- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
On Monday, the The Native American Media Alliance— a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that fosters Native inclusivity in the entertainment industry—selected the eight candidates for their third annual Native American Animation Lab.
The lab is a mentorship program created to improve media portrayals of Native Americans and to increase the number of Native Americans employed in all facets of the media industry.
It includes five days of workshops, seminars and coaching from top animators from Comedy Central, MTV Entertainment Group and Sony Pictures Animation. At the week’s end, mentees will each pitch a final project to a panel of executives for feedback and support.
“We have a talented community in need of exposure, access, and opportunity,” Native American Media Alliance director Ian Skorodin (Choctaw) said in a statement. “As animation continues to grow, it still lacks our community’s voice. This endeavor gets more Native Americans in front of the right people who can change that, develop their animation projects and build their animation careers.”
Fellows for the program were selected from across the country and represent a range of backgrounds and experiences, from self-published novel writer and storyteller Hailey Bighorn (Assiniboine Sioux/Shoshone Paiute) to writer and actor Myrone Sumner (Tsimshian) who co-produced two adaptations of Stephen King stories, ‘Gray Matter’ and ‘All That You Love Will Be Carried Away.’ Other fellows include Shantal Begay (Navajo), Nicole Emmons (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), Michelle Hernandez (Wiyot), Sage Andrew Romero (Paiute/Taos Pueblo), Myrone Sumner (Tsimshian), and Delaena Uses Knife (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe). To learn more about the program, click here.
More Stories Like This
Center for Native Futures Hosts Third Mound Summit on Contemporary Native ArtsFilmmakers Defend ‘You’re No Indian’ After Demand to Halt Screenings
A Native American Heritage Month Playlist You Can Listen to All Year Long
11 Native Actors You Should Know
Five Native American Films You Should Watch This Thanksgiving Weekend
Help us defend tribal sovereignty.
At Native News Online, our mission is rooted in telling the stories that strengthen sovereignty and uplift Indigenous voices — not just at year’s end, but every single day.
Because of your generosity last year, we were able to keep our reporters on the ground in tribal communities, at national gatherings and in the halls of Congress — covering the issues that matter most to Indian Country: sovereignty, culture, education, health and economic opportunity.
That support sustained us through a tough year in 2025. Now, as we look to the year ahead, we need your help right now to ensure warrior journalism remains strong — reporting that defends tribal sovereignty, amplifies Native truth, and holds power accountable.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Your support keeps Native voices heard, Native stories told and Native sovereignty defended.
Stand with Warrior Journalism today.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
