Propelle, the new female-focused accelerator program from Everywoman Studios and Realscreen magazine, has announced the three finalists for its inaugural edition. A press release confirmed that Kelly Sallaway of Rushbrook Media, Meghan Duffy of Black Watch Entertainment, and independent producer Sharon Houston have been selected for six months of mentorship, workshops, and career development.

First unveiled by Everywoman CEO Abby Greensfelder at this year’s Realscreen Summit in New Orleans, Propelle “aims to further develop the careers of up-and-coming female creators by pairing them with female-owned production companies and female CEOs for project workshopping and mentoring.”

According to its webpage, Propelle will see “female creators gain access to an established production company and a network of industry contacts, while learning how to develop ideas so that they are pitch-ready and sellable. Ultimately, the goal is to bring more female creators into the non-fiction ecosystem and have more diverse voices making content.”

Greensfelder, Nutopia founder Jane Root, and Bristow Global Media founder Julie Bristow will serve as mentors in the 2020 program. They will work with Sallaway, Duffy, and Houston as the latter incubate and develop their projects.

The finalists will deliver pitches to development execs at Realscreen Summit 2021. One winner will be selected and will receive up to $20,000 to further develop her project into production.

“At this moment in time it’s critical that the industry expand the set of voices and stories we’re hearing,” Greensfelder said. “I’m thrilled that we received such an incredible and diverse group of submissions where the finalists and runners up are a diverse group of female creators with interesting stories to support and workshop.”