Celebrating 20 Years of Youth Development
This year we celebrated 20 years of mentoring and training youth across the city. We were thrilled to welcome Christiamilda Correa, Director of Individual Giving and Special Events, to the Reel Works team in January 2021. Christiamilda helped us produce a milestone fundraiser for a leading youth development non-profit in the height of a global pandemic. Our goal was to engage the broader community with four highly curated virtual events leading up to the Gala.
Of utmost importance, we wanted to ensure that the youth we serve were part of the conversation from the beginning of the planning process and that their voices were fully represented in all aspects - from production to outreach and networking in a safe and socially distanced way.
The first cultivation event invited special guests, Color Farm Media’s Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon to our inaugural Big Thinkers Series: What Does It Take To Make an Inclusive Media Industry? The intimate virtual reception was hosted by Alexis Tucker, Board Chair and Pernilla Winberg-Babtist, Gala Co-Chair.
The following month, we worked closely with the Reel Works Youth Ambassadors (Carlos Calderón, Daphne Castro, Sekou Cherif, Emily Freire, Michelle Genis Tapia, Derek Hernandez, Khiari Jaffier, and Salah Rabah) to create a Town Hall on Inclusion with incredible representation from industry leaders in media and celebrity, Vella Lovell of NBC’s Mr. Mayor.
Then, we hosted a live, virtual concert with illustrious Broadway and Hollywood star, Bryan Terrell Clark. During the event, we learned more about his personal story and engaged virtually with attendees.
Finally, we concluded our pre-gala events with a special virtual presentation of five John F. Outcalt Award Nominated short films created by Reel Works students.
Reel Works delivered a meaningful 20th Anniversary Gala on May 26, 2021. The Gala was a 45-minute presentation composed of live and pre-recorded elements. Understanding the reality of Zoom fatigue we knew it was important to give a platform for our honorees to explain how they impacted their respective communities. Issa Rae received the ChangeMaker Award; Kalpana Kotagal, Fanshen Cox and Dr. Tasmin Plater spoke about their significant roles in the reimagined Hollywood Inclusion Rider and Eddie Huang accepted the inaugural Variety Voice of Inspiration Award. If you missed it, check out the highlights below:
The best advice Reel Works has for others who are planning special events in this new normal: Be creative and lean on your community members, including staff, volunteers and Board Members to share their ideas and deliver a memorable experience.