PILOT Launches New NEXTGEN TV Fellowship, Introduces 2021 Fellows

–Fellows will learn directly from ATSC and AWS experts, develop and present NEXTGEN TV product concept–

Washington, D.C. – PILOT, an innovation initiative of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), has launched the PILOT NEXTGEN TV Fellowship program with support from Amazon Web Services (AWS). Structured like an early-stage start-up, the fellowship will focus on exploring capabilities of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard and developing a concept for a NEXTGEN TV product or service.

Alongside industry experts, fellows will gain practical, first-hand experience with NEXTGEN TV technology. The unique, eight-month program will include product training, seminars and one-on-one coaching with NEXTGEN TV standard experts and AWS representatives. The fellowship will conclude with fellows presenting their projects at the 2022 NAB Show in April in Las Vegas.

The 2021 fellows are current Howard University students Mikaela Mosley and Sulaiman Bastien.

Mosley is a senior television and film production major and political science minor from Philadelphia, Pa. She is the general manager and producer for Howard University’s Spotlight Network/WHUT-TV and recently completed an internship with Amazon Studios as a Drama Development intern.

Bastien is a senior television and film production major and computer science minor, with a concentration on directing and software engineering. He recently completed an internship with Pearl TV as an application developer and is originally from Laurel, Md.

Howard University is partnering with local broadcast television stations to bring NEXTGEN TV to local stations in Washington, D.C., with Howard University’s WHUT serving as the host station.  Other participating stations include WJLA (ABC), WUSA (CBS), WTTG (FOX), and WRC (NBC).

“I’m delighted we can partner with AWS and the NAB Leadership Foundation to provide this fellowship that is only available at Howard University,” said John Clark, executive director of PILOT. “This groundbreaking program offers a unique experience to jumpstart careers and provide a boost for the industry.”

“When we look back at early television pioneers such as Philo Farnsworth, and then forward to NextGen TV it is more than nostalgic, it is a 21^st Century game changer,” says Dean Gracie Lawson-Borders, Cathy Hughes School of Communications.

“Our students participating in the NextGen TV Fellowship will embrace the next phase of interactive and digital TV, and spread that knowledge and experience in ways we are still imagining.”

Fellows will also participate in NAB Leadership’s Technology Apprenticeship Program (TAP). TAP is a complimentary career development program that is designed to train, inform and recruit the next generation of leaders in the broadcasting industry. Between these two innovative programs, fellows will be poised to launch a cutting-edge career as an engineer or technology professional in the broadcasting industry.