Creative Quills Mentorship Program at 826LA

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Los Angeles is home to the creative industry here in the United States. From movie and streaming studios to music production facilities, production shops, entertainment lawyers, podcast studios, , and more, the city is a hub of activity for creative professionals. However, representation is lacking throughout the industry. According to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, only 5.5% of speaking characters on the big screen come from Latine performers, despite the United States’ Latine population being 23%. Further, across the 100 top-grossing films of 2016, 47 did not feature a single Black woman or girl speaking on screen, 66 movies were devoid of Asian female characters, and a full 72 films erased Latinas. Behind the scenes, only 15.7% of films were directed by an individual from an underrepresented group from 2007-2023. It is imperative that media consumers see themselves represented in positive ways throughout creative jobs both on screen and behind the scenes.

826LA’s Creative Quills will deliver a speakers’ series and facilitate a book project at Venice H.S. and in our Echo Park and Mar Vista Writing Labs where students come for after-school programming. The project will introduce students to various aspects of creative industry employment, create potential mentor/mentee relationships, and ultimately become published authors. Modeled after our successful student creative writing and mentorship program at Helen Bernstein High School in Hollywood in which students work with professionals from nearby Paramount Studios, this project will expose students to real life creative jobs and help instill confidence in students’ access to future employment in the industry. With 20 years as an education and creative writing-focused organization, 826LA benefits from numerous partnerships with both individuals and companies within the creative sector. Through this program of six speaker events/workshops, eight workshops, and a culmination event, students will have the opportunity to learn about and write pieces related to film and TV writing, podcasting, video game development, lyric writing, novel and poetry writing, and more. Participating students will also learn the hallmark of 826LA programs– publishing. When a student participates in creative writing work with 826LA, they go through the entire creative writing process with their piece showcased in a published anthology and celebrated at a book release party along with a stipend.

Creative Quills will give young Angelenos the opportunity to learn about, and participate in, the creative economy. As the industry continues to change, there is opportunity for original stories from young people whose lived experiences include unprecedented cultural divides, a global pandemic, a centuries-in-the-making racial reckoning, and economic shifts which have changed the way most of us live. By helping students unlock their creative potential, LA County (and beyond) can benefit from experiencing unique works which reflect significant parts of the population who have been historically underrepresented. More than 73% of the students we serve are Latine, 11% White, 8% African-American, 4% Asian, and 4% Pacific Islander, Filipino, American Indian, or Unreported. With the growth of Creative Quills, 826LA will be able to further scale up similar projects, continually adding Los Angeles area schools and allowing their students the opportunity to nurture their creative ambitions.

With our high school programs, we have begun a process of tracking student progress in post-secondary education and or entry into the workforce. By continuing to keep in contact with teachers and previous students, we can determine how many 826LA alumni ultimately end up working in creative industries, and an added benefit is continued relationships allow 826LA to invite alumni to return to speak to current students. For the first cohort of this Creative Quills initiative, 826LA will hold a focus group and anonymous surveys with student participants as well as mentors and speakers so we may ensure that we can adjust the program as needed to ensure students get the most benefit from workshops with a focus on entering the creative economy.