Stowe Story Labs

What Stowe Story Labs does

Stowe Story Labs, Inc. is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by David Rocchio (Founder & Director) and David Pope (Co-Founder & Program Consultant). It supports emerging and established screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers through a portfolio of programs including in-person Narrative Labs and Writers' Retreats (held in Stowe, Vermont; Croatia; and Connemara, County Galway, Ireland), online 12-week writing programs (Feature Campus for feature screenplays at $2,650 and Writers Room for TV pilots, capped at 12 participants), a Producers' Lab, and partner-funded regional programs (New Voices New Mexico with the New Mexico Film Office and the PictureNL Producer Accelerator with the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation). Additional offerings include a Manchester Film Festival Development Workshop, a Short Film Production Grant, fellowships and scholarships, an Alumni Fiscal Agency, and Stowe Launch — collectively serving approximately 200 emerging talents annually.

The business model is hybrid nonprofit revenue: (1) participant program fees for paid tracks (e.g., Feature Campus at $2,650 per 12-week cohort), (2) donations and grants supporting the 501(c)(3) mission, and (3) partner-funded programs where state and regional film commissions cover all participant costs in exchange for delivery (New Voices New Mexico, PictureNL). The technology stack is deliberately minimal and entirely third-party — Submittable for competitive applications, Zoom for online program delivery, and Squarespace for web/donation checkout. There is no proprietary platform, no AI tooling, and no software product; the "product" is curated human mentorship and structured development cohorts.

Go-to-market relies on direct application through Submittable, the website (stowestorylabs.org), an email newsletter, and inbound referrals from state film office partners and festivals (Manchester Film Festival, Vermont Film + Music Festival). Distribution is global — programs are open to international applicants, and the 2026 calendar spans Vermont, Croatia, Ireland, the UK, Canada, and New Mexico. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors that includes entertainment lawyers (A24, MUBI counsel), BAFTA and European Film Academy voters, working showrunners, and international producers, providing the brand credibility that underwrites recruitment of mentor talent.

Name

Stowe Story Labs

Legal name

Stowe Story Labs, Inc.

Website

https://stowestorylabs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stowe Story Labs is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 that supports emerging screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers through in-person labs, international retreats, online 12-week writing programs, and partner-funded regional accelerators, serving approximately 200 emerging talents annually across the US, Canada, Ireland, Croatia, and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Screenwriting and Filmmaking Development Programs

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Screenwriting Workshops (Film/TV/Web) (EDAMAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK)

Keywords

• Screenwriting labs
• Filmmaker development programs
• Writers retreats
• Creative producer training
• Screenwriting mentorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Stowe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Fees charged for participation in writing programs, retreats, and labs. Programs include Feature Campus ($2,650), Writers Room, Narrative Labs, and Writers' Retreats.
2. Donations and Grants: 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by donations and grants to support emerging screenwriters and filmmakers.
3. Donor-Funded Programs: Some programs such as New Voices New Mexico and PictureNL Producer Accelerator have no fees for participants as they are fully funded by partner organizations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stowe Story Labs operates a portfolio of screenwriting and filmmaking development programs including in-person Narrative Labs in Stowe, Vermont; international Writers' Retreats in Croatia and Ireland; 12-week online writing programs (Feature Campus, Writers Room); Producers' Labs; partner-funded programs (PictureNL, New Voices New Mexico); and a Short Film Production Grant. Programs combine skills workshops, one-on-one mentorship from working industry professionals, and peer community to help screenwriters and filmmakers develop projects and get them produced.

Product overview

Stowe Story Labs is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a platform of interconnected programs designed to support emerging and established screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including Narrative Labs (in-person intensives), Writers' Retreats (in various international locations), Producers' Lab, Feature Campus (12-week online feature screenwriting program), The Writers Room (12-week online TV pilot program), New Voices ⚬ New Mexico, PictureNL Producer Accelerator Program, Manchester Film Festival Development Workshop, along with grants (Short Film Production Grant), fiscal agency services, and fellowships/scholarships. The programs are designed to help artists develop skills and scripts, build peer and industry networks, and gain the confidence to move projects forward.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Narrative Labs In-person intensive multi-day programs held in Stowe, Vermont where screenwriters and filmmakers develop skills and projects with mentorship from industry professionals.
• Writers' Retreats In-person and online retreat programs held in locations including Croatia, Connemara (Ireland), Vermont, and Zoom, providing immersive screenwriting development environments.
• Producers' Lab Online and in-person lab programs for creative producers focusing on development, finance, production, sales, and international co-productions.
• Feature Campus A 12-week remote online program designed for writers wanting to write a new feature film screenplay. Participants develop skills and master a process to create story, with weekly group sessions and one-on-one meetings with David Pope, leaving with a first draft of a new narrative feature script.
• The Writers Room A 12-week remote online program capped at 12 participants, designed for writers wanting to write episodic screenplays, broken into building a TV show and writing a show, culminating in a strong first draft of a TV pilot script.
• PictureNL Producer Accelerator Program A three-part training program for production companies in Newfoundland and Labrador designed to achieve strategic and predictable business growth through skill-development, hands-on training, industry intelligence, networking, and mentorship; no fees to participate.
• New Voices ⚬ New Mexico A three-part curated development program for New Mexican screenwriters and filmmakers developing feature film or television scripts; includes a 3-day online Narrative Lab, individually designed ongoing mentoring, and a 5-day in-person Writers' Retreat in Santa Fe, NM. Participants pay no fees.
• Manchester Film Festival Development Workshop A development workshop for emerging screenwriters held as part of the Manchester Film Festival. Designed to help filmmakers learn new skills for their film or TV script and strategize bringing work to market.
• Short Film Production Grant Grant program supporting short film production for alumni and community members.
• Alumni Fiscal Agency Fiscal sponsorship service for alumni of Stowe Story Labs programs.
• Fellowships & Scholarships Fellowships and scholarships to support emerging screenwriters and filmmakers in attending Stowe programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 200 emerging talents served annually
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Mexico Film OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Stowe Story Labs partners with the New Mexico Film Office to offer the New Voices New Mexico program, a three-part curated writing program for talented New Mexican screenwriters and filmmakers. The program includes a 3-day online Narrative Lab, ongoing mentoring, and a 5-day in-person Writers' Retreat in Santa Fe, NM. Selected participants pay no fees as the program is fully funded by NMFO.
• PictureNL (Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Stowe Story Labs was engaged by PictureNL to run the PictureNL Producer Accelerator Program, a three-part training program for production companies in Newfoundland and Labrador. The program aims to achieve strategic and predictable business growth through skill-development, practical hands-on training, exposure to industry intelligence, networking, and mentorship. There are no fees to participate.
• Manchester Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Stowe Story Labs partners with Manchester Film Festival to offer a Development Workshop for Emerging Screenwriters. The workshop takes place during the Manchester Film Festival and is designed for emerging screenwriters or teams intending to bring a first or second feature film project to market.
• Vermont Film + Music FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStowe Story Labs is closely associated with the Vermont Film + Music Festival, which shares staff and leadership with the Labs organization. The festival and labs operate in coordination in Stowe, Vermont.
• Fís Éireann-Screen IrelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStowe Story Labs conducts Writers' Retreats in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland in partnership with Irish film development organizations, hosting the annual Connemara Writers' Retreat.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Script Pipeline: Script Pipeline runs screenwriting competitions and connects emerging writers with producers and managers. It overlaps with Stowe in helping writers break into the film/TV industry but is structured around contests rather than sustained workshop/lab development.
• The Black List: The Black List is a platform for screenwriters to host scripts for industry evaluation and discovery, with associated fellowship and lab programs. It overlaps with Stowe in targeting emerging screenwriters seeking industry exposure and access, though via a digital evaluation model rather than in-person lab format.
• Nantucket Film Festival: Nantucket Film Festival runs screenwriting labs, the Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, and writer development events attached to its annual festival. It competes with Stowe for emerging screenwriter attention via a festival-integrated model rather than standalone nonprofit labs.
• CineStory Foundation: CineStory Foundation runs screenwriting retreats and fellowships (including the CineStory TV Retreat) for emerging writers in Idaho and elsewhere. It is a smaller-scale direct peer to Stowe's Writers' Retreats in both format (immersive residential screenwriting retreat) and audience (early-career feature/TV writers).
• Roadmap Writers: Roadmap Writers offers screenwriting mentorship, competitions, and consultation services for emerging screenwriters. It is comparable to Stowe's Feature Campus and Writers Room in targeting early-career writers seeking structured development support, though it operates as a for-profit online mentorship marketplace.

Direct peers

• Film Independent: Film Independent operates Filmmaker Labs, producing lab, and screenwriting workshops for emerging filmmakers, plus the Spirit Awards. Its lab-based development model with mentor pairing closely mirrors Stowe's Narrative Labs and Producers' Lab structure and target audience of independent filmmakers.
• MIDPOINT Institute: MIDPOINT runs feature film and series script development workshops and training programs across Central Europe, including intensive lab formats for screenwriters and producers. It is comparable to Stowe in mission (script development), target audience (emerging writers), and workshop/retreat delivery model.
• Sundance Institute: Sundance Institute runs the Feature Film Program, Screenwriters Lab, and Episodic Lab, which are the most prominent emerging-screenwriter development labs globally. It is the closest direct peer to Stowe's Narrative Labs, Writers' Retreats, and Writers Room programs in mission (supporting emerging writers) and structure (labs with industry mentorship).
• International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) - Rotterdam Lab: IFFR's Rotterdam Lab (for which Stowe's co-founder David Pope is the longstanding advisor) is a flagship emerging-producers program with intensive workshop formats. It is a direct peer on the producing/development side of Stowe's Producers' Lab and PictureNL Producer Accelerator offerings.

Broad incumbents

• American Film Institute (AFI): AFI is a long-established film education institution offering the AFI Conservatory MFA, AFI Screen Education Center workshops, and various filmmaker development programs. It serves overlapping audiences (emerging filmmakers) with a much broader curriculum than Stowe, making it a broad incumbent in film/screenwriting education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StoweStoryLabs
• Facebookfacebook.com/StoweStoryLabs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stowe Story Labs