Film Teaching Artist, Center for Creative Workforce Equity

Venice Arts’ largest, longest-running program, Art Mentoring & Education, provides a sequenced, Media Arts Education curriculum, college success programs, and creative career development—completely free of charge to low-income young people from throughout Los Angeles. Our Center for Creative Workforce Equity targets young people ages 16-24, offering a sequenced program—from exposure, education, and training through internship placement—that helps build a more equitable and inclusive creative sector. Priority is given to uplifting those whose lives have been most challenged, including homeless, foster, justice involved, and LGBTQ youth.

Through all of our programs we reach over 800 young people, each year. As community demand far exceeds our current facility capacities, we turn away approximately 150 low-income youth annually. 95% of youth served are low-income; 53% live in poverty. Just under 50% live in Venice, Mar Vista, Culver City, and neighborhoods with high pockets of poverty on the West Side; the balance live throughout Los Angeles County including Mid-City, South L.A., and Inglewood, and some travel from as far as Norwalk and the Antelope Valley to participate. Most (85%) are youth of color, the majority children of immigrants, and nearly all attend poorly performing public schools and have no access to meaningful creative education.

This 160-hour, immersive program is designed for talented, low-income young people, ages 18-24, to develop foundational creative and technical knowledge and skills in visual storytelling, with an introduction to narrative, documentary, and commercial forms. Through a project-based learning model, students gain experience in pre-production, production, and post-production, with an emphasis on the latter. Soft skills development is integrated into the curriculum, and students are provided with mentoring and other support. Successful graduates receive certification from Venice Arts; sit for professional-level Adobe Premiere Pro certification; compete for paid, creative sector internships; and, those with a special aptitude for editing, receive priority for our 480-hour Editing Pre-Apprenticeship.

This is a non-exempt (hourly) position that pays a Teaching Artist rate of $30-$35 per hour, commensurate with experience. Hours each week, prior to the start of teaching, may vary. With the exception of the first teaching week, hours per week are projected not to exceed 30.

This position starts no later than October 1, 2023. Please consider your ability to commit to this variable schedule, and part-time work, before applying.

The ideal candidate is a filmmaker that can bring extensive experience in production into the classroom, as is experience building highly interactive lesson plans. Experience with project-based pedagogy a plus. An understanding of the educational equity needs of low-income and other highly marginalized young people, a plus. Must possess a high level of technical expertise with cameras, sound, and related equipment, Apple computers, and the Adobe Suite, with advanced skill using PremierePro. Experience with the creative sector landscape, and

employment opportunities across the sector, strongly preferred.