YouTube Partners With Elizabeth Banks’ WhoHaha To Empower Female Comedians

YouTube is partnering with WhoHaha, a ​digital ​media ​company founded by the actress Elizabeth Banks, to empower the next wave of female comedy creators.

As part of the just-launched Global Women In Comedy Program, YouTube Spaces in nine cities across the globe will provide aspiring female comedians with sets, crews, workshops, events, and mentoring from Banks herself. Interested participants can learn more about the Global Women In Comedy Program in an introductory video posted to WhoHaha’s YouTube channel (below), and applications for the program in each of the nine cities where it will be hosted — including Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Rio De Janeiro, Tokyo, and Toronto — are available in the description box.

One hundred creators will be invited to YouTube Spaces over a twelve-week period. Furthermore, in 2018, WhoHaha will invite select creators ​to ​produce ​​pilots ​for their female-driven series ideas. Last March, YouTube funded a first-of-its-kind global production program

at six YouTube Spaces to support female voices in front of and behind the camera, and the WhoHaha collaboration marks its latest effort with respect to this cause.

“At ​WhoHaha, ​we ​believe ​it’s ​not ​only ​important ​but ​essential ​for ​women ​to ​have ​a ​platform ​to ​be ​able ​to share ​their ​voices ​and ​creativity,” Banks said in a statement. “​That’s ​why ​we’re ​excited ​to ​be ​teaming ​up ​with ​YouTube ​Space ​on ​this initiative ​that’s ​providing ​such ​a ​groundbreaking ​opportunity ​to ​creators ​all ​over ​the ​world.”

“Women ​are ​underrepresented ​in ​the ​entertainment ​industry ​and ​we ​want ​to ​do ​our ​part ​to ​help ​put women ​front ​and ​center,” added ​Chris ​D’Angelo, ​director ​of production ​and programming at YouTube’s ​Spaces.