Reel Works takes part in ViacomCBS Virtual Community Day 2021

We were thankful to be invited back to participate in ViacomCBS’ Annual Virtual Community Day on June 17th. This volunteer day brought together industry professionals and employees at ViacomCBS who used their expertise to give advice, guidance and feedback to our young filmmakers at Reel Works and MediaMKRS.

Reel Works Narrative Lab Student Sekou Cherif shared what he enjoyed most about the event: "It was a good experience to hear my script read out loud and get an in-depth analysis of my characters from a different perspective. One of the volunteers mentioned that in my script I could figure out a way to show the power dynamic more. That's something very useful for me to develop in my script and they helped me realize the power I'll have as the casting director.” 

In addition to receiving feedback on their personal works and projects, students also received the valuable opportunity to learn about different career paths. Students talked with industry professionals in small groups about the steps they took to succeed in their media careers. This helped to demystify the reality of working in the media industry.

Carlos Figueroa, a CUNY student in our MediaMKRS program, shared, “I would say talking to industry professionals was a bit intimidating at first because you want to work where they have worked or are currently working but, at the same time inspiring because it seems like we came from the same place. Meaning that we all have a goal and depending on how hard you work you'll get there.” 

A special thank you to Kavell Brown, Adam Robinson, and all the Responsibility & Community Investment team at ViacomCBS for making this event possible. 

The theme this year was "Find Your Impact," and the volunteers from ViacomCBS made a big impact on Reel Works and MediaMKRS students this year!