Warehouse TV's founder, Chase Chambers, created a show called Deaf Code as a senior project and it won the prestigious Television Academy College Emmy Award! Certainly Chase would be able to find a job with that on his resume, right? After a year of interviews and introductory meetings with various productions, there were zero job offers. He was presented with several reasons why his being hired was not likely- being deaf was a liability, being unsure if communicating would affect production time, being unable to use a walkie talkie on set was a detriment, the fact that interpreters cost more than the job paid itself, and many other reasons. Despite offering several communication options, no one was willing to hire him. 

Even though our society has made strides with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Chase intensively researched the Act and came to the conclusion that films and productions in general were privately funded art projects, therefore they're within their rights to hire and reject whoever they want.

The Television Academy finally provided a connection for Chase, helping him get a job as Office Production Assistant on a show called This Close. He then was hired as a Chief Editor for DPAN's LA branch. Both of these jobs were working solely with Deaf people. While he is very appreciative of these two major jobs, doors had hardly been opened. The experience he gained STILL didn't give him any more opportunities in the industry. Being deaf was still a "liability." Chase felt the need to fight this stigma around disabled people working in the film industry. There are many people competing for these jobs, but it's even more difficult when people won't look past a disability and see your skills. With this kind of gatekeeping rampant in the film industry, how can disabled people get experience and grow into professionals and find out what works and what doesn't?

Thus Chase saw the need for Warehouse TV. Here we aim to be the epicenter of change in the film industry! We want to be the place to go to to build your resumes with real experience and create powerful connections. Productions need to work in absolute guarantees and we are the sandbox for disabled people to find out what works and what doesn't so they can provide guarantees to future productions in their career. 

We're working for the inclusion of a diverse population, emphasizing that people with disabilities are often excluded in the job market, and should be a part of the diversity mission along with everything under that umbrella already. We want people to realize that disability IS diversity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Namesake

Why Warehouse TV? The name was inspired by Andy Warhol's "The Factory." It was a place where different artists came to work and create their arts in one place and its reputation of artists being discovered through them was sterling. So branching off from that, we decided to call ours "The Warehouse" so to speak. A place where disabled and abled people can come and realize their artistic visions!

Are my donations tax deductible?

We are a 501c nonprofit organization because we want people to trust that every single cent to go towards our cause and creating the best possible content that will raise the bar for everyone. We want to raise people’s expectations of what they can see from us.
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How are we different?

How we are different is in the why. Disabilities are a big detriment in people’s ability to break into the film industry. So as a network we will require that productions have a minimum of 51-49 majority of disabled people on the team. We will keep an updated roster of disabled people available for those productions to choose from, so completing that stipulation will be easy.

Why are we aiming towards mainstream instead of being disabled-only?

I encourage this mixture because the biggest way to break into the industry is by building up your network and showing the work you have done out in the field. So, in this format, we are able to both build industry relationships and give hands-on experience to those who would not otherwise be given the opportunity.

The number is so big! How do you expect to reach it?

In reality, that $75,000 number is very conservative compared to the typical cost of creating quality shows, especially for the number of people we would like to help break into the industry. However, we do plan to drum up interest from as many generous people,  organizations, and sponsors as we possibly can. People want to help this cause, and we will give them a way.
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I want to pitch a show idea! How do I do that?

While we may be available year-round to hear your pitches and watch your pilots, we will be putting out a public call for pitches in the winter months (October-November), if you want to use that as a deadline. Also, we'll have a packet available which explains exactly what we will expect from you regarding your pitch, and, if accepted, your production process.