Pull Focus: A Grant for Underrepresented Filmmakers

Climbers build their lives around adventure in the outdoors. Climb United is committed to being adventurous in our pursuit of others’ perspectives. We know how important climbing media is in shaping climbing culture. We also know that the stories that have been told have highlighted those in power. We want to remove barriers that underrepresented communities continue to be challenged with when accessing the outdoor media and production industry and to support the progression of a talented filmmaker’s career. 

Introducing Pull Focus: a storytelling grant that provides BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with both seen and unseen disabilities the funds to create and share stories that reflect their communities.

The Pull Focus Grant is a partnership between The American Alpine Club and Louder Than 11, presented by Mountain Hardwear with support from A-Lodge. The grant provides historically underserved community members the opportunity to intern with a premier photo/video production studio and advance their careers in this notoriously competitive space under the guidance of industry leading mentors, Jon Glassberg and Jess Glassberg. This paid internship includes local housing and a living stipend worth $16,000, as well as access to equipment and studio space in Boulder, CO, with the ultimate goal of the recipient working to create a media project of their choice.

While the AAC has always encouraged all people to apply for our grants, we recognize that underrepresented groups face more barriers in accessing the climbing community. This new grant is a step towards changing that. The goal of the Pull Focus Grant is to ensure these groups have access to resources that will help them transform their dreams into goals and, ultimately, reality.

This grant supports stories from all climbing disciplines including bouldering, sport climbing, trad, alpine, mountain running, ski mountaineering, peak bagging, or any other climbing endeavor.

By celebrating our differences while also exploring our common interests, we broaden our perspectives, strengthen our relationships, and grow our entire climbing community.

Awards

  • A 3 month internship from mid-October 2022 to mid-January 2023 at Louder Than11 in Boulder, Colorado

  • Housing for 3 months

  • $2,000 / month living stipend

  • Access to professional media equipment

  • Creative and logistical support to create and release their own media project

  • AAC membership benefits

Application Period

Photo by Louder Than 11

The application period is from May 17, 2022 through July 17, 2022. Applications must be submitted via the online application no later than 11:59 p.m. MDT on July 17, 2022.

Recipients are notified after the selection committee has made their final award choices in August.

Meet the Folks Behind the Grant

Criteria

  • Individuals aged 18+ with interest and some experience  in photography and videography who face barriers to accessing media resources/opportunities and identify as a member of an underrepresented group; such as BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, climbers with disabilities, and others. 

  • Interest in climbing and the outdoors.

  • Motivation to gain experience in the fields of photography, video, editing, or writing.

Application

  • Applicants will need to provide examples from previous photo/video work to demonstrate experience and simple understanding of media creation. This can come in the form of portfolios, links to social accounts, or film projects.

  • Applicants will need to provide a simple resume or CV detailing previous work experience and any applicable education.

  • Filming location(s) must be in the U.S. (includes Alaska and Hawaii).

  • Applicant(s) must be authorized to work in the U.S.

  • Applicants do not have to be current AAC members. One year AAC membership will be included as part of the award. 

  • Applicants who are supported financially or those who received in-kind corporate support (e.g. gear) may apply, but support levels must be disclosed.

  • Applicants cannot have company affiliations/sponsorships/or endorsement contracts with any conflicting AAC/LT11 grant sponsors.

Responsibilities

  • If for any reason the internship is canceled or significantly changed, awarded funds must be returned to the AAC in full.

  • Award winner must be able to attend 95% of scheduled LT11 workshops.

  • Recipients agree to mention the Pull Focus Grant as well as their support from the AAC/Louder Than11 if speaking about the grant publicly.

  • Recipients will act as American Alpine Club and Louder Than11 Ambassadors to the wider climbing community and are expected to champion the mission and values of the Club both domestically and abroad.

  • The AAC and its members are environmentally conscious, stewards of the planet and protectors of our climbing landscapes. Recipients should do their best to practice environmentally low impact and leave no trace ethics, acting as strong mountain stewards.

FAQs

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Q: Is this an internship? A mentorship? Something in between?
A: This grant awards an internship-length experience. However, it is important to note that the recipient is not expected or required to complete busy work or production work for Louder Than Eleven in a job-like capacity. Rather, this experience is a time-compressed mentorship opportunity, in which the recipient will create their own film project of their choice with the guidance of the members of the production company, and have the opportunity to learn from Jon and Jess Glassberg on other projects as the recipient desires. A large part of this experience is access to the resources that only a top level media house can offer, including professional level camera equipment, workstations, and most importantly the knowledge and engagement with award winning filmmakers. This should not be confused as a job, but rather an opportunity for growth, development, learning and acceleration into the outdoor media production industry.

Q: How does the housing work?
A: Asa Firestone and the A-Lodge have graciously donated the housing for this internship. They believe in this work and have made the investment through their in-kind sponsorship. Housing costs will not come out of the recipient’s $6,000 living stipend which will be saved for food, rideshare/vehicle expenses, and any other living expenses during their 3 months in Boulder.

Q: Who will be in charge of the creative process and content creation? Is there a production budget?
A:The vision, content, and workplan of the project will be a collaborative creative process driven by the recipient, and in part influenced by the time constraints of Louder Than Eleven. The recipient of this grant will have a great deal of agency in this process. Narrowing the scope of this work down into a detailed position description at this time would compromise this seminal concept of the grant. A budget exists as part of this grant to help cover production costs. Depending on the vision of the recipient, the cost of production could vary greatly. If shot as a documentary, many of the folks involved would be volunteering their time, for example. Developing a reasonable budget to match the creative vision would be an important part of the learning.

Q: How do the industry partners engage with the created content? Who will actually own it?
A: We are hopeful the partners who have joined us in this grant, and with Climb United, are eager to help bring this work into the sunlight and share the final work as far and wide as possible. The content of the work will be created and driven by the grant recipient with guidance from Louder Than Eleven, and with input from the American Alpine Club and our industry partners. The final work will be owned by the grant recipient, with usage agreements included with all other parties.

Q: Are there other mentors involved with this grant?
A: We know that this space is intersectional, so we will also engage the grantee with relevant mentors in the industry depending on their preference and story. Cody Kaemmerlan (AAC Board Member), Shara Zaia (Climb United), Eddie Espinosa (Climb United), and Pete Takeda (AAC Publications) have been involved with this grant from its inception, and are available to mentor in media production, community engagement, and promotion.

Q: I still feel a little weird about this… is this white saviorism?
A: We recognize white saviorism is based on intent. Louder Than Eleven is fostering this opportunity not because they believe they have superior knowledge or capacity, but rather that they are fully aware of their immense privilege. Jon and Jess Glassberg desire to destabilize the structures in our world that offer privilege and possibility to some and not others. By offering the resources of one of the foremost production companies in the outdoor industry, they can take one small step to do so. In the spirit of truly working in partnerships and community, we allow space for allies willing to help combat the racism that permeates into our systems today by helping elevate those who have been subject to discrimination in the past. Ultimately, the real enemy to progress is inaction. We do this work knowing there will be criticism, and we may occasionally make mistakes, but we stand committed to our vision of a united community of climbers.