Sesame Workshop
2024 Sesame Street Live Action Director’s Pilot Program

Terms and Conditions

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY PRIOR TO SUBMISSION. OPEN ONLY TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AGE 21 OR OVER, AND WHO ARE EITHER (1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS OR (2) A PERMANENT RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

By submitting your “Application” (as further defined herein below) for the 2024 Sesame Street Live Action Director’s Pilot Program (the “Program“), you agree that your participation will be governed by, and you shall abide by, all of the following terms and conditions (the “Terms and Conditions“) outlined herein below:

The Program is a professional fellowship sponsored by Sesame Workshop, a not-for-profit educational organization chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York and having offices at 1900 Broadway, New York, NY  10023 (“Sesame”).

  1. WHO WE ARE:  Sesame is the independent production company behind the world-famous children’s television program and brand, Sesame Street. Sesame’s mission is to help kids worldwide grow smarter, stronger, and kinder through exposure to an array of varying stories and ideas in order to empower each generation to build a better world.
  1. PROGRAM GOALS: The goal of the Program is to identify and amplify new voices while developing new directing talent that reflects the diversity of our vast audience. . Upon selection and completion of the Program, Sesame may provide participating talent hands-on live-action directing experience guided by Sesame Street creative executives and professionals, including active producers and directors.  At the conclusion of the program, participating talent will understand the unique steps and skills required to direct puppets for Sesame Street and beyond.
  1. ELIGIBILITY: The Program is open only to individuals (each a “Candidate(s)” and/or referred to herein as “you” or “yours”) who are 21 years of age or older as of the date of entry; and who (a) are citizens of the United States or are a permanent resident of the United States; (b) residents of the New York Tri-state area; (c) currently members of the Director’s Guild of America (DGA) or are eligible and willing to join; and (d) submitted a completed Application (as further defined below) during the Entry Period.  Candidates with previous multi-camera episodic directing experience AND/OR puppet experience are preferred.  Please note that this Program is intended to provide individuals with directing skills and experience an opportunity to smoothly transition into directing for Sesame.
  1. APPLICATIONS: Each Application must comprise of the following (a submission which meets these following criteria will be referred to as an “Application“):
    1. The Candidate’s basic information (including their name and age), up-to-date contact information (including an e-mail address and phone numbers);
    2. A Copy of the Candidate’s Curriculum Vitae (with credits) and headshot;
    3. A personal statement of 400 words or less describing (i) why you want to direct for children’s educational media; (ii) how your experiences influence the stories you tell; (iii) which specific traits or talents you have to offer as a director; (iv) why you value diversity/representation in children’s educational media and how this has impacted your work; and (v) any other information you them relevant to the Application;
    4. A link to your director’s reel;
    5. Other than in materials listed in paragraph 4(a) above, Application materials must exclude any name or identifying information in the file name and body of such material, including the personal statement and  reel.

The entry period for Application submissions begins at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on January 5, 2024 and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on January 19, 2024 (the “Entry Period“).  All Applications must be uploaded during the Entry Period through the Candidate’s profile on the Program’s website located at https://sesameworkshop.org/directors-pilot-program-application/.  Applications uploaded or submitted after the Entry Period ends will not be eligible or accepted. Proof of submission of your Application is not proof of receipt by Sesame of your Application.

Each Candidate must retain a copy of your Application as Sesame will not return or retain any part of the Application. Sesame shall delete all Applications upon the conclusion of the selection process unless you are formally invited to join the Program.  Sesame is not responsible for, and each Candidate specifically releases Sesame from, any claims or liability relating to, any loss or damage, in whole or in part, to the Candidate’s Application. Each Candidate hereby agrees and understands that Sesame may, at any time and in its sole and unfettered discretion, update or alter any rules, processes, or procedures relating to the Program, and Sesame may at any time terminate, postpone, modify, or suspend the Program for any reason.

  1. APPLICATION REVIEW: Sesame intends to review any and all Applications received in accordance with the following:
    1. Phase One: Anticipated to take place between January 22, 2024 and January 29, 2024, Sesame will screen all Applications received to ensure that they are complete and all basic eligibility requirements have been met before independent third-party reviewers evaluate the Applications (based on a criteria provided by Sesame) and select which Applications will proceed to the next phase.
    2. Phase Two: Anticipated to take place between January 30, 2024 and February 14, 2024, Sesame will review the Applications and select up to twenty-five (25) Applications to proceed to the next phase.
    3. Phase Three: Anticipated to take place between February 19 – February 28, 2024, a selection committee comprised of Sesame employees and executives will review the remaining Applications and select up to five (5) Candidates to interview.

Upon the conclusion of Phase Three,  up to two (2) Candidates will be selected to participate in the Program. For the avoidance of doubt, a Candidate whose Application has been selected by Sesame to join the Program may hereafter be alternately referred to as a “Participant(s)”.

  1. INVITATION TO JOIN PROGRAM: Sesame expects to notify the final selected Participants and invite them to join the Program, sometime during the week of  March 4, 2024.  Sesame will notify the selected Participants by phone or e-mail, using the contact information contained in the Applications. Sesame may in its sole discretion announce the names (with or without your corresponding likeness) of the Participants on its website or in other forms of communication.  At any time, Sesame reserves the right to conduct a background check on any Candidates and each such Candidate consents to the same and shall provide whatever additional information, permission and/or documentation is required or requested by Sesame in connection with the same. Should Sesame be unable to reach any of the potential Participant(s), then Sesame, in its sole discretion, may choose another Candidate as a replacement Participant.
  1. THE PROGRAM: The Program is expected to run from February 2024 through August 2024.  During the Program, Participants will receive informational meetings with Sesame Street producers, production management, curriculum developers, directors, and puppet captains. Participants will be mentored by industry professionals and will be invited to attend production meetings and shadow for up to three (3) Sesame Street episode recording days.  At the end of the Program, and in Sesame’s sole discretion, Participants will potentially receive an opportunity to direct in the Sesame 3A studio.  For the avoidance of doubt, Participants shall be solely responsible for all costs associated with the Participants’ respective attendance and participation in the Program. For the further avoidance of doubt, participation in the Program does not constitute any offer or guarantee of any future employment of engagement.  Nothing in these Terms and Conditions grant any Candidate or Participant a right or license to use any copyrights, names, logos, trademarks, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights of Sesame, any of their associated companies, any of their respective sponsors, partners, or any of their respective employees or contractors. 
  1. FUTURE AGREEMENTS:  Candidates acknowledge and agree that no obligation of any kind is assumed by, or may be implied against Sesame. In the event that a Candidate is selected to become a Participant of the Program, prior to the commencement of the Program and in consideration of and as a precondition to your participation in the Program, you may (in Sesame’s sole discretion) be required to enter into further written agreement(s) with Sesame and/or complete (or have completed) additional related documentation. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event that Sesame, in Sesame’s sole discretion, decides to commission Participant to direct any content, Participant and Sesame shall have no agreement concerning such commission unless and until a formal signed work-made-for-hire contract has been executed between Participant and Sesame, and then the obligation shall be only as is expressed in such formal written contract (which, subject to DGA requirements, will include terms and conditions generally standard for directors in the children’s educational media community and commensurate with your experience).
  1. PARTICIPANT PERSONAL RELEASE: By becoming a Participant, each Participant grants to Sesame and their respective designees, the irrevocable, royalty-free right to use the Participant’s name, likeness and biographical information without further notice or consideration, in perpetuity, throughout the world, in all media and formats now known or hereafter invented, in connection with the promotion of Sesame and the Program. Participants shall have no right of approval, no claim to compensation, and no claim (including, without limitation, claims based upon invasion of privacy, defamation, or right of publicity) arising out of any use, alteration, distortion, or illusionary effect or use in any composite form or otherwise of my voice, picture, image, or likeness. During the Program, Sesame may, in its sole discretion, choose to record any activities in any manner (the “Recordings”) and Sesame may use the Recordings in any manner in full reliance on this paragraph.
  1. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: Any non-public information provided by Sesame, or on behalf of Sesame, to Participants is confidential to Sesame (“Confidential Information”). Confidential Information shall include, but shall not be limited to, any documents and materials provided by Sesame. Participants agree not to disclose any Confidential Information to others (including but not limited to posting on any web sites or posting to any social media platforms, regardless of the method of access to such sites or platforms), use for your own benefit or otherwise appropriate such Confidential Information in any way, without Sesame’s prior written consent. Participants further agree that they will use the Confidential Information solely in connection with its purpose, and Participants will take all reasonable measures to maintain the confidentiality of the Confidential Information.
  1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES: Each Candidate represents and warrants that:
    1. the information contained in the Application is true, accurate, and the Application, in whole or part, does not infringe upon or violate any rights of any third party, under any country’s law, including without limitation any trademark, copyright, right of publicity, trade secret, patent and/or other intellectual property right;
    2. the Candidate has the exclusive, unconditional right, and authority to submit the Application for consideration;
    3. the Candidate has the legal right to participate in the Program, permission from the Candidate’s employer to participate in the Program, and no other third party is required to authorize Candidate’s participation in the Program; and
    4. the Candidate is aware of and will comply with the Sesame policies (the “Policies”), which are located at sesameworkshop.org/policies and may change or be supplemented from time to time at Sesame’s sole discretion.
  1. DISPUTES: These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and interpreted under the laws of the State of New York without regard to conflicts of laws’ provisions. Candidates and Participants hereby agree that any and all disputes claims, causes of action or controversies arising out of or in connection with the Program or these Terms and Conditions shall be resolved exclusively by a state or federal court located in New York, New York. By entering, each Candidate and Participant irrevocably waives any right to seek and/or obtain rescission and/or equitable and/or injunctive relief.
  1. RELEASE OF CLAIMS AGAINST SESAME: By submitting an Application each Candidate hereby releases Sesame from and against the full amount of all claims, liabilities, actions, suits, proceedings, assessments, judgements, decrees, losses, fees, damages, settlement funds, and associated costs and expenses including attorney’s fees arising from or in connection with the Candidate’s participation in the Application process and/or the Program, if applicable, any use by Sesame  of the Candidate’s  Application and/or the exercise by Sesame of any rights granted to it herein, including without limitation claims based on the rights of privacy, false light, defamation, copyright, patent and/or trademark infringement relating to the Candidate’s Application and claims for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting from the Candidate’s participation in the Application process or participation in the Program, if possible.
  1. INDEMNITY:  By making an Application, each Candidate agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend Sesame  and their parent company, affiliates, subsidiaries, successors and assigns, and each of their trustees, officers, employees and agents from and against the full amount of all claims, liabilities, actions, suits, proceedings, assessments, judgments, decrees, losses, fees, damages, settlement funds, and associated costs and expenses including attorney’s fees arising from or in connection with the submission of Candidate’s Application and/or Candidate’s participation in the Program, and/or the exercise by Sesame of any rights granted to it herein, including without limitation claims based on rights of privacy, rights of publicity, false light, plagiarism, defamation, copyright, patent and/or trademark infringement relating to the Participant’s activities during the Program. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event of any claim by a third party in connection with the Application, Sesame shall have, in addition to any other rights available to it, at law or in equity, the right to immediately revoke an invitation to participate in the Program.
  1. NO LIMITATION ON EXPLOITATION OF MATERIALS: Each Candidate acknowledges that Sesame engages, has engaged, and will in the future engage in the development, preparation, production, acquisition, and dissemination of creative content (the “Content“), including without limitation Content that is similar or identical to ideas and concepts included in Applications provided hereunder or provided (in any manner) during the Program. Each Candidate also acknowledges that other persons, including both third parties and employees of Sesame, may previously have originated and/or submitted Content that is similar or identical to ideas and concepts included in a Candidate’s Application. Each Candidate agrees that it will not be entitled to any compensation because of the use by Sesame of any such similar or identical material and/or Content. Without limitation of the foregoing, Sesame may use, without any payment or other obligation whatsoever to any Candidate, any idea or concept contained in any materials provided by you that (a) is similar or identical to, or contains significant elements encompassed in, a concept that is under consideration or in development by Sesame before or at the time of the Candidate’s entry, (b) is not unique, novel, original, and concrete so as to be entitled to protection under applicable laws, (c) has been made public by anyone at the time of its submission to Sesame or otherwise is in the public domain, (d) would be freely usable by a third person if it had not been provided as part of an Application or the subject of any agreement, (e) is not protected by United States copyright law, or (f) is similar or identical to, or contains significant elements encompassed in, an idea, concept or material that is independently created by Sesame or any third party. By submitting an Application, each Candidate agrees that Sesame’s development, preparation, production, acquisition, dissemination and/or exploitation of Content and related materials similar or identical to anything contained in the Candidate’s Application or containing features, ideas, material and/or elements similar to or identical with those contained in the Candidate’s Application shall not entitle the Candidate to any compensation or other right or remedy whatsoever. As an inducement to Sesame to accept the Candidate’s Application in connection with the Program, each Candidate hereby waives, on behalf of themselves and their employer, any claim or right of action against Sesame, its associated entities, or its successors in connection with Sesame’s use of any Content (or any portions thereof) whether or not such Content is similar or identical to anything contained in the Candidate’s Application or contains any features, ideas, material and/or elements that are similar or identical to those contained in the Candidate’s Application. Acceptance by Sesame of an Application is not an admission by Sesame of the novelty or originality of the Application in whole or part.
  1. GENERAL TERMS: All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Sesame reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who violates these Terms and Conditions, tampers with the entry process and/or acts in any way that would, in any way, discredit or harry the reputation of Sesame, and/or to cancel, modify or suspend this Program should fraud or misconduct or other causes beyond the control of Sesame corrupt the administration, integrity, security or proper operation of the Program. Without limitation of the foregoing, Sesame reserves the right to terminate, modify or suspend this Program due to any of the following reasons: act of God; unavoidable accident; epidemic; fire; blackout; act of public enemy; war, riot or civil commotion; enactment, rule, order or act of government or governmental instrumentality or tribunal; strike, lockout or other labor dispute; inclement weather; failure of technical facilities; failure of essential production, or technical personnel to appear or be available; or other cause beyond its control. Sesame is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, incomplete, damaged, mutilated, misdirected, misdelivered, or delayed entries, or for technical or human errors or failures of any kind in connection with the submission, transmission, processing or judging of entries, including without limitation any malfunctions or failures of computer hardware, computer software, networks or telephone equipment or any technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or any combination thereof. Any attempt by a Candidate to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Program is in violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made; Sesame reserves the right to seek damages from any such Candidate to the fullest extent of the law. Sesame is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Program, or in any related announcement.
  1. ENTIRE AGREEMENT: These Terms and Conditions set forth the entire agreement and understanding between Sesame and Candidate concerning the subject matter hereof and merges and supersedes all prior discussions, agreements, and understandings of any kind between Candidate and Sesame. Clicking “I agree to these terms and conditions” Application hereunder below shall constitute your understanding, acceptance of and agreement with the Terms and Conditions set forth above. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, Sesame reserves the right, in its sole discretion, at any future time to terminate, modify or suspend the Program for any reason, in Sesame’s sole discretion. Candidate shall be deemed independent, and nothing contained herein shall constitute this arrangement to be employment, a joint venture, or a partnership. Sesame’s failure to enforce any terms of these Terms and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of any provision contained herein. The titles of paragraphs of these Terms and Conditions are for convenience only and shall not be given any legal effect. The word “including” is used in these Terms and Conditions to mean “including but not limited to.” The invalidity of any provision herein shall not affect the validity of the remainder. You acknowledge that these Terms and Conditions, in particular, paragraphs 8-17 shall survive termination or expiration of these Terms and Conditions and shall be binding upon you and your heirs and/or successors.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding regarding the Application, please click “I agree to these terms and conditions” hereunder below on this Application and proceed to the next step in order to attach and upload your submission and complete the Application.