CREATE
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2016 Grants Challenge

EMX LA & NoHo ArtWalk: A Platform for Educating & Engaging the Community through Electronic Music

EMX will invest in developing the NoHo ArtWalk, educational classes for kids/teens/adults, and developing new artists who will contribute to community service through the EMA Play it FWD program.

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Are any other organizations collaborating on this proposal?

-Western Marketing & Media (DBA: EMX): https://www.facebook.com/emx.la/, , -Electronic Music Alliance (EMA): http://ema-global.org, , -The Portable Classroom: https://www.facebook.com/The-Portable-Classroom-139368899459661/

Please describe your project proposal.

EMX is looking to expand their current platform throughout Los Angeles County, which showcases undiscovered local electronic music artists. EMX artists will enhance their communities by active involvement in the NoHo ArtWalk, after-school DJ programs for kids, after-school Producer programs for teens/adults, and the Electronic Music Alliance’s Play it FWD program.

Which of the CREATE metrics will your proposal impact?​

Arts establishments

Employment in the creative industries

Jobs per capita

Measures of cultural and global economic influence (“soft power”)

Minority- and women-owned firms

Percentage of graduates from local higher education institutions that remain in LA County 5 years after graduating

Venture capital investment

In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?

Central LA

San Fernando Valley

South LA

Westside

County of Los Angeles

City of Los Angeles

LAUSD

Describe in greater detail how your proposal will make LA the best place to CREATE?

Los Angeles has long served as the epicenter for the creative arts, and as a trendsetter for progress in the global music industry.

EMX is an electronic music community founded in Los Angeles that will make Los Angeles the best place to CREATE by providing artists the chance to enhance their communities through performance, education, and community engagement.

Electronic music & DJing have quickly become a global trend and very lucrative career. With this comes the opportunity to positively influence others. EMX provides opportunities for artists to give back to their communities through the NoHo ArtWalk, Future DJs, Future Producers, & EMA Play if FWD program. Once the artist contributes to their local community, they are recognized and promoted internationally.

Founded in 2015, EMX has quickly grown from one monthly open-mic showcase to developing after-school programs, 10 monthly performance events for upcoming electronic music artists (NoHo, Hollywood, & DTLA), and the NoHo ArtWalk as the core of the EMX event portfolio.

EMX has created partnerships with the Art Institute of California (Hollywood), the Mid-town Neighborhood Council, the Electronic Music Alliance, The Portable Classroom, Big Wangs (NoHo), Theodore Roosevelt Elementary, VegansOfLA, Tokyo Beat (DTLA), and many other local businesses in the NoHo Arts District.

In addition to growing the NoHo Artwalk, EMX has established two educational after-school programs in the Burbank Unified School District and soon the Los Angeles Unified School District called Future DJs and Future Producers.

Future DJs is an after-school program partnered with a Los Angeles nonprofit called The Portable Classroom. Pioneer DJ supplies equipment for the kids to use, and Future DJs concentrates on teaching students about DJing & audio production.

Future Producers is an after-school program partnered with a Los Angeles nonprofit called the Electronic Music Alliance (EMA). Software and guest speakers for the program are provided by Ableton Live, and Future Producers provides teen & adults a cost-effective platform for learning to produce electronic music.

The difference in the EMX educational platform is that the classes offered are lead by the very DJs and Producers who participate in the EMX community. These DJs and Producers are also the leaders who participate in & encourage community engagement through the EMA Play it FWD program. This EMA program affords electronic music artists and fans the opportunity to choose from various options for engaging in community service.

More info about the EMA Play it FWD program can be found here:

http://ema-global.org/programs/play-it-fwd

Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.​

Success for our project will be defined by:

-Artist contribution

-Educational development

-Community involvement

Measures for our success will include:

-Doubling the amount of artists currently participating and performing in the EMX community (currently 300+ performers and visual artists)

-Development of 3-5 weekly DJ & Producer after-school programs in Los Angeles County

-25% increase in EMX artist engagement in the EMA Play it FWD program

How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed?

Money

Volunteers

Advisors/board members

Staff

Publicity/awareness

Infrastructure (building/space/vehicles etc.)

Education/training

Technical infrastructure (computers etc.)

Community outreach

Network/relationship support

Quality improvement research