ABOUT
The CBS Leadership Pipeline Challenge is a nonprofit-focused short film competition that empowers early-career storytellers to step into creative leadership positions for a good cause. With a design centered around inclusion, this initiative merges social impact and leadership development by leveraging education, mentorship and filmmaking opportunities towards the shared goal of uplifting local nonprofits.
Timeline
Application Period
September 3 – October 18, 2024
Education Period
March 12 – May 2, 2025
Production Period
June 2 – 23, 2025
Judging & Awards Period
July – August, 2025
Watch the Films
Team Our House Grief Support Center
The mission of OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center is to provide the community with grief support services, education, resources, and hope. Our Vision is to create a world in which grief is embraced, understood, and respected. Donate directly to OUR HOUSE here.
Nicola Gayle – Pipeline Executive
Melba Martinez – Director
Emily Parker – Writer
Grayson Alamango Shapiro – Casting Director
Eddie Yoon – Editor
Erick Grajeda – Director of Photography
Christopher Ikonomou – Production Design
Kavon Britt-Tiegs – Sound Design
Team Boyle Heights Beat
Boyle Heights Beat is a bilingual community news project produced by high school youth, offering “noticias por y para la comunidad,” or “news by and for the community.” Donate directly to Boyle Heights Beat here.
Sabine Hrkalovich – Pipeline Executive
Ziyao Liu – Director
Libby Tarquinio – Writer
Jada Henry – Casting Director
Cori Kim – Editor
Kim Vela – Production Design
Team TreePeople
TreePeople’s mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share our process as a model for the world. Donate directly to TreePeople here.
Joannesse Veillard – Pipeline Executive
Hasnain Syed – Director
Leo Aquino – Writer
Lauren Moss – Casting Director
Charles Capp – Editor
Team Actor’s Gang
The Actors’ Gang's mission is to present new, unconventional and uncompromising plays and dynamic reinterpretations of the classics, to restore the ancient sense of the stage as a shared sacred space, to introduce theater to children, and help them find their own creative voices, to bring the freedom of self-expression to the incarcerated. Donate directly to The Actors’ Gang here.
Michelle Han – Pipeline Executive
Peter Filimaua – Director
Sandrene Mathews – Writer
Journey Brown-Saintel – Casting Director
Ariel Pablo – Editor
Team Carecen
CARECEN empowers Central Americans and all immigrants by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice and promoting cultural diversity. Donate directly to CARECEN here.
Joshua Bankert – Pipeline Executive
Marlene Luna – Director
Sofie Khan – Writer
Dana Jeter – Casting Director
Jailene Sanchez – Editor
Chrissy Marshall – Production Design
Team Opica: In Tune
The mission of OPICA is to improve the lives of adults challenged by memory loss. Click here to make a donation directly to OPICA.
Durand Williams – Team Leader
Daryn Wakasa - Director
Rosa Lisbeth Navarrete – Writer
Deborah Alvarez – Casting Director
Oscar Loreto, Jr. – Editor
Ada Rannels – Associate Producer
Team My Friend's Place: Unaddressed
The mission of My Friend’s Place is to assist and inspire homeless youth to build self-sufficient lives. Click here to make a donation directly to My Friend's Place.
Gabriela Giancola – Team Leader
Samatha Sadoff – Director
Dawana Speights – Writer
Nathan Rodriguez – Editor
Natalie Jonah – Casting Director
Kelly Chang – 1st Assistant Director
Team Painted Brain: Colorful Minds
Painted Brain creates lasting community-based solutions to mental health challenges and the impact of social injustice through arts, advocacy, and enterprise. Click here to make a donation directly to Painted Brain.
Renee Amponin – Team Leader
Dorothy Xiao – Director
Catie Kovelman – Writer
Kelly Carita Finn - Casting Director
Andrew Espindola - Editor
Kennedy Hocker – Associate Producer
Alaa Zabara – Gaffer
Farrah Su – Director of Photography
Team Friends of the LA River: Rewilding
FOLAR’s mission is to build capacity for communities, students, and future leaders to advocate for nature, climate, and equity on the Los Angeles River. Click here to make a donation directly to Friends of the LA River.
Brandon Estrella – Team Leader
Victoria Renee Bell – Director
Cierra Lockett – Writer
Dani Bowman – Editor
Sam Figueroa – Casting Director
Myra Vitela – Art Director
Team Feast: Serendipity
FEAST’s mission is to promote health and wellness in communities through the power of healthy foods and human connection. Click here to make a donation directly to Feast.
Gabriel Rojas – Team Leader
Desiree Marisol Carcamo – Director
Spike Morales-Westlake – Writer
Tal Anderson – Editor
Taelor Cage – Casting Director
Amanda McDonough – Script Supervisor
Moises Marquez – Camera PA
George Steeves – Craft Services
PIPELINE CHALLENGE 2022 - BEHIND THE SCENES
Team School on Wheels: To The Letter
School on Wheels volunteers provide free tutoring and mentoring to children from kindergarten through twelfth grade living in shelters, motels, vehicles, group foster homes, and the streets of Southern California. Since 1993, the mission of School on Wheels has never wavered: to enhance educational opportunities for children who are experiencing homelessness from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Their goal is to shrink the gaps in their learning and provide them with the highest level of education possible. The program serves as a consistent support system for our students during a time of great stress and fear. Click here to make a donation directly to Schools on Wheels
Maya Alvarez – Team Leader
Nirav Bhakta – Director
David Aguilar – Writer
Mario Torres Torres - Editor
Maddalena Zuppetta – Casting Director
Team Homeboy Industries: Hope Has An Address
Homeboy Industries provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men, women, and youth, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community. Click here to make a donation directly to Homeboy Industries
Joshua Walker – Team Leader
Jose Vicente Chavez – Director
Russell Carter – Writer
Shaina Ghuraya – Editor
Nicole Bunnell – Casting Director
Team SafeBAE: Unread
SafeBAE is a survivor-founded, student-led organization whose mission is to end sexual assault among middle and high school students. As the only national peer-to-peer organization of its kind, they help promote culture change by giving teens the tools to become activists and shift school culture through raising awareness about dating violence, sexual harassment and assault, enthusiastic consent, safe bystander intervention, survivor care, and their rights under Title IX. Click here to make a donation directly to SafeBAE
Hannah Davis – Team Leader
Alle Hsu – Director
Ethan Young – Writer
Kelsey Gumm – Editor
LaCreshia Griffin-Pope – Casting Director
TESTIMONIALS
