Today we’re kicking off the new Creator-in-Residence program. The Class of 2020 begins their virtual residency with Sony Alpha, and we’re stepping into a new chapter of the Alpha Female program.

If you’re learning about the program for the first time, the article we published when we first started Alpha Female and the Alpha Female page on Alpha Universe are good places to start. We began the program to help our industry become richer by representing more diverse voices and expanding its reach and horizons. The scholarships and mentorship we’re providing this year’s grantees will provide them with the support necessary to grow their careers, and by extension, their voices in an industry that becomes stronger and more impactful with every new voice added to it.

Our grantees have began making their plans for the six months of the program and beyond, and soon they’ll be getting their new Sony gear that will aid in the completion of these plans. Mentors are prepping for their first calls, and they’ll dive right into discussing goals for the program and the ways to achieve them.

At the beginning of 2020, we’ll be hosting a networking event at our Los Angeles Digital Media Production Center, to which we will invite members of the community. And in February we will bring all our mentors and mentees together for a summit to share ideas and dive into the details of everyone’s plans. We’ll provide you with an update from this event and more thoughts from our Creators.

In the meantime, you can find our team at all the big industry events: Imaging USA, Click Away, WPPI. If you’re there, please remember to come say “hi.”

And of course, we’ll be sharing our progress and exciting behind-the-scenes content as we go, so please join our Alpha Female group on Facebook, follow @SonyAlpha and @SonyAlphaFemale on Instagram, and watch our Alpha Universe YouTube channel for great video content. And remember to follow our Creators and connect with them directly on their social media channels.

Once again, here are this year’s Alpha Female Creator-in-Residence grantees:

@ashadamsphoto Ash Adams is a photojournalist living in Anchorage, Alaska. She’s done stories on climate change and cultural shifts, and her next frontier is taking on a story about small-town America, which she intends to turn into a chronicle of how things are, and a potential glimpse into how things will be. Ash intends to take the next step in her career by publishing a book, having gallery showings of her work, and elevating her profile in the cultural photojournalism arena. Ash’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Brooke Shaden.

@martinisev Martine Severin lives in Chicago and specializes in fashion and lifestyle photography. In her work she draws upon her life experience to create a world where the human experience takes center stage. The mentorship and support provided by this program will help her take her business to the next level and establish a strong brand name that will establish her as a go-to artist in the lifestyle and fashion arena. Ash’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Katrin Eismann.

@sigmontaylor Monica Sigmon has built an impressive portrait studio, along with her husband, in Williamsburg, VA. As part of the program, Monica intends to open up her creative direction, and take her brand to the national level, while at the same time giving back to the community and telling new stories with her portraiture work. Monica’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Jean Fruth.

@margeauxwalter Margeaux Walter is a fine art and commercial photographer living in Brooklyn, New York. The grant will help her merge the art and commercial areas of her practice, and will allow her to produce an intentional body of work that will propel her into a new level of creativity and cultural influence. Margeaux intends to create works that address important timely issues such as climate change and its cultural implications. Margeaux’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Marvi Lacar.

@kfair8 Kristin Fairweather is a filmmaker living in Los Angeles, California. Kristin has directed and produced both commercial and narrative films, and it’s her goal to become a well-known director for big budget films. As part of the program, Kristin will direct and produce a short narrative film. Kristin’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Amber Baird.

@markosian Diana Markosian is a documentarian living in New York, New York, whose teaching work takes her around the world. While Diana started out as a documentary photographer, she has made the leap into film with her latest piece focused on the complex experience she had as a child emigrating to the US from communist Russia with her mother. The project she will focus on during her residency is a culturally timely foray into the human ramifications of current immigration policy. Diana’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Taylor Rees.