CreateEnsemble Talent Hunt

Unleash your talent. Command the stage. Ride the fan wave.

From district showcases to international residencies, Talent Hunt launches emerging creatives into a continent-wide spotlight. Join a season engineered for collaboration, mentorship, and fan-powered momentum.

Community votes

1.9M+ season total

Mentor sessions

120+ hours per level

See how voting works

Season 03 highlights

4 levels · 6 categories · 40 finalists · 12 global distribution deals · 50K USD touring fund.

Fan powered

Verified votes via app, SMS, and live broadcasts. Fans unlock watch party kits, collectibles, and community grants with every milestone.

Contest Levels

Local • Regional • National • International

Creatives advance with mentorship, broadcast features, and investment partners.

Season 03 · Applications Open

A Creative Contest Built in Four Acts

Talent Hunt moves from local pop-up showcases to international stages, pairing fan voting with expert mentorship and funding at every phase. Pick your city, unlock your discipline, and scale your story with the CreateEnsemble community.

Neighborhood Showcases & Community Votes

Local Spotlight

Grassroots showcases happening in nine creative hubs across the continent, produced with local cultural centres and radio partners.

Pop-Up Stages: 65
Community Votes: 310K

Accra, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Kigali, Lagos, Cairo, Cape Town, Dakar, Addis Ababa

January 2026

Community storytelling and original works inspired by heritage.

Street studio recording sessions with local sound engineers
Digital storytelling lab for creatives experimenting with AR filters
Pop-up marketplace for merch drops and collaborative zines

View contestants powering Local Spotlight Voting breakdown

Cross-Country Collaborations & Masterclasses

Regional Rising

Regional clusters elevate top local finalists with curated mentorship circles led by cultural icons and industry executives.

Residency Labs: 16
Creative Pairings: 48

Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Casablanca

April 2026

Technically refined performances with collaborative storytelling.

Story architecture intensives with Netflix and Spotify creative producers
Stagecraft clinics covering lighting, projection, and motion design
Fan community growth sprints led by social impact strategists

View contestants powering Regional Rising Voting breakdown

Broadcast Finals & Emerging Talent Deals

National Momentum

National showcases integrate live broadcast, expanded audiences, and direct partnership pathways with CreateEnsemble studio partners.

Prime-Time Broadcast: 2.3M
Industry Scouts: 140

Johannesburg & Lagos (Rotating Host Cities)

July 2026

Polished performances ready for syndication across media networks.

Production bootcamps with Dolby Atmos engineers and lighting directors
Negotiation and rights masterclasses with entertainment lawyers
Showrunner roundtables covering audience engagement and distribution planning

View contestants powering National Momentum Voting breakdown

Global Stages & Residency Contracts

International Showcase

The top ten finalists debut original work on an international stage, amplified through partnerships with diaspora festivals and CreateEnsemble Studios.

Global Venues: 4
Distribution Deals: 12

New York, London, Toronto, São Paulo

September 2026

Fully produced experiences primed for international touring and distribution.

Creative entrepreneurship labs with Spotify EQUAL and Netflix Grow Creative
Immersive staging with XR teams and international choreographers
Investor showcases with impact investment funds and cultural philanthropies

View contestants powering International Showcase Voting breakdown

Vote-Powered Momentum

Fans lift creatives into the spotlight

Track voting insights

Total Verified Votes

1.94M

+18% vs. last season

Watch Party Participation

4,820 hosts

+27%

Average Judge-Fan Alignment

82%

+6 pts

Diaspora Engagement

58 countries

+9 new regions

Disciplines in the Talent Hunt

Six categories unlock space for vocalists, movement collectives, immersive technologists, visual makers, and theatre innovators to reimagine the stage. Each finalist pairs with a dedicated production pod and funding to level up their craft.

🎤

Vocal Performance

Soul, Afrobeats, spoken word, folk storytelling, indigenous chant.

Singers
Spoken Word Artists
Narrative Vocalists

Celebrating multilingual voices and cross-genre experimentation.

🩰

Movement & Dance

Contemporary, cultural, street, and hybrid choreography.

Dance Ensembles
Movement Directors
Performance Artists

Showcasing kinetic storytelling rooted in community traditions.

🎨

Visual Storycraft

Illustration, fashion design, scenography, digital collage, live painting.

Visual Artists
Fashion Designers
Scenographers

Dynamic galleries that transform stages into living canvases.

🎬

Cinema & Media

Short films, animation, projection design, XR and immersive storytelling.

Filmmakers
Projection Designers
XR Storytellers

Narratives merging cinema with immersive experiential layers.

🎧

Sound Architects

Producers, beatmakers, composers, sonic technologists, live mixing engineers.

Music Producers
Live Sound Designers
Composers

Crafting sonic universes with analog warmth and digital precision.

🎭

Theatre & Hybrid Performance

Playwrights, multidisciplinary performers, immersive theater-makers.

Playwrights
Directors
Multidisciplinary Ensembles

Experiences that blur the line between audience and performer.

Season 03 Timeline

Milestones on the road to the world stage

From application sizzles to international residencies, Talent Hunt seasons keep momentum flowing with production labs, mentorship, and investor showcases at every level.

Multi-Level

Nov 11 – Dec 20, 2025

Applications & Sizzles Open

Submit performance sizzles, creative decks, or rehearsal recordings with a 90-second story capsule.

What we deliver

Creative profile
Performance footage
Artist statement
Technical requirements

virtual format

local

Jan 08 – Feb 28, 2026

District Showcases

In-person pop-up showcases recorded for CreateEnsemble+ across nine cities.

What we deliver

Two performance versions
Community storytelling session
Live interview

hybrid format

regional

Apr 12 – May 24, 2026

Regional Residency Labs

Collaborative residencies culminating in co-created performances and mentorship feedback.

What we deliver

Mentor feedback deck
Production blueprint
Audience development plan

live format

national

Jul 04 – Aug 16, 2026

National Broadcast Finals

Prime-time live finales syndicated on partner networks with interactive voting.

What we deliver

Broadcast-ready performance
Rights & licensing packets
Press kit

live format

international

Sep 08 – Oct 30, 2026

International Residency & Showcase

Finalists develop touring-ready productions with CreateEnsemble Studios and diaspora festivals.

What we deliver

Touring set design
Investor deck
Immersive documentation

hybrid format

Mentor Collective

Judges & mentors guiding the season

Cultural curators, choreographers, producers, and technologists anchor each level. Creatives receive weekly feedback, rights education, and collaborative matchmaking to refine their signature experience.

Explore mentorship lineup

Folami Adeyemi

Creative Director · Art X Lagos

Interdisciplinary Curation
Festival Production

Levels: local · regional

"Talent Hunt is rewriting how communities discover and invest in emerging voices."

Zuri Kimani

Head of Originals · Netflix Sub-Saharan Africa

Story Development
Distribution Partnerships

Levels: regional · national

Chinedu Okafor

A&R Lead · Sony Music Africa

Artist Development
Global Touring

Levels: national · international

Imani Marley

Founder · Diaspora Dance Labs

Movement Direction
Community Engagement

Levels: local · regional

Noah Chen

XR Producer · Futurewave Studios

Immersive Media
Cross-Reality Storytelling

Levels: regional · international

Anaïs Mendes

Curator · AfroFuture Festival

Festival Programming
Cultural Policy

Levels: national · international

Funding the journey

Talent Hunt finalists unlock staged funding, studio resources, and touring support. Fan-driven momentum helps unlock additional microgrants and residencies to keep creativity sustainable.

local

$2,500 USD

Community Creation Microgrants

Production microgrants fueling community-rooted iterations of each project.

Creative lab stipends
Pop-up showcase production
Mentor check-ins

Funded by CreateEnsemble Community Impact Fund.

regional

$7,500 USD

Regional Studio Residencies

Six-week cross-disciplinary residencies culminating in high-production showcases.

Studio time & engineers
Creative marketing squad
Wellness and movement coaches

national

$20,000 USD

National Development Deals

Development deals with CreateEnsemble Studios and broadcast partners.

Production budgets
Legal advisory
Distribution strategy
Licensing support

Includes syndication pilots across partner networks.

international

$50,000 USD

International Touring Fund

Global touring support with diaspora festivals and cultural institutions.

International travel
Residency stipends
Creative technology setup

Featured Creatives

Spotlight finalists blazing the path

Discover the finalists redefining performance, storytelling, and sonic design. Follow their journey across levels, boost your favorites, and tap into their creative worlds.

international • XR Filmmaker & Sound Designer

Nuru Wachira

Stories you can step inside.

55,210 fan votes

Follow their journey

national • Immersive Dance Theatre

Élan Collective

Movement as communal memory.

38,890 fan votes

Follow their journey

regional • Spoken Word & Vocal

Aya Dlamini

Poetry that moves streets and stadiums.

48,230 fan votes

Follow their journey

Fans unlock more than votes

Fuel your favorite creatives with consistent votes and unlock exclusive access packs, digital collectibles, and community funding rounds tied to each performance.

Host 3 live watch parties with 50+ attendees each
Watch Party Host Kit
Custom overlays, co-branded assets, and artist shoutouts for community hosts.
Unlocks
- Artist video drop
- Limited edition merch
- Community grant nomination
Earn 5K verified votes contributed across a season
Superfan Backstage Access
Virtual backstage tour with finalists plus mentorship Q&A for emerging creatives.
Unlocks
- Backstage virtual pass
- Voting accelerator multipliers
- Exclusive digital collectibles
Support three community fundraisers tied to contestant projects
Impact Ally Badge
Recognition for fans investing in community-driven creative futures.
Unlocks
- Talent scholarship dedication
- Community toolkit series
- Feature in impact report

Join the voting wave

Ready to unleash your talent?

Submit your audition deck, rally your community, and partner with the mentors powering Talent Hunt Season 03. Whether you're choreographing immersive movement, engineering sonic worlds, or scripting cross-reality theatre, our platforms amplify your craft from street studios to international festivals.

Explore contestants

Applications close December 20, 2025 · Live showcases kick off January 8, 2026

Unleash your talent. Command the stage. Ride the fan wave.

Local Spotlight

Regional Rising

National Momentum

International Showcase

Fans lift creatives into the spotlight

Disciplines in the Talent Hunt

Vocal Performance

Movement & Dance

Visual Storycraft

Cinema & Media

Sound Architects

Theatre & Hybrid Performance

Applications & Sizzles Open

District Showcases

Regional Residency Labs

National Broadcast Finals

International Residency & Showcase

Judges & mentors guiding the season

Folami Adeyemi

Zuri Kimani

Chinedu Okafor

Imani Marley

Noah Chen

Anaïs Mendes

Community Creation Microgrants

Regional Studio Residencies

National Development Deals

International Touring Fund

Spotlight finalists blazing the path

Nuru Wachira

Élan Collective

Aya Dlamini

Ready to unleash your talent?

Ready to Start YourCreative Journey?

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