Executive Summary

When you change the storytellers, you change the world.

This conviction animates every Reel Works program, partnership, and interaction with young New Yorkers. Reel Works braids peerless arts education with workforce development, providing free filmmaking programs, 1:1 mentoring, and job training for 1,700 students annually.

The spark of passion for filmmaking young middle schoolers may discover through our in-school residencies can then open a door to our continuum of afterschool and summer filmmaking workshops. They can spend their high school years finding their voice, telling their stories, and learning technical skills. For high school and college students eager to explore careers in film and entertainment, Reel Works’ MediaMKRS initiative provides workforce readiness training and paid media internships through a unique partnership with The City University of New York and 100+ media companies. Young adults seeking entry into this notoriously discriminatory and homogenous industry can access MediaMKRS’ paid job training for in-demand skills in partnerships with major movie studios and film unions, providing access to family-sustaining careers.

In 2021, Reel Works launched as a single workshop and has since grown into a vibrant community of talented young filmmakers, passionate educators with roots in the neighborhoods our students live, mentors eager to inspire - and be inspired by - this next generation of storytellers, and industry employers who recognize that our students’ talent, skills and stories are the future of media and entertainment.

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