DreamCamp-LA

Access to tech and creative industry employment

South Bay County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) San Gabriel Valley

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

Los Angeles is a global hub for arts, media, and entertainment (AME) but for many youth, especially from underserved communities, access to sustainable jobs in these industries is limited or non-existent. Barriers include lack of exposure, training, connections, and awareness of pathways like pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships. Far too often, young creatives are pushed into unstable “gig” work or entry-level jobs without a future. Black, Latinx, low-income, former foster and systems-impacted youth are particularly excluded. The creative climate here in Los Angeles is getting better but it still doesn't accurately reflect the diversity or potential of its population. The gap between talent and opportunity persists, not from lack of ability, but from lack of infrastructure. Solving it requires more than inspiration, it requires training, career navigation, and intentional pathway-building for creative youth.

DreamCamp-LA: For Young Content Creators, is a 9-week career pathways exploration which prepares young people (ages 16–24, and 25+ early career adults)) for sustainable careers in Los Angeles’s creative economy. Grounded in our Hollywood Production Assistant Program (HPAp), this DreamCamp-LA cohort blends technical training, real-world experience, and career exploration with a clear message: participants can pursue sustainable, skilled pathways—not just entry-level jobs.
Weeks 1-2 centers on career pathways exploration. Youth explore creative industry sectors, engage with local workforce board tools (like our long-time partner AJCC's career mapping), and learn how to access apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships. This week emphasizes purpose: helping youth identify their interests, set career goals, and understand labor market realities.
Weeks 3–7 deliver industry-standard training in set operations, production roles, and post-production tools. Week 8 features a capstone film project where youth produce original short films or PSAs for real organizations making an impact in our community. In Week 9, participants will tour a studio, showcase their work, and prepare for next steps, including pre-/apprenticeship placement through our partner BDP Entertainment Group or another of our partners in the business world.
DreamCamp’LA plans to equip young Angelenos with creative and professional tools, as well as creating a path to long-term economic mobility.

If DreamCamp-LA succeeds, LA’s creative industry will better reflect its population, which is racially, culturally, and economically diverse. Youth who might otherwise take low-wage jobs or disengage will instead access meaningful careers in media production. They will gain skills, create professional portfolios, and establish professional networks. As alumni enter the workforce, they’ll bring fresh stories, diverse voices, and long-term economic stability to their communities. This project is also a proof point: with the right design, youth workforce programs can integrate creative training, pre-apprenticeship awareness, and real job placement. We envision DreamCamp-LA as a model that can expand across the county, bridging the gap between talent and opportunity, and reshaping who gets to succeed in LA’s creative economy.