Background

PictureNL, formally known as the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation, is the lead agency for the province for investments in film and television productions through its equity, tax credit and development programs. Through its five programs, the NLFDC offers local producers and outside producers/productions the support needed to help the province’s production sector to flourish.

Stowe Story Labs is a nonprofit dedicated to helping top emerging screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers develop skills and projects. We do this through labs, retreats, long-form writing programs, and integrated long-form talent development programs. 

Stowe Story Labs is pleased to run the annual Producer Accelerator Program for PictureNL. The Program is a three part, multi-month training program designed to help emerging production companies in Newfoundland and Labrador achieve strategic and predictable business growth, especially in the international marketplace, through skill-development, practical hands-on training, exposure to industry intelligence, networking, and mentorship. 

The program will take the selected production company teams through workshops and customized mentoring with top practitioners in production, sales, finance, development, and coproduction, among other skill sets, over five months of work together. 

The program will run from late-Spring through August 2026. Most elements of the program will run online. There will be a two-day in-person program run in St. John's in July, to be scheduled upon enrollment of the program. 

Participants will leave the program with elevated skills and tools to participate as creative producers in the international film and television industry and be export-market ready to be competitive in the most important markets, promote themselves to the industry, and work to secure partnerships that advance projects.

Participants will be selected through a competitive application process.

Application Process

The questions on the application ask about the company applying, the individual company member(s) (no more than two per company) who will participate in the program, the current slate of projects being developed, and the company's five year vision. 

Costs

There are no fees to participate in this program. 

Changes

We will notify all applicants of fee or schedule changes if/when they occur. 

Misc. 

Stowe Story Labs and PictureNL will not provide feedback on projects and/or applications through this submission process.

Interested companies may reach out to Stowe at info@stowestorylabs.org and/or PictureNL at cyril@picturenl.ca with questions about the application or the program.

Dates and Deadlines

Application deadline is April 6, 2026 by 11:59 pm US Eastern Time. 

Thank you for your interest in the 2026 edition of the PictureNL • Stowe Story Labs Producer Accelerator Program. Best of luck if you choose to apply. Please be assured we take the same care in the review process as you have put into developing the work and making your application.

Team Stowe Story Labs

Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Stowe Story Labs Croatia Writers' Retreat. Stowe Story Labs is a Vermont (U.S.) based nonprofit dedicated to helping top emerging filmmakers and screenwriters develop their craft and their work. We are honored to have been asked to deliver this program. 

This​ application is open to screenwriters resident in Croatia or Croatian writers abroad working with the Croatian screen industries. The program will be held in Lovran, Croatia September 21-25, 2026.  

The screenwriters and filmmakers selected from Croatia through this process will not be charged a fee or room and board costs to attend the Retreat. Selected participants will be responsible for getting themselves to and from the Retreat.

The Retreat will have 20 participants. Ten fellows resident in Croatia or Croatian writers will be selected. Other participants will join from around the world. 

The application asks about you and about your project, your residency, and asks for a writing sample from the material you intend to workshop at the Retreat. Please note you must have a solid first draft of the script by August 1, 2026 to be considered for the program. 

We do charge a small fee to review the application. We do not do this lightly. It takes time and resources to conduct meaningful reviews, and we keep the fee as low as possible to not discourage applicants. If paying this fee is a burden, please reach out to us at info@stowestorylabs.org.

Please take your time completing the application, and know we make the same effort in reviewing your submission as you do in building it.

We are honored to have received this grant from the Croatian Audio Visual Center (HAVC) to run this program. We thank our partners at SPID and HAVC for making this program possible. 

If you choose to apply, we wish you the best of luck in the review process.

This application will close at midnight Eastern Daylight Time on March 30, 2026. 

Thank you,           

Team Story Labs

Background

Thank you for your interest in our Writers' Retreats. By way of background, founded in 2013, Stowe Story Labs is a nonprofit dedicated to helping top emerging and established screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers get work made and seen. We do this through programs designed to help artists develop skills and projects. We look for people demonstrating talent, a collaborative nature, a good story worth developing, and the ability to develop the project presented, whether or not they have experience in film or television. 

This application is for admission and consideration for fee-based and scholarship slots to our 2026 Writers' Retreats: 

• The Remote Writers' Retreat will run June 26 - 30, 2026 online via Zoom
• The Croatia Writers' Retreat will run September 21 - 25, 2026 in Lovran, Croatia
• The Connemara Writers' Retreat will run October 12 - 16, 2026 in Connemara, Ireland

You can learn more about our Retreats here.

Application Process

The questions on the application ask about you, the project you are submitting, and your intent in making the film or show. Please answer questions as fully as possible. Be sure to submit a solid first draft of your screenplay or TV Pilot. 

If applying for scholarships please include a statement of need where indicated.

There is not a separate application process for this opportunity. 

Our scholarships are offered based on merit and need.

Fees

The fee to attend the in-person five-day Croatia Writers' Retreat and Connemara Writers' Retreat in 2026 is €4,250 (this includes full room and board but not travel). 

The fee to attend the online five-day Remote Writers' Retreat in 2026 is US$1,800.00

Changes

We will notify all applicants of fee or schedule changes if/when they occur. 

A Few Additional Notes

We do not provide feedback on projects through our submission process.

Please familiarize yourself with our programs before applying. 

You can of course reach out to us at info@stowestorylabs.org if you have questions.

We may well reach out to you with questions as we go through the application process.

As noted above, we look for talented people - regardless of experience or background - bringing us interesting stories. 

Our mission includes breaking down barriers to entry in this complicated industry. 

Dates and Deadlines

Early Bird Deadline ($48): January 31 (ends midnight US Pacific Time)

Regular Deadline ($55): March 1 (ends midnight US Pacific Time)

Late Deadline ($60): March 17 (ends midnight US Pacific Time)

Extended Deadline ($60): March 27 (ends midnight US Pacific Time)

Thank you for your interest in our retreats. Best of luck if you choose to apply. Please be assured we take the same care in our review processes as you have put into developing the work and making your application.

Team Stowe Story Labs