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Participant Media has announced the formation of a distinguished fellowship, "The Jake Eberts Fellowship for Social Impact Filmmaking," in honor of acclaimed producer Jake Eberts at TFT for graduate students focused on feature film development, social media and digital post-production, with an emphasis on stories that inspire and compel social change.

Participant Media has made a five-year commitment to underwrite the fellowship at TFT in recognition of the profound and lasting impact made in film by Oscar®-winning producer Jake Eberts. Throughout his career, Eberts was extraordinarily successful at bridging cultures and fostering collaborations between filmmakers, actors and investors from all over the world.

In a career that spanned more than four decades, Eberts financed or produced more than 50 films, garnering 65 Academy Award® nominations and 27 Oscars®, including nine Best Picture nominees and four Best Picture winners, "Chariots of Fire," "Gandhi," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Dances With Wolves." His films have grossed more than $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office.

"Jake was a role model, a mentor, and embodied the values that are at the very core of Participant’s mission. He was an enthusiastic champion from the earliest days and a dear friend," said Participant Founder/Chairman Jeff Skoll, "I can’t think of a better way to honor his memory than through this fellowship program in his name that will provide UCLA/TFT graduate students with hands-on, practical experience working on entertainment projects that inspire and accelerate change, which is what Jake devoted his life to."

This annual fellowship program will provide six graduate students, selected by UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television faculty, with a full-time, paid experience at Participant Media to actively participate in the creation of socially relevant content. Students will work with a mentor at Participant, and a TFT faculty advisor, and will be involved in the process of social impact filmmaking from development through production, post production and marketing.

"We are honored to be the home for this extraordinary new fellowship program for social impact filmmaking that pays tribute to Jake Eberts and the humanistic ideals that underscore all of his magnificent films," said TFT Dean Teri Schwartz. "It’s a great privilege to partner with Participant Media, a company whose values and mission are in total harmony with ours at TFT. This program will allow us to nurture our extremely talented students and develop the next generation of storytellers whose works will not only entertain, but inspire change for a better world."

Eberts' wife Fiona said, "Jake would be absolutely thrilled to know that the type of films he believed in will be fostered through this collaboration between UCLA and Participant. He had a great respect for Jeff Skoll and Participant's mission and the kind of movies they bring out. Our whole family are very touched by this fellowship in his name and could not be more delighted with this wonderful way to honor Jake’s memory."

A celebration, hosted by Schwartz, Skoll and Berk, to announce the fellowship program and pay tribute to Eberts, was held on February 19 at TFT, with Eberts family members in attendance, along with other celebrity and industry guests. 

— Posted Feb. 20, 2013

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