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PARAMOUNT GLOBAL ANNOUNCES THE THREE PARTICIPANTS IN ITS 2023-2025 DIRECTORS INITIATIVE
(L-R): Miko Lim, Shari Lynette Carpenter, Oscar Rene Lozoya
Kick-Off Event Introduces Directors to Showrunners and Network and Studio Executives
Program Guarantees All Directors an Episode of Television
LOS ANGELES – Paramount Global today announced the three participants for the 2023-2025 Paramount Directors Initiative. Now in its 19th year, the two-year program matches these directors with CBS Television Network, CBS Studios, Paramount Television Studios and Paramount Global drama and comedy series directors. The platforms will allow for experienced directors to break into network television and create meaningful connections with producers and executives.
Last night, Paramount’s Office of Global Inclusion threw the first kick-off event to introduce the three new creatives joining the Paramount Directing Initiative. With remarks from Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, David Stapf, president of CBS Studios, Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount Television Studios, as well as a fireside chat with showrunners Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (S.W.A.T.), Tia Napolitano (FIRE COUNTRY) and Christopher Silber (NCIS: HAWAI’I), moderated by Marci Cooperstein, SVP of current at CBS Entertainment, the event heralds a new era for the legacy program which now guarantees participants an episode of television to direct on the CBS Television Network.
The primary focus of the Paramount Directing Initiative is to provide access and opportunities for talented directors with a focus on underrepresented groups. Throughout the program, the directors will receive invaluable exposure to the Paramount Global network episodic directing process. In addition to getting a chance to observe the in-depth, technical aspects of the process, participants develop relationships with showrunners, producers, network executives and other significant decision makers.
“At Paramount, we believe that diversity and inclusion are key to creating compelling and meaningful content for our audiences, and this program is an important step in achieving that goal,” said Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, executive vice president of entertainment diversity and inclusion at Paramount. “We are thrilled to announce our initiative’s newest class of talented directors who are looking to break into network television. We are also proud to have Yasmin Dunn, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Paramount, spearheading this project as we are committed to creating a pipeline of inclusive talent for our industry.”
This year’s participants are listed below. Click here to download their photos.
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Shari Lynette Carpenter Award-winning writer/director Shari Lynette Carpenter says she came out of the womb with a pencil in hand, a born storyteller, and her film career began with a fan letter she wrote to Spike Lee. During her decade and a half tenure as script supervisor for Lee, and many other notable directors, Carpenter was building her own writing and directing portfolio, making a series of shorts and indie features. In 2021, Ava DuVernay invited Carpenter to direct her first episode of television on the critically acclaimed series “Queen Sugar.” Carpenter has also directed three made-for-television movies, “Three’s Complicated” for TVOne and “Single Black Female” and “Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman” for Lifetime. An NYU graduate, Carpenter is a member of the DGA Women’s Steering Committee Squad and a The Writer’s Lab finalist. She is a Rockefeller grant nominee, a Gordon Parks Award nominee and a Stowe Story Lab Board member and alumna. |
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Miko Lim Miko Lim is an award-winning director and photographer based in Los Angeles. He is exceptionally passionate about highlighting an authentic human story in every project he takes on. Clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Meta and Citi Group have all tapped Lim’s unique talent to direct branded content and commercial films – including multiple projects honored with award nominations and wins. In 2022, his short documentary “Ocean Mother” won him a Best Director Clio, his Adidas spot “What’s One More” was shortlisted at Cannes, and he was also named Advertising Sport Photographer of the Year by the Associated Press. Lim has directed a wide range of celebrity talent, athletes and musicians, like Jennifer Lopez, Jay-Z, Michael Jordan and Patrick Mahomes. His films have accumulated well over 1 billion views on YouTube, and he has the most-viewed Adidas commercial of all time. Additionally, Lim is a vocal advocate for environmental justice, most recently directing pro-bono work for the Surfrider Foundation. Lim is half Czech/German and half Malaysian/Polynesian and was raised in Seattle. Because of his mixed background, he enjoys telling stories about uniquely complicated characters who bend social norms. |
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Oscar Rene Lozoya Oscar Rene Lozoya is a director based out of Los Angeles. Oscar’s love for storytelling led him to major in communications while attending Cal State Bakersfield. During his studies, he worked as an editor/photojournalist for the local Bakersfield news station KBAK, a Fox News (national) correspondent, as well as a broadcast/commercial director for the National Basketball Association. Oscar’s passion for narrative storytelling led him to a position with Wolf Films as a film editor. It was there he developed the skills in editing that would lead to a 10-year career in TV post-production. Apart from Wolf Films, he has worked on many other shows with companies such as ABC, Bad Robot, Warner Bros. and CBS. In 2022, Oscar was given an opportunity to direct an episode of “Law & Order: SVU.” Since then, he has transitioned to television directing full time. |
Past participants of the Paramount Directors Initiative include Zetna Fuentes (“Madam Secretary,” “Zoo,” “Jane the Virgin”), Laura Belsey (“NCIS: New Orleans,” “Bull,” “Criminal Minds”), Lily Mariye (“Criminal Minds,” NCIS: LOS ANGELES, “MacGyver”) Kevin Berlandi (“Bull,” “Criminal Minds”), Joy T. Lane (FIRE COUNTRY) and Lionel Coleman (“NCIS: New Orleans”), among others.
The Paramount Directors Initiative also hosts various activations throughout the year to grant all directors access and exposure to CBS and Paramount producers and showrunners.
Click here for more information on the Paramount Directors Initiative: https://www.paramount.com/directing-initiative. Additional details regarding Paramount’s diversity and inclusion efforts can be found here: https://www.paramount.com/inclusion-2021/introduction.
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Press Contact:
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Christine Park |
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Photo Contact: Jessica Sokolowski |
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