POC Content Accelerator Rideback Rise Sets 2026 Fellows

EXCLUSIVE: Rideback Rise, the non-profit content accelerator that supports mid-career POC writers and filmmakers in developing commercial entertainment to propel narrative change, on Friday announced the members of its 2026 Fellowship who will be financially and creatively supported as they develop market-ready television and film projects, including fully spec’d screenplays and pilots.

The fellows are Sabrina Almeida, Karen Chee, Nik Dodani, Winnie Kemp, Gabriel R. Lugo, Fredrick Leach, Justin S. Lee, Elaine Loh, Zoey Martinson, Hisonni Mustafa, Allison Sanchez, Jorge Thomson, So Young Shelly Yo, and William Yu.

Rise additionally announced that another 175 creatives have been inducted into the Rise Circle, an annual community of POC creatives who are supported through Rise programming, master classes, creative and practical sessions and workshops, and networking events alongside the Fellows. The two groups make up the full 2026 Rise cohort.

Rise CEO Diana Mogollón announced the list of fellows at today’s Rise Cohort Kick-Off event, taking place at the company’s headquarters located at Rideback Ranch in L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown. Guest speakers included actor-producer Steven Yeun and his producing partner Christina Oh.

“Our 2026 cohort is a bold, brilliant group of writers and filmmakers whose vision, rigor, and imagination are matched only by their desire to change the game,” Mogollón told us. “In joining us they join the RISE movement, an utterly unique experience where we help them become the creative entrepreneurs of the future, building commercially viable, culturally meaningful work that captures the hearts and imaginations of a rapidly changing audience. We cannot wait to see how this year’s Fellows and Circle members push the boundaries of what storytelling can be.”

The 2026 Rise Fellows will each receive unrestricted $40K grants for the year-long Fellowship. Fellows are also eligible to access a Development Fund to secure underlying rights to material and/or to create pitch decks, short films and other visuals to support their projects.

In the two years it has been operational, Rise has provided 381 creatives with more than 1,000 hours of programming in the form of brain trusts, development and rewrite courses, pitching modules, and hands-on summits covering financing, distribution, marketing, and tech innovation. Founded by Dan Lin, the producer who now serves as Chairman of Netflix’s film division, the non-profit has provided $1.4M in direct grants to fellows, and, thus far, approximately 60% of Rise-developed fellowship projects have been sold or set up with producers and financiers at prominent production companies and studios.