Tyler Mitchell To Head Imagine Entertainment Content Accelerator Initiative, Imagine Impact

EXCLUSIVE: Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard have tapped Tyler Mitchell to head their content accelerator program, Imagine Impact. The service, which Deadline revealed during Cannes, offers outsiders the chance to enter a program where they will be paid to write scripts, or TV show treatments and bibles, a dream opportunity to get a foothold in the movie and television businesses. Since it launched, Imagine Impact has received over 37,000 views on their website from 102 countries, with over 4,000 applications submitted during the two week submission window. Impact has already scheduled two follow up programs, Impact 2 in March 2019, and Impact 3 in September 2019.

Mitchell was an exec in Imagine’s film department, where he was overseeing Imagine’s animation joint-venture with Animal Logic, which recently closed a five-year producing and co-financing partnership with Warner Brothers, as well as a number of live action projects, including Canary, by Zach Dean, which has Howard attached to direct, and the reboot of Friday Night Lights, with David Gordon Green directing.

“To integrate the best practices of the startup world into content creation, you need someone who can speak both languages and connect the two worlds. Tyler is incredibly passionate about storytelling and working with talent, but is also very entrepreneurial and business minded. We’re incredibly excited to have him leading this new venture,” said Grazer and Howard.

Mitchell sparked to the idea for Impact last September, when Grazer called and pitched the idea of a content accelerator.

“I immediately connected with Brian’s vision,” Mitchell said. “The development process is frustrating for everyone in the industry, both artists and buyers alike, and wherever frustration exists, there’s an opportunity and need for innovation. Designing the accelerator and building out the business plan with Brian and Ron for the last six months has been an incredible experience and to see the talent that Imagine Impact has attracted in our first run – the 4,000 plus Creators at all experience levels, from all around the world, surpassed our highest expectations.”

Imagine Impact is a fully funded global content accelerator program that will operate in the U.S., Latin America, United Kingdom, Middle East and China. Impact is an eight-week creative boot camp that will discover new voices and empower content creators and narrative storytellers from around the world. Creators own their work, and Imagine gets first look.