Delivered by John Williams

1. Reel Works provides free filmmaking programs for NYC youth.
Using a unique one-on-one mentoring model, we challenge at-
risk youth to tell their stories and have their voices heard. In
turn, they build vital skills of literacy, leadership and self-
confidence to create productive futures.
REEL WORKS MISSION

2. The Digital
Media
Revolution &
Impact on
Reel Works
YOUTH MEDIA IS DEAD

3.  Centered on video, music or journalism.
 Often collaborative, project based learning
 Arts enhancement opportunities beyond the school day.
 Audience limited to friends, family and film festivals.
Reel Works Innovations
 Mentoring model
 Individual Storytelling
 Quality of work
 Wide audience
OLD YOUTH MEDIA MODEL

4.  Educational Video Center (EVC)
 Global Action Project (GAP)
 Downtown Community Television (DCTV)
 Ghetto Film School
 Manhattan Neighborhood Network
 Bay Area Video Arts Coalition
 Tribeca Film Institute
OUR PEERS - BEFORE

5. • Digital technology has sparked a sea-change in how media is
created and consumed.
• It has impacted education – creating a 24/7, participatory,
learning anywhere/anytime culture.
• It has sparked new education paradigms and ideas of what it
means to be educated today.
• Out of school learning becomes more important, creating new
opportunities for programs like Reel Works.
• Explosion of media platforms: video, music, web design, app
design, game design, podcasts, blogs, transmedia…
DIGITAL MEDIA REVOLUTION

6.  Tribeca Film Institute
 CoLab at CultureHub
 Global Potential
 Ghetto Film School
 MOUSE
 Dreamyard
 The POINT
 Eyebeam
 Girls Write Now
 Iridescent Learning
 Global Kids
 Institute of Play
 The Lamp
 Radio Rookies
 Urban Word NYC
 Make the Road
 Youth Communication
 City Lore
 Digital Me (UK)
 BAYVAC
 DCTV
 Peoples Production House
 New York Hall of Science
 Global Action Project
 EVC
 Girls Write Now
OUR PEERS - TODAY

7.  21st Century Skills: Knowledge is Over.
 Critical Thinking
 Collaboration
 Communication
 Creativity
 Connected Learning (Hive)
 A model of learning that draws on the power of technology to fuse young
peoples interests, friendships and academics through hands-on
production, shared purpose and open networks.
 Active. Relevant. Real World. Effective. Hands-On. Networked. Innovative.
Personal. Transformative.
 Maker Movement
 Tech-influenced DIY community.
 A wellspring of innovation, creating new products and producing value in
the community.
 Interest-driven. Innovative. Entrepreneurial. Hands-On. Learn by Doing.
DIGITAL LEARNING PARADIGMS

8.  Chris Lawrence
 The media landscape has undergone a sea-change.
 Digital and social revolution has created a participatory culture.
 What youth expect from media is different.
 When organizations fail to grasp changes in the culture, they can get
flattened.
 To stay relevant, youth media groups must have participatory values.
 Education is not immune to new paradigms - 24/7 learning is
everywhere.
 More permeable boundaries of what education is and where it
occurs.
 After School becomes part of learning anywhere/anytime culture.
WHAT OUR FUNDERS SAY
MOZILLA FOUNDATION/HIVE
FY12: $87K FY13: $50K

9. Phil Sanchez
 Great storytelling is platform agnostic.
 Media is changing, we must adapt.
 Fluidity in arts disciplines is necessary as new media
platforms emerge.
 Be where young people are.
 International is popular among corporations like Time Warner.
 What Reel Works does best: helping youth tell their stories.
 Communicate scope of new programs and connect to
filmmaking core.
TIME WARNER
FY12: $50K FY13: $100K

10. Miguel Salinas
 Very focused on building international partnerships and
incubating cross cultural collaborations with new online tools.
 New Creativity Scholarship Fund to address need to support
career readiness.
 Some agencies are changing to stay relevant, some are doing the
same model the always have.
 Very few have the capacity to take on projects that are not local.
 Outcomes do not change: building 21st century skills through
creativity.
 Scale is a challenge: too many schools are not embracing new
models or lack technology resources.
 Media making process is inherently individual and unscalable.
ADOBE
FY13: $20K

11.  Supports programs like Reel Works because they target an
audience that is hard to reach.
 Jobs that require technology skills are among the fastest
growing sectors.
 Sees growth in video production, web design, app building,
game design, etc. in youth programs.
 Loves Hive NYC model – would fund projects incubated
through Hive partnerships.
 Collaboration is positive. Don’t invent when you can partner.
 If Reel Works were to expand other media offerings, it should
always link back to filmmaking.
 Reel works is about storytelling and youth development.
PINKERTON FOUNDATION
FY12: $50K FY13 $70K

12.  21st Century skills are what we teach.
 Connected Learning is what we do.
 Partnerships with schools create opportunities to be seen as
essential educational partners.
 Youth centered learning in our classrooms will lead to new
programs – like the music program – that will be relevant to
teens.
 Workforce development programs create stronger ties with
corporate funders & industry.
 Hive Membership creates opportunities for innovation and
partnership with other agencies locally and internationally.
 Close partnerships with City of New York & WNET make us
highly visible.
 Our brand is quality storytelling and innovative programs.
REEL WORKS IS POSITIONED TO LEAD

13. Before Today
We Teach Filmmaking. Vs. We are digital media educators who teach 21st
century skills through filmmaking.
We are educators who partner with schools to
provide in school and after school media
workshops that engage at risk youth.
We Make Student Films Vs. We are content creators of powerful peer-to-peer
youth media that is seen worldwide across all
platforms.
We are a Brooklyn organization. Vs. We are a Brooklyn based organization that serves
NYC youth citywide.
We are local organization that has an outsized
impact on the field through our innovative programs
and the quality of our student work.
PARADIGM SHIFT

14. Program Serves Earns Growth
Core After School Programs:
The Lab, The Summer Lab, The
Master Lab, New Initiatives.
200 $400K Limited in our current space.
New Location?
Reel Works In Schools 100-200 $120K Unlimited if we invest in fundraising
and staffing capacity.
Includes Professional Development
for teachers.
Reel Works Productions 20 $210K Unlimited if we invest in marketing
and staffing.
Reel Futures 15 $65K Limited by funding and availability
of work-ready youth and industry
partners.
Reel Impact/Distribution 1 Million $0 Unlimited if we invest in outreach.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH

15. Youth experience media across multiple screens and platforms
every day of their lives. They consume entertainment - videos,
music, games, web sites – in fluid, participatory continuum of
experiences and share them through social media. Teens
create and share without consideration of boundaries between
media.
Reel Works can continue to be leader in the field without
sacrificing out core filmmaking identity. But we have to listen
to our students, our education partners and funders and
recognize that no one just makes stand-alone movies anymore.
Innovation is multidisciplinary, collaborative and welcomes
failure.
FINAL THOUGHTS