-represented groups to increase diversity within documentary development roles.

The Grierson Trust and Netflix

This collaboration between the Grierson Trust and Netflix follows three successful editions of specialised Grierson DocLab programmes for individuals working in editing and making a career-change to production management. The Grierson Trust also ran the first edition of Grierson DocLab: Archive Producers programme in collaboration with Prime Video Pathway earlier this year.

Alumni of Grierson DocLab programmes have gone onto work at production companies and studios including Rogan Productions, Ventureland, Box to Box, Dorothy Street Pictures, BBC Studios, The Garden, RAW, Minnow, Nutopia, Mindhouse, Curious Films, Candour Productions, Grain Media, Forest, and 72 Films, as well as on Grierson Award-winning documentaries.

Sylvia Bednarz, Managing Director, the Grierson Trust, said: "Development teams may sometimes be unsung heroes in television production, but they play a pivotal creative role in coming up with the original ideas for new documentaries. In many ways they are the lifeblood of our industry. The Grierson Trust and Netflix share a common goal of creating a diverse documentary landscape and fostering inclusivity. Diversifying teams within the crucial concept stage of doc-making will bring unique viewpoints and experiences to the fore, setting a new standard of quality, authenticity and innovation.”

Nelesh Dhand, Original Documentary Series, Netflix said: “Development has always been the lifeblood of this industry, but in an increasingly competitive world, with a huge amount of content on offer to audiences, you need the best ideas to cut through. These ideas come from development teams who are the creative brains behind the documentaries we know and love, which have changed the way we view the world and, in some cases, changed the world itself. Backing talented, diverse individuals to build successful careers in development will help provide us, and the industry more widely, with a pipeline of fresh, relevant stories that truly represent audiences for the future.”

Applications for Grierson DocLab: Development will open in February 2025.